Buyers increasingly rely on customer reviews. These reviews are crucial, not just for boosting credibility but also for shaping the purchasing decisions of potential clients. Yet every marketer tasked with review generation inevitably struggles to find novel ways to ask for user reviews.
I’ve recently come across three great examples of how to ask for reviews, to spark your inspiration for your next review generation campaign.
Let’s see the art of transforming customer satisfaction into compelling testimonials that elevate your brand’s market presence.
What is a Review Generation Campaign?
A review generation campaign is a targeted effort by businesses to increase the number of customer reviews on their products or services.
These campaigns are crucial for building trust and credibility with potential customers, improving search engine rankings, and gaining insights into customer satisfaction.
By leveraging various tactics and platforms, businesses can encourage their existing customers to share their experiences, thereby attracting new customers and fostering growth.
Example #1: Ask for a Review in the "Honeymoon Phase"
One effective strategy is to ask for a review during the “honeymoon phase” of the customer experience. This is when some customer’s satisfaction and engagement levels peak.
A course instructor, Justin Welsh exemplifies this approach by requesting a testimonial midway through his course. He cleverly integrates a video within the course content, asking for the review when students are most receptive.
Welsh utilizes Testimonial.to to simplify the review process, allowing students to either record a quick video or write a review effortlessly.
What I like most about this review generation ask is how it addresses the potential concern of “What’s in it for me?” by offering web traffic and visibility to the reviewers.
Their testimonials, which include their name and social media profile link, are featured on a page with significant monthly visits and have the chance to be highlighted on Welsh’s LinkedIn profile, seen by over 110,000 people. It’s free marketing for course customers who would like to market to their classmates.
Key takeaways:
- Timing is crucial; asking for a review during the honeymoon phase ensures high engagement.
- Incorporating a personal touch, like a video, adds warmth to the request.
- Leverages reciprocity: a student is asked to give a review right after getting a lesson.
- Offering value in return, such as visibility and marketing opportunities, enhances the likelihood of getting a review.
- Asks for a review more than once, at the midway mark of the course and at the end of it.
Example #2: Offer Product Credits for Writing Reviews
For SaaS vendors with usage-based pricing models, offering product credits in exchange for writing reviews can be a powerful incentive.
SurferSEO capitalizes on this by introducing a “Surfer Credits Giveaway” within their app.
This initiative encourages users to write reviews on G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot in return for Content Editor (CE) credits. This method generates more reviews and deepens customer engagement with the product.
I like how they’ve structured this review generation page to ask for reviews on multiple review platforms and reward the review candidate for taking the time to do it.
Example #3: Ask for Reviews 1:1 in Slack
While email requests for reviews are common, personal messages via Slack can significantly increase response rates.
This review generation method feels more personal and direct, leveraging the relationship between the customer and the company rep who best knows them. It implies to the review candidate that they have been specially chosen for their feedback, which increases the chances that they’ll provide a review.
This approach is especially effective in conveying the message that their review could help others better understand the solution’s benefits.
I’ll share a simple example of a review request I got on Slack from a contact at a SaaS company (anonymized). After receiving it, I wrote a review and told a few colleagues who use the tool about the request. One of them wrote a review as well. So, they ended up with two reviews from just one request, yielding a 200% response rate.
Summarizing these review generation examples
Generating customer reviews is essential for any B2B SaaS business looking to build credibility and attract new customers.
Businesses can significantly increase their review generation rate by asking for reviews during the honeymoon phase, offering incentives like product credits, and leveraging personal communication channels like Slack.
These examples serve as a testament to the power of strategic review requests in enhancing customer engagement and promoting business growth. Let these examples inspire your next review generation campaign, and watch as your business reaps the benefits of authentic customer testimonials.
