How To Get Amazon Product Reviews

Getting Amazon product reviews is crucial for any private label listing. The majority of Amazon shoppers pay attention to peer reviews left on listings and it can definitely impact a buying decision. So how do you get product reviews? What are Amazon’s rules (or Terms of Service/TOS) for product reviews? We answer these questions in this week’s Amazon Seller Podcast.

The Old Method For Getting Product Reviews

In the past, most Amazon private label sellers would get product reviews in a similar process.
1. Bring a product to the Amazon marketplace.
2. Find a product review group or service to facilitate a giveaway.
3. Create discount codes through Amazon Seller Central.
4. Give away dozens (and in some cases hundreds) of coupon codes to members of the review group/service in exchange for them leaving you a review.
5. Receive reviews on 70% – 90% of the products that you gave away.
However, in 2016, Amazon cracked down on this system. Now Amazon says that giving away products at a discount in exchange for a review is against their TOS. They felt that the method explained above was manipulative and did not provide customers with a positive buying experience. That’s because it is pretty clear to see that the reviewers getting the products at a discount/free were biased and would more often than not leave a positive review no matter what.

Verified Product Reviews Vs Unverified Product Reviews

Amazon now has 2 classifications for product reviews: verified and unverified. What’s the difference? Well, as a first step in their attempt to make product reviews transparent, Amazon basically made most reviews that were given on products purchased at a discount unverified. If a product was purchased at full price in an organic sale, then any review left is typically a verified product review.

Here we can see the difference between a verified and unverified purchase. The orange “Verified Purchase” badge appears on the product review.
Amazon also allows customers to “See all verified purchase reviews”. There isn’t really a good way to see just unverified reviews.

How Should I Get Product Reviews Now?

One of the positive effects of Amazon changing how sellers can get product reviews, is that it now levels the playing field some for new products. Previously, large sellers could dominate a niche by simply giving away a constant stream of products and getting positive reviews. That is more difficult now. So what are some ways you can get product reviews?

1. Giveaways: You are still allowed to do discounted giveaways, you just cannot ask for the buyer to leave you a product review. Using this method, you can simply hope that the person receiving your product at a discount will leave a review, but it is certainly not guaranteed. We do not recommend messaging these buyers through the Amazon messaging system and asking you to leave a review, as Amazon could see this as a violation of their TOS. Giveaways still increase your sales velocity, which can help you rank in search.
2. Friends & Friends of Friends: Amazon states that they don’t want family or “close friends” to leave you reviews. So what some people will do is ask their friends to ask their friends if they would purchase your product and leave honest feedback on it. Now, we caution you to be careful if you decide to do this, as Amazon could possibly still interpret it as being a violation. However, having friends & friends of friends purchase your product and leave a review is one way to get those initial 8 – 12 reviews. *Note – Some people report friends & friends of friends as not being able to leave reviews for them. It is believed by some that Amazon looks at Facebook profiles to determine if a reviewer is on the sellers friend’s list.
3. Email follow ups: While we don’t recommend following up with buyers of discounted products to ask for reviews, we do recommend doing that for organic buyers. There are several email automation tools out there that will allow you to set up an email sequence for your products. We strongly recommend that you get creative with your sequences and don’t just use the default canned templates. Your goal is to get the customer engaged and more likely to leave a positive review for your product. You should also look to give some kind of value in your emails. Give tips on your product, or instructions on how to use it better or just provide a PDF with some kind of helpful information, even if it isn’t exactly specific to your product.
   
   
   
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