Struggling to make use of user reviews that are positive, but not really worthy of a pull quote? Here are some tricks to help your customers WANT to wax eloquent about your product.
Everyone wants to transform.
It’s why we diet, work out, listen to podcasts, make resolutions, and get lost in niche-y forums. After all, our aspirational future self is sooooo much cooler than the self we actually have to live with.
As we embark on transformations big and small, we look to products, brands, influencers, and communities that can help guide us to our future selves.
And who does our future self want to be? To name a few universals:
This creates a massive – and critical – opportunity for brands. When you nail the story of exactly what you can help people be, you’ll win their business. And one powerful tool you may not be taking advantage of is reviews & testimonials.
Without creating fake accounts and typing up your own over-exuberant testimonials, how do you get the most out of this opportunity to hear from your customers?
Before you start winging out requests for reviews, think about how your product or service truly helps people in their transformation journey. There might be several possible answers, and that’s okay. Exactly what problem did you set out to solve with your product? You may find it helpful to collect some input from outside sources here (🙋), because the closer you are to your brand, the more difficult this can be.
Aim for 1-3 sentences or bullet points. Spend time getting them crystal clear.
Then celebrate, because what you just arrived at is likely suited to be the cornerstone of your entire brand messaging.
So, how do you get great reviews out of people who invited your product along on their transformation journey?
The right timing depends on your product. But for example, three days in to a 30-day cleanse would not exactly be prime time. A week after the holidays, however, for a gifted item is just about perfect.
A golden review is one that clearly shows what someone’s life was like before your product, then how it improved with your product. If your inbox looks like mine, you’ve received plenty of emails asking “what did you think of our product?” How boring and blank-page-syndrome is that? Prime your customers by asking specific, targeted questions about how your product helped them do x. Here’s where you get to think back to those bullet points you came up with. Someone wanted to reach their potential. Your product helped them.
Instead of crossing your fingers for a perfect direct quote and feeling disappointed when something too short or jumbled comes back, think of reviews as a collaborative process. Rephrase and confirm: “So what it sounds like you mean is…” Guide them through their story. Don’t get nervous if they ramble, rather trust yourself to edit their story down to what you need. You can even write the review for them if you have to and send it to them for their sign-off. A good review should sound human and nuanced, so don’t feel like you need to get these reviews sounding like they came from a PhD, or worse, completely strip the human element out.
We’ve had brands hesitate when asking for reviews because they were afraid of the occasional negative impression. Hard truth: If you’re not confident in your product, you need to go back and get it right – no amount of glossy images or overblown promises can sugarcoat your shortcuts.
Negative reviews WILL happen. Guaranteed. (Some people are just perpetually disappointed, we’ll come right out and say it!) So here’s what to do when three stars or fewer pop up:
While of course every brand out there wants five stars across the board, trust actually starts to erode if there’s not a single less-than-perfect review in the bunch. By showing all honest reviews, you do actually build your credibility. Because guess what – people know that products are bound to not work perfectly for everyone.
If you’ve hooked someone to the point where they’re reading through reviews, they’re already on your side. And because we generally want to believe what we want to believe, it’s easy to dismiss a few reviews from folks who ordered the wrong size or didn’t take time to read the product description.
Also: quickly. Give it a personal touch. Don’t let it feel like a template. A great response can cover a multitude of (perceived) wrongs. Remember that your response isn’t just for the person who left the review – it’s going to influence everyone who reads it.
While you’re at it, respond to every review if you can. Be engaged with your customers. Build relationships. Help them on their journey. Be there with free information. It adds up.
Our friends at climbOn couldn’t have given us a better example:
Photos of real customers are great. Photos of real customers using your product in their real lives are gold. And not just because it’s fun to see your products out there in the wild, but because it builds trust, authenticity, and makes other people want to join in.
Not every brand is fortunate enough to be able to pair their testimonials with pictures of the most adorable babies on the internet, but Owlet’s parental-peace-of-mind product cues thoughts of “I need this right now” with their customer stories:
Even in the age of the internet, we still find it hard to resist the allure of the moving image. Intimidated? Don’t overthink it. Great brands have been built on user-generated content (UGC), and one might argue that this content feels more authentic and has more conversion power. After all, we’re more apt to listen to a friend’s review than an advertisement.
Short answer: No.
Influencers are traditionally a good source for images and reviews, but don’t use these as a substitute for average-joe reviews. What you’re really trying to capture is a transformation, and it can be too easy as a customer to dismiss influencers as less approachable or less believable. Why? Because we have a feeling that they achieved their transformation before your brand even entered the picture. Your best “influencers” are real, everyday people. And to that point, depending on your brand, less shiny and polished images may be more powerful because of their authenticity.
If you’ve made it this far, #impressed. You’re committed to getting it right! And we want to help… Take a quick jump with us over to a checklist you can start tackling now to build out your testimonial library, PLUS a list of questions that will vastly improve the quality of reviews that come in…
GO DEEPER:
VOLTAGE is a digital agency specializing in eCommerce, digital brand experiences, and web apps. Get emails and insights from our team:
Make stuff & make stuff happen. Help clients look good and hit goals. Growth strategy. Brand experiences. The art & science of copywriting. Surprise & delight. Brand DNA. "Does it support the story?"
View More Articles by Julie
Believe it or not, getting great reviews from your customers depends less on your product than on your ask. Once you’ve got your story straight (be sure to click back to read Part 1), here are some questions you can start sending your customers this week for quotes you’ll want to feature right there on your homepage.
We’re an agency founded on a deep desire to be a force for good. We come to work every day to create good work that helps our client-partners win, but also to give their brands the tools, ideas, and possibility for doing good.
