How to Get Reviews on Amazon: 7 Legitimate Strategies for Sellers

Last updated on October 24th, 2023

Written by Mohamed Aden

Communicating a strong listing value is essential for Amazon sellers. One key factor influencing a product's sales on the platform is the number of reviews it receives. That's why, apart from learning how to create and manage listings, it is important to learn how to get reviews on Amazon and bring product management in full circle.

This blog helps you learn the impact of product reviews, Amazon's review rules, and ways to navigate them using legitimate strategies. From using Amazon's dedicated programs to leveraging organic methods, these techniques will help sellers like yourself boost their brand, improve customer trust, and ultimately increase sales on the platform.

How do I get genuine reviews on Amazon products?

There are many ways to do this, including using the Request a Review button, leveraging buyer-seller messages, building an email list, joining the Early Reviewer Program or Amazon Vine, etc. (more about these strategies later). Remember to still follow Amazon's rules to ensure your methods are acceptable.

A black and white photo of an adult man with a closed beard giving five star feedback using his smartphone.

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The Impact of Reviews to Your Business

Product listing reviews serve a critical purpose that extends beyond just star ratings. It can impact your Amazon business significantly. That's why sellers must understand how reviews can make or break a product listing so they know how to manage it for better results.

Influence on Sales and Conversions

Positive reviews on Amazon can significantly influence conversions and sales. Customers often read reviews to make informed buying choices. A product with a higher average rating generally attracts more buyers, leading to increased sales volume. Meanwhile, negative reviews may discourage Amazon shoppers, resulting in lower conversions.

Relevance in Product Rankings

Amazon uses a review ranking algorithm for products in search results. Customer reviews, particularly their quantity and quality, play an important role in this process. Products with more positive reviews and higher ratings rank better in search results. A higher ranking helps in bumping up your listing so it gets better exposure, influencing sales.

Importance of Social Proof

Social proof is when people base their behaviors on what others have said or experienced. In the context of Amazon, customer reviews serve as social proof that the product did or didn't deliver the value that potential buyers are looking for.

When shoppers see a product with many positive reviews, they are more likely to feel confident in purchasing it. This effect further reinforces the importance of having a strong review base to support your business.

Understanding Amazon's Review Policies

Given the significant impact of reviews on a product listing, Amazon sellers may go beyond what's acceptable to steer reviews in a way that favors their online business. Amazon has established review policies to ensure a fair game for all sellers and give shoppers the desired experience.

Amazon takes its review system seriously. More than managing reviews, sellers and managers need to understand and follow its rules to continue doing business in the ecommerce platform. A violation of these rules can result in penalties, including seller account suspension.

A few key rules to keep in mind include:

Incentivized Reviews

Offering gifts, discounts, or free products in exchange for reviews is strictly prohibited. While this method can rapidly increase the number of reviews for a product, it poses a risk to the integrity and impartiality of what's supposed to be an ecosystem of honest reviews.

Manipulation

Review manipulation involves strategically altering or fabricating product reviews to deceive consumers and artificially inflate a product's positive rating.

The prohibition ensures that reviews authentically represent customer experiences, thereby maintaining a fair marketplace and safeguarding the reliability of product ratings and reviews.

Soliciting From Specific People

Reviews from close acquaintances, family members, and anyone interested in the product or the business are not allowed. Such reviews are often inherently biased and do not genuinely represent the product's quality or performance.

Other Examples of Prohibited Actions in Gathering Reviews

To give sellers more specific knowledge of what not to do when trying to get reviews, here are some examples of violations. Note that what's provided isn't definitive.

Other Examples of Prohibited Actions in Gathering Reviews
❌ Orchestrating campaigns to downvote negative reviews.
❌ Giving competitors negative reviews to pull down their ranking.
❌ Asking a customer to remove a negative review in exchange for a free product.
❌ A seller creates multiple consumer accounts to fake reviews of their products.
❌ Redirecting every negative review so it doesn't reflect on the product listing.
❌ Directing all positive reviews on the product listing to maximize the favorable impact.

Strategies to get reviews on Amazon

With your understanding of the impacts reviews can have on your listings and your awareness of the rules, you're now equipped to get them in every Amazon seller central order you receive. Equally important are the strategies to navigate your way into a clean and legitimate product review.

Note down these strategies and use them based on your needs. They will help your business, future customers, and Amazon create a mutual experience everyone benefits from.

An infographic showing the seven strategies a seller can use to get reviews on Amazon: Increase product sales, Use the request a review button, buyer-seller messages, Amazon early reviewer program, build an email list, enroll to the Amazon vine program, provide above and beyond customer experience.

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Increase Product Sales

Increasing product sales on Amazon raises the possibility of earning more reviews. The correlation is straightforward: more sales equate to more opportunities for customers to engage with the product, leading to a higher probability of garnering Amazon reviews.

As sales volumes rise, so does the product's exposure to a wider customer base, increasing the potential for genuine reviews. Employing an excellent PPC advertising strategy and managing your SEO are things you can do to increase sales. 

Use the Request a Review Button

Using the "Request a Review" button within Seller Central is one of the routes Amazon sellers can take to get more reviews on Amazon. This feature offers a direct and efficient means to initiate both seller feedback requests and buyer reviews from recent buyers.

By proactively seeking reviews and feedback through this channel, sellers can engage with their customer base in a professional and timely manner, ultimately leading to an increased number of reviews. This augments the visibility and credibility of products on the platform, thus facilitating the acquisition of more reviews and bolstering a seller's overall reputation on Amazon.

Buyer-Seller Messages

Communicating with customers through the Amazon messaging system is a more direct way to improve your product's review count. Sellers can send follow-up messages to customers post-purchase to express gratitude and request feedback.

Remember that these messages should not violate Amazon's communication guidelines, such as asking for positive reviews only or offering incentives in exchange for a review. Being professional, courteous, and respectful in all buyer-seller communications is crucial.

Amazon Early Reviewer Program

The Amazon Early Reviewer Program is designed to help sellers receive early reviews for their new products. When you enroll a product in this program, Amazon selects random customers who have recently purchased it and offers them a small gift card (typically $1-3) in exchange for sharing their honest opinions.

The goal of the early review program is to encourage unbiased reviews while ensuring compliance with Amazon's review guidelines. However, joining the Early Reviewer Program comes with a cost; Amazon charges sellers an enrollment fee for each participating product.

Build an Email List

Building and maintaining an email list offers numerous advantages when requesting product reviews from Amazon buyers. When you send personalized review requests via email post-purchase, you allow direct and personalized communication, increasing the likelihood of a positive review while managing negative reviews.

Maintaining an email list is also a cost-effective means of reaching your target audience, eliminating the need for expensive advertising campaigns.

In sum, leveraging your email list to request reviews from satisfied customers bolsters your product's visibility, reputation, and customer loyalty.

Enroll in the Amazon Vine Program

Amazon Vine, a program aiding sellers in obtaining honest reviews, selects trusted and reputable reviewers called Vine Voices who review new or pre-released products. This helps sellers garner genuine and credible product feedback, enhancing their overall visibility and credibility on the platform.

The value of Amazon Vine is in authentic online reviews. The program ensures that the reviewers remain impartial and transparent in their assessments, fostering trust and integrity that benefits both the seller and their potential buyers.

Provide Above and Beyond Customer Experience

Ultimately, the foolproof way to ensure you consistently receive positive reviews is to provide a positive and unforgettable customer experience. When successfully done, such an experience appeals to your customer's emotions, compelling them to leave reviews that reflect genuine satisfaction.

You provide above-par customer experience by ensuring your product delivers what the customer expects. From there, you can work on the quality of your product, the speed and care of fulfillment and shipping, and the responsiveness and empathy of communication. Do this consistently, and both new and repeat customers will eventually leave you with more positive reviews.

Getting Positive Reviews Starts With Excellent Account Management

Getting authentic five-star reviews starts with a great customer experience, and that experience depends on how well you manage your Amazon store and listings. Putting your products out for shoppers to see while delivering quality from the ground up requires expertise and experience. This is where Seller Interactive can help.

Our team can do full account management that involves ensuring optimal product visibility. We can also increase sales by managing PPC campaigns and optimizing your product listings. All of this work leads your offerings into the hands of the customers, allowing you to focus on delivering quality goods and empathy in communicating with your buyers. To know more about our potential, you can book a call now.

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