How to get your customers to write a great product review
A great product review can stand between you and a sale.
It’s true.
Having someone share their experience can be enough to persuade someone to part with their money!
So what makes a great review, and how do you get your customers to write one?!
What makes a good testimonial?
A money cha-ching-ing review should
- Show the transformation achieved
- Contain enough detail to bring someone into the story
- Be specific to the product or service
- Is short and to the point
Let’s break that down.
A great review should show the transformation achieved
A great review shows the transformation your customer has undergone with help from your product.
Your clients want something to change in their life.
They want to achieve a win, a success, a goal.
If you can show that this transformation is possible with your help, people can put themselves in that position and imagine it happening to them too.
But it’s all about the transformation.
A great review should give context
The review should also contain enough detail to bring someone into the story and create empathy.
“** helped my skin look fresh” is the bare details.
Adding in some details about what happened, why this hadn’t happened before, what did ** do to help” gives the review context. And it’s this context that may mirror the experiences another person is going through.
A great review should be specific to the product
A great review should also be specific to the product you’re going to be using it for.
This is more about you choosing which review to use, and where.
Don’t use a review for foot cream on a product page that’s all about eye cream.
Here’s an example of a good review
“Before I started using the Organic Radiance Eye Cream, every morning I’d wake up with puffy, tired-looking eyes. No matter how much sleep I got, the dark circles made me look exhausted, and I was always reaching for heavy concealer. A friend recommended this cream, so I decided to try it. The texture is silky and absorbs quickly, and I love that it’s made from natural ingredients with no harsh chemicals. After just two weeks, the puffiness had reduced noticeably, my dark circles were lighter, and I felt confident enough to skip makeup altogether.”
Let’s break down this review
It starts with showing what the problem was (puffy eyes and dark circles) and gives a relatable example of how it affected the customer (always reaching for concealer).
Then it shows how the product helped – including specific details about the texture, ingredients, and the fact it was gentle and chemical-free. This lets other customers picture what it’s like to use it and why it might be a good fit for them.
Finally, it shows the transformation – reduced puffiness, lighter dark circles, and the confidence to go without makeup.
Even though the testimonial is quite specific, the way it’s written means that someone with different skincare concerns – like fine lines or dryness – can still imagine how it would feel to achieve this kind of result.
So, it gives enough detail to bring the reader into the situation.
How to get your customers to write a great review
First up, ask them to write a review! So often I find my clients aren’t asking for reviews.
Okay, so some can’t use testimonials or reviews (HPCA regulated health professionals in Australia and New Zealand). So please check with your registration bodies that you can use reviews.
But, if you can - JUST ASK!!! On e-commerce sites, make sure you’ve got a review section, and send emails 1-2 weeks after products have been delivered to ask for a review.
Secondly, give them an outline of what to write. No, I don’t mean write it for them. I mean when you ask for a transformation say something like …
“It would be great to share how using *** product has made a difference to you.” What made you buy our product? What difference has it made to you?
That’s all it takes!
This article is a guest post by Katrina from Collected Copy.
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