How to collect more online reviews

By now you know online reviews are a powerful way to boost sales, gather in-depth insights into your consumers, and increase your brand presence. What’s not to love? 

If you’ve ever wondered how to go about collecting consumer reviews, carry on reading. We’ll cover several methods you can use to make sure your requests for feedback result in, well, feedback (as opposed to deafening silence).

If your inbox is filled with hundreds of promotional offers, newsletters and spam, you’re not alone – your consumers are also dealing with inbox fatigue. 

So what’s the difference between an email that is ignored, and one that gets opened? A few things, as it turns out. Read on to learn how to make sure your email requests for reviews are seen, opened and most importantly, actioned.

Get the timing of your emails right

If you’re new to email marketing, you might not be aware that certain times of the day are better for open rates than others. The goal of emailing a review request is to obtain reviews, but you first need to overcome one very important hurdle: getting your consumers to open your email. 

If you send them a mail on Saturday night, for example, chances are, they’ll never lay eyes on it. By the time they open their mail on Monday, your email will already be lost in their inbox to other emails competing for their attention. 

Email sending service Mailchimp advises that the best time of day to send an email is at 10:30 am or between 2pm and 3pm. Thursdays seem to be the best day of the week for people to tackle their inbox.

Craft an attention-grabbing subject line

We’re guessing the emails you open (besides business-related activities) are the ones that grab your attention straight away with the subject line, right? But many business owners send out requests for reviews without giving any thought to the title of their email. The result? You guessed it, not much. 

Your subject line has to appeal to the reader, and whether you do this by using a tongue-in-cheek catchy line, or an emotive sentence that resonates with them is up to you. 

Personalised subject lines outperform generic ones, as do lines that use action words (verbs) that instil a sense of urgency. If you need some ideas, have a look at your inbox – what kind of subject lines caught your attention? 

Chances are, they’re either funny, spark a sense of curiosity, or instil a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). A subject line can be the deciding factor between receiving an online review or not, so take some time to brainstorm (it’ll pay off tenfold). 

If you’re stuck for inspiration, head on over to this blog from inbound marketing company Hubspot for some ideas.

Strike while the iron is hot

In other words, reach out to customers at a time when they’re most willing to write a review. If someone has visited your store, but hasn’t made a purchase, asking them for a review is silly. It’ll also put them off buying a product or using your service because it indicates that you haven’t paid attention to them, and their actions. Consumers want authentic interaction with a brand.

Before deciding when to approach a customer for a review, pinpoint the areas of your business that you’d like feedback on. This could vary from your after-sales service, your delivery process (if that applies to you), or your actual product or service. 

Remember, quality feedback is best obtained while a customer’s experience with your business is still fresh in their mind. That said, you might want to give a consumer a week or two to use your product or service, and then approach them – that way, their experience will be fresh in their mind, and they’ll have had time to formulate a proper opinion of your business, product, or service.

Personalise your copy

When it comes to getting a response from your recipients, personalisation is crucial. Which means you need to put some thought into not only what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it. 

Make it as easy as possible for your recipients to recognise who the email is from – if they don’t, they’ll probably just delete your mail without even reading it. Address them by their first name, and if you’re able to, get specific. 

For example, your email to a repeat consumer who’s been shopping with your for years should be tailored differently compared to an email sent to a once-off shopper. You can reference the products they bought or services they used. Keep your copy short and to the point – no one wants to wade through an essay. Simply saying something like: 

“Hi there [name], we hope you’re happy with your recent purchase. We’d love it if you left a review for us online – your feedback helps us to provide the best experience and continually improve our service. You can write a short review for us by clicking this link. Thanks for your support!”

Gently remind your consumers to write a review

The keyword here is “gently”. The last thing you want to do is irritate a happy customer, so keep your request short, and sweet. Simply using the word “reminder” in your subject line can be effective. 

Make sure that both your subject line and body of the email include a reminder to leave a review – your recipient should be able to tell, at a glance, what the purpose of the email is before they’ve even opened it. 

Once they’ve opened the email, be sure to include a strong call to action. You can use phrases like: “Reminder: Hellopeter is waiting for a review”, or, “[Name], we’d appreciate your feedback”. Once again, the timing of your reminder is crucial, so give this some thought and try testing different timing intervals.

Collecting online reviews may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s why Hellopeter for Business gives you access to a bulk-email sending tool that does the hard work for you.

Reviews on Hellopeter have helped over one million consumers make better choices. Had an experience you’d like to tell us about? Leave us a review here.