User reviews are worth gold - here's why (and how I harvest 'em)
In the chaos of building a product, it's very easy to lose focus on dealing with user reviews (I know I did more than a couple of times), and it is very important not to.
Only after a decade of being an entrepreneur and starting 10+ startups, with my current project - RatePunk, can I truly say that I got the hang of it enough to give you all a bit of helpful advice.
So here are some of the pointers and why I think reviews matter a ton from my personal experience.
Why reviews matter
The biggest problem, no matter how good your product is, will always be people trying to label it as a scam. And guess what - the better the product, the more naysayers you will receive at your gates.
There's only one real way to dispel all of the worries these people may have - it is real, organic, and not spammy-looking reviews.
This kind of review will build your credibility and help you no matter what you're doing.
They will help you:
- Gain more users.
- Inspire more positive reviews.
- Seems more credible to the press, which will result in more coverage.
- Boost your search engine visibility.
- Nudge your leads to actually buy your product.
- Get ahead of the competition - some startups literally succeed because they get an influx of positive reviews (sometimes bought, sure, but it still works out for them. I never tried it myself, though).
- Now, I don't know what you're doing if you're not looking for at least one of those things when building your product and chasing virality.
How to get those real, organic, and honest reviews.
It's a well-known fact that people will most often review something that they were disappointed in rather than something they were pleased with.
So, it is very important to know how to boost that low percentage of positive experiences converting into positive reviews.
My angle is very personal
I have never done any kind of campaign or giveaway asking for reviews, as that most often results in fake-looking reviews.
Sure, a bulk amount of reviews is always nice, no matter the quality, but I will always prefer real, legitimate reviews that describe real and consistent emotions.
Engage in conversation
- When people are commenting positive things about your posts on social media don't be afraid to reach out and ask them to leave a review if they haven't already.
If someone sees your product in such a positive light to comment under your posts, it shouldn't take a lot to get that happy user to review your product positively.
- A personal LinkedIn is a great way to get reviews (if you're not putting any effort into building that up - go do it!). Posting and just interacting on LinkedIn always boosts your personal interaction with your potential users. I very often get people reaching out with their personal experiences with my product, telling me that they've saved money on their hotels using my platform, and so on.
Building your personal image online gives your peers someone to cheer and congratulate on the success of the app. These kinds of interactions are very easily converted into a positive review with a very simple and friendly ask :).
And of course, the moment you hear someone in real life (it can be a friend, friend of a friend, and so on have a positive experience with your life, your first reaction should be - tell them to leave a review!!
If you have the means - get a support specialist who will deal with the negative reviews and try to correct the mistakes that result in negative experiences for your users.
I hope this gives you some ideas, and let this be a reminder to have a go at focusing on reviews for a bit.
And if you have given RatePunk a try - I'd really appreciate it if you did. Leave a review if you have a positive experience ;)
Cheers, and have a good week, Indiehackers.
