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When you browse for a certain product, what ultimately convinces you to make a purchase? Is it the pictures? The description? The price? Or the ratings and reviews?
While the answer to this may vary from person to person, ratings and reviews are typically the last powerful barrier that people look to and consider before hitting that checkout button.
In fact, a research conducted by Heinz Marketing found that an undeniable 92.4% of customers are likely to purchase a product or service if they read a trusted review about the product/service.
So how can you ensure your review is "trusted"? That’s where an Amazon Top Reviewer comes in.
Today, we want to focus on what an Amazon Top Reviewer is and how to find them, why these reviews stand out above all others, and, finally, how you can get these revered reviews for your products.
An Amazon top reviewer is a person who has a high reviewer rank on Amazon’s Top Reviewer Rankings, which you can find here.
To get a high rank, a reviewer must not only post plenty of reviews, but he or she must also receive a good number of “helpful” votes. In addition, the rankings also note whether the reviewer’s reviews are recent or old. This helps the reviewer ranking system up to date and not be stagnant with old reviews made by reviewers years ago.
There are no heavy restrictions when it comes to being an Amazon reviewer. Generally, almost everyone can leave a review on Amazon product listings. The only requirement to be able to submit a review is that the reviewer’s Amazon account must have spent at least $50 on the site using a valid credit or debit card.
Anyone can be an Amazon reviewer, but not everyone can be an Amazon Top Reviewer. To rise to the top of the reviewer rankings, the Amazon reviewer must not only be very active in leaving reviews, but they must also garner enough votes to the point that they start to build a healthy following and, consequently, goodwill.
People’s attention is easily drawn to simple numbers and symbols on the internet, especially if it involves products. Whether it’s a video game or a service, the total number of stars, user reviews, and positive votes always work to get a site visitor’s attention. This, in turn, has a high probability of leading to a purchase.
An Amazon Top Reviewer, though, is someone whose reviews and opinions are arguably weightier than most. Because of the time they had devoted to their contributions, there is an element of trust inherently built unto every site visitor’s subconscious. It works the same way you associate some names or brands with quality or how you have a certain liking to them without you thinking too much about it.
It goes without saying that finding them is important in the sense that, first, you would want to know who they are and, second, you would want to know if you can reach them so that you can ask them for a short review.
We’ll go over the importance of reviews for your business later. Right now, here are the ways you can find them.
Yeah, this is clearly a no-brainer. If you go through the Amazon Top Reviewer Ranking list, you’ll find a list of Amazon users who have gathered the greatest number of helpful votes and made the greatest number of recent reviews.
These Amazon top reviewers are Amazon users, themselves, so you can click their names to find their account profile. You also have the option to follow them or contact them through e-mail or through their various social media (should they have it displayed).
This is, by far, the simplest and easiest way to find Amazon Top Reviewers. The fact that it's free and just a quick Google search away is just cherry on top of a non-fat, non-dairy eco-friendly, farm to table yogurt.
There’s a tool for everything on the internet and Amazon reviews are not an exception. But we’re not here to talk about tools to deliver fake reviews (yes, those things exist and not just with Amazon). We’re here to talk about Amazon Review Request tools.
See, one of the great features of Amazon is that there is an option to request for a review. And, yes, this process can be automated using an Amazon Review Request tool.
Zonguru’s Review Automator is a state-of-the-art Amazon Review Request tool that allows you to automate the review request process in a way that is compliant with Amazon’s terms of service. This tool also has a built-in filter that separates 5-star reviews from those that are less. The tool also comes with a graph, among other data integration features.
Of course, Amazon Review Request tools are optional. You can do this manually, after all. But if you must use one, make sure to use Zonguru’s Review Automator. Go ahead and give it a try here.
Almost everyone can agree that there’s probably a Facebook group for anything. Such is also true for Amazon and Amazon reviews.
Try to do a simple search on Facebook and see which groups pop up. We won’t be recommending specific Facebook groups for you to follow. These groups have mods that impose their own rules and members that dictate a certain culture. It’s up to you to decide which ones fit your own needs and values.
The thing that is certain here, though, is that these Amazon Review Facebook groups will contain members who are either active Amazon Reviewers or Amazon Top Reviewers, themselves. So, if you’re active on that social media platform, then you already have a good foundation built.
Outside of Facebook, there are Amazon forums or communities that have dedicated threads or posts about Amazon Reviewers. Like Facebook groups, these forums will have a culture of their own. However, this culture will be much different from Facebook in that it will be devoid of some of the aspects that social media platforms provide or possess.
We previously talked about the importance of Amazon forums and communities here. Be sure to check it out to learn more about Amazon forums and what they can do for you besides helping you find Amazon Top Reviewers.
Going through every Amazon Top Reviewer account from Amazon’s Top Reviewer Rankings list can be tiresome. It could even be more tiresome if you plan on going through hundreds of them.
Thankfully, there’s an easier way to go about this route. An Amazon top reviewer email list is a list of e-mail addresses of Amazon reviewers that are currently ranking on Amazon’s Top Reviewer Rankings list.
How you find this email list would depend on how resourceful you are or how wide your network is. Some groups may have a tool that can help you collect and compile this list. Some groups may already have the list, too.
Whichever the case, remember that finding them is just the start. You must convince them to write you a review, too. Often, this convincing part comes with a price, usually in the form of a free sample of your product.
Obviously, this puts you in a risky position because you may end up not getting that coveted review even after sending the freebie.
Which begs the question.
Dwight Schrute from the classic American sitcom, The Office, once said that “TripAdvisor is the lifeblood of the agri-tourism industry. A couple of bad reviews there, you may as well close up shop.”
Can we also say that Amazon reviews are the lifeblood of Amazon sellers?
Straight to the point and ignoring that Jim Halpert expression, yes, reviews do matter. It’s one of the first things people look at when browsing a product online. It’s also likely one of the biggest motivators for customers making a purchase.
This is so because when people browse products or services online, they have little to no reference for gauging it other than its presentation or by reading about it. In the real world, people have means to ascertain products physically. Other than your senses, you can test a product to see if it’s working properly or you can talk to the owner or seller personally to assess their demeanor when asking questions about a specific product.
On the web, your best reference are reviews. These reviews are direct, firsthand testimonies of people who have bought and owned the product. Naturally, people almost immediately trust these products' testimonials, more so when presented in numbers (say, 1,000 reviews versus 5 reviews).
We could go on and drone about how important reviews are, not just on Amazon but in almost everything else in our lives, but to cut it short, reviews matter and you should consider them seriously.
Now, we’ve just covered how to help you find Amazon Top Reviewers. What we’ll be doing now is to teach you some ways on how to get them.
But before that.
What’s the difference? We brushed on this briefly earlier, but basically, Amazon Top Reviewers hold a higher weight than regular customer reviews.
If you think of Amazon reviews as movie critiques, then who would you trust more? Roger Ebert or your officemate Stacy from accounting?
Okay, maybe that’s an unfair comparison. Stacy from accounting is cool and she does have a good eye for film. Plus, she’s funny and dances to Billy Joel when drunk. But, yeah, you get the point.
We’re not, however, taking away the importance of regular customer reviews. Having them is still equally important. What we’re merely trying to point out is that, if given a choice, try to pursue Amazon Top Reviewers over regular ones. But if that’s not possible, then getting regular customer reviews—and lots of them—will do.
With that out of the way, here are 9 ways you could get reviews for your Amazon store.
To be clear, there are a ton of different ways to get Amazon reviews. But what we’ll be focusing on are the legal and compliant ones. Zonguru prides itself for being a company of values and principles and we dare not impart to our family such dangerous methods.
Instead, here are 9 good methods that you can follow to get more reviews.
We covered this earlier, but we’ll try to expound more about this here.
Reaching out to top Amazon Reviewers requires a special kind of consideration than simply requesting for a review from friends or family or even your average customer reviewer.
Remember: these are people that occupy a mightier pedestal than others. That pedestal is the Amazon Top Reviewer Rankings. Getting there is not easy. It requires dedication, time, and a certain flair that works well enough to motivate people to take the time to vote yes to that helpful button.
When reaching out to them, one advice we can give is to be as personable as possible. A top Amazon Reviewer can be regarded as a seasoned veteran and, as such, will most definitely know if an email request is a template, an automated one, or was sent en masse. And depending on their goals or whims, you may either end up being ignored or going home with a less than stellar review.
If you want some ideas about this, don’t hesitate to reach us here at Zonguru. We’d be more than happy to teach you some neat, insider tips and tricks.
Similarly, we covered this earlier, too, but let’s talk about this more.
The request for a review button is a button that is available to you for when a customer makes a purchase. This email request is sent to the customer via an automated response and, as such, follows a specific template that Amazon, itself, provides. The e-mail is also automatically translated into the language settings set by the customer.
Generally, this email request cannot be personalized in any way, unless you use specific Amazon tools for it. Customers cannot also reply to you directly when they receive this email request and are only given the choice of giving a rating and feedback.
Finally, it is worth noting that Amazon may also send this e-mail request automatically from time to time. But do not rely on this too much as this automated process by Amazon runs in spurts. What this means is that this automation process only sends to one customer at a time and the time between customers can be days.
Clearly, this is an unreliable strategy to lean on. Business strategies should be more proactive and, in this case, doing it yourself can mean more and get more for you.
That can be time consuming, of course. Which is why someone decided to just build a tool that can automate that process.
An Amazon Review Automator is not just a tool that you can employ to find Amazon Top Reviewers; it is also a way to gather reviews.
As we explained previously, what it does is that it simply clicks the request for review for you. Now, some of these tools can have additional features, like a graph chart or the ability to make personalized requests. Some can also be included and bundled with other Amazon tools.
Likely your only reason for not adding this tool to your business process would be that you either have serious financial considerations or that you’re Dwight Schrute and you’re confident that you can send out more requests for review than some computer program.
A product insert is when you add a little something to your package that sort of calls out to your customers to either take action, learn an important message, or both.
Some companies employ this strategy to let people know that they use recyclable materials. Others use this to simply garner goodwill in the form of a simple “thank you” note.
As an Amazon seller, what you can do is simply ask your customers to leave you a review. But be careful when you craft your product insert. Some customers may find this a bit cheeky, if not imposing.
How you craft a well-meaning and effective product insert can translate into a lot of positive things for you as an Amazon seller. So, make sure to do your research first before you start designing one.
This is more of an indirect approach. Giving your customers good service can inspire them to leave a good review voluntarily. No asking, no begging, no tools, or tricks. Just old-fashioned good service.
Try your best to answer customer queries promptly and completely. Be patient and understanding. Remember that customer experience begins the moment they enter your store and only ends until you can safely say that they’re satisfied with the product (or until their warranty expires).
In this case, it’s when they go to Amazon and browse your products. From thereon, your goal is to give them exceptional customer service as they would in a physical store. This includes making sure that your items are properly categorized, appropriately described, and represented by beautiful imagery.
Ultimately, good service on Amazon is a different topic in and of itself that is rightfully deserving of a more dedicated discussion for another day.
There are two ways you can ask your customers for feedback.
The first way is to ask them directly through Amazon’s Buyer-Seller Messaging Service. This is simple and direct and affords your customer a more personal touch than other forms of requests.
The second way is to ask them via email. There are a few ways you can get a customer’s email. One way is when they send you an e-mail containing inquiries about your product. Another is when they avail the extended warranty.
Regardless, sending them an email request this way is a good way to draw out reviews. Just don’t forget the basic rules about sending emails else your messages may end up being filtered and marked as spam.
Like providing good customer service, this strategy is also an indirect approach to sourcing out reviews. This strategy involves making your products look so beautiful that the customer just becomes constrained to write a review.
A better way to describe this from a customer’s point-of-view is like seeing a well-dressed woman (or man) in a sexy, but respectable and tasteful, clothing brimming with confidence, but with a dash of humility. That kind of beauty needs no words. You will want to write them poems, letters, or songs and you don’t even know why.
In the same way, a well-packaged, well-designed product with a polished feel can also work to give your customers that same level of awe and inspiration, so much so that they would voluntarily want to give you a review. Maybe not a poem or a song, but, hey, a review is a review.
The Amazon Vine Program is a relatively new program that was introduced by Amazon by the end of 2019. Unlike Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program, the Vine Program targets new or pre-release products. Once you sign those products up with the Vine Program, Amazon then invites a carefully selected group of trusted reviewers to critically review the said products.
This exclusive group is special because you need a special invite from Amazon, itself, to become a part of it. How Amazon selects its invitees is vague, at best. They say it is based on the Reviewer Rankings coupled with the value and trust reposed by customers to them. This makes them a powerful group that you would want to receive good reviews from.
Be wary of signing up with them, however. With their exclusivity comes their brutality. Vine Program reviews are known to regularly give out 2 or 3 stars. Unless you are confident with your products, we suggest that you carefully consider this route, as it may make or break your products.
Another indirect method of getting reviews, but an important one, nonetheless. Honesty and sincerity as a seller can go a long way for you beyond getting good reviews. If you treat your customers right, you’re not only inspiring them to leave you some good words, but you’re also making their lives a little bit better. In a way, it’s as if you’re making the world a better place, one sale at a time.
But speaking of reviews, testimonials obtained this way are as real as it gets. There are no tricks involved. You’re not forcing them. They’re happy, satisfied, and confident with your products and you as a seller.
I guess that’s what we should all be striving for in our daily lives, don’t you think?
One aspect of this subject that we dare not mention are the unethical ways of getting reviews. Outside of what we have just provided you, there are other, less-savory methods that you can employ to get those sweet, sweet, top reviews. As part of our Zonguru values, we will not be mentioning in detail nor will we provide tips on how to do them.
But let us ask you this question: is it worth it, though? Is getting a fake review or paid review, among others, worth the superficial results that they bring in? Would sowing distrust and skepticism help the market and the people, both in the long and short runs?
Now, we’re not going to go on some spiel about how it pays to be good and how being ethical does this or that, no. What we will say, though, is that being sincere and honest goes a long way, so much so, that it reaches customers before they even become your customers. That, perhaps, is the best and purest way to get reviews for your store.
It’s also worth remembering that getting reviews and then using them to your advantage is just one of the many aspects of a successful Amazon selling business. You need more than just reviews and Zonguru is here to give you that help!
Zonguru offers weekly live training sessions that covers topics such as this one, including the other ones we mentioned here in this blog, as well, and then some more. Sign up now for a free 7-day trial!
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