Customer Review Strategy

---
name: customer-review-strategy
description: "Designs post-purchase review collection strategies with timing, email templates, and incentive programs to build social proof."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Customer Review Strategy

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Build a systematic review collection process for your products or services
- Create email sequences that request reviews at the optimal time
- Design incentive programs that encourage reviews without violating platform policies
- Increase review volume and quality across your sales channels

**DO NOT** use this skill for managing negative reviews, reputation crisis management, or generating fake/incentivized reviews that violate platform terms.

---

## Core Principle

THE BEST TIME TO ASK FOR A REVIEW IS WHEN THE CUSTOMER HAS JUST EXPERIENCED THE VALUE OF YOUR PRODUCT — NOT BEFORE, NOT WEEKS LATER.

---

## Phase 1: Review Audit

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Product/service type** | "What are you selling — physical product, digital product, or service?" | Physical product |
| **Current review volume** | "How many reviews do you have now and where?" | Starting from zero |
| **Sales channels** | "Where do you sell — own website, Amazon, Etsy, other?" | Own website |
| **Monthly order volume** | "How many orders do you fulfill per month?" | 50-100 |
| **Current review process** | "Do you currently ask for reviews? How?" | No current process |

**GATE: Confirm the audit before designing the strategy.**

---

## Phase 2: Timing & Sequence Design

### Optimal Review Request Timing

| Product Type | Ask After | Why |
|-------------|-----------|-----|
| Physical product | 7-14 days post-delivery | Customer has used the product |
| Digital product | 3-5 days post-purchase | Immediate consumption |
| Service | 1-3 days after completion | Experience is fresh |
| Subscription | After 2nd or 3rd delivery | Enough experience to judge |

### Email Sequence

Build a 2-touch review request sequence:

**Email 1: Soft Ask (primary timing above)**

```
Subject: How's your [product name]?

Hi [Name],

You received your [product] about a week ago — I'd love to know how it's working out for you.

If you have 60 seconds, a quick review helps other [audience] decide if it's right for them:

[Review Link Button]

Either way, thanks for your order.

[Your name]
```

**Email 2: Follow-up (5-7 days after Email 1, only if no review left)**

```
Subject: Quick favor — 30 seconds?

Hi [Name],

I know you're busy, so I'll keep this short. If you've had a chance to try your [product], I'd really appreciate a quick review:

[Review Link Button]

Your feedback helps me improve and helps other customers make informed decisions.

Thank you,
[Your name]
```

### SMS Option (if applicable)

- Send one SMS review request 10-14 days post-delivery
- Keep it under 160 characters with a direct link
- Example: "Hey [Name]! Enjoying your [product]? We'd love a quick review: [link]. Thanks! — [Brand]"

---

## Phase 3: Incentive Program

### Compliant Incentive Options

Design incentives that do not violate platform policies:

| Incentive | Best For | Policy Notes |
|-----------|----------|-------------|
| Discount on next order | Repeat purchase businesses | Most platforms allow — cannot require positive review |
| Loyalty points | Brands with points programs | Reward for ANY review, not just positive |
| Entry into monthly giveaway | High-volume stores | Draw-based, no guaranteed reward per review |
| Free sample of new product | Product launches | Builds buzz and generates reviews simultaneously |
| Handwritten thank-you card | Premium/artisan products | No ask — just delight that naturally prompts reviews |

### What NOT to Do

- Never offer incentives only for positive reviews (violates FTC and platform policies)
- Never ask customers to change or remove negative reviews in exchange for a refund
- Never purchase fake reviews — platforms detect patterns and penalize accounts
- Always disclose if a review was incentivized (FTC requirement)

---

## Phase 4: Review Management & Amplification

### Response Protocol

- **5-star reviews:** Thank the customer by name, reference a specific detail from their review
- **3-4 star reviews:** Thank them, address any concern mentioned, offer to make it right
- **1-2 star reviews:** Respond publicly with empathy and a private resolution offer — never argue

### Review Amplification

Turn reviews into marketing assets:
- Feature top reviews on product pages with customer name and photo (with permission)
- Create social media graphics with review quotes
- Include review snippets in email marketing
- Add structured data markup for review stars in search results

### Metrics to Track

| Metric | Target |
|--------|--------|
| Review request email open rate | 40%+ |
| Review completion rate (of those asked) | 5-15% |
| Average star rating | 4.5+ |
| Review response rate (yours) | 100% of 1-3 star reviews |
| Time to first review on new products | Under 14 days |

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Asking too early** — requesting a review before the customer has used the product guarantees low response rates or uninformed reviews.
- **Asking too often** — more than 2 emails feels like spam and damages brand perception.
- **Making it hard** — requiring account creation or multi-step processes kills completion rates. One-click links only.
- **Ignoring negative reviews** — unanswered complaints tell future customers you do not care.
- **Only collecting on one platform** — diversify reviews across Google, your website, and your primary marketplace.
- **Generic review requests** — "Please leave a review" converts worse than personalized, product-specific asks.

---

## Recovery

- **Zero reviews to start:** Reach out personally to your first 20-30 customers with a genuine, non-templated request. Offer to make it effortless.
- **Low response rates:** Test different subject lines, send times, and shorten the review process. Try SMS if email is not working.
- **Negative review surge:** Investigate the root cause — product quality, shipping, or expectation mismatch. Fix the problem before optimizing the ask.
- **Platform policy violation warning:** Immediately stop any incentive program in question. Review platform-specific guidelines and redesign within compliance.
- **Reviews but low star average:** Focus on product/service improvement before collecting more reviews. More bad reviews will not help.