You're being left out of the loop because you don't have enough reviews?
Or your last review collection campaign did not perform well?
We're going to show you how to turn your mundane and seemingly unuseful reviews into awesome reviews!
For an e-commerce business, online awesome reviews play a significant role in increasing their sales while building brand authority and trust. We all look for reviews for a product or service before buying it, and in 80% of the cases, the brand with the highest number of reviews wins more customers.
However, you don't need to worry. We got you covered with our awesome review strategies and templates to make your next feedback email request get that 5-star rating for sure!
This definitive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about feedback solicitation, some great tips to make it successful, and the leading examples from different industries.
As a bonus, we will also provide you with a one-stop solution to run your next awesome review campaign with an easy and cost-effective method to represent your unique brand identity.
So let's get into it!
What is feedback solicitation?
Solicited customer feedback requests are made when a company actively reaches out to its clients and encourages them to leave their reviews for the service or product. Most businesses format reviews based on their niche and brand identity to make the most out of their review collection campaign.
Although it sounds simple, asking for a solicited customer review is more than just sending a 'please leave a review' email. You have to design your email so that it's compelling, relevant, and brings value to your consumers who are about to write a review.
This is why you should opt for customer review templates for your review in the beginning. Looking at some leading product review examples in your niche will help you grasp the idea of what a successful feedback email looks like.
Of course, we have prepared the best and most diverse customer review templates right here, so you don't have to look for them. But before we get to the awesome review template, let's start with some basic yet essential guidelines to create a successful email feedback product review template.
Guidelines to create successful feedback requests
You see, there's some strong competition in the review collection game. If you are using a generic customer reviews template, it won't perform well in the end or bring you the desired number of reviews.
To create awesome review collection emails, you need to understand some fundamental guidelines crucial for your campaign's success. So here are the 5 tips that never fail to make your customer review template great!
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Keep it short
If you know a few things about copywriting, you must also know that short copy performs better to increase conversions and lead the reader to make an impulsive decision. Since feedback solicitation emails are also a type of copy, the same logic can be applied here as well.
A short and snappy product review template or even a google review template for local services will work the best to make it convenient for your customer to understand its intention and feel more compelled to leave a review because it seems convenient.
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Mark your timing
The right timing can always make or break your awesome review collection campaign. For obvious reasons, there is no single 'good timing' to send your email. However, you can mark this timing by strategizing a customer journey timeline.
If you send an email two days after the customer has made a purchase, the chances are that they still haven't used your product.
In this case, you need to create a timeline based on the type of product you're selling and craft your product review templates accordingly. It could be a week or even a month into it. Maybe, you can also break it into parts using two different calls to action (CTAs).
For a service-providing business, like a restaurant, you can send the email as soon as your system registers the payment. You can be sure that the customer has something to say because you have already delivered your service.
One of the greatest restaurant review examples could be found with restaurants that send a feedback request email along with their food promotions.
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Send personalized emails
The most important part when asking for reviews is to make your customer feel special. Don't send the same generalized email to all your clients at any point. You should use an AI-based reviews software to send out a personalized email with each customer's name and a description with an image of the product they bought.
Your review emails should convey the idea that they are for your customers, not your brand. Making your email personalized will also make your customer feel better connected to your brand and valued as an individual. They will more likely write genuine feedback for your brand if they feel valued.
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Reinforce your brand
Never let go of your brand voice and guidelines. When crafting a unique customer reviews template for your brand, make sure to stick with the voice, color palette, visuals and design templates your business is known for.
Don't go around trying to make them different. A 'unique template' does not mean you should let go of your brand identity. It's the complete opposite.
If you truly follow your own brand guidelines, your email template is bound to stand out among the competition and allow your customers to recognize you at one glance.
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Be polite and responsive
We know you weren't planning on being rude to your customers anyways. However, leaving customers hanging after they have invested their precious time in writing a review is not a great idea. Ensure your review software redirects your customers to a 'Thank You' page.
If it's a bad review, you might also want to lead them to a different page or further enquire about the reasons for your customer's dissatisfaction.
If you're generating reviews on a third-party platform like Google, you should also ensure that your Google review templates are relevant in context and take time to show your gratitude by replying to every comment.
Clever ways to ask for reviews
Now that you've probably understood the basic guidelines, it's time to get into advanced strategies and clever ways to ask for reviews used by brands to attract their customers and create an awesome review collection campaign that works!
Offer an incentive
This almost always turns out to be a great strategy to get more customers to leave a review. You can offer a 5% discount on their next purchase, make a new product available to them exclusively, or use a sweepstake like 'win $500 gift card' to get your customers excited to leave a review.
Incentives usually work great for your review campaigns as customers will feel the thrill of being rewarded for leaving a genuine review of your services.
Follow-up
If you're a startup or an e-commerce business online, you might feel hesitant to reach out to your customers often. Do not hesitate!
You should go ahead and send a well-crafted follow-up email to each one of your clients as you planned without thinking about it too much. For example, a review email asking for a simple clothing review is not overbearing or annoying, no matter how you look at it. Instead, some customers appreciate the gesture of collecting honest reviews.
And again, a feedback email left on reading is better than an email never sent. You can also send the email twice to make sure you get that review in place.
Lead your customers
Many famous brands like Victoria's Secret and Etsy use an icon of 5 stars on their customer review template design. They do this to set the stage and encourage the customers to leave a 5-star review.
You can consider running A/B testing to determine whether adding a 5-star image to your email design increases your conversion rate or average feedback ratings. If it does, you've got this strategy working as it should.
Direct review through email
This is where a user-generated content platform for awesome reviews and referrals comes into play. Asking your customers to leave a review without redirecting them toward a survey page will fail. Similarly, telling your customers to leave a 5-star review without telling them where will fail miserably too.
User-generated content software for reviews, like Wiremo, allow you to create innovative websites or google review templates where customers can provide feedback right on their email with convenience. It will most definitely increase your conversions because the feedback survey can be filled right there and then, one click away from them.
Track customer journey
As explained above, tracking your customer journey is crucial to get the right timing and send your customer an email asking for feedback. Monitoring customer journey is more than saying, please leave a review after your customer makes a purchase.
A customer journey timeline looks different for every business based on the type of products and services they provide. You can utilize different format reviews each time you ask for one. An AI referral software will make this easier for you by providing actionable steps to create the right strategy.
7 awesome review examples - product review templates
It's about time we show you some awesome review examples from different well-known businesses to take inspiration from.
Some of these are product review examples and Google review templates. However, all represent a different strategy you can incorporate into your unique request layout.
1. Simple and bold
Source: Mailcharts
This is the best product review example to keep your email short and integrate a rating scale to give feedback without leaving the platform. You craft similar straightforward email layouts to use and prompt your customers to leave reviews without adding anything much.
However, if you're going to use a similar template, beware that the customers won't have any space to put their reviews into words. A simple rating might work great as google review templates, but if you're looking for something more personalized, you should go for a different approach.
2. Incentive with charm
Source: Mailcharts
This is a creative approach that uses the brand's unique voice and identity and presents the incentive in a way that would attract customers to leave a review. Not only that, the brand used a dynamic tone as well as a visually striking layout.
A possible letdown here would be the redirecting link to a survey form. However, providing an incentive could cover that area and increase conversions regardless. Who wouldn't want a discount code for two minutes of their time?
3. Personalized to perfection
Source: Pinterest
This perfectly personalized feedback email is one of our favorites. You can use this for restaurant review examples or your food-based e-commerce business. The brand uses an impeccable combination of outlining its new features and asking for reviews at the same time.
We call this perfectly personalized because the example uses the right tone to convey how this will be advantageous for their customers. Another clever strategy here is how the brand uses 'rate your picks' instead of 'leave a review.'
This example is great in every aspect, whether it's the tone of voice they use or the visuals. We would definitely give this one a 5-star!
4. More than just stars
Source: Mailcharts
This is what we talk about when we talk about asking for more than a simple clothing review. The brand uses images of their latest products to ask for a review and provide a fully responsive questionnaire right in the email.
It does not redirect. It offers incentives. It uses a personalized approach. What else could you ask for?
Still, it might be difficult to find advanced software to perform all these functions at once. But we have the right suggestion for you at the end, so keep reading!
5. Make a connection
Source: Mailcharts
The headline here is by far the most attractive one. It's also different from a product review example because it's seeking feedback on an exclusive program. You can use a similar layout to get customer buy-in for an exclusive service or a new product launch.
In our opinion, you can make this better by using a customer's name to catch their immediate attention and make them feel like a part of your brand. But as long as your conversions are doing great, anything could work for a short call to action.
6. Small things matter
Source: Pinterest
Didn't we say you don't have to hesitate when asking for feedback? This is the most straightforward and clear feedback email request you will ever come across.
It's personalized in the simplest form by showing the product image and description, while it also catches the customer's attention with its minimal yet eye-catching layout. This example is different from the first one because it encourages the buyer to write a review instead of leaving a simple rating.
Now, no matter how small or dainty your product is, always go ahead and ask for a review because all reviews matter.
7. Unconventional follow-ups
Source: Mailcharts
Imagine writing a genuine review for a grit roll. Well, people do that sometimes. When we tell you to ask for a review on everything big or small, this is what we mean. You can also see several calls to action embedded in the email.
Giving your customers the right to choose is a great tactic as well. They can simply leave a rating, redirect to a page and write a comment, or even better, make a call to the brand's representative.
It also uses CTAs like 'get our app' to make the email more purposeful. You can use this example for your hardware e-commerce store as well to make an impression just as good as Lowe's.
Make your own unique review template
If you've made it down here, you have mastered the art of sending awesome review requests. From basic to advanced features, we didn't miss out on anything.
The question here is, how do you carry out a successful, automated, and unique review collection campaign. And while we have already answered this several times throughout the guide, we will reinstate the one-stop solution to create your unique template again.
You need a platform to organize, strategize, and innovate the whole email generating process that could also fit in your budget. It might sound too much to ask for, but it's not!
Start your next awesome review collection campaign with Wiremo
Wiremo is the platform that caters to it all. With its multiple platform integrations, you can use this plug-in on any website development software and regulate your referral emails with ease. It also offers advanced features and real-time analytics to keep you ahead of the game.
You can utilize Wiremo's advanced features, such as adding more questions, widgets, and automated replies to your review form. It also lets you showcase review carousels on your website and provides automated AI-based review management and statistics.
The best part? You can achieve a seamless review and referral process for your e-commerce business in the most affordable packages.
If you still haven't made up your mind, start with a free 14-day trial and experience it yourself!
Final takeaway
We know how important feedback and reviews are. So if you decide to implement the tactics mentioned in this guide or use the examples as inspiration, make sure to share your feedback and experience with us.
Don't forget to stay tuned for more informational guides as well!
