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.

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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.

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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.

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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]"

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.