What Is The Best Way To Solicit Reviews Of Your Content?

JoeMilford Level 1

January 4, 2018, 10:16 am

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What Is The Best Way To Solicit Reviews Of Your Content?

I know that reviews can really spur our online success--however, how do we inspire our content readers to leave us reviews? Are there any good strategies, without being too aggressive, which could get our readers to give us more reviews?

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jaymish2

jaymish2

It's not easy to get someone to give you a review as it takes time, which most people don't have a lot of. My best suggestion would be, to come up with content that moves , people so much that they need to give a review. With the world the way it is, you need to come up with content that is, very controversial. Write on something celebrity based,especially Kardashian based, that should get a reaction and a million reviews!

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

Good point. A lot of the time, people don't really comment and the reviews you see are only from the minor few that take time to do it. The best way to really get as much as you can is to find the emotional button that makes a lot more people feel compelled to leave their thoughts. I see this a lot in controversial content as you've said so I think there is a lot of truth to that concept.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

I definitely agree with the fact that reviewing something takes a lot of time; far more time than most people have. To properly review something takes analysis and contemplation, but the sad truth of the matter is that most people just mindlessly read something - almost on auto-pilot - and then move on to the next thing. I think that's why so many social media sites have simple voting system. These days, the most you can ask of someone is to give you a simple thumbs up or a thumbs down to let you know whether they liked what they experienced or not.

7 years ago

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Tronia

Tronia

Just remind them every once in a while? Or if they, for example, purchase your product after they do it give them a big thank you and ask them if they'd like to leave a review. Also, some sites offer bonuses or small discounts if you leave a review of items/sites. It's a good initiative because who wouldn't want a nice little discount?

Other than that, just aim for high-quality and happy customers. That will give you great reviews.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Push it out via social media. You'll get a ton of feedback depending on how large and engaged your audience is.

7 years ago

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mar06

mar06

Just make sure of you content and that should be true so that you will presenting those content with confidence and you are not able to take it hardly because you already know about what you are going to answer.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

I have being agree with you on this about getting the social media involved when you are looking at getting reviews. There are lots of free people who would be kind enough to give you a standard review with facts and bunch of lazy ones who would stop at nothing to sarcastically criticize your work without having any base. Personally, I don't fancy asking for review from people I don't know their capabilities with doing review works. @Roope is my favorite person to ask for reviews on any content.

7 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Social media is one of the best platforms out there. People will naturally criticize your work without being asked for it.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Thanks for this response--when I first started working at blogging, freelancing, and online "employment", I had no tried and true strategies. I have learned a great deal from frequenting forums, like this one, and you are so right about bonuses, freebies, discounts, and other offers to keep your customers or to attract new ones. Exchanging a discount for a good review is a no-brainer, and it can pay off in dividends that we might never expect as new potential audiences have more confidence in what you are providing because of the reviews!

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Discounts certainly do attract customers. I'd try not to offer them too often though, as they become less and less appreciated when over-utilized.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Of course, it is great to get unsolicited reviews which people write because they are so happy with what you are doing. Those are the best reviews because they are the most authentic and from the heart. I still don't mind discounting things in return for a review--as long as the reviewer is an honest one, then this is a pretty good trade, if you ask me. I think that, oftentimes, people are just so busy and have so much on their plates every day that it just does not occur to them to leave a review even if they are completely happy with the products and services being offered.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I think offering rewards really is the best way to do this because I myself as a consumer always feel lazy leaving reviews because there's nothing in it for me. As selfish as that sounds, I think that is just bluntly accurate description of most human beings, so to expect them to leave you a sort of reward without offering anything in return might work some of the time but I don't think it would work as much as when you do offer something in return for their time and effort.

7 years ago

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Barida

Barida

I don't think there is any special way to go about getting reviews from your readers. The only thing is ensuring interacting in a way that makes them feel comfortable with you.

7 years ago

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mildredtabitha

mildredtabitha

Communicating in a friendly way with readers can be one way for getting more feedback to your site but it lacks consistency. I think writing a short page on the site and mentioning how much you appreciate feedback will make readers to leave reviews.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Sometimes readers want to leave reviews, but they either don't know what to say or how to say it. Sometimes though, they'll drop you a positive comment via social media.

7 years ago

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Steve5

Steve5

Most readers might not care enough about what they read. This is one of the common reasons people don't leave comments or reviews. They usually need to be convinced either emotionally or intellectually.

Engaging content does make it happen. It's always what you write about and how well you write it that gets people talking.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Perhaps, but also people use articles and content as a source of information. Sometimes for themselves, other times for someone else. So if they've already gotten the information that they need from an article, they might not leave a comment simply because they got what they came for already.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

"The only thing is ensuring interacting in a way that makes them feel comfortable with you."

For the most part, I agree with this as well. I think that reviews of your content have to come naturally. I think trying to force such behavior is going to--well--feel forced. People can tell when you're trying too hard, and that is not an appealing characteristic. I think the only time it is really acceptable to solicit reviews is if you've already made a huge name for yourself, and you send out copies of your content for reviewers to critique. For example, video game companies do this all the time. They hand out free copies of their games to reviewers, both to get reviews and increase publicity.

7 years ago

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mildredtabitha

mildredtabitha

You can email those who already subscribed to your site and request them to review your articles during their spare time. You can also use forum's marketplace where you reward points or coins to those who review your blog.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Right--I agree that this is a good idea, for sure. I have said in many forums before that I am very wary about email solicitations and becoming one of those things that just quickly gets filtered to a junk, delete, or phishing folder, but I also am aware that, if an email campaign is done well and with tact, it can really yield some great results. That is an excellent idea, as well--rewarding reviewers with some sort of coinage or bonus materials if they comment on the "free" material already at the site. That's really giving me some ideas.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I agree and I think this is how a lot of retail sites do it. I have bought a lot from a local online retail site and they always email me to leave a review for products I've bought but because they don't offer any rewards for my reviews I rarely ever do it. I think offering some points helps a lot and just counting on the good nature of humans to do it freely might work sometimes but might not work as effectively as when you give rewards for it.

7 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

Pardon me but I don't think you can get even a few reviewers via email. I am talking from experience that when I receive such request, my mentality is why would I? My time is precious and I cannot waste it for someone I don't really know. Maybe with the rewards, that approach is more logical and practical since people are generally attracted to rewards. So maybe you can get a few people who will lend a hand and review your work.

7 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Yeah, people generally disregard emails they receive from sites where they just usually subscribe to know if there is new content. Emailing them requests for review without any rewards or benefits to the subscriber doesn't really sound right and they tend to just ignore that email.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I think just having a friendly reminder at the end of your content sometimes can work very effectively already. It's probably why so many Youtube videos end with people telling you to like and subscribe even if the ones saying it probably already know that viewers have already heard it millions of times because having that reminder means that you yourself give value to it and would appreciate it. Sometimes even if audiences know it is important to content creators, it's still better to remind them that you specifically find it important so it's clear to the audience that you would appreciate it if they left a review.

7 years ago

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Tronia

Tronia

Oh, that's completely true. I forgot about the YouTube videos and other social media platforms. If you ever watch any videos you will ALWAYS see things such as a "Share, like, subscribe, comment" so I would suggest trying a similar thing for your content/services/products. It will work.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I saw this a lot in blogs too and eventually saw the pattern. With blogs, the writer would usually end with a question or encourage some discussion from the audience to remind them that comments from them are very much welcome and that the author is interested in hearing what the people think as well. I think it really is important to remind the audience with each article even if it gets repetitive because otherwise people just feel less compelled to speak up.

7 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Yeah, sometimes I get annoyed by videos which constantly remind people to like, share, etc. but it really works in driving the point home and interacting with your fan base.

6 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I would have to agree that a simple and honest reminder or note asking for a comment or review at the end of your content could be very effective in giving your site or article quality reviews. I really think that's the most effective thing to do.

7 years ago

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NERLJ

NERLJ

I agree with jaymish2 regarding content able to move people or produce any strong emotional reaction. I never write any content related to celebrities so I do not know if the Kardashian theme suggestion will draw reviews. I can easily believe it, although I find it very disappointing. We must write for our audiences when providing content as a service, however, we can write whatever we wish to on our own blogs, forums, or even Ebooks. Content must be high quality to attract reviews. It does no harm to politely request reviews of readers but if the content isn't high quality and the readers do not feel they have read anything special the reviews will not be worth much. A generic review containing only a few sentences with vague praise does no good for exposure or reputation. Savvy readers and possible customers are able to discern the difference between genuine reviews and reviews submitted out of pity or guilt in response to a request. I feel poorly written reviews from readers who did not actually believe the content was anything special do more harm than good. Pages full of generalized reviews that could be referring to anything give a very poor impression of the writer. Writers have been known to pay for reviews. This practice is very common with self-publishing and I would be very careful with such a strategy. I provided reviews for self-published authors for a small fee. I always ask for a sample of the work before I agree to review it. This makes some authors angry and they move on to the next person offering the same service. I am perfectly happy for them to do so as I will not write a fake review, which is the reason for looking at a sample before agreeing to the review. If a book is poorly written and I feel it is awful I will not review it for them. The reviews I do complete are detailed and specific because I actually read the book in order to provide a quality review. It is not easy to obtain useful reviews. Paid reviews with fake opinions of the writing are often easy to spot for potential readers as well and will very likely cause the reader to skip the content completely. Quality sufficient to inspire the readers to an extent that the reviews are their own idea is the best method. I agree with jaymish2 regarding content able to move people or produce any strong emotional reaction. I never write any content related to celebrities so I do not know if the Kardashian theme suggestion will draw reviews. I can easily believe it, although I find it very disappointing. We must write for our audiences when providing content as a service, however, we can write whatever we wish to on our own blogs, forums, or even Ebooks. Content must be high quality to attract reviews. It does no harm to politely request reviews of readers but if the content isn't high quality and the readers do not feel they have read anything special the reviews will not be worth much. A generic review containing only a few sentences with vague praise does no good for exposure or reputation. Savvy readers and possible customers are able to discern the difference between genuine reviews and reviews submitted out of pity or guilt in response to a request. I feel poorly written reviews from readers who did not actually believe the content was anything special do more harm than good. Pages full of generalized reviews that could be referring to anything give a very poor impression of the writer. Writers have been known to pay for reviews. This practice is very common with self-publishing and I would be very careful with such a strategy. I provided reviews for self-published authors for a small fee. I always ask for a sample of the work before I agree to review it. This makes some authors angry and they move on to the next person offering the same service. I am perfectly happy for them to do so as I will not write a fake review, which is the reason for looking at a sample before agreeing to the review. If a book is poorly written and I feel it is awful I will not review it for them. The reviews I do complete are detailed and specific because I actually read the book in order to provide a quality review. It is not easy to obtain useful reviews. Paid reviews with fake opinions of the writing are often easy to spot for potential readers as well and will very likely cause the reader to skip the content completely. Quality sufficient to inspire the readers to an extent that the reviews are their own idea is the best method.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

I've been a paid reviewer in the past and I always state beforehand that as a reviewer, i would call it as it is. And if the client agrees then it's all good. But in cases that the client specifically needs good reviews, I would read the content first before agreeing.

6 years ago

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