Review Campaign

A Review Campaign is an organized effort by vendors to systematically request and collect customer reviews on directory platforms through strategic outreach and promoted review links.

Review campaigns represent one of the most important tactical activities in directory management. Without active solicitation, most satisfied customers don't spontaneously write reviews—they're busy, reviews don't directly benefit them, and the effort barrier is real. Campaigns address this systematic under-representation of satisfied users by making review submission easier and more top-of-mind. Understanding platform-specific review requirements and best practices is essential for compliant, effective campaigns.

Effective campaigns balance several competing priorities: generating sufficient review volume to improve Rating and Ranking, maintaining authenticity and avoiding manipulation accusations, complying with platform guidelines that vary across directories, and ensuring representative feedback rather than cherry-picking only promoters. The most sophisticated companies treat review generation as ongoing program rather than periodic campaign.

Strategic campaign elements include timing (requesting reviews after successful outcomes or positive interactions), targeting (identifying customers most likely to provide thoughtful feedback), messaging (framing requests authentically without pressuring sentiment), follow-up (gentle reminders for non-responders), and platform compliance (adhering to each directory's specific rules). Each element requires careful design to maximize participation while maintaining authenticity.

Most directories explicitly permit review solicitation but prohibit certain practices. Generally allowed activities include asking customers to share honest experiences, providing direct links to review forms, offering modest incentives for participation (see Incentivized Reviews), and following up with non-responders. Prohibited practices typically include conditioning incentives on positive ratings, selectively requesting reviews only from promoters, writing reviews on customers' behalf, and creating fake reviewer accounts.

The line between legitimate solicitation and manipulation can be subtle. The guiding principle: campaigns should increase review volume by reducing friction, not influence review sentiment through pressure or incentives. Platforms use sophisticated detection to identify suspicious patterns—sudden review spikes, identical phrasing across reviews, reviewers with no other platform activity—and penalize vendors engaging in manipulation.

Campaign cadence matters strategically. Continuous, moderate-volume campaigns typically outperform sporadic high-pressure pushes. Asking for reviews quarterly as part of customer success check-ins feels natural and maintains steady flow. Sudden campaigns requesting hundreds of reviews raise red flags. The optimal approach integrates review requests into existing customer touchpoints—after onboarding success, following support resolutions, during renewal conversations.

Different customer segments require different approaches. Highly engaged power users often write detailed, valuable reviews when asked. Casual users might provide shorter feedback but represent important perspectives. Enterprise customers may require more formal processes including legal review of what they can disclose. Segmented campaigns tailored to these groups improve both participation rates and review quality.

Technical implementation affects campaign effectiveness. Direct review links that pre-populate customer information reduce friction dramatically compared to requiring users to navigate directory sites independently. Email templates with clear value propositions ("Help other teams considering [Product]") outperform generic requests. A/B testing different messaging approaches reveals what resonates with specific customer segments.

The relationship between review campaigns and Review Verification is direct—platforms verify that reviewers actually used the products they review. This means campaigns should target genuine users with platform-documented usage, not general contacts without product experience. Attempting to source reviews from non-users creates verification failures and potential account penalties.