The first 90 days after a product launch are critical for building trust, generating sales, and creating momentum. During this time, customer reviews are among your most effective tools. They serve as proof for potential buyers, influencing decisions and boosting conversions.
But reviews aren’t just for customers. They provide valuable insights to help refine your product strategy, improve the customer journey, and strengthen customer experience.
A thoughtful plan for collecting and using reviews can set the foundation for long-term success. Today, we provide a strategic playbook for collecting and leveraging customer reviews.
1. Pre-Launch: Laying the Foundation
Weeks 1–4 (Preparation)
The groundwork you lay before launch influences your ability to gather meaningful reviews. This period is about creating awareness, involving key stakeholders, and testing your systems for review collection.
Seeding Reviews Before Launch
Start gathering customer reviews before the official launch to create early momentum. Use these steps to get authentic feedback:
- Send Samples to Key Stakeholders: Distribute product samples to a targeted group, including loyal customers, influencers, and product marketing managers. These individuals should align with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and be familiar with your brand. Their reviews will offer trust-building social proof when your product goes live.
- Request Feature Feedback During Customer Calls: Set up customer interviews or calls with early testers. Ask open-ended questions about their experience with the product. This feedback can guide adjustments to your product or messaging before launch.
- Focus on Authenticity: Provide clear instructions on how to share their feedback, but let reviewers voice their genuine experiences. Avoid scripting responses, as authenticity is more likely to resonate with your audience.
Building Anticipation and Awareness
Creating buzz around your launch ensures you capture attention when the product becomes available:
- Share Sneak Peeks: Use social media and email campaigns to give customers a preview of your product. Behind-the-scenes content and teaser videos are particularly engaging.
- Showcase Early Testimonials: Highlight quotes or features praised by testers to build credibility. For example, “Early testers loved how this product [solves a key problem].”
- Launch Countdown: A countdown or limited-time pre-launch offer can create urgency and boost sign-ups.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including your sales team and product marketing team, to align messaging and focus on shared strategic goals.
Setting Up Review Collection Channels
Before launch day, establish systems that simplify review collection and management:
- Optimize Product Pages: Add clear, user-friendly review sections to your product pages. Tools like RaveCapture help create workflows for collecting and sharing reviews.
- Run Internal Meetings: Work with internal teams like product management and marketing efforts to finalize your approach. This is an opportunity to involve key stakeholders and create alignment.
- Test Your Tools: Run test campaigns to verify that all review systems work as intended. Add some trial reviews to your platform to see how they display and ensure the process is seamless for customers.
2. Launch Phase: Driving Initial Feedback
Weeks 5–8 (Engagement)
Once your product goes live, your focus should shift to collecting and amplifying early reviews. Early adopters set the tone for future buyers, so prioritize their feedback.
Incentivize First Purchasers to Leave Reviews
Encourage early customers to share their experiences by offering incentives:
- Discounts and Bonuses: Provide loyalty points, discounts, or small perks for reviews submitted within two weeks of purchase.
- Time-Limited Offers: Set deadlines for review submissions to create urgency. For example, “Leave a review within 14 days to receive 10% off your next order.”
- Personalized Requests: Send post-purchase surveys or emails 5–7 days after delivery, asking for honest feedback. Make the process simple by including a direct link to the review page.
Just note that when offering incentives, you must know what’s okay and what isn’t. For example, giving discounts or loyalty points in exchange for submitting a review is okay, as long as you don’t require the review to be positive.
But if it involves cash payments as a bribe to sway the review’s tone or mandates a positive review, it crosses ethical boundaries and often violates platform policies. This can lead to penalties, removal of reviews, or damage to your brand’s reputation.
Always prioritize transparency and honesty.
Use Social Proof to Build Trust
People tend to rely on the opinions of others when making purchasing decisions, especially for new products. Early reviews and user-generated content act as validation for your product’s claims.
For instance, if you’re launching a new product like a skincare serum, you can add videos of your first customer or influencer experiencing reduced blemishes or showcasing brighter skin after consistent use. Here’s what you can dot:
- Share Testimonials: Post customer reviews on social media, your website, and email campaigns.
- Highlight User Content: Include photos or videos of customers using your product. Real-world use cases resonate strongly with potential buyers.
- Amplify Influencer Feedback: Collaborate with influencers to share their reviews and recommendations with their audiences. Cross-post their content for greater reach.
Monitor and Respond to Reviews in Real-Time
Proactive review management during this period ensures you build strong customer relationships:
- Track Reviews Across Channels: Use tools like RaveCapture to monitor reviews on your site and external platforms.
- Respond Quickly: Thank customers for positive feedback and address concerns professionally. This shows that you value their input and are committed to their satisfaction.
- Identify Trends: Pay attention to recurring comments. For example, if multiple buyers praise a specific feature, emphasize it in your messaging.
3. Post-Launch: Amplifying and Refining
Weeks 9–12 (Sowing)
In the weeks following your launch, your priority shifts to maximizing the value of collected company and product reviews and using them to refine your strategy.
Amplify Reviews in Marketing Content
Your reviews are now valuable assets for your content marketing efforts. This is how you can use them for
- Embed Testimonials Across Touchpoints: Add customer quotes to product pages, case studies, social widgets, email campaigns, and ads to show real-world experiences and build credibility with potential buyers. Including testimonials on product pages reassures hesitant shoppers, while email campaigns and ads with positive quotes can drive clicks and conversions by reinforcing trust.
- Highlight Metrics: Use review data to showcase your product’s strengths, such as “95% of customers rated this product 5 stars,” to provide tangible proof of satisfaction. Including metrics in ads or banners gives buyers a clear, measurable reason to choose your product over competitors.
- Create Visuals: Pair testimonials with high-quality images or videos for social media posts to engage your audience and make the content more relatable.
Refine Based on Feedback
Customer feedback during this phase provides actionable input for product development:
- Address Common Concerns: Use negative reviews to identify areas for improvement. If customers note an issue with packaging, for example, work with your development team to resolve it.
- Communicate Updates: Inform customers about updates or fixes based on their feedback. This builds trust and shows responsiveness.
- Continue Feedback Loops: Reach out to reviewers for additional insights or to test updated features.
Measure Success and Adjust Strategy
Use analytics to evaluate how reviews are driving sales and influencing perception:
- Key Metrics: Track the number of reviews, average rating, and percentage of reviews mentioning key features.
- Review Impact: Monitor how review-based promotions affect sales or customer lifetime value.
- Analyze Trends: Use platforms like RaveCapture to identify long-term patterns and refine future strategies.
4. Long-Term Maintenance: Sustaining Momentum
Beyond 90 Days (Building Advocacy)
After the initial launch period, maintaining a steady flow of reviews ensures your product remains visible and trusted.
Encourage Ongoing Feedback
Keep the momentum going by engaging customers over time:
- Automate Requests. Set up review requests for every purchase. Automated follow-ups keep the feedback loop active.
- Reward Advocacy. Recognize loyal customers who consistently leave reviews. Offer perks for referrals or repeat feedback.
- Celebrate Milestones. Share achievements like reaching 500 reviews or earning a 4.8-star average. This reinforces credibility.
Monitor Trends and Improve
Stay proactive in analyzing reviews:
- Regular Check-Ins. Conduct monthly team meetings to discuss insights from reviews.
- Refine Messaging. Use customer feedback to adjust marketing materials and your product vision. For instance, if reviews highlight unexpected benefits, incorporate those into ads or product descriptions to appeal to a broader audience.
- Track Sentiment Shifts. If the review tone shifts negatively, investigate quickly and take action.
Final Thoughts
The first 90 days of a product launch are like planting a garden—what you sow early will determine the growth and strength of your product over time. Focus on these four stages to set your product up for success:
- Pre-Launch: Create awareness and gather early feedback to shape your product and build anticipation.
- Launch: Engage buyers by incentivizing reviews and sharing social proof to build trust.
- Post-Launch: Leverage feedback to refine your product and amplify its appeal through strategic marketing.
- Long-Term Maintenance: Keep reviews flowing to sustain credibility and foster ongoing customer loyalty.
Use tools like RaveCapture to simplify review management and analytics. With clear benchmarks and actionable insights, your product launch will succeed in the short term and build momentum for ongoing growth.
Start crafting your review strategy today and create a product that customers and your business can celebrate.