Reviews and social proof
Proof is easiest to collect while you still know every customer. Ask the people who got a result, make it simple to leave a review, and put what they say where visitors decide.
18 steps, about 15 hours of work · 1 plays · 1 checked claims
The concept, explained in full: Customer advocacy marketing.
Do it
The steps from the launch plan that belong to this topic, in plan order.
Harvest proof while you still know everyone
- Ask your three happiest users for a testimonial30m
Send them a draft to edit. “Write whatever you like” gets you nothing for three weeks.
- Put names or logos on the homepage30m
Ask permission first. Three real names beat a wall of unfamiliar logos.
- Write case study number one3h
One customer, one before number, one after number, one quote. Two pages maximum.
- Record a two-minute customer video1h
A shaky call recording with real specifics beats a produced testimonial with none.
- Line up 20 users willing to review you later30m
G2’s own figure for review requests is an 11% conversion, so 20 asks will not land 10 reviews. Start with 20, keep adding names, and ask permission now to cash it in in Phase 2.
Run the 10-in-30 review drive
- Identify 20 users who did something meaningful30m
Not signups — users who got a result. Reviews from non-users read as fake and get removed.
- Email each one a direct review link1h
Direct URL, no landing page in between. Every extra step costs responses; no study gives the size.
- Offer a modest thank-you where the platform allows it20m
G2 and TrustRadius permit small gift cards. Check the policy per platform, not per rumour.
- Follow up once after five days30m
G2’s own figure for review requests is an 11% conversion (a 2020 marketing page, no method), so expect fewer than ten reviews from 20 asks. Ask more people, and ask personally.
- Reach 20 reviews at 4.0+ for the free badge1h
“Users Love Us” is free. Do not buy a paid G2 plan in year one.
- Diary the G2 report cut-offs10m
Summer closes around 28 April, Fall around 28 July. Missing one costs a quarter.
- Sit in every G2 category your top three competitors share45m
Categories decide which grids your reviews count toward. Read your three competitors’ category lists, then request every one all three share — G2’s research team wants a demo or a doc as evidence, so attach one.
- Reply to every G2 review within the week45m
Replies publish under the review with your name on them. A calm answer to a 3-star does more for a buyer on the fence than a sixth 5-star; G2’s own guidance is seven days.
Build consumer review proof
- Claim the Trustpilot profile30m
The default place a consumer checks whether you are real. Free to claim.
- Ask 20 happy users for a review, one at a time1h
After a win in-product, never on a schedule. Direct link, no landing page in between.
- Reply to every review, especially the bad ones45m
A well-handled 2-star does more for trust than another 5-star. Public replies are the product.
- Put the rating on the pricing page45m
Proof belongs at the decision point, not on a testimonials page nobody opens.
Convert the traffic you already have
- Put social proof at the decision point1h
Next to the button, not in a carousel three sections down.
Plays
Reusable patterns that explain how: backed by read sources first, then practitioner advice, then our own ideas.
- Claim the review platforms and seed ten honest reviewsBacked · 2 sources
Claim and complete your profiles on the review platforms your buyers check — G2, Capterra, or the niche equivalent — then personally ask your ten happiest customers for honest reviews. Review counts unlock category visibility, the platforms rank for "[category] software" searches you can’t, and B2B buyers verify there before every demo.
What the evidence says
Sources
Related topics
Where it sits in the plan
- 2.6Harvest proof while you still know everyonein First 10 paying customers
- 3.6Run the 10-in-30 review drivein Authority baseline
- 3.7Build consumer review proofin Authority baseline
- 4.4.3Put social proof at the decision pointin Find the one channel that works