The easier you make it for people to leave reviews, the more likely it is that they’ll do it

I leave reviews. I review books, I review products, I review companies. I don’t get paid for it, I just do it.

Why?

Because an author who has written a good book or a company that sells a good product or delivers good service deserves recognition. And other consumers (including me) find reviews valuable when they’re making their own purchase decisions.

But one of the most common refrains you hear from authors is how hard it is to get readers to post reviews of their books. I get it—it frustrates me, too.

So here’s my message to authors:

The easier you make it for people to leave reviews, the more likely it is that they’ll do it.

Let me share a tale of two book reviews.

The Strategy Book

After I published a review of This is Strategy: Make Better Plans by Seth Godin, Max Mckeown reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing his book, The Strategy Book: How to think and act strategically to deliver outstanding results. I checked out his Linkedin profile and online reputation, then said sure.

He arranged for his publisher to send me a copy of the book. After reading it, I posted a review on my website (click here), shared that review on Medium.com (a publishing platform), and also posted it on Amazon. As part of the process, I went to Amazon, downloaded a copy of the cover, and used it to create some images for my reviews using MockupShots (one of my favorite book marketing tools).

After I sent the links to the reviews to Max, he thanked me—and asked if I’d received the third or fourth edition of the book. It turned out that when I searched for the book on Amazon, Amazon showed me the listing for the third edition, but Max was looking for reviews on the fourth edition (which is the one I had—and the fact that his publisher hadn’t removed the third edition from Amazon is a subject for another blog). The difference in the book cover was so subtle I didn’t notice it.

Max asked if I would mind creating new images with the correct cover, adding the review to the correct edition on Amazon, and updating the Amazon link in the reviews. Considering that I don’t get paid to write reviews, it was a big ask. I could have said no, but because I know how important reviews are, I took the time to do it.

It would have saved both of us a lot of time if he or the publisher had sent me the correct links and cover image with the book.

Here’s the second tale:

Pivot Driven Devotions

Pivot Driven Devotions: Bible Selections to Move You Closer to Jesus is a wonderful book of devotions by Arnie Cole and W. Terry Whalin. Terry is an online friend and colleague who has reviewed some of my books, and I’ve reviewed other books he’s written. So when he told me he had review copies of Pivot Driven Devotions available, I was delighted to read it and help him out.

Terry mailed me a copy of the book and included a sheet about the importance of reviews and some tips for writing them. He also emailed me links to the book’s listing on three sites where he needed reviews. I was able to write the review, post it to my website (click here) and Medium.com, then quickly click on the links he’d sent to share the review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads.

It was a much smoother process, and it took minimal effort on my part to share my thoughts on a book I enjoyed and think others would appreciate as well in the places where it would most benefit the authors.

And the lesson is …

If you want people to review your book, your product, or your company, make it easy for them. Tell them exactly what you’d like for them to do. Send them graphics and links. Make sure they have all the information they need so there’s no opportunity for them to make a mistake.

And if it’s possible for you to reciprocate with a review of their book or product, do it.