How to get your First Etsy Review

If you’ve just opened up a new Etsy Store, it’s crucial to get started on the right foot: You NEED reviews.

Think about it.

Every time you want to buy something “unique” or “expensive” — what do you do? You scroll down, to go and check the reviews, right?

• “What are people saying about this product?”
• “How many stars does it have?”
• “What are the good/bad reviews?”
• “Is there anything I need to know?”

They’re not only important to answer questions, but they are also extremely important to get ranked well on Etsy.

Reviews are a measurement for “trust”. The more potential customers trust your store, the higher the conversion rates will be, resulting in higher revenue and profit.

How to get reviews?

There are 5 ways I found that you can get reviews:

1. Asking family members or friends
2. Messaging your clients after a purchase, asking for a review
3. Follow-up
4. Answering questions / Upgrading your customer’s order, in exchange for a review
5. Normal clients giving you a review, without you doing anything

Let’s briefly go over the options, starting with the first (and easiest) option if you’ve just opened your shop.

P.S. I will go over Etsy reviews more in detail in a separate article, because they can MAKE OR BREAK your shop.

Option 1: Ask a family member or friend

If you’ve just opened a new shop and added your first listings, you can (and should) ask a family member or friend to purchase your item(s).

• If they don’t really want the item, you can for example create a coupon or special offer for them with x% off.
• Alternatively, let them buy but then send them the money back later. There are a few ways.

After their purchase, they’ll be able to give you a review. Make sure it’s good ;)

Option 2: Messaging your clients after a purchase

You can use this template as an “Order Confirmation”:

Hi [NAME],

THANK YOU so much for your order! 🙂

I'm doing everything in my power to get it shipped out as soon as possible, I hope you like it!

If you do, please leave some positive feedback 🙏

Thanks!!

Michiel

Option 3: After an order / Follow-up

This one looks a bit like the previous one, you can use both.

Subject: How was your experience?

Hi [Customer Name]!

Thank you so much for your purchase! I hope that you like [the product name], and should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

As I’m continuously improving my store, I would appreciate you taking the time to review our products and services.

Best regards,

[Your name + Signature]

Option 4: Answering questions

Sometimes customers send you messages with questions. This is good, I LOVE it when people send me messages!

Make sure to answer EVERY question very detailed.

→ I like to reply to each question they have with arrows, right below their sentence. You can even add a color to it.

Hi [NAME],

Thanks for reaching out! Regarding your question:

What is your delivery time?

--> These are made to order & typically shipped out withing 3-4 days of the order taking place

Also what brand of t-shirt do you print the design on?

--> Gildan 64000 typically. We could upgrade you at no cost to a Bella Canvas 3001 if you'd prefer, in exchange for a review 🙂 (My shop is relatively new and does not have one)

Last question, is the design screen printed?

--> It's direct-to-garment (DTG) printed.

Best regards,

Michiel

Option 5: Customers give you a review without you doing anything.

This is the best option of course.

Nothing better than customer just giving you a (hopefully good) review all by themselves :)

Some more tips

Tip 1: Get a pretty signature

As you could see from the examples above, I wrote “You name + signature”.

Getting a nice signature is a great way to make it more personalized and professional.

Tip 2: be creative

The point is to get as creative as possible, as the message should motivate your customers to leave reviews on your Etsy store.

Tip 3: Don’t be afraid

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and reviews to improve your store’s reputation. If you don’t ask — mostly you’ll never get.

Tip 4: Change the negative into positive

If you have a BAD review, respond to it anyway. Try to make it a positive experience for the customer anyway.

Offer them an upgrade, a refund, a discount… A bad review will hurt your store more than just giving someone a refund.

Customers can edit the star rating, photograph, and the written note any number of times during the 100-day review period. Note that reviews cannot be edited while a case is open for an order.

Want to learn more?

Did you know? I also write about different passive income streams on Medium.com like Print on Demand, YouTube Automation, investing tips, healthy habits and just keeping yourself motivated to keep going every day!