Incentivising reviews without breaking platform policy
A small incentive can lift review volume, but get it wrong and you breach FTC, ASA and platform rules. Here is how to incentivise reviews safely.
Incentivising reviews is one of the easiest ways for a well-meaning brand to land in trouble. The instinct, "leave a review, get a discount", is reasonable. The execution is where stores quietly cross a line that regulators and review platforms both enforce.
Incentives work, and have rules
An incentive can lift response rates, especially for photo and video reviews. But an incentivised review is, by definition, not a spontaneous one, and that triggers obligations. Get those right and incentives are a legitimate tool; ignore them and you have manufactured a compliance problem.
How to incentivise within the rules
- 1Offer the incentive to every customer who reviews, with no link to the score they give.
- 2State plainly that an honest negative review earns exactly the same reward.
- 3Disclose the incentive, on the ask, and instruct the reviewer to note it on the review.
- 4Keep the incentive modest, large rewards distort behaviour and draw scrutiny.
- 5Check the specific policy of any third-party review platform you collect on, some restrict incentives further.
What never to do
- Never reward only positive reviews, or reward more for higher ratings.
- Never gate the incentive behind a four- or five-star review.
- Never hide the incentive, or present incentivised reviews as organic.
- Never, ever write or buy fake reviews, that is illegal, not merely against policy.
Sources & notes
- 1FTC, Endorsement Guides · US rules on incentivised reviews.
- 2UK ASA / CMA, review guidance · UK rules on incentivised and fake reviews.
- 3Note · Practical guidance, not legal advice, confirm with a qualified lawyer and each platform’s current policy.
30 days
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38%
Median rights yes-rate
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