Get Paid Reviews - Is it Worth the Business Risk?
As a long time critic of Yelp, it did not surprise me to learn that they will now penalize businesses that attempt to get paid reviews. A few months ago, the site announced that they will now show a warning on business pages that they suspect have paid for positive reviews. During the same time period, Google merged Google+ Local into Google My Business to keep posts and reviews easy to manage and find.
Why the Concern Over Paid Reviews?
This seems to be an industry response to the increased mistrust of online business reviews - once considered a trusted consumer resource. There are studies that show that online reviews have a benefit on your local listings and the Google Map optimization. The problem with online reviews when it comes to business owners is that they are difficult to get unless you really upset a client or customer. This is why companies and brands have been attempting to get paid reviews in the first place. These paid reviews are obviously a risk for business owners, but up until now it had seemed worth it because the biggest penalty was removal. The question now is: does the risk to get a paid review now outweigh the benefit?
Paying for Reviews is Illegal
Before you consider soliciting paid reviews, remember that it is illegal. The FTC has banned undisclosed paid endorsements. While the ban has not been widely enforced, the FTC could decide to crack down at any point. For this reason, paid reviews are absolutely not worth the risk to your business. Period. However, there are a few loopholes to get paid reviews for your business that do not violate the current FTC Ban.
Legally Get Paid Reviews on Yelp
In August, I wrote about how Yelp censors positive reviews and uses "editorial control" to extort fees in exchange for the "filtering" of negative business reviews. The loophole: Yelp does not actually write the reviews that are bought and sold on their website, they simply filter those reviews according to who pays and who does not. Yelp's extortionist tactics have been ruled legal in a number of class action lawsuits. You aren't paying them for the review, you are paying them to censor the reviews posted to their website.
So is it worth it to get paid reviews on Yelp? Maybe. Unfortunately, you will have to pay Yelp directly. Evaluate your Yelp reputation and decide if the cost to filter negative reviews on your business page is worth it. However, hiring reviewers is certainly not worth the risk of being exposed doing something illegal or an FTC investigation.
*I do not support Yelp or their business practices, I do not condone paying for Yelp's "service".
Is it Worth it to Get Paid Reviews on Google?
The short answer about reviews on Google is not necessarily about the risk, but the effort. Google is apparently working to remove all reviews without regard to authenticity or negativity. Until it is more clear what the motives behind the mass removal of Google reviews is, businesses should probably remain unconcerned until there is an update and the reasons behind Google's censorship are more widely understood.
Get Paid Reviews, Just Don't Pay
There are ways to get paid reviews without necessarily paying for reviews. If Yelp or other review websites have got you down, consider one or all of the following suggestions:
- Do things the clean way: Do great business and then ask your customers to review you.
- Set up a place where customers can review your products or services on your own website.
- Publicly respond to negative criticism in a proactive and professional manner.
- Hire a professional reputation manager to help your business remove or suppress negative reviews.
Get Paid Reviews the Legal Way
If push comes to shove, you can get paid reviews legally. Ask bloggers to review your products if you deem it appropriate. It will probably still be cheaper than Yelp's advertising "services" and has the added benefit of building links to your website or product page, generating traffic to your website and potentially bringing in new business. Just make sure the reviewer you are paying has a clearly identified disclosure policy posted on their blog and that they disclose that the review was paid for.