We recently announced that we're phasing out the "Sentiment Check" feature of Get More Reviews starting Oct 1, 2022. Here's more information about that change and why we're making this update.
What is changing:
We are phasing out the “sentiment check” setting currently available in review campaigns. After Oct 1, this option will no longer be available to include in review requests. “Sentiment Check” refers to any thumbs up/down, star rating, or smiley face option that appears prior to the review site/private feedback options.
Why we are making this change:
1. Data collected over the past few years shows that sentiment checking (or “review gating”) had a minor impact on star rating, while significantly decreasing the total number of reviews a business generates. Said differently, businesses that do not use sentiment check receive nearly 70% more reviews when compared to businesses that do.
2. Both review sites (like Google/Yelp) and consumer protection regulators (like the FTC/state agencies) are increasingly prohibiting “review gating” when sending review requests. In recent months we have seen an uptick in reviews being filtered by review sites when they suspect a business is using a sentiment check filter in review requests.
As a marketing software provider, it’s our job to help ensure that our customers are following best practices, review site policies, and regulatory guidance when it comes to consumer messaging.
Given that data now shows there is significant benefit to not using sentiment check, we feel it is in the best interest of our customers to help better comply with the policies that are now increasingly being enforced by both review sites and regulatory agencies.
What you need to know:
1. Customers will still be able to leave you private feedback
Private feedback isn’t going away! Your review landing page will still prompt those customers who have concerns with a private feedback option, as shown here:
2. Your Google review process is getting an upgrade
By complying with Google’s review policy, you can now take advantage of our Easy Google Reviews feature that greatly improves Google review rates! Your customers will now be able to post a Google review directly from your landing page:
If you’d like to proactively disable sentiment check in your account, follow these steps to do so. Otherwise, it will automatically be disabled on Oct 1, 2022 with no action needed from you.
We believe a world class review system is one that helps you to get more reviews in a compliant way, while using those reviews and feedback, both positive and negative, to proactively improve your business. This update supports that mission.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team!