Transcription
Hello, home bosses!
Today, I'm tackling a question that comes up frequently in our community: how to handle reviews on Amazon, especially for self-published and low-content books. One of my students recently asked about this in our Facebook group, and I realized it's something that many of us are unsure about. Amazon's rules can be a little unclear at times, so I want to share what I've learned and how I personally approach getting reviews for my books.
In my opinion, reviews are important, especially when you're launching your book, but they're not the end-all and be-all of your book's success. While they help at the beginning, I think the best approach is to let reviews come in organically. If your book is good, trust me, the reviews will follow.
So, let's dive into the main rules we need to keep in mind when it comes to Amazon reviews.
**First of all, don't ever pay for reviews.** Rule number one, and this is a big one: you absolutely cannot pay for reviews. That means no hiring people, no paying services, and no offering incentives like free products or gift cards in exchange for a review. This also includes offering a refund in exchange for a review. Amazon is strict on this because they want every review to be genuine and helpful to potential buyers.
Now, here's where things get a little bit tricky. You can offer a free or discounted copy of your book to readers, what we often call ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), but you can't require a review in return. You can ask for a review, but it has to be optional and completely up to the reader.
**Number two: no review swapping.** The second rule to remember is that Amazon prohibits review swapping. That's when you review another author's book in exchange for them reviewing yours. While it's okay to review other books, Amazon doesn't want authors to participate in these types of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" arrangements. So, even though it's tempting, it's better to avoid review swapping entirely.
I know there are some sites that are perfectly legal where people can leave reviews and receive reviews back, but the site makes sure that two authors never review each other's books. They are usually run like membership sites where you pay a contribution to join, so you can always do it that way, and that is perfectly legal and okay with Amazon.
**Number three: verified versus unverified reviews.** Next, let's talk about these types of reviews: verified and unverified. Verified reviews come from people who have purchased your book directly from Amazon or who got it during a free promotion. Unverified reviews, on the other hand, can be left by people who received the book outside of Amazon—maybe they bought it from another store or they were gifted a copy.
The good news is that both types of reviews count towards your total. Verified reviews carry more weight because Amazon knows they're coming from actual buyers, but unverified reviews are still valuable, so don't stress too much if some reviews come from outside purchases.
**Number four: who can leave reviews.** One of the most common questions I get is whether friends and family can leave reviews. The short answer is: it depends. If they live with you, share your account, or have a close financial connection to you, their reviews will likely be removed by Amazon. However, if they have their own account and don't have a direct connection to your book sales, they should be fine to leave a review.
Sometimes people say they have left a review, and/or their friends have left a review, and you can't see it on Amazon. Why is that? Well, Amazon only lets you give a review if you have spent a minimum of $50 in the last month on Amazon purchases. So, it could be that the review isn't showing because they haven't made that minimum purchase.
Now, here's my personal take on this whole review situation. When you first publish, reviews can definitely help with visibility and credibility, but after that initial push, I honestly prefer to let reviews come naturally. If your book offers value, people will review it on their own. So, I wouldn't stress too much about actively chasing reviews after your launch. Focus on creating a great product, and the feedback will follow.
If you've got any more questions on the topic of reviews—and I know it's a big topic—just leave it below this video in the comments or go and join my Facebook group, the Home Boss Group, where I answer questions every day.
I know this is a big subject and it's tricky to maneuver, but honestly, reviews aren't as important as people think. Yes, it's nice to have reviews, and a lot of buyers will base their decision on the reviews they can see on products, but it's not as big a deal as people sometimes think. So, it's better not to do anything that can get your account banned or put in danger just because you're chasing reviews. It's really not worth it.
Just before I go, I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who's already joined my new course, "Mastering Branding for Self-Publishers." The feedback has been absolutely amazing, and I'm so glad it's helping you all. If you haven't joined yet, the course covers everything from building your author brand to strategies that can help you sell more books, whether you're just starting out or have been self-publishing for a while.
I'll leave a link in the description if you want to check it out. By the way, it's still on offer—$50 off the normal price. The offer would have ended on the 12th of September, but I'm going to extend it until the 15th. On Sunday, the 15th of September, the price will go up to $147, which is the normal price of that course. But at the moment, you can get it for $97—that's $50 off!
So, if you're interested in selling more books, building a brand, and learning all about the strategies to do that, have a look at my course. I'll leave the link in the description.
Thank you so much for watching today! If you found this video helpful, give it a thumbs up, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any future tips.
See you in the next video! Bye-bye!
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