Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program: What You Should Know

If you are trying to sell a new product on Amazon, then you know how tough it can be to generate those first couple of reviews. Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program might be able to help.

How does it work?

Amazon contacts a random buyer of one of your products to request a review. The buyer then receives a $1-3 voucher for the review, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. The review will appear on Amazon with an orange badge that reads “Early Reviewer Rewards.”

Am I eligible?

You are eligible to participate in the Early Reviewer Program if your product has less than five reviews and costs at least $15. Amazon charges $60 per SKU to enroll in the program, which lasts for one year or until five reviews are generated. You will only be charged the $60 after you’ve received at least one review for the enrolled SKU.

Doesn’t this violate Amazon’s ban on incentivized reviews?

Ironically, the Early Reviewer program —- which generates incentivized reviews — was instituted to remedy a problem created by Amazon’s ban on incentivized reviews.

While the ban was meant to cut down on fake reviews and restore credibility to Amazon’s product review system, the step made it very difficult for sellers to receive new reviews. Amazon later gave customers the ability to opt out of all seller communication, making generating reviews even more challenging. The Early Reviewer Program was intended to solve this problem, while allowing Amazon to retain control of the review system.

In addition, Amazon clarified that this program is different than the incentivized reviews that were banned.

“We are not giving free products or discounts to these reviewers,” Amazon said. “We only ask customers who have already purchased the product to share their authentic experience, regardless of whether it is a 1-star or 5-star review. This program is not limited to elite reviewers — we want to hear from all of our customers as long as they have no history of abusive or dishonest reviews.”

How do I sign up?

1. First, make sure you are enrolled in Amazon’s Brand Registry. You will need this in order to access the Early Reviewer Program portal in Seller Central.
2. Look for the Early Reviewer Program portal under the Advertising tab in Seller Central. You may upload up to 100 SKUs at once through the CSV template provided by Amazon. Your SKUs must be parent-level or stand-alone products.
3. You can view the status of your submission within the portal, by checking the Submission History & Product Enrollment Details section at the bottom of the page.

What’s the advantage of using the Early Reviewer program?

The program is a win-win-win for sellers, buyers, and Amazon. Sellers build up their reviews, buyers receive rewards for sharing their opinions, and Amazon generates even more revenue by charging $60 per SKU.

Is it worth it?

If you are selling a new product that has few reviews, this program could very well be worth it. But keep in mind that the reviews you receive won’t necessarily be positive unless you are actually selling a quality product. So be sure your product, listing, and customer service are impeccable.