How to Collect Reviews for Your Online Course [5 Easy Ways]

6 minute read

Social proof plays a critical role in the success of a business, particularly in the realm of online courses.

For creators who are just starting their online course business, getting reviews to display on their website can be a complicated task, especially if they haven't made any sales yet.

Keep reading below to learn about the power of social proof and our best strategies to efficiently collect student feedback and enhance social proof for your online course!

Social proof is an essential element in building a successful business, including selling online courses, and a significant part of that comes from reviews.

It's a common misconception that businesses with a plethora of reviews are inherently more popular or that their customers are more inclined to leave feedback.

In reality, a high number of reviews is often the result of a proactive approach; in other words, most businesses make an effort to reach out to their customers and ask for reviews.

Directly requesting reviews from your customers plays a crucial role in not just accumulating feedback but also in enhancing the credibility and appeal of your course in the eyes of new potential customers.

When potential students see a high number of reviews, it reassures them of the quality and value of your course, making them more likely to enroll.

Learn more about this:

How to Get Online Course Reviews

If reviews and social proof are so important, how can you collect feedback from your customers and audience? Let's see a few tips on how online course creators can collect testimonials and strengthen their customer loyalty.

#1. Reach Out to Your Students and Email Subscribers

Remember, businesses that frequently request reviews from their customers tend to receive more of them!

Not actively seeking feedback from your audience might lead to missed chances to collect reviews on your website.

Before launching your online course, you probably built an email list, and perhaps you've already enrolled a few students in your course.

Consider emailing each of them, encouraging them to leave a review for your course.

This approach is not only beneficial to collect social proof but also provides valuable insights into your course content and gives you access to important feedback about the main challenges faced by your audience.

So, the first step is to contact your current and past students and ask for reviews.

But what if you still didn't enroll any students in your online course?

In case you're starting without any contacts or students, think about asking your friends and family for their honest opinions on your course. Alternatively, you could pre-sell your course and use the feedback from these initial beta members.

#2. Collect Feedback Directly From Your Online Course

A common oversight among course creators is failing to ask for feedback from their learners.

While your emails requesting reviews might go unnoticed, an embedded form within your course is hard to overlook.

There are many online tools that let you embed forms not only on your website but also directly within your course content and lessons.

Learn more about this: Embed These Tools in Your Online Course Software to Improve Student Engagement and Learning Experience

Google Forms is a free tool that is excellent for creating different kinds of forms that can be effortlessly incorporated into your website.

You could design a simple form inviting students to review your course and embed it as the last lesson in your course, ensuring your students won't miss it!

Every piece of positive feedback is important! So, if someone leaves positive comments on social media about your course, you can use this to increase the level of social proof associated with your business.

Simply capture a screenshot of the supportive comments, posts, or messages and display them on your online course webpage.

Social media feedback often appears more genuine than conventional reviews, making it a great way to help potential customers in their purchasing decisions.

When capturing screenshots that display people's names or photos, ensure that you either obscure any confidential personal details of the reviewer or obtain their consent before featuring their names or other information on your website.

#4. Offer Incentives for Reviews

Encouraging your students to write reviews could be more effective if you offer them a small incentive, particularly if they enjoyed your online course.

It's important that the incentive is modest yet appealing enough to motivate them to spend time writing a review.

Consider offering early access to upcoming products, a minor discount on another course in your program, or a complimentary digital product like an eBook or worksheet. These incentives can be effective in gathering feedback.

If there is an incentive involved, you might find that reviewers are willing to put in more effort. You could, for instance, request video testimonials where they share the benefits they gained from your course.

Video testimonials are an excellent form of social proof: they're not only more engaging and eye-catching but also represent the most sincere and trustworthy type of reviews.

Take a look at the video reviews for Heights Platform from our clients to get a better idea about video testimonials.

#5. Challenge Your Community

Launching a challenge to gather more reviews is an excellent method to not only boost your social proof but also entertain your audience and enhance online engagement and visibility.

Suppose you manage an online community for your program, such as a Facebook group or a private community. In that case, you can initiate this challenge there.

For instance, you might encourage members of your group to submit their reviews or video testimonials. Then, select the most impressive one to reward (for example, complimentary access to your online course, a digital product, or a piece of physical merchandise from your brand).

This tactic has successfully helped us gather numerous reviews for Heights Platform.

The reward, in this case, should be more substantial than the one mentioned earlier since it's being awarded to only one or a few individuals.

Overall, this strategy is not just effective for collecting reviews but also for increasing online visibility, as you can encourage participants to share your social media profile as part of the challenge.

How to Ask for a Review For Your Online Course

Now that you learned a few tips on how to collect more reviews for your course, it's time to start working! But how?

The key to asking for a review is to make your request personal, timely, and respectful.

When contacting customers, start by expressing gratitude for their participation in your course and emphasize how their feedback can contribute to improving the learning experience for others.

It’s important to ask for their honest opinion and provide an easy way for them to leave a review, such as a direct link to your review page.

Lastly, ensure that you respect their decision if they choose not to leave a review, and maintain a positive relationship regardless of their response.

When to Ask for a Review?

Timing is crucial in collecting reviews. The most suitable times to gather feedback are when customers have just had a positive experience with your course.

This is when their satisfaction is at its peak, and they are most likely to share enthusiastic and honest feedback.

Additionally, don't overlook your long-time, happy customers. They can provide valuable insights and are often willing to express their sustained satisfaction with your business.

Another key moment is after successfully resolving a bad experience for a customer. When you turn a negative situation into a positive one, these customers can offer compelling testimonials about your commitment to student satisfaction and your responsive customer service.

Each of these scenarios presents a unique opportunity to gather insightful reviews that can significantly enhance the credibility and appeal of your online course.

How to Respond to Reviews

After you get your first reviews, your job is not yet done. Actively engaging with your students' feedback, including responding to their reviews, is essential for enhancing your online reputation.

Make it a practice to acknowledge every review, both positive and negative.

When addressing negative reviews, it is important to offer thoughtful and polite responses. This approach not only demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction but also serves as an opportunity for improvement and growth.

In fact, handling negative reviews effectively can attract new customers, as it showcases your dedication to addressing concerns and valuing customer feedback.

How to Showcase Your Reviews

When gathering testimonials, consider requesting the reviewer's full name and photo. To make this an easy process, you can incorporate a section in your review form or course evaluation where students can enter their names and upload a photo.

Remember, it's crucial to respect privacy and obtain consent before sharing any personal information, so it is a good idea to include an option for permission in your feedback survey or add a disclaimer explaining how the information will be used.

By adding names and photos to your customer testimonials, you improve the authenticity and trustworthiness of the online reviews, making them more impactful to prospective customers.

Conclusion

The success of your review collection efforts ultimately boils down to delivering an exceptional online course that drives tangible results for students.

What are the ingredients of a great online course? High-quality course material, tangible results for your students, and a course platform that supports your students' success.

Heights Platform is an AI-powered online course platform that offers all the necessary tools for creators to build and grow online courses and scale their business with AI.

Create your online course today with Heights Platform's free account!

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Post Topics: Build and Promote Your Course