How to Make a Product Insert Funnel to Build a List and Get Reviews

You probably don’t need to be told this, but reviews are vital if you want to get any kind of success selling on Amazon.

You need reviews to rank, to get clicks from the search results, and to convince people to click the button and make a purchase.

There are a lot of creative strategies out there to get more Amazon reviews. Most range from ineffective, like using buyer-seller messaging requests, to downright illegal, like incentivized reviews.

Truth be told, there’s no magic bullet that’s going to get you a ton of reviews, without breaking TOS. However, there are some low-effort ways you can get a slight increase in reviews which, over time, will end up making a massive difference.

The average product gets reviews organically on about 1-2% of its sales. So all you need to do is get your product’s review rate slightly above this, and you’ll be outpacing most of your competition.

Getting emails from your customers and reaching out with review requests is a great way to do this. You’re also going to build an email list at the same time, which is a hugely valuable asset to have.

Read on and we’ll show you how to use LandingCube to set up a product insert funnel that runs on autopilot to collect emails from your customers, and to ask for reviews, just at the right time.

Amazon Insert Funnel: Concept

Let’s first introduce the concept, i.e. how it works.

You’re going to put an insert card inside your product’s packaging, that advertises an exclusive offer for buyers of the product.

To get it, customers have to follow a link or QR code to a landing page and put in their email and order ID.

The offer can be anything from a free product, to an instructional guide, a PDF ebook, or simply access to a VIP list for future deals.

Once a customer opts in, you fulfill the offer, and a little while later, send a follow-up email asking for a review.

Why it Works

As mentioned earlier, there is no “magic bullet” that’s going to get you hundreds of reviews in a short space of time.

This strategy is no different.

You shouldn’t expect a huge number of reviews. But it will result in a small trickle of reviews which, on top of the organic reviews your product gets, will add up over time.

Just as valuable, you’ll get a lot of additions to your email list, which are hugely valuable even if they don’t leave a review.

But the most effective part of this strategy is that it requires very little effort to maintain.

After a little work to set it up, just about everything can be automated, leaving you to forget about it as your funnel works in the background.

Considering all the things you need to focus on as the owner of an Amazon business, a “set and forget” funnel like this is extremely powerful.

The Offer

What you offer to incentivize people to follow the link on your product insert and give you their email is an important thing to think about.

Obviously, the better incentive, the more likely people will opt in.

However, you also want to consider the cost. For example, a free $50 product for every customer is probably not worth it.

A high dollar value is also not necessarily a must for a good incentive. Something related to the product, which is likely to have a niche appeal to buyers of your product, is usually best – and less costly than simply giving away an expensive gift.

Finally, think about how easy this step is to automate. A free product is a nice incentive, but getting a shipping address and sending it out for every person is a bit of a time investment.

In comparison, a digital giveaway, like an ebook, is much easier to set up in a hands-off way, where you don’t need to do anything after getting the funnel running.

So, some options you have include:

• A free product (popular with consumable products, like supplements)
• A free gift or giveaway
• An instructional guide or ebook
• Access to a VIP list for future deals and discounts
• An extended warranty

Are Incentives Allowed?

To be clear, incentivized reviews are a clear violation of Amazon’s product reviews TOS.

This is where you provide an incentive or offer in exchange for someone to leave a review.

However, as long as you don’t make the incentive contingent on the person leaving a review, it’s 100% within TOS.

For example, if you were to say, “we’ll give you a free gift, but only if you review our product” – that would be against TOS.

But if you say, “enter your email and order ID and we’ll give you a free gift” – this is ok.

Then you can follow up a little later to ask for a review. The review in this case is not a requirement for the customer to get their free gift.

Creating Your Insert Funnel

Once you decide on your offer, you can set up your funnel.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• An insert card
• A link shortener (to create a short/branded link or QR code)
• A landing page (to take the customers email and order ID)
• An email automation tool

Let’s break down each step.

The Insert Card

You don’t need to spend too much time creating the insert card, or pay thousands to a professional designer.

A lot of the time, simpler is better. Make it nice, but don’t stress over every little aspect of it, like Patrick Bateman.

Something a little bigger than a business card is fine. All you really need to put on it is:

• Your business name & logo
• A few words about the offer
• A link/QR to the offer landing page
• A short piece of text saying thank you to the customer

Honestly, that’s it – don’t over complicate it.

Dive Deeper: how to create Amazon Product Inserts to get reviews.