Hazel Ryan
What are the G2 review guidelines?
The G2 review guidelines are the rules in G2's Community Guidelines that decide whether a review is published. A review must come from a validated, actual user, describe a genuine experience from the past two years and pass G2's moderation. Sellers must collect reviews without bias and disclose any incentive to G2.
The rules apply to two groups at once. Reviewers have to prove who they are and that they used the product, and sellers have to collect reviews in a way that does not filter out unhappy customers. G2 says it never edits the content of a review and never hides negative reviews, so the only lever either side has is getting the rules right before a review is submitted.
The stakes are high for SaaS teams, because buyers lean on review sites when they build a shortlist. In G2's 2026 Buyer Behavior Report, a survey of more than 1,000 B2B software buyers published in July 2026, review sites (38%) were the top source shaping which vendors make a buyer's shortlist, just ahead of AI chatbots (37%). A review that fails moderation never reaches any of those buyers.
Teams that buy G2 reviews as a managed campaign need these rules just as much, because every campaign review goes through the same moderation as any other. Every G2 campaign we run is built around these guidelines, so each review is written to meet them before it reaches G2's moderators, and our review campaigns on other platforms follow each site's own rules in the same way.
Who can write a review on G2
G2 accepts reviews only from people who have used the product. The guidelines say it plainly: anyone who is not an actual user of the product may not leave reviews. Within that rule, G2 recognizes a few kinds of reviewer and treats each one differently.
| Reviewer | Can they review? | Counts toward the G2 Score? |
|---|---|---|
| Actual users of the product | Yes | Yes |
| Business partners, such as resellers | Yes, with a "Business Partner" label | No |
| Guest users | Yes, with a "Guest User" label | No, since June 2024 |
| Current or former employees of the vendor | No | No |
| Employees of a direct competitor | No | No |
Two more limits apply to every reviewer. The experience has to fall within the past two years, and G2 allows only one review per person, per product, however many G2 accounts that person owns. Reviews written on someone else's behalf, based on someone else's experience or posted under a false identity are banned outright.
Trial and evaluation reviews are welcome, but G2's moderation team may return one when the reviewer's experience with the product is too limited. Reviewers can also post anonymously, which hides their name, photo and company on the page. G2 still validates anonymous reviewers in exactly the same way as everyone else.
How G2 verifies every reviewer
Before anyone can write a review, G2 needs to know who they are. Reviewers sign in with a LinkedIn account, a verified business email address or a personal email address, and G2 checks the company behind the account to confirm professional use. According to G2's review validity page, a personal email is accepted together with a screenshot of the product in use.
G2 also asks specific questions about how the reviewer uses the product, so moderators can confirm the review reflects a real use case. G2 also validates reviewers by partnering with sellers and organizations. When the answers do not confirm genuine use, the review is rejected for missing verification details, one of the reasons covered below.
The labels on a published review
Once a review is approved, G2 shows labels above it that tell buyers how it was checked and collected:
- Validated Reviewer. The reviewer authenticated themselves under G2's review quality standards.
- Current User. The reviewer uploaded a screenshot showing their use of the product.
- Incentivized. The reviewer received an incentive for writing the review.
- Source. The method used to collect the review.
- Rating Update. The reviewer changed their rating, shown with the date.
The rules on AI-written reviews
G2 accepts help from generative AI only when the reviewer's identity is strongly verified. Drafting with AI is allowed if the reviewer is LinkedIn Verified, is on a seller-provided list such as a campaign whitelist, or is submitting the review in-app from the product itself. Other reviewers may still use tools like Grammarly or Google Translate, but a review generated by AI without that verification is rejected.
How G2 review moderation works and how long it takes
G2 review moderation runs in two stages. An automatic filter first removes submissions that fail G2's minimum requirements, and then G2's moderation team checks each remaining review by hand. No review is published without passing both, and while it waits the review is not visible to anyone on G2.com.
On timing, G2's help page on review statuses and timelines says moderation can take up to 3 business days. When a review comes through a gift card campaign, the reward is sent within 1 to 2 business days after approval, and never before the review passes moderation.
The review statuses you will see
A reviewer can follow each submission under My Reviews in their G2 account, where it carries one of three statuses:
- Awaiting Moderation. Quality checks are still running and the review is hidden.
- Approved. The review is live on G2.com and the reviewer gets a confirmation email.
- Rejected. The reviewer gets an email with the reason and can usually edit and resubmit.
Moderation also continues after a review is published. Anyone can flag a live review with the "Report a Concern" button in its top-right corner, and G2 may then reconsider the review and email the reviewer for documentation. G2 removes published reviews only for breaking its guidelines, never for being negative.
Only approved reviews count toward your results. G2 calculates ratings, scores and Grid placement with the same algorithm for every category and adds no subjective input, so the reviews that clear moderation are the ones that move your position on the G2 Grid and shape which G2 badges you can earn.
G2 review rejected? The common reasons and fixes
When a G2 review is rejected, the reviewer gets an email that names the reason. G2's help page on rejected reviews lists the reasons its moderators use, and most of them come with a clear fix.
| Rejection reason | What it means | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Missing verification details | The answers do not confirm genuine use of the product | Add accurate detail or a screenshot of recent use |
| Company affiliation not verified | G2 could not confirm professional use | Update LinkedIn job details, add a business email or a screenshot |
| Employee or competitor | A current or former employee, or a direct competitor | No fix, G2 does not accept these reviews |
| Unverified username | The account does not show a real, verified name | Use your real name and choose to hide it if you want anonymity |
| Duplicate review | A second review of the same product by one person | Keep and edit the first review instead |
| Flagged as AI-generated | The text does not read as the reviewer's own words | Rewrite the review in your own words |
| Outdated experience | No recent professional use within the last 2 years | Clarify recent use and add a screenshot |
| Product not on G2 | The product is not approved for listing | The review is added if the product is listed later |
To fix a rejection, the reviewer logs in, opens My Reviews and edits the rejected submission, and the revised review is moderated again within 3 business days. If the reviewer disagrees with the decision, they can appeal by opening a support ticket with G2, though G2 may still uphold a rejection when a review does not meet its published guidelines.
For sellers, a run of rejections is a useful signal. If many reviews from one round of requests fail on company affiliation or proof of use, the cause is often the invitation itself. A short line asking reviewers to sign in with LinkedIn or a work email, and to add a screenshot of the product in use, can prevent many of those rejections.
The G2 Community Guidelines for vendors
The G2 Community Guidelines also set rules for sellers, and these are the ones that can put a whole profile at risk. G2 encourages sellers to ask customers for authentic, unbiased reviews and to share review landing pages in closed forums or communities. What it bans is any attempt to shape the result.
What sellers may not do
The guidelines list the practices that break the rules for vendors:
- Biased collection. Collecting reviews by any method that segments out potentially negative reviews.
- Conditional or hidden incentives. Tying an incentive to a positive review, or offering one without disclosing it to G2.
- Discouraging negative reviews. Any step that puts customers off writing a critical review.
- Pressuring reviewers. Trying to identify or contact a reviewer to influence, coerce or pressure them.
- Fake reviews and conflicts. Fake reviews, fake profiles, manipulating competitors' reviews or undisclosed conflicts of interest.
- Breaking FTC rules. Violating review guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission.
The rules on incentives
Incentives are allowed on G2, within limits. An incentive must never depend on whether the review is positive or negative, it must be disclosed to G2, and G2 caps its value at $100 USD, a limit that covers cash, gift cards and non-cash items such as swag, credits and subscriptions. Confirmed incentivized reviews carry the Incentivized label, so buyers can see them for what they are.
These rules differ a lot from one platform to the next. Our guide to incentivized reviews compares what each review site allows.
What happens when a seller breaks the rules
If G2 finds evidence of a seller soliciting only positive reviews, it removes those reviews. The guidelines also list penalties that can stop new reviews from being submitted, block new product listings, revoke my.G2 access, place a warning banner on the product profile or ban the vendor or product altogether. G2 can remove existing reviews and report inclusions too, and vendors can appeal these decisions.
How we keep G2 campaigns inside these rules.
Our RelikReview review policy explains how reviewers are briefed, why they are never paid and why each one chooses their own rating.
How vendors collect G2 reviews with self-service campaigns
G2's own tool for collecting reviews is the self-service review campaign in my.G2. G2's guide to self-service review campaigns, updated on 20 October 2026, describes a flow where the seller sets up the outreach and any incentive, and G2 handles the landing page and billing:
- In my.G2, go to Reviews, then Collect Reviews, and create an email campaign.
- Choose whether to share the landing page link yourself or have G2 send the outreach to contacts imported from HubSpot or a CSV file.
- Add a campaign title, a review goal or unlimited reviews, and up to three target categories.
- Choose an incentivized or non-incentivized campaign, and for incentives pick a gift card type and amount.
- Check the price estimate, add a payment method and schedule the campaign.
A few details matter for planning. When G2 sends the outreach, each contact gets up to three emails, one invitation and two reminders, and G2 skips anyone who has already left a review as well as Gmail, Googlemail, Yahoo and Ymail addresses. Incentivized campaigns are billed only for reviews that pass moderation and are marked as approved.
The campaign tool does not change the vendor rules. The contact list should cover every customer who reaches the same fixed point, such as day 30 or day 90 after onboarding, and the request should ask for an honest review without hinting at a rating. Because G2 skips personal email domains, a list built on work email addresses will reach more of the people you invite.
G2 review service
Run G2 review campaigns within the rules with RelikReview
RelikReview runs G2 review campaigns built around every rule above, with verified users who review the product in their own words. You get the plan, pacing and price in writing before anything starts.
- Own words, own ratingReviewers are never paid and choose their rating.
- Briefed for moderationEach reviewer knows G2's proof-of-use checks.
- Steady pacingReviews arrive over weeks, with no sudden spikes.
G2 review guidelines in short
The G2 review guidelines come down to three points. Reviews must come from validated, actual users with a genuine experience from the past two years, every review passes an automatic filter and a manual check, and sellers must ask without bias and disclose any incentive to G2.
Teams that build their review requests around these rules lose fewer reviews to rejection and keep their profile clear of penalties. If you would like help planning a G2 campaign that fits your product, talk to the RelikReview team about where to start.
FAQs about G2 reviews
How long does G2 take to approve a review?
G2 takes up to 3 business days to moderate a review, according to its help pages. While the review waits it shows as Awaiting Moderation and is hidden from G2.com. Edited or resubmitted reviews go through the same check, and gift card rewards follow within 1 to 2 business days after approval.
Can employees review their own product on G2?
No, G2 does not accept reviews from current or former employees of the product or service being reviewed. It also rejects reviews from employees of direct competitors, because both would be biased. Business partners such as resellers may review, but their reviews carry a Business Partner label and do not count toward the G2 Score.
Can vendors offer incentives for G2 reviews?
Yes, G2 allows vendors to offer incentives for reviews within three conditions. The incentive must never depend on the review being positive, it must be disclosed to G2, and its value is capped at $100 USD, including gift cards and non-cash items. Confirmed incentivized reviews are published with an Incentivized label.
Why was my G2 review rejected?
A G2 review is rejected when it lacks proof of genuine use, when the company or identity cannot be verified, or when it is a duplicate, AI-generated or based on use older than two years. The rejection email names the reason, and the review can usually be edited and resubmitted for another check.
Can I write an anonymous review on G2?
Yes, G2 lets reviewers post any review without identifying information, so the name, photo and company are hidden on the page. The reviewer still has to sign in and pass the same validation as everyone else, and G2 says attribution does not change how a review is processed.
Can free trial users review a product on G2?
Yes, G2's guidelines welcome trial and evaluation reviews from people who have tried the product. Its moderation team may return a review when the experience was too limited, so trial users should describe what they tested, for how long and what they found.
