Addison Wilson
How to get your first reviews: the short answer
To get your first reviews, pick the one review site your buyers read, claim your profile there and ask every beta user, design partner and early customer who has used the product, in the same way and at the same time. Leave out staff, friends and family, offer no reward tied to a rating and follow up once.
The hard part is the start, because there is no habit to build on and often nobody on the team who owns the job. Small numbers are enough at this stage: you are moving from an empty page to a profile with enough honest reviews for a buyer to read and judge.
Why the first five reviews matter most
The jump from zero to a few reviews is the biggest one a product ever makes. In Spiegel Research Center's study on online reviews, first published in 2017, Northwestern University researchers found that the purchase likelihood for a product with five reviews is 270% greater than for a product with no reviews.
The same study found that the marginal benefit of additional reviews begins diminishing rapidly after the first five reviews. Reviews also mattered more for pricier items: when reviews were displayed, the conversion rate rose 190% for a lower-priced product and 380% for a higher-priced one.
A perfect score is not the goal either. Spiegel found that purchase likelihood typically peaks at ratings in the 4.0 to 4.7 range and falls as ratings approach 5.0. The data comes from online retail, so read it as a direction for software rather than a forecast.
Choose where to start with reviews for a new product
Reviews for a new product only help if your buyers see them, so pick one site before you ask anyone. Splitting a small early group across four sites leaves four thin profiles.
| Your buyer | Where they look | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| A team comparing tools before an annual contract | Category pages and comparison grids | G2 or Capterra |
| One person or a small team paying by card | A brand search just before sign-up | Trustpilot |
| A HubSpot customer adding an app | The app's marketplace listing | HubSpot App Marketplace |
| A business or IT buyer browsing directories | Directory categories and listings | SourceForge or SoftwareSuggest |
Our guide to software review sites compares each one in more detail. Add a second site only once the first one gets new reviews every month.
Early-stage teams often hand this first push to us so the profile is not empty at launch. If you are asking can you buy G2 reviews that stay within G2's rules, our G2 page explains a campaign with verified users who choose their own rating. Trustpilot-first teams can purchase Trustpilot reviews the same way, and app vendors can buy HubSpot marketplace reviews as a campaign run with their customers through HubSpot's review link. The page to buy SaaS reviews compares all six sites.
Claim the profile before the first request
Claim your profile on the site you picked before you invite anyone, or submit the product if the site does not list it yet. Trustpilot's guidelines for businesses point out that a profile page is visible even if you have not claimed it, and that claiming sets you up with a business account and the ability to manage your reviews.
Fill in the basics next: the logo, a plain description, the right category, screenshots and pricing. Then copy the review link the site gives you. On HubSpot, for example, HubSpot's guide to managing marketplace reviews places a Copy review link button on the listing's Customer Feedback tab.
Who to ask for your first customer reviews
Your first customer reviews should come from people who have used the product enough to judge it. A beta user who has worked in the product for a month has a real experience to share.
Four groups usually have that experience:
- Beta users. People who used the product for real work before launch.
- Design partners. Companies that helped shape the product; ask their daily users as well as your main contact.
- Early paying customers. Anyone who has finished onboarding and uses the product each week.
- Trial users with real use. People who ran an evaluation on their own data, even if they have not bought yet.
Review sites accept early experience. G2's community guidelines welcome reviews based on trial or evaluation experience, though G2's moderators may return a review when the user's experience is too limited. Trustpilot's guidelines accept reviews from people over 18 with a recent, genuine experience of a business, which does not have to involve a purchase.
Ask the whole group in the same way. A few critical points among the first reviews show buyers that the profile is real.
Who you should never ask for reviews
Some people are off limits however keen they are to help. G2's guidelines say employees of the product's company and of direct competitors may not leave reviews. Trustpilot bars anyone with a special relationship to the business, including immediate family, people working for the business and competitors, and tells businesses not to invite shareholders.
The FTC's guide for marketers on soliciting reviews gives the same advice in plain words. It tells businesses not to ask staff to write reviews, and not to ask family and friends, at least without making sure they disclose the connection in the review.
Minimum review counts that change how a profile looks
Some platforms only show certain features once a product passes a set number of reviews. Knowing those thresholds turns a vague goal into a first target.
On G2, G2's research scoring methodologies, updated on 26 August 2026, say a product must have at least 10 reviews in the corresponding category to appear on a Grid report. The category itself needs at least six products with 10 or more reviews, and 150 or more reviews overall, before G2 publishes a Grid for it.
On the HubSpot App Marketplace, a listing must have at least 10 reviews to display a star rating. A new app shows no star rating at all until it reaches that count.
Treat five reviews as the first target on any site, and ten as the next one on G2 or HubSpot. Reach them at a steady pace over several weeks rather than in one burst.
How to get reviews for a new business within platform rules
Knowing how to get reviews for a new business within the rules comes down to two questions: who gets asked, and what you offer. Get either wrong and you can lose the reviews you worked hardest for.
Ask everyone the same way
Trustpilot asks businesses to invite customers consistently and fairly, which means inviting everyone in the same way and at the same point in the customer journey. G2 bans collecting reviews by any method that segments out potentially negative reviews, and it removes the reviews when it finds a seller soliciting only positive ones.
For a first batch, that means one request to every person on your early list at once. For customers who join later, pick a fixed point every customer reaches, such as day 30 after sign-up, and keep it.
Keep rewards out of the first batch
G2 limits any incentive offered for a review to $100 USD, requires it to be disclosed to G2 and never bases eligibility on the opinions in the review. Trustpilot does not allow incentivized reviews at all, and the FTC guide says an incentive must never be conditioned, explicitly or implicitly, on the review being positive, and that the review should disclose it.
For most early-stage teams the simplest choice is no reward at all, since a plain request keeps you inside every site's rules at once. Our guide on how to ask customers for reviews covers wording and timing, and the review request email guide has templates you can adapt.
Would you rather not run the first push yourself?
See how our review campaigns work, from the written plan to the pacing of each review.
How to get your first reviews: a four-week plan
The plan below suits a team with a few dozen early users and no reviews yet. It takes a few hours a week and sets up the habit that keeps reviews coming.
- Week 1: pick and claim. Choose one site by buyer type, claim or submit the profile, fill in the basics and copy the review link.
- Week 2: build the list. List every beta user, design partner and early customer with real use, then remove staff, friends, family and shareholders.
- Week 3: send one request. Send the same short, neutral message with one link to everyone on the list.
- Week 4: remind once and set the rule. Send one reminder, then set a fixed point, such as day 30, at which every new customer is asked.
After the first month, track one number: new reviews per month on your main site. Read every review as it arrives, reply where the site allows it and add a second site once the first one holds a steady pace.
Get your first reviews with RelikReview
RelikReview runs review campaigns for new and growing SaaS products on six sites, so you can buy SaaS reviews with the site, pace and price agreed in writing first. Reviewers are never paid and choose their own rating.
- One site firstWe start where your buyers read reviews.
- Steady paceReviews arrive over weeks, with no bursts.
- Rules firstNo gating, and no rewards tied to ratings.
From an empty profile to your first five reviews
The answer to how to get your first reviews is a short list of fair steps: one site your buyers read, a claimed profile, every early user asked the same way and no reward tied to a rating. The first five reviews carry the most weight, so put your effort there, then aim for ten on G2 or HubSpot.
Keep asking at a fixed point each month and the empty profile turns into a busy one. If you would rather have RelikReview run that first push, see how SaaS teams buy real reviews with the plan and price agreed first, and start with one site.
FAQs about getting your first reviews
How many reviews does a new SaaS product need?
A new SaaS product gains the most from its first five reviews, since Spiegel Research Center found purchase likelihood with five reviews is 270% greater than with none. After that, aim for at least 10 reviews in a category to appear on a G2 Grid, or 10 reviews to show a star rating on the HubSpot App Marketplace.
Can beta users leave reviews?
Yes, beta users can leave reviews if they have a genuine experience of the product. G2 welcomes reviews based on trial or evaluation experience, though it may return a review when the experience is too limited, and Trustpilot accepts reviews from people over 18 with a recent, genuine experience. Ask every beta user in the same way.
Can employees or friends review my product?
No, employees and friends should not review your product. G2 bars employees of the product's company and of direct competitors, Trustpilot bars anyone with a special relationship such as family, staff or competitors, and the FTC tells businesses not to ask staff, friends or family for reviews unless the connection is disclosed.
Which review site should a new SaaS product start on?
A new SaaS product should start on the one review site its buyers read before they decide. For B2B products bought by a team, that is usually G2 or Capterra. For self-serve products paid by card, Trustpilot often comes first, and HubSpot apps start on the HubSpot App Marketplace listing.
Should you offer a reward for your first reviews?
No, most new products do better with no reward at all. Trustpilot bans incentivized reviews, G2 caps incentives at $100 USD and requires them to be disclosed, and the FTC says an incentive must never depend on a positive review. A plain, neutral request keeps your first reviews within every site's rules.
