What To Do When You Get a Bad, And Untrue, Review
Recently at work, one of our apps was given a bad review. This was extremely surprising, as I have been doing marketing for this particular application for a little over a year to see the app get a ton of press, none of it bad. When I read the review, I found that the negative things the reviewer had written were blatantly untrue. When you find yourself in this kind of scenario, here is what to do:
1. Check yourself: Mistakes happen. No one’s product is 100% perfect every single time. There is a chance that the particular product the reviewer had was faulty. Before you do anything, if possible, double check internally to see if everything was working with the product when it was being reviewed. This peace of mind will decide what the next step you take is.
2. Connect with the Reviewer: The next step is to reach out to the reviewer, and what you say depends on step one. If your product was faulty, had an error, whatever, apologize to the reviewer, and thank them for bringing the issue to your attention. Also, if you are planning on fixing it, say so. Do this publicly, such as a comment on their article. The “closer” to the article, the better. This will let their readers know that yeah, you messed up, but at least you are trying to make it better, and that you really are a great person.
If you are sure that the statements written about your product are just plain untrue, then you have to clarify the truth with both the reviewer and their readers. This way, you still engage them publicly. Again, a comment on the article itself is best, to maximize the chances that the reviewers readers will see your response. When I do a response in this situation, I prefer the Sandwich Approach. This means you thank them for taking the time to review your product, then give your clarification on the untrue part, then thank them again. Comes off as very non-aggressive, but gets your point across.
3. Act classy, act quickly: It is very important to act fast and be a gentleman or lady about the situation. Agility in dealing with the situation is key. This is because the longer you wait to take care of the situation, the more people are going to read the review without your side of the story. You know how on TV when the FBI is dealing with a kidnapping, and they say that after two days the chances of the kidnapped person surviving drop significantly? Yeah, this is kind of like that.
While you may be worked up from the negative and untrue review about your product, always keep classy. If the reviewer accidentally wrote false statements about your product, you will look like a jerk if you get in their face about it. If for some reason there are ulterior motives at work, and it was done more or less on purpose, don’t feed the troll ; just politely say your piece and be done with it. Chances are, they will eat their own credibility, and readers will notice.
