Social Media Reviews – A Comprehensive Guide (2025)

Imagine this: You’re scrolling through different brands, contemplating a purchase. Two brands catch your eye—one with hundreds of glowing social media reviews and another with none.

Which would you trust?

Undoubtedly, the first one and 93% of consumers said the same thing: that social reviews influence their purchasing decisions.

In 2025, social media reviews will influence your business more than ever before. Today, almost every topic is discussed on social media platforms, and people love to share their experiences.

Yet, most businesses fail to recognize the true potential of social media reviews.

Reviews on social media platforms aren’t just customer opinions but opportunities to build trust, attract prospective customers, and create lasting relationships.

Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or content creator, understanding social media feedback isn’t just helpful—it’s a must.

This guide covers everything you need to know about social media reviews, from the basics to effectively managing them.

Let’s turn reviews on social media into your most valuable asset.

What Are Social Media Reviews?

In simple words, social media reviews are feedback from customers about their experience with your business or product/service. They can include ratings, photos, comments, posts, stories, recommendations, and videos.

Social media review sites allow customers to express their love or frustration with brands in the easiest way.

Reviews on social media are gold nuggets (be they positive or negative) as they provide honest, unfiltered insights about your service or product. These reviews can help you build trust and reputation among potential and existing customers.

“Social media is where brands and customers meet, but it’s the reviews that seal the deal.”

Where can you find it?

Social media reviews are everywhere—on Instagram, Facebook, Google Business Profile, Linkedin, YouTube, and even TikTok. Whereas only Facebook and GBP have an inbuilt rating review system, other platforms use unconventional methods for gathering feedback.

List of Top Social Media Review Platforms Every Business Should Try

1. Google Business Profile

A crucial social media review platform for local businesses, where customers leave ratings, reviews, and feedback that influence trust and buying decisions. These reviews help businesses build credibility and reputation and improve local SEO rankings, making them more visible on Google Search and Maps.

With features like Q&A, business updates, posting, and review responses, Google Business Profile allows businesses to engage with their audience and showcase customer satisfaction actively.

See what a published review looks like on a Google profile:

2. Facebook

Users can share their feedback by leaving reviews with ratings on the business page, sending direct messages, commenting on posts, sharing stories on their profile, tagging you, sharing a post with visuals, etc.

Facebook has over 3 billion monthly active users, according to Google’s report, making it even more crucial for businesses to leverage Facebook reviews.

This is what a customer review looks like on the Facebook business page:

3. X (Twitter)

Users frequently tweet about their experiences with brands (by tagging), products, and services, sharing insights, and offering recommendations. Sometimes, users comment on a brand’s posts to catch their attention and seek a resolution to their issues.

See what a review tweet looks like on X:

4. Instagram

As one of the most popular social platforms, Instagram enables users to share opinions via posts, stories, reels, live streams, and comments. While not a traditional review platform, customers often express feedback in comment sections.

Usually, influencers and celebrities recommend brands through reels and stories, creating significant social proof. However, the platform is not untouched by honest customer reviews, the good, the bad, and everything in between!

5. LinkedIn

Services-based businesses and SaaS companies can gather customer reviews and ratings on their LinkedIn product listing, highlighting their expertise and building credibility, which is very important for B2B brands.

See how people share their thoughts about products and businesses on LinkedIn:

6. YouTube

More than a video-sharing platform, YouTube allows users to share reviews, testimonials, and unboxings that influence purchasing decisions, often through collaborations with creators and influencers.

YouTube is the second most popular search engine, so every brand must maintain a positive image on this platform.

See how creators post videos on their channels about their experience with a certain brand product:

7. TikTok

TikTok users often share product reviews through short, engaging videos, typically using trends, challenges, or storytelling formats. Reviews are commonly found under hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, #ProductReview, and #HonestReview, making them easy to discover.

Many creators post reviews in the form of unboxing videos, before-and-after comparisons, or tutorial-style content showcasing product effectiveness.

TikTok is a popular social media platform for fashion, cosmetics, and lifestyle-related product reviews.

Beyond the platforms mentioned above, several unconventional social media review sites also allow people to share their genuine experiences with brands and businesses.

Why Social Media Reviews Are Crucial to Build a Successful Business?

If you think social media reviews and comments get lost in the noise of the internet or that deleting negative opinions is the solution—think again!

A recent study revealed that over 91% percent of people occasionally or regularly read reviews on social media platforms, and 84% percent of those people trust them as personal recommendations.

On average, people spend over 140 minutes daily on social media platforms, creating a golden opportunity for businesses to stand out and outperform competitors.

Let’s look at how your business can benefit from social media reviews.

Build Trust and Credibility

Reviews and ratings are proof that your brand is reliable and reputed. Seeing authentic feedback from real users in real-time builds trust and establishes credibility, especially when reviews are consistent and honest.

Like, positive reviews clearly tell potential customers: “This business is legit and knows how to deliver great service,” while addressing negative feedback shows your responsiveness and commitment to customer satisfaction.

Glossier uses Facebook and Instagram reviews to build trust with its audience by featuring them in posts and stories.

Customer Retention

56% of online shoppers say that a business’s response to reviews has changed their perspective on the business, indicating that engaging with customers can influence customer loyalty. It also shows that you value their opinions, making them more likely to return and recommend your brand to others.

For example, Starbucks promptly responds to reviews and concerns shared on various social media channels, building loyalty and encouraging repeat visits.

Create Social Proofs

Reviews on social media serve as powerful social proof. As humans, we naturally trust what others say about a brand or product.

When prospective customers see positive experiences shared on social media about your business, it builds confidence in your products or services and provides valuable social validation.

“A survey conducted by Backlinko revealed that 75% of consumers read online reviews when searching a business, demonstrating the importance of social proof”.

User-generated Content

Social media reviews are the best form of user-generated content. We all observed how brands leverage UGC content to foster trust among new customers by sharing across marketing channels, from websites to paid campaigns.

Let’s understand its importance with an example: Crocs, a leading footwear brand, lets customers personalize their style with Jibbitz charms. To celebrate its global community, it encourages UGC with the hashtag #MyCrocsEra.

By integrating community-driven content into its social and on-site strategy, Crocs strengthens customer engagement, retention, and purchase confidence.

Improve Local SEO and Ranking

Google prioritizes user-generated content (UGC) like reviews in its ranking algorithm. Businesses with more reviews and higher ratings on GBP see better visibility in local search results and Google Maps.

For example, Domino’s Pizza boosts its local SEO by leveraging customer reviews to rank higher and attract more foot traffic.

While it’s unclear whether social media reviews on platforms like YouTube and Facebook directly impact SERP rankings, they enhance overall content performance and impact business credibility.

Reviews or recommendations with high engagement (likes, shares, and comments) can send positive social signals to search engines, indirectly improving visibility.

A growing trend in Google search results is the inclusion of diverse content types like YouTube videos, tweets, and Instagram reels when the keyword “review” is mentioned. This highlights the importance of creating engaging review-related content across multiple platforms to maximize reach and brand discoverability.

Help in Product Development

Customer reviews act as a mirror for any business, reflecting its strengths and weaknesses. These reviews provide valuable insights, enabling businesses to make informed decisions to enhance their products or services.

Many brands, such as Airbnb and McDonald’s, regularly track social media reviews and comments to identify issues and find improvement opportunities, allowing them to refine their offering based on feedback.

Review on Social Media Affect Sales

Reviews shared on social media directly impact KPIs such as conversion rate.

Why?

A positive brand image encourages more purchases, driving sales and improving your bottom line. That’s why customers will likely spend 31% more on a business with “excellent” reviews.

As you can see below, people often share their honest experiences with a brand’s product publicly, shaping its overall perception and impacting sales Indirectly:

Help You Understand Customer Sentiments

Analyzing reviews received through social media helps gauge customer satisfaction levels and identify areas for improvement, leading to a better customer experience and success.

So, don’t hesitate to collect customer reviews and respond with an open mind, as it provides you valuable insights into how people perceive your business.

Competitive Advantage

If you actively manage and leverage social media reviews, then you will gain a competitive advantage. A survey found that businesses with positive social media reviews earn 22% more revenue than others.

For instance, Airbnb encourages its visitors to leave reviews on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter with photos in the form of posts or stories. Reviews on social media act as a trust signal and play a significant role in influencing other travelers’ decisions.

Types of Social Media Reviews & How to Handle Them (With Examples)

1. Positive Reviews: How to Respond to Them

Positive reviews show what’s working well and offer opportunities to build stronger customer relationships.

Tips:

• Share positive reviews on your social media stories or posts to build further trust and showcase happy customers by tagging them.
• Create a “Testimonials” highlight on social media pages to feature glowing feedback.

2. Neutral Reviews: What to Reply

Neutral reviews often highlight both good and bad aspects of the experience. Use them as constructive feedback.

Tips:

• For Google reviews, respond promptly and use the opportunity to ask for suggestions.
• Monitor trends in neutral reviews, if similar complaints arise, prioritize resolving them.

3. Negative Reviews: How to Tackle Them

We all know negative reviews can hurt, but when managed well, they can win back trust and turn critics into loyal customers.

“89% of customers are more likely to engage with a business that responds to all of its online feedback.”

Tips:

• For platforms like Facebook or Instagram, take the conversation to private messages for resolution.
• After resolving the issue, kindly ask the customer if they would update their review to reflect their experience post-resolution.
• For chronic negative feedback trends, update FAQs or policies to address the root cause.

4. Fake Reviews: How to Control Them

Fake reviews can harm your reputation if not handled promptly and professionally.

Tips:

• Google Business Profile: Use the “Flag as inappropriate” option to report the fake review. Provide Google with evidence, such as the absence of a transaction or customer interaction.
• Facebook: Report fake reviews through the “Give feedback” option in the comment or review section.
• Encourage authentic reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave positive feedback, outweighing fake or negative reviews.

How Can Your Business Get More Reviews on Social Media

The foundation of getting more social media reviews is providing the best experience, but let’s discuss specific actions you can take to flood your social media with reviews.

Here Are 6 Proven Ways to Get More Social Media Reviews

1. Personalized Customer Experience

When you provide exceptional customer service throughout the user journey, they feel valued and satisfied. In that case, they are more likely to share their positive experience with your business as a review or recommendation.

Tactics to enhance user experience:

• Make the customer feel special with personalized interaction
• Ensure your product or service exceeds customer expectations at every touchpoint
• Quick response to concerns and queries
• Stay in touch with them even after delivery
• Follow the customer-first policy
• Provide consistent quality for a lasting impression

2. Make It Easy For Customers

If you want countless social media reviews, first make reviews effortless for your customers. By simplifying the process, you encourage more authentic and positive reviews that showcase your business in the best light.

Here is how you can make it easy for them:

• Add QR codes on receipts, packaging, and menus
• Add a review link to your social media bio
• Set up an automated request
• Send direct links on social media
• Add a customized review widget on the website and app

The easier it is for them, the more chances they leave feedback.

3. Ask For Reviews

The easiest and most effective way to get a social media review? Just ask! After a great user experience, encourage them to share their valuable feedback.

Be polite, specific, and honest in your request.

You can do it effectively:

• In-person: After a successful conversation, request a review.
• Via email or Social Media DM’s: Follow up with a thank you message and include a direct link to the review page.

4. Actively Engage with Your Customers

The best way to build a connection with your audience is to engage with them regularly through social media posts, comments, and messages. If appropriate, include a polite request to leave a review at the end of the conversation.

5. Send Review Request Via Email and SMS

Customers do not always leave reviews so sometimes you have to ask for it. And follow up with your customers, post purchases via email or SMS, and ask for reviews.

You can send them a personalized email or direct message on social channels to express gratitude and request honest feedback.

If you’re looking for an efficient way to gather a large volume of social media reviews, SocialPilot is the solution. The review management tool lets you launch campaigns encouraging customers to share their experiences, helping you generate bulk user-generated content in one go.

Such customer review campaigns drive reviews and serve as authentic social proof to attract new customers.

Tip: While creating an email, keep in mind that no one likes lengthy emails. So, keep your review request brief, personalized (add something about them), friendly, and to the point. Also, mention how much their opinions matter to you.

Here are some of the best-performing review request templates. Try them today!

Applying all these methods can significantly improve the quantity and quality of reviews on social media.

6. Quick Response to Reviews and Queries

Review management involves promptly responding to each comment and review, both positive and negative. This helps boost your reputation while showing that you value your customer’s opinions about your products and services.

Leverage Social Media Reviews to Improve Brand Reputation: The Hidden Goldmine

When it comes to social media presence, most brands focus on likes, shares, and followers—it’s a good way to measure success. However, one hidden gem that often goes unnoticed is: reviews.

These unfiltered, authentic snippets of customer feedback are the hidden goldmine and can be your most powerful marketing tool. And you turn those reviews into actionable insights and measurable growth.

Here how:

1. Share Reviews in Stories and Posts

Use positive reviews to create engaging social media stories and posts in both video and image formats. You should create a testimonial highlight on social media like Instagram to build trust and authenticity; it shows new users what others think of your brand.

This not only promotes your products/services but also encourages interaction.

2. Display Them on Your Website & App

Feature customer reviews prominently on your homepage, product pages, cart, or a dedicated testimonial section.

Why?

Because displaying social proofs like customer testimonials boosts conversion rate by 270% on websites and apps.

Reviews act as social proof, assuring visitors of your credibility and driving conversions by showing that others trust your brand.

3. Add Reviews to Retargeting Ads

By incorporating social media reviews into retargeting ads, you can win back hesitant customers and improve conversion rates.

Seeing honest feedback from satisfied buyers can nudge them to complete their transaction, reinforcing trust and reducing doubt.

4. Encourage More Reviews by Showing Others

When people see others sharing their experiences, it often motivates them to share their own. By showcasing the reviews you get on social media and other marketing channels, you can encourage new customers to leave their feedback.

For example, people love sharing their moments at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, one of the most Instagrammed hotels in the world, with over 250+ million impressions. Hotel posts those customer images and feedback on various marketing channels including social media platforms and websites.

5. Amplify Your Presence on Top Review Platforms

Create a list of loyal customers who regularly interact with your brand and leave a positive experience.

Encourage them to share their experience on high visibility platforms (depending on your business niche) such as Twitter, Facebook, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Google Business Profile.

The number of reviews on these sites is directly proportional to your business’s discoverability and credibility.

6. Share Reviews on Every Marketing Channel

Incorporate reviews into email newsletters and other promotional campaigns. Highlighting customer experiences adds authenticity to your messaging and builds trust, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

7. Show Success with Customer Stories

Work with happy customers to create detailed success stories or case studies – ideal for B2B businesses. Sharing these on your website or social media highlights your brand’s impact and builds credibility with potential clients.

Best Tools for Managing Social Media Reviews (Free to Paid)

Review management software helps your brand collect feedback and testimonials from various review sites and centralize and manage them. You can also run multiple campaigns to get more reviews and display them across multiple touchpoints.

These review management platforms allow you to generate and publish reviews on Google Business Profile, Facebook, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, and others.

After comparing hundreds of essential features and functionalities of various tools, we’ve curated a list of the five best review management software.

Common Customer Feedback Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some common mistakes that can damage your brand’s credibility and trustworthiness.

1. Ignoring Negative Reviews and Comments

What not to do: Ignoring negative feedback or brushing it aside can escalate the issue and damage your brand reputation.

What to do: You should acknowledge and address negative reviews or comments on posts promptly. Respond respectfully, apologize if necessary, and offer solutions to resolve the issue. Show that you care about their feedback and are committed to improvement.

2. Not Following Up on Customer Complaints

What not to do: After resolving an issue, don’t forget to respond to the customer on social media. Not following up could leave them feeling ignored or unsatisfied.

What to do: Always follow up with customers when they raise queries on social media through Tweet, video posting, comments in posts, writing posts, reviews, or wherever they mention the brand.

Check-in to ensure the issue was entirely resolved, and the solution satisfied him. This builds trust and loyalty. After resolving the issue request the customer to add a resolving comment or edit the review on social media.

3. Not Being Transparent About Progress

What not to do: If customers raise concerns, avoid leaving them in the dark. Failing to communicate progress can cause frustration.

What to do: Be transparent about the steps you’re taking to address issues, even if you don’t have any solution yet. Update them about it to assure them that you’re working on it whether it’s on a post comment, review, or user post. Transparency fosters trust and keeps customers engaged.

4. Not Responding to Positive Reviews and Suggestions

What not to do: Not acknowledging positive social media reviews can make customers feel unappreciated.

What to do: Always thank customers for favorable reviews and suggestions. Acknowledge their feedback and show gratitude. It not only strengthens relationships but also encourages future engagement.

5. Not Monitoring Online Mentions or Tagged Posts

What not to do: Neglecting to monitor mentions or tagged posts about your brand can cause you to miss important feedback or customer insights.

What to do: Use social listening tools and track mentions on various platforms to stay informed. Respond to customer posts, comments, or mentions to show that you value their feedback and keep the conversation going.

6. Not Responding Promptly and Professionally

What not to do: Taking too long to respond or giving unprofessional responses can frustrate customers, and you can lose that customer permanently.

What to do: You should respond to every feedback promptly and professionally. No matter whether it’s positive or negative, a quick and respectful reply shows that you care about your customers’ thoughts.

7. Not Being Consistent in Asking for Feedback

What not to do: Requesting feedback sporadically or neglecting to ask altogether can result in missing valuable insights that can help you improve your services.

What to do: Start making feedback collection a regular part of your customer interaction process. You can do this by conducting surveys, asking for reviews, asking through social media posts, and polls, and consistently encouraging suggestions.

8. Making It Difficult for Users to Give Feedback

What not to do: Making feedback collection cumbersome by asking customers to jump through too many hoops can discourage them from sharing their thoughts.

What to do: Simplify the feedback process by providing clear instructions, easy-to-find review links, and user-friendly forms. Ensure customers can leave feedback effortlessly, making the experience seamless and convenient.

Long Story Short

No matter how great your business is, potential customers are doing their research before deciding. It can be overwhelming to see how much people are talking about your brand on social media.

But not everything they read comes directly from you. Some of it comes from social media reviews in the form of posts, stories, videos, and comments by your customers. The best part is businesses with positive social media reviews and recommendations instantly build trust and credibility.

Positive reviews on social media from users can significantly influence new customers. They’ll feel reassured that your business is real and trustworthy. Without reviews or testimonials, your business won’t stand out and may be overlooked by customers.

To make an impact, your business needs to list on social media review platforms to showcase positive user experiences. Without a solid social presence, customers are more likely to trust your competitors with better social authority.

If keeping up with reviews is a challenge, SocialPilot Review simplifies the process, making it effortless. Try it today!