Launching a product with zero reviews

Start with the product page and with people who’ve actually used the product, not with reviews. Reviews need shoppers, and shoppers want to see something first. The way out is a real person, on their own channel, showing the thing.

You can buy traffic on day one. You can’t buy a stranger’s trust. Someone landing on a product with no reviews, and nothing from anyone but the seller, can’t tell whether anyone has ever bought it.

What you can show at zero

Your own content. Good photos, a clear demo, honest specs. Get these right first.

Creator content. A named person showing the product to their own audience. It costs money, but needs no existing customers.

Marketplace reviews. No compliant shortcut. Amazon’s Community Guidelines don’t allow a review in exchange for “any compensation, including cash payments, refunds, free or discounted products”, and the Anti-Manipulation Policy says Amazon may suspend privileges, remove reviews and delist products. What you can do is ask for an honest, un-incentivized review, such as “Please share your honest experience with our product by leaving a review!” Rules quoted in full: Amazon’s review rules for Indian sellers.

The order to do it in

1. Before launch, fix the page. Photos, a demo, honest specs and sizing, and answers to the questions your category always gets. Creator traffic to a weak page is wasted.
2. Before launch, brief creators. A few of them, using the product for real, on their own channels. Brief what to show, never what to think: don’t make payment depend on a good opinion.
3. At launch, send traffic to a page that now has something on it.
4. After launch, ask for honest reviews, offering nothing and asking everyone, not only the happy ones.
5. After that, reuse the content you approved, within what you agreed with each creator.

Disclosure

ASCI’s guidelines say “Disclosure is required if there is anything of value given to mention or talk about the advertiser’s product or service”, and it must be “upfront and prominent so that it is not missed by an average consumer”. On a video of 15 seconds or less, the label stays on screen for at least 3 seconds; up to 2 minutes, for a third of the length. Put it in the brief in writing. More in what counts as a disclosed collaboration under ASCI.

Make the purchase real

Send a creator a free unit and no order exists. Have them buy it on your store with their own money, and it’s a real order in your sales, plus a first test of your checkout, packaging and delivery.

That’s how Hypedrive works. You write the brief and set a cashback and bonus. A creator buys, uploads the order receipt and shares content on their own channel with disclosure, and you approve the content or reject it. You only pay for content you approve. The full walkthrough is in how a verified purchase works.

It won’t put reviews or ratings on your listing, and anyone promising stars in week one is putting your account at risk. Nor can anyone promise a conversion rate.

Fix the page this week, then see how a campaign runs for brands.

General information for sellers, not legal advice. Hypedrive isn’t affiliated with Amazon, Flipkart or any other marketplace.