Review Platforms

Overview

Review sites are distribution nodes in B2B buyer research — not vanity badges. G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra appear in enterprise shortlists, RFP attachments, and LLM training citations. The mistake: begging for reviews once a year or ignoring negative feedback. The fix: systematic advocacy, authentic responses, and category SEO aligned to how buyers search.

When to Use

• "How do we get more G2 reviews?"
• "Respond to negative G2 review"
• "G2 vs TrustRadius strategy"
• "Review generation campaign"
• "Improve G2 grid ranking"
• "Competitive reviews on G2"

Cross-ref customer-marketing for broader advocacy; this skill is platform-specific.

Authoritative Foundations

• G2. Grid rankings combine satisfaction and market presence. Review recency and volume matter — stale profiles decay.
• TrustRadius. Long-form verified reviews; strong for enterprise technical buyers.
• Gartner Peer Insights. Enterprise peer reviews tied to Magic Quadrant research.
• Gainsight Advocacy Maturity. Systematic ask at milestone moments (go-live, ROI, renewal).

Step-by-Step Process

Phase 1: Platform Priority

Platform	Best for	Buyer type
G2	Broad SMB/mid-market SaaS	Marketing + ops researchers
Capterra	Paid search adjacency	SMB comparison shoppers
TrustRadius	Depth, enterprise	Technical evaluators
Gartner Peer Insights	Enterprise RFP	Procurement + IT
Product Hunt	Launch spike	Early adopters

Pick primary (G2 for most B2B SaaS) + secondary based on ICP.

Phase 2: Profile Optimization

• Category placement accurate (wrong category = wrong buyers)
• Screenshots, videos, pricing page link updated quarterly
• Comparison pages vs top 3 competitors
• Integrations and supported languages complete
• Vendor responses enabled with owner assigned

Load references/g2-playbook.md, references/trustradius-playbook.md.

Phase 3: Review Generation (Ethical)

When to ask (trigger moments):

Moment	Why
30 days post go-live	Implementation win fresh
NPS 9–10 response	Promoter identified
Support ticket resolved (CSAT 5)	Gratitude peak
Renewal signed	Long-term validation
ROI milestone	Executive willing to advocate

How to ask:

1. CSM sends personal email with direct review link (not generic homepage)
2. One-click path; 5-minute time estimate stated
3. Never incentivize cash/gifts for reviews (violates platform ToS)
4. Swag or donation to charity per review — check current G2/TrustRadius policy

Volume target: Steady 2–4 new reviews/month beats annual bursts.

Phase 4: Responding to Reviews

Load templates/review-response-playbook.md.

Review type	Response pattern
Positive	Thank by name; reinforce specific outcome; invite CS contact
Mixed	Acknowledge gap; state fix or roadmap (no over-promise); take offline
Negative	Respond <48h; empathize; factual correction if wrong; exec escalation path
Fake / competitor	Flag to platform; factual vendor response; document internally

Never: Argue, disclose confidential terms, or identify private data.

Phase 5: Competitive Intelligence

• Monitor competitor review velocity monthly
• Tag themes: implementation, support, pricing, integrations
• Feed positioning-messaging and battlecard-builder
• Win/loss interviews vs review themes

Phase 6: Convert Review Traffic

• G2 intent data (paid) → routed to SDR/AE in CRM (crm-toolkit)
• Review page CTAs → demo with UTM
• Badge on site: "Leader" only if current — expired badges harm trust

Output Format

• Review platform strategy (primary + secondary)
• Generation campaign (triggers, email templates, owners)
• Response playbook for recent reviews
• Profile optimization checklist
• Competitive review summary

Quality Check

• Primary platform matches ICP (G2 vs TrustRadius)
• Ask triggers tied to customer milestones (not random blast)
• No incentivized reviews violating ToS
• Negative response plan <48h with offline path
• CRM routing for G2 intent (if licensed)
• Profile updated within 90 days

Common Pitfalls

1. Annual review drive. Grid rewards recency. Fix: monthly cadence.
2. Founder-only responses. Looks small. Fix: CS + product owner signatures.
3. Arguing in public. Escalates. Fix: empathize + offline.
4. Wrong G2 category. Attracts bad-fit reviewers. Fix: recategorize.
5. Ignoring TrustRadius for enterprise. G2 alone misses technical depth.

Execution Artifacts

• references/framework-notes.md — Framework index and authority routing
• templates/output-template.md
• scripts/check-output.py
• references/g2-playbook.md
• references/trustradius-playbook.md
• references/review-platform-comparison.md
• templates/review-response-playbook.md
• templates/review-ask-email.md

Related Skills

• customer-marketing — advocacy programs, case studies
• competitive-intel — competitor review monitoring
• inbound-triage — route review-sourced leads
• crm-toolkit — intent data fields