How Negative Reviews Hurt Your Brand (And What You Can Do About It) — Shane Barker | Why Bad Reviews Kill Sales And Boost Ad Costs, How To Tell Fake From Real Feedback, How Amazon Rules Allow Review Removals, Why DIY Review Removal Is Difficult (#390)

This episode explores the impact of negative reviews on Amazon seller brands and strategies for mitigating their effects. Against the backdrop of Amazon's reliance on its review system, the discussion highlights how negative reviews, even a single one-star review, significantly impact sales, Best Seller Rank (BSR), star ratings, and PPC costs. More significantly, the interview delves into differentiating between legitimate negative feedback and malicious reviews from competitors, emphasizing the importance of identifying and addressing reviews that violate Amazon's terms of service. For instance, the guest shares anecdotes of sellers facing coordinated negative review attacks, particularly in competitive sectors like supplements. The guest's company, Trace Fuse, offers a solution to remove reviews that violate Amazon's guidelines, emphasizing a white-hat approach and providing tools to help sellers identify and address these issues proactively. The discussion also underscores the value of legitimate negative reviews as opportunities for product improvement and learning. Ultimately, the episode advocates for a proactive approach to review management, combining defensive strategies with efforts to increase positive reviews, thereby building resilience against negative impacts. What this means for Amazon sellers is the need to adopt a more strategic and proactive approach to managing their online reputation.