FTC Notice Guidelines: G2's Opinion on Improving Trust and Transparency

As Chief Product Officer at G2, I live and breathe the world of peer reviews.

And we have a lot in the G2 market so far - almost 1.9 million - all focused on B2B software. But I had this passion before I even came to G2, as I previously ran product management at PowerReviews, a ratings and reviews specialist that helps brands and retailers do more with user-generated content. (UGC).

My background in both the B2B and B2C review worlds has allowed me to appreciate not only the power of tapping into the voices of real users, but also doing it authentically and ethically .

When reviews are unreliable, the customer loses

Buyers and individuals alike rely on peer reviews to inform their purchasing decisions, whether it's a hotel room, jeans, restaurant or software.

As review platforms and brands that collect, moderate and publish reviews, we all have a responsibility to ensure that these reviews are reliable and representative of products and services.

And while I don't think it's usually done intentionally, that responsibility hasn't always been taken on board by some. Rules are broken, and in other cases there are loopholes in those rules. I see this as an opportunity for the review landscape as a whole to do better, be more transparent, and ensure the trust of buyers around the world who rely on reviews.

FTC Guidelines for Collecting, Moderating, and Publishing Reviews

As a major step forward to help improve the review landscape, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an expanded set of guidelines this year. At the same time, it has also filed lawsuits against several different companies for failing to follow previous guidelines, showing the seriousness and seriousness of the review business.

New FTC Guidelines Bring Greater Trust and Transparency to the Review Ecosystem, When Followed

At G2, we've always believed this was the right thing to do, and we're thrilled that the FTC guidelines now provide end-users with the transparency they so deserve. We take this responsibility to be the largest and most trusted software marketplace very seriously and encourage other review sites and the companies listed there to do the same.

It's not just about avoiding a lawsuit, but about staying committed to improving the review space as a whole, increasing transparency, trust and authenticity.

Moderation of G2 reviews

In our effort to put our marketplace at the top for authenticity, we discourage and remove reviews:

Segmented and submitted through a practice that only solicits high NPS reviewers or those who are supposed to leave only positive reviews Awarded an incentive provided the reviews are positive Not labeled with our incentive review mark when requested as such False or suspicious of a non-user or non-customer of the product Best practices for ensuring compliance and integrity at all stages of the review process

So if you are a stakeholder in the review ecosystem (including marketplaces and individual brands/providers), what can you do to do your part?

For starters, you can read the latest FTC documents and check them regularly whenever you're unsure about something:

Featuring Online Customer Reviews: A Guide for Platforms Solicit and Pay for Online Reviews: A Guide for Marketers What companies – and platforms – can do to help stop fake post-for-pay reviews Guides to Using Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

From G2's perspective, the following best practices are essential at all stages of the G2 review process, from collection to moderation and publication. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, but does contain guidance for the scenarios we see most often causing confusion or concern.

1. Review the collection...