Asking for a testimonial is not enough. The difference between a 5% and a 40% submission rate is almost always whether the submitter receives something in return. Rewards close the motivation gap — they make the act of leaving a review feel like a two-way exchange rather than a favor.
SocialProof.Reviews lets you offer three types of incentives: discount codes, gift cards, and affiliate links. Each has a different use case, and you can combine them.
When a customer submits a testimonial, they are spending time and social capital on your behalf. A reward acknowledges that. Research across review platforms consistently shows:
The key is to offer the reward for submitting — not for giving a positive review. This keeps your reviews authentic and compliant with FTC guidelines.
In your workspace admin panel, click Rewards in the left sidebar.
Toggle rewards on. This adds a reward confirmation card to the post-submission screen, shown to reviewers after they complete the form.
A discount code is the simplest reward to set up. You generate codes in your ecommerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, etc.) and paste them into SocialProof.Reviews. After a reviewer submits a testimonial, they see the code on the confirmation screen.
THANKYOU20)Use a universal code rather than single-use codes if volume is low. For higher-volume workspaces, generate a batch of unique single-use codes in your platform and rotate them.
Match the discount to the ask. A 10% discount is appropriate for a written review. A 20–25% discount or free shipping is worth asking for a video testimonial, which takes more effort.
Set an expiry. A code that expires in 30 days creates urgency and increases redemption rate. Display the expiry in your reward description.
A gift card is a higher-value reward appropriate for B2B customers, enterprise users, or when you're requesting a detailed case study or video testimonial.
Gift card fulfillment is manual — you'll be notified when a testimonial is submitted and approved, then you send the gift card. You can automate this with a webhook:
testimonial.submittedSee the Webhooks & Zapier guide for setup instructions.
Affiliate links turn your reviewers into promoters. Instead of a one-time discount or gift card, you give each reviewer a unique link they can share — and they earn a commission for every customer they refer.
This is the highest-leverage reward type because it:
Step 1: Set up your affiliate program
You need an affiliate platform to generate and track unique links. Options include:
| Platform | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| Rewardful | SaaS recurring commissions | From $48.97/mo |
| Tapfiliate | Flexible commission rules | From $89/mo |
| PartnerStack | B2B partner programs | Custom |
| Refersion | Ecommerce | From $99/mo |
| LemonSqueezy | Digital products | Free + % |
| Gumroad | Creators | Free + % |
Step 2: Generate affiliate links
In your affiliate platform, create a way to generate unique links programmatically, or create links manually for each reviewer. Most platforms have an API.
Step 3: Automate link delivery via webhook
For scale, use a webhook to automatically generate and deliver affiliate links:
Example Zapier flow:
Step 4: Configure the reward in SocialProof.Reviews
The framing of your affiliate offer matters. Avoid corporate language. Use straightforward copy:
"Love using [Product]? Share it and earn 20% of every subscription — forever, as long as they're a customer."
"Your unique referral link is below. Share it with one person this week and see what happens."
"We pay $50 for every customer you send our way. No minimums, no caps, paid monthly."
| Model | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat fee per signup | $X for every new customer | Simple, easy to explain |
| Percentage of first payment | 20–30% of first month/year | SaaS, subscriptions |
| Recurring percentage | 15–20% for life of customer | High-LTV products, power users |
| Tiered | Higher % as referrals grow | Motivating top affiliates |
You can offer multiple reward types simultaneously. A common high-performing combination:
The immediate reward removes friction from the submission. The affiliate link creates a relationship that continues to grow.
If your testimonials are collected with incentives, the FTC requires disclosure in any marketing use. SocialProof.Reviews handles this automatically — incentivized testimonials are tagged internally. When you use them publicly:
Genuine experiences are never invalidated by incentives — the reward motivates submission, not the content.
Track these metrics to optimize your rewards program:
| Metric | How to check |
|---|---|
| Submission rate | Testimonials submitted ÷ collect page visits |
| Completion rate | Completed submissions ÷ form starts |
| Affiliate link clicks | Your affiliate platform dashboard |
| Affiliate conversion rate | Signups ÷ affiliate link clicks |
| Reward redemption rate | Discount code uses ÷ codes shown |
Increase your reward value if submission rate is below 10%. Decrease it once submission rate stabilizes above 30% — you may be over-incentivizing.