How to Get Online Reviews For Your Preschool

Online reviews are a great tool to use to show prospective preschool parents how wonderful your preschool program is.

One of the best ways to build the Know, Like, Trust Factor is to get reviews and testimonials on your social media profiles. You don’t have a website yet, but you can still get reviews on your Facebook business page and your Google My Business listing.

Over the past 10 years, we’ve tried many ways to get reviews, from giving parents a postcard with a link to sending parents an email with a link. None of our methods had much of an impact, until we tested the strategy we’re about to teach you!

Discover how to get multiple online reviews for your preschool with this golden strategy!

150+ 5-star reviews on Facebook and Google

After starting to use this strategy about seven years ago, we were able to get about 40 new reviews (on Facebook and Google combined) every preschool year. In fact, our preschool had over 150 5-star reviews on Google and Facebook! And the best part is, unlike Yelp reviews, those reviews have stayed for over 7 years!

When I was talking to one of our preschool owners, we discovered that after 9 years of running her preschool, she had 0 reviews on Google and Facebook! We were SHOCKED! We immediately gave her this strategy and in JUST 2 DAYS after implementing this simple technique, her preschool had 33 reviews on both Google and Facebook, and a few weeks later they had 46! This strategy works, and it works FAST! It’s about the easiest technique you could ever use that you’ll wonder why you didn’t think of it before!

So without further ado… the #1 way you get tons of reviews on Google and Facebook FAST is to have a contest on Facebook! (NOTE: Sometimes Google reviews don’t show up. We still want you to add a Google review link!)

The Best Strategy To Get Online Reviews for Your Preschool: Hold a Contest!

There are 2 ways to run the contest, depending on your preschool:

• New Local Preschool, New Online Preschool, or Online Preschool
  • Use the Gift Card Contest Strategy
• Local Preschool in operation
  • Use the Pizza/Ice Cream Party Contest Strategy

How to Request Reviews

To announce this contest, on your Facebook business page, write a post using this picture of Puss in Boots from the movie Shrek, where he is standing there with his hat in his hand and a pout on his face like he is begging for help. In the post say, “Hey preschool families! We have loved this past preschool year with you. We would love to know your experience. Would you please post a review for us?” Then add links to the review pages for your Facebook business page and your Google My Business page.

While it would be inappropriate to outright ask for only 5 star reviews, you can certainly increase the likelihood of getting them by ending your post by saying, “We hope we have earned your 5 stars!” Saying this puts the thought in their mind that if they’ve liked you, and do think you are worth 5 stars, please post a review. You are giving them the idea that that is the kind of review you are looking for, but in a nice way.

If they have already posted a review in the past, perhaps their spouse, or an aunt, uncle, or grandma who has participated in one of your preschool’s free field trips, or a caregiver who has picked up and dropped off the child could add a review. Anyone who has interacted with your preschool could leave an online review for your preschool.

GIFT CARD CONTEST

Use this strategy if you don’t have a local preschool currently running. This strategy is great for online preschools in operation, or brand new local and/or online preschools! Buy (2) $25 gift cards to a favorite restaurant chain (everyone loves Olive Garden!) Then create a social media post on your personal profile -AND- a different one on your Facebook business page that says the following below. Afterward, tag all your friends, family members, and preschool families on the post so they can leave a review.

Enjoy a date night to Olive Garden… on us!

You can be 1 of 2 lucky people to get a $25 gift card to Olive Garden when you click the link below and leave a review about me on my preschool page. (PS Even if you haven’t enrolled your preschoolers with me, I’d still love you to say something nice about ME in the review.) I hope I’ve earned your 5 stars!

Thanks so much! Leave your review in both places and get 2 entries!

[Facebook business page review link]

[Google business listing review link]

PIZZA/ICE CREAM PARTY CONTEST

Use this strategy if you have a local preschool currently in operation. Post on your business Facebook page that you are going to give your preschool students an ice cream and pizza party IF your preschool parents can write x amount of new reviews on your preschool! OF COURSE your preschool families want their children to have an ice cream and pizza party! In fact, they want it so bad they’ll even tag and share the post with all their friends and family members so THEY can also say how much they love your preschool!

You’re not limited to just one review per preschooler… you can get two reviews per adult (for Facebook and Google) AND two reviews for each one of their friends or family members who also writes a review. The best part is: When you post the contest inside of Facebook (and the review links inside your Facebook post), both Facebook and Google trust the links, and therefore your reviews stay online for years to come.