I’ll never forget the first time I ran a Facebook ad with a customer review baked right into the copy.
It was for a small local skincare brand I was freelancing with, and to be honest — we were in trouble. Click-through rates were tanking, cost-per-click was bleeding our budget dry, and conversions? Non-existent. Out of pure desperation, I threw together an ad using a direct quote from a customer review: “I’ve never felt this confident without makeup, this serum actually works.” And boom — within a week, we saw a 36% lift in ROAS. No fancy graphics. No A/B test wizardry. Just the raw power of a real person’s experience.
That’s when it clicked: people trust people, way more than they trust brands.
We’ve all been burned by overpromising ads and underperforming products. So when a fellow shopper says, “This changed my life,” it carries a whole different weight. That’s why using reviews in paid advertising campaigns isn’t just smart — it’s essential.
Start With Emotionally-Charged Social Proof
The best review-based ads aren’t just about the product — they tell a micro-story. They speak to transformation. You want someone scrolling past your ad to think, “Oh wow, that’s me.”
Skip the generic “Great product!” quotes and dig for reviews that hit pain points. I once had a fitness client run a Google Display ad with this headline pulled straight from a review: “Down 12 pounds in 3 weeks and still eating tacos — bless you guys!” It was real. Relatable. And it doubled our previous best-performing ad.
Want to make this process easier? Start tagging your reviews based on emotional triggers. That way, when you’re creating ad copy, you’re not digging through a mountain of five-star fluff.
Don’t Hide the Good Stuff
If your customer review is the most compelling part of your ad — don’t bury it. Place it loud and proud. I’ve had the most success when I pull the review into the headline, overlay it across visuals, or drop it as the main hook in a video ad.
And if you’re not using video testimonials for social proof yet, you’re missing out. The shaky iPhone ones often outperform polished studio productions. People relate to real.
Retarget With Review-Driven Creative
Here’s an underrated tactic: review snippets for retargeting. If someone already visited your site but didn’t convert, they don’t need a reminder of what you sell — they need reassurance.
I once ran a carousel ad on Meta with nothing but review highlights — names, star ratings, and one-line wins. It dropped our cart abandonment rate by 18%. Not bad for something we pulled straight from our existing feedback.
You can amplify this tactic by displaying customer reviews effectively on your landing pages too. Trust signals = conversions.
Stay Compliant and Ethical
Look, I’ve learned this the hard way: there are legal considerations when displaying reviews in your ads.
If you’re using someone’s full name, photo, or identifiable info in paid campaigns, make sure you’ve got permission. Also, don’t let the excitement of a glowing review make you violate ad platform guidelines. Even if a customer says your supplement “cured their migraines in two days,” tread carefully. Exaggerated or unverified claims can get your ad disapproved — or worse.
Build a System for Sourcing Great Reviews
The secret to using reviews consistently in your paid strategy? Build a workflow around them.
One thing that’s helped me is automating review requests via email and tagging feedback in our CRM by theme. That way, when it’s time to build new creative, I’m not drowning in 500 five-star reviews that all say the same thing. I just pull up “fast delivery” or “pain relief” tags and start plugging that gold into ads.
Final Thoughts
Using reviews in paid ads isn’t about slapping a testimonial on a banner and calling it a day. It’s about telling the story your audience needs to hear — from people just like them. It’s about trust, relatability, and reminding your customers that others have been in their shoes… and found a solution.
So if you’re not incorporating customer reviews into your ad strategy yet? You’re leaving easy wins on the table. Test it this week. One great review ad can change the game.
