# Should product ads show reviews and star ratings? Published: 2026-11-09. Updated: 2026-11-09. Written by: Framepx Team. Yes, a product ad can show reviews or a star rating, but only real ones from your own customers, and only when they are good enough to help. Show one rating or one short quote, keep it readable at phone size, and never invent or round up a number. ## Why reviews in an ad make sense A shopper who sees an ad is meeting your product for the first time. They cannot touch it. A rating or a short sentence from a buyer answers the quiet question "has anyone else bought this and been happy?" before they scroll on. That is the logic. It is not a promise of a number. How much a review helps depends on the product, the price and the audience, so test it on your own ads instead of trusting a general claim. ![A florist's ad, a clothing ad and a lipstick ad side by side](/blog/inline-ads-b-en.webp "Real ads we made for brands") ## When it helps and when it hurts A review helps when: - the product has enough reviews that the rating means something; - the rating is genuinely good, and recent; - the product is something people are unsure about, such as a new brand, a higher price or an item they cannot try on. A review hurts when: - there are only one or two reviews, and the stars look thin; - the rating is average, because it draws attention to a weakness; - the quote sounds written by the brand, which shoppers read as fake. ## What you must never do - **Do not invent reviews, stars or counts.** Not even "about 5 stars". Honesty matters on its own, and in the United States, for example, the FTC's rule on fake reviews and testimonials has been in effect since October 2024 ([FTC announcement](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials)). Check the rules where you sell. - **Do not show a review for a product it was not written about.** If a review was for another item, leave it out. - **Do not edit a customer's words.** You may shorten a quote only if the meaning stays the same, and it is better to pick a short one. - **Do not show a rating you cannot back up on your own site.** If a shopper clicks through, they should find the same reviews. ## Steps to add reviews to a product ad 1. **Collect real reviews first.** Use your store's review tool, or ask buyers after delivery. Without a source you can point to, there is nothing to show. 2. **Pick the products that qualify.** Set a simple rule, for example "at least a handful of reviews and a good average". Pick your own threshold. Do not show stars on products below it. 3. **Choose one format.** Either a star rating with the count (for example "4.8, 126 reviews", only if that is the real number), or one short quote from a buyer. Do not show both in a crowded way. 4. **Take the quote from the review itself.** Choose one that names a real quality: fit, quality, delivery, how it looks. A vague "great!" adds little. 5. **Place it where it is read, not where it hides.** A small line under the product or near the price works. Do not put it in the strips at the top and bottom of a 9:16 image, where the interface sits on top. 6. **Keep the text large and the contrast high.** It must be readable on a phone. See our article on [where to put a logo in a product ad](/blog/where-to-put-a-logo-in-a-product-ad) for the same spacing logic. 7. **Preview every placement in Meta Ads Manager.** Check that the rating is not cropped in Feed, Stories or Reels. 8. **Update the numbers when reviews change.** A rating that was true in January may be wrong in June. 9. **Compare against the same ad without the review.** Run both for the same period and read the click-through rate and the purchases in Meta Ads Manager. Keep what works. ## Reviews in dynamic product ads If your ads are built from a product feed, the rating is only as current as the data behind it. Decide where the rating lives (your store or a review tool), how often it refreshes, and whether the ad reads the number automatically or whether someone copies it. Copied numbers go stale. A stale rating shown in an ad is the same as a wrong one. ## Where Framepx fits Framepx is an AI system for product ads, offered as AI as a service. Its AI engine turns every product in your feed into your brand's own ad in 1:1, 4:5 and 9:16, and keeps each ad in step with the product's price and stock. Which design you put on top, and whether it carries a review, is a choice you make for your brand. Do not ask any tool to invent reviews. See [Pricing](/pricing) for plans. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I show a star rating from Google or another site? Only if you are allowed to and it is real and current. Check the terms of the site that holds the reviews, and make sure a shopper who looks it up finds the same number. ### Is a quote better than stars? It depends on the product. Stars are quick to read. A quote tells a story. Test one against the other on the same product and keep the one that gets more clicks and purchases. ### What if my product has no reviews yet? Do not fake it. Lead with the product itself, the price and a clear offer, and collect reviews from your first buyers. ### Do I need the shopper's permission to show their review? Rules differ by country and by how the review was collected. Ask your review tool provider and your legal adviser, and prefer reviews that were posted publicly on your own store. If you want product ads that stay current with price and stock, [schedule a demo](https://calendar.app.google/YAGHbFGzGyvPKE4y8).