How to ask customers for a review (with templates)

The anatomy of a request that converts

A great review request does four things: it thanks the customer, it explains briefly why reviews help a small business, it makes the ask once and clearly, and it removes every step but the click. Keep it short. Two or three sentences out-performs a paragraph every time.

Personalise where it costs nothing — the customer’s name and a reference to the actual job ("the bathroom reno", "your service last Tuesday") signals a real human, not a blast. That single detail noticeably lifts response rates.

Email template you can copy

Subject: Quick favour, {{first_name}}?

Hi {{first_name}}, thanks again for choosing us for {{job}}. Reviews make a huge difference for a small business like ours, and a quick one would mean a lot. It takes about 30 seconds — here is the direct link: {{review_link}}. Thank you! — {{business_name}}

SMS template you can copy

Hi {{first_name}}, thanks for having us for {{job}}! If you were happy with how it went, a quick Google review would really help us out — it takes 30 seconds: {{review_link}}. Cheers, {{business_name}}.

The follow-up template that does the heavy lifting

Most people who never reply to the first message are not annoyed — they just forgot. A single, friendly nudge a few days later recovers a large share of them. Send exactly one. Never two.

Follow-up: Hi {{first_name}}, just following up in case my last message got buried — no pressure at all, but if you have a spare 30 seconds a quick review would genuinely help: {{review_link}}. Thanks either way! — {{business_name}}

Timing and the mistake to avoid

• Send the first request the same day or the morning after the job, while goodwill is highest.
• Send one follow-up three to four days later — and only one.
• Never gate the ask ("only review us if you are happy") — that breaks Google policy.
• Never send the same generic blast to everyone; use the name and the job.
• Never chase past the single follow-up. Persistence past that point costs you goodwill.

Let it run itself

Templates only work if they actually get sent — every time, at the right moment, with a follow-up. ReviewLoop stores your templates, fills in the customer and job details, sends a click-tracked link at the right time, and handles the single follow-up automatically. You set the words once; it does the asking.