The difference between a business with 30 reviews and one with 300 is usually that one of them actually asks, consistently and well.
The difference between a business with 30 reviews and one with 300 usually is not customer satisfaction, it is that one of them actually asks, consistently and well. Most customers are happy to leave a review; they just need to be asked at the right moment, in the right way, with a link that makes it effortless. This guide gives you proven review request templates for email and SMS, plus the timing and tactics that turn requests into published reviews.
Everything here is fully compliant with Google's policies and the FTC's rules, no gating, no incentives, no sentiment filtering. Just asking well.
Before the templates, understand what makes a request succeed:
Timing: Ask at the moment of peak satisfaction, right after a great result, not weeks later when the feeling has faded.
Ease: Include a direct review link so the customer lands on your review page in one tap. Every extra step loses reviewers.
Brevity: Short requests get more responses. Respect the customer's time.
Get these three right and your review volume climbs regardless of which exact words you use.
Template 1, the simple ask for service businesses:
Subject: Quick favor, [First Name]?
Hi [First Name],
Thank you for choosing [Business Name]. It was a pleasure helping you with [service]. If you were happy with how everything went, would you take 30 seconds to share your experience on Google? It genuinely helps other [customers/neighbors] find us.
[Leave a review →]
Thanks so much, [Your Name], [Business Name]
Template 2, the warm, personal ask:
Subject: It was great working with you
Hi [First Name],
We really enjoyed [specific detail about the job/visit]. Reviews from customers like you are the main way people in [City] find us, so if you have a moment, we'd be grateful if you shared a few words about your experience.
[Share your experience →]
Thank you, [Your Name]
Text messages get read almost immediately, which makes them powerful for review requests. Keep them short.
Template 1, the classic:
Hi [First Name], thanks for visiting [Business Name] today! If we did a good job, we'd love a quick Google review, it really helps. [link] Thank you!
Template 2, the friendly follow-up:
[First Name], it was great helping you with [service]! Would you mind sharing your experience on Google? Takes about 30 seconds: [link]
Template 3, home or field service:
Hi [First Name], hope you're happy with the [service] today! A quick review would mean a lot to our team: [link]
Service businesses: Send within a few hours of completing the job, while the result is fresh.
Restaurants and retail: Send the same day or next morning after a visit.
Healthcare and appointments: Send within a day of the appointment, respecting privacy.
Project-based work: Send at project completion or at a clear milestone the customer is happy about.
📊 Flento Data: Review requests sent within 24 hours of service earn dramatically higher response rates than requests sent a week or more later, the satisfaction and the memory are both still strong.
Do not gate: Never survey customers first and only send the happy ones to Google. This violates Google's policy and the FTC rule.
Do not incentivize for positive reviews: Never offer a discount or reward for a review, especially conditioned on it being positive.
Do not over-ask: One well-timed request plus at most one gentle reminder. Repeated nagging annoys customers.
Do not write reviews yourself or have staff do it: This is prohibited and easily detected.
If a customer does not respond to the first request, one polite reminder a few days later is appropriate:
Hi [First Name], just a gentle follow-up, if you have a spare moment, a quick Google review would really help our small business. No worries if not! [link]
After one reminder, stop. Persistence beyond that damages goodwill.
Sending well-timed, personalized requests to every customer manually is where most businesses fall short, they simply forget. Automation solves this.
🔥 Quick Win: Use Flento's Google Review Management Software to automate compliant review requests, sending every customer a direct review link at the right moment by email or SMS, with reminders, all without gating or incentives. A systematic program that reliably asks every customer is what turns a business with 30 reviews into one with 300, and the review authority that follows is what ranks you in the Local Pack.
✅ Done? Put review requests on compliant autopilot, try Flento free →
What's the best time to send a review request email or SMS?
As close to the moment of peak satisfaction as possible. For service and field work, that's within a few hours of job completion. For restaurants and retail, same day or the next morning. For appointments, within a day while respecting privacy. Waiting a week or more lets the memory and the goodwill fade.
Is it legal to send review request text messages?
Yes, as long as you're texting customers you have an existing business relationship with and you're not sending unsolicited marketing texts to numbers that never opted into contact from you. Keep the message about the service they just received, not a broader marketing pitch, and always include an easy way to stop future messages.
Should I use email or SMS for review requests?
SMS gets read faster and generally earns higher response rates, since text messages are opened almost immediately. Email works well when you already have a strong email relationship with the customer, such as service confirmations or invoices. Many businesses see the best results using both, SMS for the immediate ask, email as a lower-pressure alternative for customers who prefer it.
Great review requests are short, well-timed, and effortless to act on, and sent to every customer, not a filtered few. Use the templates above, send within 24 hours, include a direct link, and let a system handle the consistency. Do that and your review count, your rankings, and your trust will all climb. Put your review requests on compliant autopilot with Flento.
