Wording library

Review request templates: what to actually say when you ask

The best review request is short, sent within a day of the job, and gives one link. Say thank you, ask in one sentence, and make the link impossible to miss. Do not explain why reviews matter to your business. Below are nine templates you can copy for text, email and WhatsApp, with the right moment to send each one.

The three rules that matter

Ask within 24 hours, while they still feel good about the job. After a week the reply rate falls off a cliff
One link, one ask. A message with two links and a paragraph of explanation gets ignored
Ask the happy ones. If someone was quiet or complained, ask for feedback privately instead

Everything below assumes you have your Google review link ready. If you do not, search your business name on Google, click Ask for reviews on your business profile, and copy the short link it gives you.

Text message templates

1. Straight after a job (trades, mobile services)

Hi Sarah, thanks for having us today. If the work was up to scratch, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It takes about 30 seconds and it really helps a small business like ours. [link] Thanks, Dave

2. After an appointment (salons, clinics)

Hi Priya, lovely to see you today. If you are happy with how it turned out, a quick Google review would mean a lot. [link] See you next time, Emma at Willow Studio

3. The gentle one, if asking feels awkward

Hi Tom, hope you are pleased with the job. No pressure at all, but if you have a spare minute a short review helps people find us. [link] Either way, thanks for the work.

4. A single nudge, three days later

Hi Sarah, just a quick nudge in case my last message got buried. Here is the review link if you still have a moment. [link] No worries if not.

Email templates

5. After a completed job

Subject: A quick favour

Hi Sarah,

Thanks again for having us out on Tuesday. It was a straightforward job in the end and I hope the radiator is behaving itself.

If you were happy with it, would you leave us a Google review? It takes under a minute and it is genuinely the main way people find us.

[link]

Thanks,
Dave

6. After a course, programme or block of sessions

Subject: You finished, well done

Hi Michael,

That is the twelve weeks done. You have come a long way from the first session.

If it was worth it, would you write a couple of lines as a Google review? It helps the next person work out whether this is for them.

[link]

Proud of you,
Jo

7. For a repeat customer you know well

Subject: Cheeky ask

Hi Rob,

You have been coming to us for what, three years now? Which makes you exactly the right person to ask.

Would you leave us a Google review? Even two lines is plenty.

[link]

Cheers,
Emma

WhatsApp templates

8. When WhatsApp is already your normal channel

Hi Sarah, all done and thanks again. If you fancy leaving a quick review it would really help us out. [link] Have a good weekend.

9. When they say thank you first

That is very kind of you to say. If you ever have a spare minute, popping that in a Google review would honestly make my week. [link] No rush at all.

Only send WhatsApp messages to people who have already messaged you or clearly agreed to it. Sending review requests to cold numbers on WhatsApp is a quick way to get your number restricted.

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When to send each one

Trades and mobile services: same day, once you have packed up and the customer has seen the finished work
Salons, barbers and clinics: two to four hours after the appointment, not while they are still in the chair
Coaches, tutors and trainers: at the end of a block or programme, when the result is obvious to them
Anything with a delivery or install: the day after it arrives and works, never the day it ships
One nudge only, three days later. After that, leave it and ask the next customer instead

Ask yourself

Is this already costing you reviews?

You only ask when you remember, which is usually when things are quiet
You have more happy customers than you have reviews, by a long way
You have asked in person and they said yes, then nothing arrived
Nobody in your team knows whose job asking is

All four have the same fix: the ask goes out automatically after the job, in the same words every time, so it never depends on anyone remembering.

Making it happen without remembering

Copying these templates is the first half. The second half is making sure the message actually goes out when you are busy, which is exactly when you forget. Most owners set this up once: when a job is marked complete, the review request sends a few hours later, and a single nudge follows three days after that if there is still no review.

That is the difference between a business with 11 reviews and a very similar business down the road with 180. Not better work. Just an ask that happens every single time.

Want to see it running?

GoHighLevel is the tool we use for all of this in our own business. You can try everything on the 14-day free trial and judge it on results.

See how GoHighLevel works

That button uses our referral link: we earn a commission if you sign up, it never costs you extra, and we say so right here because trust matters more.

Common questions

How soon after the job should I ask for a review?

Within 24 hours for most trades and services, and two to four hours after an appointment for salons and clinics. The feeling you are asking them to write about fades fast. After about a week most people mean to do it and never get round to it.

Should I offer a discount for a review?

No. Google's policies prohibit incentivised reviews and it can get your reviews removed or your profile penalised. You can thank someone afterwards, but do not make the reward conditional on leaving one, and never on leaving a positive one.

What do I do about an unhappy customer?

Ask them privately for feedback instead, and fix the problem if you can. Sending a public review link to someone who is annoyed is asking for a one-star review. Keep the automatic request for customers whose job went smoothly.

How many times should I chase?

Once. One friendly nudge three days later, then stop. A second and third chase for a free favour irritates good customers, and the return on it is tiny compared with asking the next ten people properly.

Text or email for review requests?

Text, in almost every case. It gets opened within minutes, the review link is one tap away, and it suits the short ask these messages need. Use email when the relationship was conducted by email throughout, such as a longer programme or a B2B service.