/ GUIDE — 8 min read

Review request templates that actually get answered

Copy-paste email, SMS, invoice, and QR workflows — plus the timing rules and the compliance lines you must not cross.

The difference between 3 reviews a year and 3 a week is rarely the business — it's whether asking is a system or an afterthought. This guide is the system: channel by channel, with the exact copy.

The four rules

1. Ask everyone. Selecting who to ask based on how happy they seemed is review gating — prohibited by Google and detectable in your rating distribution.
2. Ask fast. Same-day for services, 7–14 days post-delivery for products (after they've used it).
3. One tap. Use the short share link from your Google Business Profile's "Ask for reviews". Every extra click halves completion.
4. Ask personally. A message signed by the owner outperforms a no-reply blast.

Email (same day or +1)

Subject: How did we do, {{first_name}}?

Hi {{first_name}}, thanks for choosing {{business}} for your {{service}} today. If you have 60 seconds, a Google review helps neighbours find us and tells us what to keep doing: {{review_link}}. If anything wasn't right, reply to this email and I'll fix it personally. — {{owner_name}}

One reminder after 5–7 days. Then stop — a second reminder costs goodwill.

The private-reply invitation is service recovery, not gating: everyone gets the same public link, and unhappy customers get an extra path to you first.

SMS (within hours)

Hi {{first_name}}, it's {{owner_name}} from {{business}}. Thanks for today! If you'd leave us a quick Google review it would mean a lot: {{review_link}} Reply STOP to opt out.

Highest response rates of any channel. One message, easy opt-out, respect local SMS consent law.

Invoice / receipt line

Happy with our work? A 60-second Google review helps us a lot: {{review_link}} (or scan the QR code).

QR at point of service

Counter cards, table tents, van doors, packaging inserts — all pointing at the same short link.

Post-purchase flow (e-commerce)

Day 7–14, after the product has been used, combined with a support check-in. Earlier asks review the unboxing, not the product.

Running it without a spreadsheet

In Echorank, Campaigns send these on a schedule by email or SMS and guarantee nobody is asked twice; Templates store your house wording per channel and per language; Review links hold one short link per platform so every request lands in the right place. Requests count against your plan's monthly feedback-request quota, and the email channel is available from Starter, SMS from Growth.