/ CHAPTER 05 — 6 min read
Generate reviews ethically
What's banned (gating, incentives, fakes), what works (ask everyone, fast, in one tap), and copy-paste request templates.
Volume comes from consistency, not cleverness. But before the tactics, the rules — because the penalties are real.
Never do these
- No fake reviews — no purchased reviews, no staff or family posing as customers.
- No review gating — pre-screening customers and only asking happy ones publicly is explicitly prohibited by Google.
- No incentives that violate platform rules — Google prohibits offering anything of value for reviews; Trustpilot and Facebook have similar restrictions.
- No reposting the same review across platforms yourself.
Violations risk review removal, listing suspension, FTC penalties in the US, and consumer-protection action elsewhere.
What works and is allowed
Ask every customer. Ask soon after service. Make it one tap. Ask personally.
| Channel | When | Mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Same day or +1 day | Short personal note + direct link. One reminder after 5–7 days, then stop. | |
| SMS | Within hours | Highest response rates. One message, direct link, easy opt-out. |
| QR code | At point of service | Counter cards, tables, vans, packaging. |
| Website | Always on | "Review us" in footer and thank-you pages. |
| Invoice | Every bill | One line + link/QR under the total. |
| Post-purchase | 7–14 days after delivery | After the product has been used. |
Get your Google review link from "Ask for reviews" in your Business Profile, and use that exact short link everywhere. Every extra click halves completion.
Templates
Email — service business
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}}
SMS
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.
Note the email invites unhappy customers to reply privately in addition to the public ask, not instead of it. That's service recovery, not gating — everyone gets the same review link.
In Echorank: Campaigns send requests on a schedule by email or SMS without asking the same customer twice, Templates store your house wording per channel and locale, and Review links keep one short link per platform.