How to Ask for a Review: Timing, Wording and the Rules

To ask for a review, ask every customer, soon after they’ve experienced what you do, in one short, specific sentence, with a direct link that opens the review form. Say who you are, thank them, tell them where to leave the review, and make clear you want their honest opinion. Don’t offer anything in return and don’t choose who to ask based on how happy they seem.

That’s most of it. The rest of this guide covers the details that make the difference: the right moment for your type of business, what to say in each channel, how to follow up without nagging, and the mistakes that break platform rules or the FTC’s 2024 rule on consumer reviews.

Why asking works

People who had an average or bad experience are often motivated to write about it on their own. People who had a good one usually just get on with their day. Without a direct ask, your reviews can end up skewed toward the unusual cases rather than the typical customer.

Asking everyone fixes that imbalance. It won’t produce only good reviews, and it shouldn’t try to. The aim is a set of reviews that fairly reflects your business, with enough recent ones that readers trust it.

The rules every review request must follow

Before the wording, the limits. These apply whatever channel you use.

• Ask everyone, the same way. Choosing only customers you expect to be happy, or filtering people through a satisfaction question first, is review gating. Google prohibits it, and many other platforms have similar rules.
• No incentives. No discounts, gifts, prize draws or payment for reviews. Google prohibits incentivized reviews, and the FTC rule bars incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment.
• No reviews from insiders. Owners, employees and their families shouldn’t review your business. Google treats that as a conflict of interest.
• Don’t ask for a particular rating. “Please leave us five stars” steers the review. Ask for an honest review instead.
• Respect contact consent. Only text or email people in ways they’ve agreed to hear from you, and follow the rules that apply to marketing messages in your area.

Our guides to the Google review policy and the FTC fake review rule cover both sets of rules in detail.

When to ask

The best moment is when the customer has just seen the value, and before other things crowd it out. That moment depends on the business:

Business type	Good moment to ask
Restaurants, cafes, retail	At payment, or on the receipt
Salons, spas, fitness	At checkout, while the customer is pleased with the result
Home services and contractors	When the job is finished and the customer has checked the work
Medical, dental, veterinary	In a follow-up message the same day, not in the treatment room
Professional services	At a natural milestone, such as a completed filing or closed deal
Ecommerce	After delivery, once the customer has had time to use the product
B2B and ongoing services	After onboarding, a successful project phase or a renewal

A good rule: ask within a day or two for one-off purchases, and at a clear success point for longer relationships. Asking a month later reaches people who have mostly moved on.

Where to send people

Pick one platform per request. Offering a choice of five sites tends to produce none. For most local businesses, Google is the natural default because it’s where many customers look first. Industry sites can matter more in some fields, such as Healthgrades for doctors or Avvo for lawyers.

Whatever you choose, use a link that opens the review form directly. For Google, our guide on getting your Google review link shows where to find it. Test it on a phone before you use it.

How to ask in person

In person is often the most effective ask, because it’s personal and the customer is right there. Keep it short and natural. Staff should say roughly the same thing to every customer, not just the ones who smiled.

Thanks so much for coming in today. We’re a small business, and reviews really help people find us. If you have a minute later, we’d appreciate an honest review on Google. This card has the link.

Glad we got that sorted for you. If you’re happy to, it would help us a lot if you left a review on Google about how it went. I’ll text you the link so you don’t have to look for it.

Hand over something physical, such as a card with a QR code or a tap chip, so the customer can do it later. Our guides to the Google review QR code and Google review cards cover the printed side.

What to avoid: asking in the middle of a problem, standing over someone until they post, or handing them a tablet at the counter. Let people review in their own time.

How to ask by email

Email works well for appointments, online orders and professional services. A good review request email is short, personal and has one clear link.

• Subject line: clear and plain, such as “How was your visit with us?”
• Opening: thank them by name and mention what you did for them.
• The ask: one sentence asking for an honest review, with the platform named.
• The link: one button or link that goes straight to the review form.
• A way to reach you: a line saying that if anything wasn’t right, they can reply directly. Offer this to everyone, alongside the review link, never instead of it.

Hi Dana, thanks for choosing us for your kitchen repair last week. If you have a couple of minutes, we’d be grateful for an honest review on Google. It helps other homeowners decide who to call. Here’s the link: (your review link). And if anything about the job wasn’t right, just reply to this email and I’ll look into it personally.

For more ready-to-use wording by industry and situation, see our review request email templates.

How to ask by text message

Texts are short, get read quickly and open links on the phone where the review will be written. Keep them to two or three lines and make sure the customer has agreed to receive texts from you.

Hi Sam, thanks for visiting Northside Auto today. If you have a moment, we’d appreciate an honest Google review: (your review link)

Our review request text message templates include variations for different businesses and follow-ups.

How to ask on the phone

Phone calls suit businesses that already call customers, such as a follow-up after a repair or a check-in after a procedure. Don’t make the review the reason for the call. Ask how things are going first, and mention the review at the end.

I’m glad everything’s working well. One last thing: if you’re comfortable leaving an honest review on Google, it really helps us. I can text you the link right after this call.

Then send the link straight away while it’s fresh.

How to ask B2B clients

Business clients often review on different platforms, such as Google, G2, Clutch or industry directories, and they may need permission from their employer to post. Ask the person you work with most closely, at a clear success point, and make it easy to say no. For agencies and B2B service firms, our guide to getting reviews on Clutch covers its verified client interviews.

Now that the rollout’s complete, would you be open to leaving an honest review of working with us on Google? No pressure at all, and I completely understand if your company has a policy on this.

How to follow up

One reminder is reasonable. More starts to feel like pressure.

1. Send the first request at the right moment for your business.
2. Wait a few days. Many people review when they have time, not immediately.
3. Send one short reminder to people who haven’t reviewed, if your tools let you tell. Keep it lighter than the first message.
4. Then stop. Someone who hasn’t reviewed after two messages has made a choice, and further messages risk annoying a satisfied customer.

Asking after a complaint

Customers who had a problem are still customers, and the rule to ask everyone applies to them too. If you’ve resolved an issue, you can send the same request you send everyone else. Don’t make fixing the problem conditional on a review, and don’t ask them to change an existing negative review in exchange for a refund or credit. Both cross the line into incentives and suppression.

If they choose to update their review after a good resolution, that’s their decision. A calm public reply to their original review shows future readers how you handle problems. Our guide on responding to negative reviews covers what to say.

A worked example

This scenario is illustrative, not a real client.

A physical therapy clinic gets reviews only occasionally, mostly from patients frustrated about billing. The front desk sometimes mentions reviews, but only to patients who seem cheerful.

The clinic manager sets a single process for every patient. At the final session of a treatment plan, the therapist says one line thanking them and mentioning a review. That afternoon, the patient gets a text with the Google review link. Three days later, those who haven’t reviewed get one reminder email. The messages never mention star ratings, and there’s no survey in front of the link.

Staff are reminded not to confirm anyone is a patient when replying to reviews, to respect patient privacy. Over the following months, reviews become more frequent and more representative. Billing complaints still appear occasionally, which leads the clinic to explain costs more clearly at intake.

Common mistakes

• Asking only happy customers. That’s gating, whether it’s done by software or staff.
• Offering a reward. Even a small discount breaks Google’s rules.
• Asking for five stars. Ask for an honest review.
• Making it hard. “Find us on Google” loses people. Send the direct link.
• Waiting too long. A request weeks later reaches people who have moved on.
• Chasing repeatedly. One reminder at most.
• Asking staff and family to “get the ball rolling.” That’s a conflict of interest.

When to get help

Asking for reviews is simple in principle and hard to keep consistent across a team, multiple locations and several tools. Our review management service helps set up compliant request processes, replies and monitoring. If you want a wider plan for growing Google reviews specifically, our guide on getting more Google reviews covers it step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Is it okay to ask customers for reviews?

Yes. Google and most review platforms allow businesses to ask customers for reviews. Yelp is the main exception, as it discourages businesses from requesting reviews. Wherever asking is allowed, the rules are the same: ask everyone, offer no incentives and don’t steer the rating.

What's the best way to ask for a review?

A short, personal request soon after the customer has experienced your service, with a direct link to the review form. In person followed by a text or email with the link tends to work well for most local businesses.

Can I ask for a review in a satisfaction survey?

You can include a review link in a survey, but it must be shown to everyone, not only to people who give a high score. Sending only happy respondents to a review site is review gating, which Google prohibits.

How many times should I ask a customer for a review?

Once, plus one reminder at most. Beyond that, further messages risk annoying a customer who has decided not to review.