Review Request Email Templates (and the Rules to Follow)

A good review request email is short, personal and sent soon after the customer’s experience. It thanks them by name, mentions what they bought or booked, asks one clear question with one review link, and is sent to every customer, not just the ones you expect to be happy. Below are nine templates you can adapt, followed by the email rules and review rules that keep them compliant.

If you use SMS instead, our review request text message templates cover that channel.

The rules to check before you send

A review request email has to satisfy two sets of rules: email law and review rules. Neither is complicated, but both matter.

Email law: CAN-SPAM basics

In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act sets the rules for commercial email. The FTC’s compliance guide for business lists the main requirements for commercial messages:

• Accurate header information. The “From”, “To” and “Reply-To” details must accurately identify who sent the message.
• No deceptive subject lines. The subject must reflect what the email is about.
• Identify promotional messages as such where the email is an advertisement.
• Include a valid physical postal address for your business.
• Tell recipients how to opt out of future marketing email, clearly and conspicuously.
• Honor opt-outs promptly. The FTC’s guidance says opt-out requests must be honored within 10 business days, and the opt-out mechanism must keep working for at least 30 days after you send.
• You stay responsible even if a software tool or agency sends the emails for you.

Is a review request “commercial”? CAN-SPAM looks at the primary purpose of the message. Receipts and similar transactional emails are treated differently from promotional ones. A plain request for feedback after a purchase sits in a gray area, and adding a coupon, a promotion or a “book again” offer pushes it toward commercial. The simplest approach is to follow the commercial rules for every review request: include your address, include a working unsubscribe link and honor it. This is general information, not legal advice; if you send large volumes, check with a lawyer.

Review rules: ask everyone, reward no one

• Send the request to every customer. Filtering out customers you think are unhappy, or sending a “how did we do?” survey and only passing happy people to Google, is review gating. Google prohibits it, and FTC guidance warns that selectively soliciting only positive reviews can mislead consumers.
• Don’t offer anything for a review. Google’s policies prohibit incentives for reviews, and the FTC’s rule prohibits conditioning incentives on a review’s sentiment. No discounts, prize draws or loyalty points in exchange for reviews.
• Don’t tell people what to write. Asking for “honest feedback” is fine. Asking for “five stars” or suggesting wording is not.

What makes a review request email work

Timing

Send while the experience is fresh. For a restaurant, salon or clinic visit, that is usually the same day or the next morning. For a delivered product, wait until it has arrived and been used for a few days. For a project such as a renovation or legal matter, send when the work is complete and the customer has seen the result, not when the invoice goes out.

Subject lines

Keep them short, honest and specific. They must reflect the content of the email. Examples:

• “How was your visit to [Business]?”
• “[Name], a quick question about your order”
• “Thanks for choosing us, [Name]”
• “Would you share a review of your [service]?”

Avoid anything that implies a prize, urgency or a problem with the account. A subject like “Action required” is misleading for a review request.

Personalization

Use the customer’s first name, the specific service or product, and, where it applies, the name of the person who served them. A request that says “thanks for having Luis service your furnace” reads as a note from a real business, not a campaign.

One clear link

Give one review link, placed near the top and repeated as a button if your email tool supports it. A list of five review sites splits attention and reduces the chance of any review at all. Google gives every Business Profile a shareable review link; the same link can go on a Google review QR code for in-person requests.

9 review request email templates

These templates are illustrative starting points. Replace everything in brackets, and add your address and unsubscribe link in the footer of each one.

1. General local business

Subject: How was your visit, [Name]?

Hi [Name], thank you for visiting [Business] on [day]. We’d love to hear how it went. If you have a minute, you can leave a review here: [Review link]. Every review helps us improve and helps other people decide. Thanks, [Your name], [Role]

2. Home services (after a completed job)

Subject: Thanks for having us out, [Name]

Hi [Name], thanks for choosing [Business] for your [service]. [Technician] mentioned the job is wrapped up, and we hope everything is working as it should. Would you share a quick review of your experience? [Review link] If anything isn’t right, reply to this email and we’ll sort it out. [Your name], [Business]

3. Restaurant or cafe (for customers who booked or ordered online)

Subject: Thanks for dining with us

Hi [Name], thanks for joining us at [Restaurant] last night. We hope you enjoyed the meal. If you’d like to tell others about your visit, you can leave a review here: [Review link]. We read every one. [Your name], [Role]

4. Ecommerce order

Subject: [Name], how is your [product]?

Hi [Name], your [product] should have arrived a few days ago. Now that you’ve had a chance to try it, we’d appreciate an honest review: [Review link]. It takes about a minute and helps other shoppers. Thanks, The team at [Store]

5. Healthcare or dental practice

Subject: Thank you for visiting [Practice]

Hi [Name], thank you for choosing [Practice]. If you’d like to share your experience with our office, you can leave a review here: [Review link]. Please don’t include personal health details in your review. [Your name], Office Manager

Keep healthcare requests generic and never mention the treatment in the email subject line. Replies to reviews must not confirm someone is a patient, as our healthcare reputation management page explains.

6. Professional services (accountant, lawyer, consultant)

Subject: Thank you for working with us

Hi [Name], thank you for trusting [Firm] with your [matter or project]. If you’re comfortable sharing your experience, a short review would help others who are looking for similar help: [Review link]. Please leave out any confidential details. Best regards, [Your name], [Title]

7. Salon, spa or personal service

Subject: How did you like your visit with [Stylist]?

Hi [Name], thanks for coming in to see [Stylist] today. We’d love to know what you thought. You can leave a review here: [Review link]. See you next time, [Salon]

8. B2B or long project

Subject: A quick favor now that [project] is live

Hi [Name], thanks again for working with us on [project]. Now that it’s live, would you be willing to write a short, honest review of the experience? Here’s the link: [Review link]. No pressure either way, and thank you for the partnership. [Your name], [Title]

9. Plain-text note from the owner

Subject: A note from [Owner name]

Hi [Name], I’m [Owner name], the owner of [Business]. I read every review we get, good and bad, and they shape how we run things. If you’d share yours, here’s the link: [Review link]. Thank you for your business. [Owner name]

Follow-up emails: one reminder at most

One polite reminder a few days after the first email is reasonable. More than that starts to feel like pressure.

• Send the reminder only to people who haven’t opened or clicked the first email, if your tool can tell.
• Stop immediately for anyone who leaves a review, replies with a complaint, or unsubscribes.

Subject: Just in case you missed it

Hi [Name], a quick follow-up in case my last email got buried. If you’d like to review your recent visit, here’s the link: [Review link]. Either way, thanks for choosing [Business]. [Your name]

If a customer replies with a problem, treat it as a service issue first. Fix it, then leave the decision about a review to them. Don’t ask again right after resolving a complaint, and never offer something in exchange for a review update.

The exception: don’t send Yelp review requests

Everything above applies to Google and most other review sites. Yelp is different. Its guidance asks businesses not to request reviews from anyone, including by email, and its recommendation software is designed to filter reviews that look solicited. Use these templates for Google and other platforms that allow requests, and let customers find Yelp on their own. Our comparison of Google vs Yelp reviews explains how to handle each.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. A two-location HVAC company collects emails for every booking but has never asked for reviews. Its few Google reviews are mostly from customers who had a problem.

1. Set the trigger. The field service software marks a job complete. The next morning, an email using template 2 goes to every customer from that job, with the technician’s name filled in automatically.
2. Set up the footer. Each email includes the company’s mailing address and an unsubscribe link, and the email tool suppresses anyone who unsubscribes.
3. Add one reminder. Customers who haven’t clicked get the short follow-up four days later. Nobody gets a third email.
4. Route problems. Replies go to the office manager’s inbox. When a customer replies that the thermostat still isn’t working, the office books a return visit that week.

Over the following months, reviews start arriving from ordinary customers, including the occasional critical one, and the profile becomes more representative of the company’s actual work. Results vary with the business and customer base, and no approach can promise a particular number of reviews or rating.

Common mistakes

• Sending a survey first and only forwarding happy customers to Google. That is review gating, and it breaks Google’s policies.
• Bundling a discount with the review request. Even if the discount isn’t strictly “for” the review, it reads that way and makes the email clearly commercial.
• Using a no-reply address. Customers often reply with useful feedback or a problem. Make sure a real person reads replies.
• Sending weeks later. A request that arrives a month after a haircut gets ignored.

When to get help

One location with a simple email tool is very manageable. Several locations and platforms are harder. Our review management service sets up compliant request flows, monitors new reviews and handles replies, so the process keeps running without you checking it every day.

Frequently asked questions

Is a review request email covered by CAN-SPAM?

It depends on the email’s primary purpose. A plain request for feedback may not be commercial, but adding promotions or offers can make it commercial. The simplest approach is to follow the commercial rules every time: accurate sender details, an honest subject line, your physical address and a working unsubscribe link.

When is the best time to send a review request email?

Soon after the customer has experienced the result: the same day or next morning for visits, a few days after delivery for products, and at completion for longer projects. The fresher the experience, the more likely they are to respond.

How many times should I follow up?

One reminder is enough. Send it a few days after the first email, only to people who haven’t acted, and stop for anyone who leaves a review, complains or unsubscribes.

Can I offer a discount for leaving a review?

No. Google prohibits incentives for reviews, and the FTC’s 2024 rule prohibits offering incentives conditioned on a review’s sentiment. Ask for honest feedback and offer nothing in return.