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Getting more Google reviews

How to ask for a Google review: text, email and face-to-face scripts

Copy-and-paste scripts for asking customers for a Google review by text, email, phone and in person, plus the timing and rules.

The getmitch team 5 min read

The best way to ask for a Google review is to say it in person while you are at the job, then send a short text with a direct link within a day or two. Ask every customer. Keep it brief, use their name, and make the link one tap.

Below are scripts for each channel. Swap in your name, your business and your link. If you do not have a link yet, get it in how to find your Google review link.

Face-to-face: the strongest ask

In person is the ask to start with. The customer is standing in front of the finished work and you, and the ask takes ten seconds.

At the final walkthrough

Glad you're happy with it. We're a small business and Google reviews are how most of our new customers find us. Would you mind leaving one if you get a minute tonight? I'll text you the link now so you don't have to search for us.

If the customer is in a hurry

Thanks again, Mrs. Lopez. I'm going to text you a link to our Google page. If you have a minute this week, we'd love to hear how it went.

Then send the text before you pull out of the driveway. That keeps the promise fresh.

Review request text templates

The link works straight from the message. Keep it short, include your business name and make it sound like you.

Standard text, same day or next morning

Hi Maria, it's Dale from Dale's Plumbing. Thanks for having us out today. Would you leave us a quick Google review? Here's the link: [your link]

Short version

Hi Maria, Dale here. Thanks for choosing us. A quick Google review would mean a lot: [your link]

Warmer version for a repeat customer

Hi Tom, thanks for trusting us with the second bathroom too. If you have a minute, a Google review helps new customers find us: [your link]

One reminder, about a week later

Hi Maria, Dale again. No pressure, but if you get a minute, this goes straight to our review box: [your link]. Thanks again.

Get the customer's consent before texting; consent rules apply to business texts. Put a line on your estimate or work order, something like "I agree to receive text messages from Dale's Plumbing about my job, including requests for feedback," and keep a record of the agreement. Always name your business in the text and stop if someone replies STOP.

US consent rules (the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, plus carrier requirements for business texting) cover business texts. A review request is safest handled like a marketing text, which means clear consent first. You can read more about this in our guide to getting more Google reviews. This is general information, not legal advice.

Email templates

Use email for larger jobs, commercial work and customers who gave you only an address.

Email after a project

Subject: Thank you, and a small favor Hi Tom, Thanks again for choosing Dale's Plumbing for the bathroom project. It was a pleasure working in your home. A short, honest Google review would help other homeowners find us. This link opens the review box directly: [your link] Thanks, Dale

Email to a commercial customer

Subject: Feedback on the service call Hi Priya, Thanks for having our team out to the office last week. We would appreciate a Google review of how it went. It takes a minute: [your link] Separately, if anything about the visit needs fixing, reply to this email and I will sort it out. Dale

Every customer gets the same review link, whatever they thought of the job. The last line only gives anyone with a problem a direct way to reach you. It sits after the review ask and never replaces it.

On the phone

If you call to follow up on a job, you can ask at the end of the call.

Phone script

Before I let you go, we're trying to build up our Google reviews. I can text you a link right now to share how the job went. It takes a minute.

What to put on paper

A line on the invoice, a card, or a door hanger keeps the ask alive when you forget.

Invoice footer

How did the job go? Please leave us a Google review: [your link]

For QR codes, see Google review QR codes.

Tips that make people say yes

  • Use their first name and the job. "Thanks for having us out to fix the water heater" lands better than "Thanks for your business."
  • Make it easy. One link. No account creation steps from your side. They only need to be signed into Google, and any email address works for an account.
  • Be specific about the reason. "It helps other homeowners find us" is true and honest.
  • Ask once, remind once. Beyond that it reads as pressure.
  • Say thank you whatever happens. Then reply to the review when it appears. Examples are in positive review responses.

Warning: What not to say

Do not offer a discount, gift card or free service for a review. Do not say "5 stars please." Do not ask only the customers who seemed happy. Do not pay or trade for reviews. These all break Google's review policy, which is laid out in full in the [pillar guide](/us/blog/how-to-get-more-google-reviews).

What to do when you forget

You will. A month later you will remember a great job and no one asked. It is fine to send the text a few weeks late. A short "I know it has been a while, but..." works. After a couple of months, it gets awkward.

The real fix is to take the memory out of it. Mitch sends the request for you on the Local and Complete plans: submit the finished job with the customer's mobile number and a consent tick, and the text goes out 24 to 72 hours later.

Plan: Automatic review requests are on the Local plan

The Local plan ($189 a month) sends the ask for you after each job and drafts replies you can edit. No contract, and you can try it free first. See [how review requests work](/us/platform/reviews) or the [pricing page](/us/pricing).

The whole system, including timing and rules, is in the pillar guide: how to get more Google reviews. More guides are in the Google reviews hub.

Never forget to ask again

Enter the finished job and the review text goes out a day or two later. Start a free trial, no card needed.

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Sources

Keep reading

Why buying Google reviews backfires

You can find sellers of Google reviews, but buying them breaks Google's policy and, now, federal rules. Here is what the risks are and what to do with that money instead.

How to see all your Google reviews in one place

Where to read, filter and reply to every Google review for your business, whether you are the owner or just checking your own account.

How to respond to Yelp reviews (including the negative ones)

How replying works on Yelp, when to answer in public and when to message privately, and copyable replies for good and bad reviews.

Questions answered

When is the best time to ask for a Google review?
Right when the customer has seen the finished work and is pleased. In person, that is at the walkthrough. For a text or email, within a day or two, so the job is still fresh.
Is it okay to ask for a review by text?
Yes, as long as the customer has agreed to be texted. Get their mobile number and permission on the job paperwork, name your business in the message, and stop if they reply STOP.
How many times can I ask?
Ask once in person, send one message, and at most one reminder about a week later. After that, let it go.
Should I tell customers what to write?
No. Google's policy does not allow asking for specific content in a review. Ask for honest feedback and let the customer use their own words.
Can I ask only my happy customers?
No. Selectively asking only satisfied customers breaks Google's policy. Ask everyone the same way.
What if a customer says they will do it and never does?
Send the one reminder. If nothing happens, move on. Plenty of people mean to and forget, and that is normal.

Try it on your next job.

Start the trial, take a photo when you finish tomorrow's job, and see what Mitch does with it.

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