Top 20 Ways to Ask for Reviews With Copy Paste Templates
To say customer reviews are powerful is an understatement.
A few words in a review have more impact on consumers than an entire website. A one- or even half-star difference can be all you need for a shopper to choose a competitor over you. Not to mention that reviews are the highest factor for local SEO rankings.
But to get those sentences or extra stars, you need to ask your customers for reviews. It may feel embarrassing or selfish, but the truth is that people generally like to share their opinions. They just need an extra push.
In this guide, I’ll show you why and how to ask for customer reviews in various situations – using examples and templates to make your life easier!
Why ask for comments?
You can already prove the power of customer reviews from your own shopping experience. Think about the number of times you’ve chosen a business, either because of what its reviews say or just because it has reviews.
Or maybe you didn’t hesitate at all because you knew exactly what you wanted to buy. After all, you heard the good news about it from someone you knew.
The truth is, what other people say about your business is more important than what you say about your business, even if they are strangers. Not convinced? Consider these online review statistics:
- 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- Raising your review star rating by 1.5 could equal 13,000 more leads.
- For every 1-star increase in Yelp rating, revenue increases by 5-9%.
If that’s not enough to get you out of your comfort zone and start collecting reviews for your own business, here are some more stats that might give you the boost you need:
Consumers will. A study by BrightLocal showed that 76% of people who were asked to leave a review continued to do so.
Consumers find reviews helpful. In a study conducted by Podium, 93% of consumers said that online reviews of local businesses are as useful as product reviews on sites like Amazon.
Consumers seek reviews. According to BrightLocal, 98% of consumers read online reviews of local businesses.
How to Ask Customers for Reviews
Whether you want to get more Google reviews, improve your Yelp rating, get 5 stars on Facebook, or improve your Amazon reviews, there are several ways to claim them, including:
- By phone (or by text message)
- Via your website (preferably a comment page)
- Via email (bulk email, personal email, company email, email signature)
- Via social media (direct message or post)
- Via thank you page
- on receipt/invoice
We’ll cover all of this and more in this post, but keep in mind that you don’t have to stick to just one method of asking customers for reviews. You should have a few strategies running at the same time to ensure a steady stream of feedback about your business.
Multiple and recent reviews help earn more trust from customers and also help your business rank higher in search results
How to request a review in person
Asking for a review in person can be daunting, but it’s the most effective method. If the opportunity arises, grab it!
Respond to a compliment request
In the simplest case, the customer takes the initiative to praise you. In this case, thank them for taking the time to provide feedback, then make suggestions. E.g:
Happy customer: [sings your compliments]
You: That’s great. We do our best [to do what you are praised for]. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback.
Client: Of course, thank you for such a great service!
You: You know, it would be great if you could write what you just said in the comments on [the platform]. These reviews help potential clients feel more confident when choosing us.
Customer: Of course!
You: Do you know how to do it?
Create opportunities through dialogue
You don’t have to wait for customers to come to you and ask them for a review. Often, you need to have a conversation with them to provide an opportunity. You can do this by asking them questions about their experience with your store, service, or product at checkout.
Good questions include:
- Did you find what you were looking for today?
- Is this your first time [using the product you are about to buy]?
- How about [the product you purchased]? I’ve tried [similar products], but I haven’t tried this myself.
- I hope you had a great experience with us…what can we improve or what do you like?
Important: Don’t ask for a review the first time a customer leaves a positive review of your business. This will make your conversations naive, and you’ll show that you don’t care about their experience, but only about getting reviews.
Comments can improve your reputation, but if you don’t ask questions in the right way, you’ll get nothing (your reputation plummets).
Instead, read the client. If their response is short and shows they don’t want to talk, don’t force it. If they respond positively and provide more information or feedback, keep the conversation going. Towards the end, ask them to review. E.g:
“Well, thanks for your feedback. We like to share this kind of stuff with potential customers so they can have more confidence in choosing us. If you’re happy with that, then if you can share your thoughts on me in the [platform name] comments Anything you say, that’s great.”
How to ask customers for reviews over the phone
If you own or run a business that requires a lot of customer support, you and your employees can find plenty of opportunities to ask customers for reviews over the phone. But choose wisely who you ask.
If you’ve just helped a client with a long-standing or difficult problem, it’s best not to let them review it.
However, if you have a customer who says they are satisfied (ideally if they appreciate your help), then this is a good time to ask for a review.
“I’m so glad we were able to help you today, and we appreciate your business. If you have the time and don’t mind, we’d be happy if you shared this experience on [the review platform of your choice].
People it would be great to see that if something goes wrong with our service, they will have the support they need, and of course, a customer account is the best way to show that.”
You will make your customers feel appreciated and valued, which will not only increase customer loyalty but also increase the chances that they will rate you.
How to Ask for Comments by Text
Text messaging is becoming more and more popular in today’s businesses, and if you go this route, you have two options.
Business: Hi, Mike. We just finished your spring lawn cleanup. Looks good, let’s get some rain!
Mike: Appreciate it. Can you email me the invoice?
Business: You bet I’ll send it tonight. After looking at the yard, if you have 60 seconds, I’d love to get your feedback in the Google or Facebook comments.
SMS service
There is also an SMS review request service, which can set up automatic SMS after appointment and purchase.
Thanks for visiting [business name]! Share your feedback on [link]. [We read it! ]
How to Ask for Comments by Email
Using email to solicit reviews is a solid method for businesses. First, it’s still a great channel for communicating with customers: 91% of consumers open their email every day, and 58% check their email before doing anything else.
Second, you can include a link to the review platform directly in your email, and even test different formats and languages.
You can request comments by email, either as a group email or as a personal email. You may want to send a broad email or segment it as you see fit. Here are some simple templates for reference.
Review Request Email Template #1
Hey everyone!
Positive reviews from great clients like you can help other [athletes, parents, artists, ec] like you feel confident choosing [business name]. Can you take 60 seconds to [link to comment platform] to share your happy experience?
We will be forever grateful. Thank you in advance for helping us!
Review Request Email Template #2
Hey everyone,
Did you know that [business name] has doubled its followers since last year? We must be doing it right! Whatever that is, we want to keep doing it. So tell us!
If you have 90 seconds today, we’ll be happy if you go to [the platform] and write a review. A few words are enough! This allows us to continue to provide you with the best experience and to help others see how [business name] can make their lives easier.
Thank you in advance!
Review Request Email Template #3
Dear [name]
Thank you for your recent purchase. We hope you like it! If so, would you consider leaving us a [platform] review? This helps us continue to deliver great products and helps others like you find us and make confident [project] decisions.
Thank you in advance!
Review Request Email Template #4
When customers receive personal emails from business owners, nothing is more appreciated. Pick a small number of loyal customers with whom you do a lot of business, or with whom you wish to build a lasting relationship, and send them a personal note thanking them for their business and requesting a review.
Hi [name],
We have a quick request. Would you mind heading over to [the platform] and writing a quick review?
Comments help us meet your needs and help others like you make confident decisions about [your topic].
Comment or not, we still love you!
Hope to see your smiling face soon,
[Name]
Company-wide email
Involve your employees in the process. Emphasize the importance of customer reviews to your employees and ask them to send customers a personal email.
Let them know that they will personally contribute to the development of your organization and that they will feel empowered to participate in the program.
How to request a review after the purchase
For some businesses, it makes sense to ask for a review right after a purchase, while others may want to wait to give customers time to use it. Be sure to honor your post-purchase review request accordingly.
Thank you card
Using a design tool like Canva, you can easily create small cards to put on product packaging, on receipts, or next to mints that encourage reviews. The card can say:
“Did you enjoy working with us? Leave a comment!”
“How are we doing? Let us know by leaving a comment on [link]!”
“Have feedback? We’d love to hear it! You can leave us a comment on [link].”
Purchase confirmation email
Triggering emails after a purchase is a great place to ask for reviews. Here are two short and sweet ways to request reviews or feedback on your post-purchase thank you page:
“Thank you for your purchase! Let us know (and others) if you enjoyed your shopping experience!”
“Thank you for your purchase! If you’re happy with your [new product], please take a moment to review it here [link to review platform].”
A great example is Chewy’s emails, which provide the actual items customers purchased along with a link to a review of each item.
We’d love to hear how you and your pets enjoy these products. Please leave a comment so we can share it with other pet parents like you.
I especially like this one from Biscuiteers because they contain other people’s comments. This helps give clients a starting point so they don’t start from scratch.
Thank you very much for your recent order. Buying a press should be fun, and we’d love to know how easy it is for you to find it. We would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to leave us a review!
How to ask for reviews on your website
You can include CTAs to leave reviews in various places on your site, but many businesses benefit from a dedicated review or testimonial page accessed through their main navigation (because that’s what potential customers are thinking of business).
There is a “Leave Us a Review” page
In the example below, there is a reviews item in the main navigation for this business, where reviews can be read and left.
On the “Leave a Comment” page, you will be asked to like or dislike. After giving the thumbs up, you’ll be prompted to leave a Google review.
Include existing reviews
Make sure to have a page that displays existing comments, or include them on your “Leave a Comment” page. This shows people how short their comments are and gives them a starting point.
Many content management systems have a plugin or script that allows you to aggregate comments from other platforms into a feed on this page.
But you can also add them manually. Either way, it’s best to have comments appear on the page as text (rather than screenshots or images).
This is because reviews often contain important keywords that can boost your SEO, but Google will not accept these words if they are in image form.
How to request reviews from suppliers
If you do a lot of B2B work, consider auditing your suppliers and partners. Other business owners understand the value of reviews, and leaving a review on their website or listing may be enough to get a review from them without even asking.
However, there is also an opportunity to ask for their comments. If you find yourself meeting with a client or business partner, don’t be afraid to simply say,
“Mr. Smith, I enjoyed working with you on this project and value your insight. Would you like to share your experience with our company by providing a short review for our testimonials page?”
or
“The positive feedback not only from customers but from the partners we work with really helps us continue to attract more great customers and partners like yourself. We would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mind leaving a review.”
How to Ask for Comments on Social Media
You can seek reviews on any social media platform, but Facebook should be your top priority as it is the top review site.
Ask and include links
What better way to get Facebook comments than with a Facebook post? In the simple example below, the insurance company writes:
Create a post from an existing comment
Another way is to share their comments as your feed comes in, as this local business does below. You can always add a link to let customers leave their reviews.
How not to ask for comments
While we encourage you to ask for comments, there are right and wrong ways to do it. Here are some methods you should avoid.
Incentives with gifts or discounts
Under no circumstances should you offer discounts or gifts in exchange for leaving a review. This violates the terms and conditions of many review platforms like Yelp and Google and can result in a flood of low-quality or star-only reviews (without text).
The purpose of the review is not primarily to benefit the business but to enable potential clients to make informed decisions.
However, a prepaid campaign like the one below would be a great fit. It says:
- For every review we receive, we’ll donate up to $10 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation
- Again, this policy is designed to keep the review platform honest and accurate.
Don’t be afraid to ask for reviews. People (67%, as mentioned above) are generally willing to leave comments. People love to be heard and will be more willing to express themselves as a way to give back to companies they think have lived up to their expectations.
Plus, you empower them to give other consumers like them the confidence to make informed decisions
Do not reply to comments
Don’t forget to reply to comments. First, it’s a way of acknowledging and thanking customers for taking the time to do so. Second, this can help you build customer relationships and retain more customers.
Finally, it shows the rest of the public that you care about your customer’s voice. Responses can also build engagement and activity on your listings, which Google takes into account when ranking business listings.
Final Tips for Asking for Customer Reviews
There are many ways to solicit reviews, but the most effective method and/or platform will vary from business to business. As mentioned above, your best bet is to develop some strategies at the same time and experiment with specific methods to find out what works best for you! Remember the following key points:
Reviews are not selfish; they empower your customers to help other consumers make informed and confident decisions.
Be sincere and don’t force it.
Keep email communications short and sweet. The faster an email can be read, the easier it will be for them to understand the process (principles of the psychology of copywriting!).
Make it as easy as possible for customers to comment (including using short, easy-to-remember links to printed materials).
Remember, customers, are willing to leave reviews.
Respond to comments, good and bad!
A steady stream of quality reviews is critical to your reputation, rankings, and even your earnings. So follow these tips and develop a moderation strategy ASAP!
