How to request reviews by email: Examples & templates
No matter how many shiny and new marketing technologies arise, email remains a cornerstone of any effective digital marketing strategy. One powerful way to put email to work for your clients’ businesses is by sending regular review request emails. It’s easy when you leverage review request email examples and templates.
Capitalize on good reviews and minimize the damage of bad ones. Download our review response templates to make responding to online reviews easy!
In this article, we’ll go over review request email examples and provide you with some review request templates that you can start using right away to generate more positive reviews. We’ll also share some must-have tools that any agency offering review management services can use to streamline the review request process.
The result? More glowing reviews for your clients, and another reliable revenue stream for your agency.
The power of reviews
With so much of daily life being mediated through screens, online reputation management has become an unignorable component of operating a business today. And while there are plenty of moving parts when it comes to effectively managing a business’s online reputation, one non-negotiable element is review management.
Why?
Reviews tap into consumers’ tendency to believe peer recommendations far more than other sources of information, such as advertisements. It doesn’t matter that today’s consumers don’t personally know the people writing the reviews they consume before buying a product. Those reviews play a role that’s similar to that of a real-life personal recommendation.
By using the ask for review email templates we’ll discuss in a moment, or writing your own, you can turn emails into a powerful review-generating machine that:
- Boosts a brand’s online reputation
- Encourages more conversions, growing the bottom line
- Gives brand insights into what is working well and where they can improve
- Improves SEO
- Build trust through public review responses
The best part? Email is an inexpensive way to get in front of an interested audience, making it easier to achieve impressive ROI for your clients.
Creating a robust review-generation strategy
Before we jump into review request email examples, it helps to be aware of some tips, strategies, and best practices to employ when writing ask for review emails. No matter what industry your agency serves, these practices will ensure you get the best results without running afoul of regulations or audience preferences.
Diversify your review request emails for different platforms
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are generally aware of the fact that they should have reviews on their websites. It’s true that reviews on product pages and service pages can go a long way to nudging prospective customers who are on the fence toward purchasing. However, on-site review sections are only one of many places where reviews should appear.
Customers can come across a brand in many places on the internet, from Google’s search results to niche platforms such as TripAdvisor or more general review sites like Yelp. That’s why the review request email examples we’ll provide should be used to generate emails across a wide range of websites.
Platforms to consider building reviews on include:
- The brand’s Facebook page
- Google Business Profile
- TrustPilot
- TripAdvisor
- Yelp
- YellowPages
- Niche websites for your client’s industry, if applicable
Be aware of consumer protection laws
The wild west days of email marketing are over, and it’s very important for businesses to comply with data protection laws when it comes to collecting emails, obtaining permissions, and sending messages such as review request emails.
These laws and regulations can vary from one jurisdiction to the next, so it’s wise to familiarize yourself with these when setting up any kind of email campaign for your clients, including ask for review emails.
In the United States, the CAN-SPAM Act applies federally. It mandates that businesses must not be misleading in their headers, provide clear opt-out instructions, honor opt-out requests promptly, and more. Some jurisdictions require businesses to obtain permission before sending commercial emails.
Keep it mobile-friendly
According to the latest statistics, there’s a roughly 50/50 chance that you’re reading on your phone right now.
The lesson?
Make sure to configure any ask for review email template that you use to look just as good and be just as user-friendly on mobile. If your review request email doesn’t load properly when opened on a phone or cuts off in an awkward location, you risk losing out on a review that a customer would otherwise have been happy to leave.
Incorporate SMS
While we’re on the subject of mobile devices, it’s worth noting that SMS has become an important complement to email. Text messages have an open rate north of 80%, which is higher than email. SMS also tends to be more brief, snappy, and easily digestible, which can be effective when it comes to gathering more reviews.
The same rules that apply to review request emails broadly apply to SMS too. Don’t worry: we’ll provide you with some text review request templates as well.
Track how timing impacts performance
A/B testing is the secret sauce behind much of digital marketing, and review request emails are no different. Once you’ve chosen the perfect ask for review email template, modified it to be on-brand, and are ready to activate it, try sending it at several different times.
For example, a product-based company might send its review request email to one batch of customers one week after their purchase, and to another batch two weeks after the purchase.
Only by A/B testing can you determine which timeframe produces the highest response rate.
Don’t neglect the subject line
A compelling, short, and on-brand subject line can boost the open rate of a review request email, in turn increasing the number of reviews it generates.
When writing the subject line, keep it under 40 characters so that it will appear in full on most devices. Make sure it conveys what the email is about, but don’t hesitate to infuse it with personality. We’ll show you how it’s done in our review request email examples below.
Make the CTA obvious
Whether you’re writing your review request email from scratch or using a review request template, be sure to make the CTA unmissable. A big button that says “Review Now,” for example, would do the trick.
Whatever your CTA is, you don’t want your recipient to have to click around to figure out how to leave their review. Make it as frictionless as possible for them.
Be on-brand
The best review request email examples are those that showcase the brand’s personality. From using your client’s brand voice in the copy to ensuring emails look on-brand, little tweaks can ensure that their ask for review emails reinforce their brand image.
Create incentives
While reviews should never be bought, and platforms like Google prohibit offering discounts or other similar incentives in return for a review, it is sometimes appropriate and effective to incentivize customers to leave a review.
For example, if a business has a loyalty program, customers can receive loyalty points in return for leaving a review.
Review request email examples
Now that you know which best practices to follow when sending ask for review emails, let’s take a look at some review request templates that can be modified to suit your clients’ needs.
Post-purchase review request email example
The period shortly after a customer purchases a product or service is often ideal for sending review request emails because their purchase is fresh in their minds. Try this ask for review template for a customer who has recently purchased a product.
Hey [Name],
We hope you love your new [Product] as much as we loved making it.
Now that you’ve had a chance to [Use/Wear/Try Product] for a few days, we would love to hear your thoughts.
Your feedback is super helpful for other shoppers and helps us ensure we’re making the best [Product] we possibly can.
[Button with Leave Review CTA]
Thanks,
[Brand] Team
Service review request email example
If you’re writing an ask for review email for a service-based business, you may want to give customers the opportunity to respond directly to the email if they have lengthier comments. This can make the recipient feel particularly appreciated and valued, encouraging them to leave positive reviews. This review request template can be written as though it’s from the owner, customer service manager, or even the person who directly delivered the service.
Hi [Name],
This is [Your Name], and I’m the [Title] here at [Company Name]. I wanted to personally thank you for trusting us with your [Service] needs.
I want to make sure that you’re completely satisfied with your service. If you would like to discuss anything about your experience, please don’t hesitate to respond to this email. If you can take a moment to leave us a review, it would mean a lot to us!
[Button with Leave a Review CTA]
We’re looking forward to [Delivering Service] for you again soon.
[Your Name]
Informative review request email
Review request emails can do double duty and provide the recipient with more information that they might find of interest about the product or service they purchased. For example, a SaaS company may want to have a trickle of emails come in after a purchase that provides bite-sized information about how to get the most out of their product. This can be combined with an ask for review email template.
Hey there [Name],
We hope you’re getting to know [SaaS platform], and discovering all of the powerful ways it can help you accomplish [Goal].
Did you know you can use [SaaS platform] to do [X task]? Here’s how:
[Insert GIF illustrating a function of the platform]
We’d love to hear more about how [SaaS Platfrom] is improving your [Workflow/Organization/Etc]:
[Button with Leave a Review CTA]
Until next time!
[Your Name]
SMS ask for review templates
Text messages can be an excellent venue for your review request templates, thanks to their high open rates. Aim to keep your text messages a bit shorter than your review request emails, since this aligns with customer expectations. Here are a couple of ways you can phrase your SMS ask for review templates.
SMS review request template 1
Hey [Name], [Brand] here. Would you consider leaving us a Google review to share how you’re liking [product or service]? It would mean the world to us! [Button with CTA]
SMS review request template 2
Hi [Name], this is [Customer Name] from [Brand]. I wanted to check and see how your [Service] experience was. We would love to hear your feedback! [Button with CTA]
PS. When it comes to SMS review request templates, don’t hesitate to use emojis if it’s on-brand. While there’s no need to go overboard, emojis can make your message more eye-catching and friendly.
Review request email solutions
By putting review requests on autopilot, you can automate much of the review-generating process. A little bit of work upfront can result in a steady stream of positive, reputation-boosting reviews flowing in for your clients across a range of different platforms.
Vendasta’s resellable solutions can help your clients get more reviews, no matter what industry they operate in:
- Customer Voice - A white-label customer feedback tool that can be used to automate requests
- Vendasta Inbox - Vendasta Inbox can be used to communicate with customers via SMS, enabling businesses to gather reviews and keep the conversation going in this friendly, casual medium
- Vendasta Review Widget - Ensure reviews get noticed with a fully customizable widget that displays them on product pages, or wherever a customer wants to showcase their reviews
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a review request email?
The best review request emails are relatively short and to the point. Be concise, stick to your brand voice, and make your call to action clear and unmissable. Using a review request template is a great way to get started.
How do you politely ask someone to review?
Use polite, friendly language, keep it short, and consider expressing gratitude for their business. Consumers are used to being asked for reviews, so you shouldn’t be hesitant about asking. Most customers are more than happy to leave a positive review upon being asked.
