# Review request messages - twelve, by trade, in two languages Rules first, then the messages. The rules matter more. RULE 1 Send every customer the same ask. Choosing who to ask based on how it went is selective solicitation and it is against Google's policy, whether a person decides it or software does. RULE 2 Link straight to the review box. Not your website. Not your profile page. Test it on a phone that has never opened your business before. RULE 3 One follow-up, several days later. Then stop, permanently. RULE 4 Never suggest what to write. Reviews that mention the same three qualities read as coordinated, because they are. RULE 5 Never offer anything in return. A free coffee for a review is a separate policy violation from gating and a clearer one. Replace [BRACKETS]. Delete anything that sounds like marketing. =========================================================================== SALON / BARBER send: same day, +2-3 hrs =========================================================================== EN Hi [name] - [stylist] here from [shop]. Hope the [cut/colour] is sitting right. If you have a minute, a quick review helps people find us: [LINK] ES Hola [name], soy [stylist] de [shop]. Ojala te haya quedado bien el [corte/color]. Si tenes un minuto, una resena nos ayuda a que la gente nos encuentre: [LINK] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW-UP (once, 4 days later) EN Hi [name] - [stylist] from [shop] again, last time I will ask. If the [cut] worked out: [LINK] ES Hola [name], [stylist] de [shop] otra vez, no molesto mas. Si te gusto como quedo: [LINK] =========================================================================== GARAGE / AUTO REPAIR send: 3-5 days =========================================================================== EN Hi [name], [shop] here. You have had a few days on the [job] now - if it is running right, a review helps other people find us: [LINK] ES Hola [name], le escribimos de [shop]. Ya pasaron unos dias desde el [trabajo] - si anda bien, una resena ayuda a que otros nos encuentren: [LINK] Note: three to five days, not same day. The customer cannot tell yet whether the repair worked, and asking before they know reads as fishing. =========================================================================== RESTAURANT send: same evening, 21:00 =========================================================================== EN Thanks for coming in tonight, [name]. If you enjoyed it, we would really appreciate a review: [LINK] ES Gracias por venir esta noche, [name]. Si la pasaste bien, nos ayuda muchisimo una resena: [LINK] =========================================================================== HOME SERVICES / TRADES send: 1 week after handover =========================================================================== EN Hi [name], [tradesperson] here. You have had a week to live with the [work] - if you are happy with how it turned out, a review would help us a lot: [LINK] ES Hola [name], soy [tradesperson]. Ya llevas una semana con [work] - si quedaste conforme, una resena nos ayuda mucho: [LINK] =========================================================================== DENTAL / MEDICAL send: 1-2 weeks, procedure-dependent =========================================================================== EN Hi [name], [clinic] here. Hope you are feeling well after your appointment. If you would like to share how it went: [LINK] ES Hola [name], le escribimos de [clinic]. Esperamos que se sienta bien despues de la consulta. Si quiere contar como le fue: [LINK] IMPORTANT - health context: - Never reference the procedure, the diagnosis, or anything clinical in a message that could be read by someone else holding the phone. - Timing must follow recovery, not billing. A message the day after surgery is tactless regardless of how well it went. - Some jurisdictions restrict what a health provider may solicit or respond to publicly. Check before you automate anything. - Never respond publicly to a review in a way that confirms someone was a patient. That is a confidentiality problem, not a marketing one. =========================================================================== PROFESSIONAL SERVICES (legal, accounting, consulting) send: at the outcome, NOT the invoice =========================================================================== EN Hi [name] - glad we got [outcome] sorted. If you would be willing to say a word about how it went, it genuinely helps: [LINK] ES Hola [name], me alegra que hayamos resuelto [outcome]. Si te animas a contar como fue, ayuda de verdad: [LINK] Note: attaching the ask to an invoice is the single worst timing available in this category. The customer is looking at a number they owe you. =========================================================================== WHAT NOT TO SEND =========================================================================== X "We would love 5 stars!" - specifies the rating X "Mention our fast service" - specifies the content X "Leave a review for 10% off" - incentive, prohibited X "How did we do? [1][2][3][4][5]" - if the branch differs, gating X Anything with a marketing signoff, a logo header, or three bullet points about why reviews matter. It reads as a campaign, and a campaign is easy to ignore. =========================================================================== IF THE REVIEW IS BAD =========================================================================== Reply publicly, once, briefly. Three sentences: acknowledge, state what you have done or will do, offer to continue privately. Do not argue, do not explain at length, do not mention that they were difficult. Readers are not reading the review. They are reading your reply.