Review Request Text Message Templates: 21 Examples to Copy

A review request text message gets one glance. The customer sees the preview on their lock screen, decides whether a real person wrote it, and either taps the link or swipes it away.

The templates below are written to pass that glance. There are 21 of them, sorted by the moment you send them and the kind of business you run, and every one fits in a single text.

Table of Contents

• What Makes a Review Request Text Message Work
• 5 Same-Day Review Request Text Message Templates
• 11 Templates by Industry
• 3 Follow-Up Texts (Pick One, Send It Once)
• 2 Texts for Regulars and Compliments
• Keep It to One Text: The 160-Character Math
• What Google's Rules Say a Review Text Can't Ask For
• Who You Can Text, and When
• How to Send It
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

What Makes a Review Request Text Message Work

Every template in this guide is built from the same five parts, in the same order. Once you know them, you can write your own in under a minute.

1. Their first name. "Hi Maria" reads as a person. "Dear valued customer" reads as a system.
2. Who you are. Your name and your business, because your number may not be saved in their phone.
3. The specific thing. "The water heater," "the new color," "your Civic." This is the detail a mass text can't fake.
4. One low-pressure ask. A review, not five stars. One sentence, with room to say no.
5. The link, last. At the very end, so it is the last thing they see and the easiest thing to tap.

That is the whole formula, and it is the same rule set ReplyOnTheFly uses when it writes review requests: one or two sentences, first name only, the specific service, the link at the end.

To use any template, swap the parts in brackets and paste your review link where it says [link]. Type them with plain punctuation and no emoji. The reason is in the 160-character math further down.

5 Same-Day Review Request Text Message Templates

These work for almost any business. Send them within a few hours of the visit, while the customer still remembers the details. The guide to the best time to ask for a Google review covers the right hour for each trade.

1. The all-purpose thank-you

Hi [Name], it's [Your name] at [Business]. Thanks for coming in today. A quick Google review would really help us: [link]

2. The one-liner

Thanks for stopping by [Business] today, [Name]. Would you leave us a quick Google review? [link]

3. The honest ask

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Good or bad, we'd like to hear how today went. Would you leave a Google review? [link]

4. The small-team ask

Hi [Name], thanks for choosing [Business]. We're a small team, and a Google review helps people find us: [link]

5. The receipt follow-up

Hi [Name], your receipt from [Business] is in your email. A quick Google review would mean a lot to us: [link]

Template 3 is worth a second look. Asking for the review "good or bad" sounds risky. It is also the line that makes the message read as honest, and it matches what Google expects: a request that goes to every customer.

11 Templates by Industry

The specific detail is what separates a text that gets tapped from one that gets ignored. These versions put the detail where each kind of customer expects it.

6. Plumbing, electrical, HVAC

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Glad we got the [water heater] sorted today. Would you leave us a Google review? [link]

7. Auto repair

Hi [Name], your [Civic] is all set. Thanks for trusting [Business] with it. A quick Google review helps us a lot: [link]

8. Salon or barbershop

Hi [Name], [Your name] at [Business]. Hope you're loving the new [color]. Would you leave us a quick Google review? [link]

9. Dental or medical practice

Hi [Name], thanks for visiting [Practice] today. We'd appreciate a quick Google review of your visit: [link]

Keep health texts generic on purpose. Say "your visit," never the treatment, because a text preview can be read by anyone near the phone.

10. Restaurant (reservation or takeout order)

Thanks for joining us at [Restaurant] tonight, [Name]. A quick Google review would mean a lot to the team: [link]

11. Real estate

Hi [Name], congratulations again on the new house. A Google review of working with me would mean a lot: [link]

12. Contractor or remodeler

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Now that the [deck] is finished, would you leave us a quick Google review? [link]

13. Gym or studio

Hi [Name], you've been with us at [Studio] a month now. A quick Google review helps other people find us: [link]

14. Pet groomer or vet

Hi [Name], [Pet name] was great today. Thanks for bringing her to [Business]. Would you leave us a Google review? [link]

15. Cleaning or lawn care

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Hope the house felt great to come home to. Would you leave us a Google review? [link]

16. Retail or online order

Hi [Name], your order from [Business] should have arrived. A quick Google review helps our small shop a lot: [link]

3 Follow-Up Texts (Pick One, Send It Once)

Most customers who meant to leave a review simply forgot. The reasons are covered in why happy customers don't leave reviews, and one reminder fixes the most common one.

Send it three to five days after the first text. Pick one of these, send it once, and stop there.

17. The no-pressure reminder

Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business] again. No pressure, but if you have a minute this week, here's that review link: [link]

18. The bump

Hi [Name], just bumping this in case it got buried. A Google review would mean a lot to us at [Business]: [link]

19. The last note

Last note from me, [Name], and no worries if you never get to it. If you do, here's the Google review link: [link]

A third text is where a favor turns into a campaign. If the reminder gets no response, let it go and ask again after their next visit.

2 Texts for Regulars and Compliments

Two situations deserve their own wording, because the customer has already done half the work.

20. The long-time regular

Hi [Name], you've been coming to [Business] for years and we've never asked. Would you leave us a Google review? [link]

21. The reply to a compliment

That means a lot, thank you. Would you be up for leaving us a Google review? It really helps: [link]

Template 21 is the easiest yes on this list. When a customer texts you something kind, they have already decided what they think. Your reply only has to hand them the link.

Keep It to One Text: The 160-Character Math

A standard text message holds 160 characters. A longer one is split into segments of 153 characters each and stitched back together on the customer's phone, according to Twilio's SMS character limit reference.

The number that catches people out is 70. A text containing even one character outside the standard set, such as an emoji or a curly apostrophe, is encoded differently, and the limit drops to 70 characters for a single text and 67 per segment.

That is why every template above uses plain apostrophes and no emoji. With a typical first name and business name filled in, each one runs under 120 characters before the link.

Your link sets the rest of the budget. The short review link Google gives you in your Business Profile is about 40 characters. The longer form that ends in a place ID runs about 80, which leaves you 80 characters for words.

Two honest caveats. Phones rejoin the segments, so the customer still sees one message either way. The limit matters most if you pay a texting service per segment, and if you paste a message from a notes app that has quietly turned your apostrophes curly.

The better reason to stay short is the lock screen. A text that fits in the preview reads as a note from a person. One that runs past it reads as marketing.

What Google's Rules Say a Review Text Can't Ask For

Google is clear that asking is allowed. Its "Tips to get more reviews" page says: "To leave reviews, you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code." Its page on creating a review link adds: "You can also send review requests through email, WhatsApp message, or Facebook post."

Three things are off limits, and plenty of popular templates break them.

1. A reward. Google's review link page says: "Offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, to customers in exchange for reviews is considered fake engagement and is strictly prohibited." So no "10% off your next visit for a review" and no prize draw.

2. A rating or a script. Google's Maps policy on prohibited and restricted content says merchants should not "request that specific content be included," and it lists "content that identifies a staff member" as an example. That rules out "leave us 5 stars" and "please mention Jake by name."

3. A filter. The same policy's list of what merchants may not do includes: "Discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers." Texting only the customers you expect to be happy is selective solicitation. Send the request to everyone you served.

The policy also states what merchants are allowed to do: "Solicit or encourage the posting of content that does represent a genuine experience, without offering incentives to do so or attempting to influence the rating or the contents of the review." Every template in this guide stays inside that sentence.

Who You Can Text, and When

In the US, the federal rule on automated calls, 47 CFR 64.1200, bars calls made "using an automatic telephone dialing system" to a mobile number without "the prior express consent of the called party." The FCC applies that rule to text messages, and some state laws are stricter.

The same rule bars telephone solicitation "before the hour of 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. (local time at the called party's location)."

For a small business, four habits keep you on safe ground:

• Text only customers who gave you their number as part of the job, the booking, or the order.
• Say who you are in the first line.
• Send during the day. Your own business hours are the simplest rule.
• Stop when asked. If someone replies STOP or asks you not to text, that is the end of it.

If you send through a texting platform, ask the provider what consent it needs from your customers before you upload a list.

How to Send It

There are three ways to get a review request text out the door, and the right one depends on how many customers you see in a week.

Type it from your own phone. For a handful of customers a week, this is the best option there is. The text comes from the number the customer already knows, in the same thread as their appointment reminder, and they can reply to it.

Use a link tool that writes the text for you. The free review link generator finds your business, gives you the direct link, and opens a ready-to-send message in your phone's messaging app. For customers standing in front of you, a printed review QR code does the same job without a phone number, and training staff to ask in person makes both work harder.

Let the request write itself. ReplyOnTheFly's review requests connect to the system you already run your business on, such as Square, Jobber, or QuickBooks, and ask each new customer at the right time. For a customer with only a phone number on file, it writes a personal message from the job details and opens it in your own messaging app, so the text goes out from your number and not a robo-number.

Text is one channel among several. The full system, from the first ask to the follow-up, is in the guide to getting more Google reviews, and the email and in-person versions are in how to ask for Google reviews.

Once the texts go out, the reviews come in, and each one deserves a reply. ReplyOnTheFly emails you a draft reply in your voice for every new review, and one tap posts it to Google. You can start free and stay on the free plan for good.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good text message to ask for a review?

A good review request text has five parts in this order: the customer's first name, who you are, the specific thing you did for them, one low-pressure ask, and the link at the very end. For example: "Hi Maria, it's Dan from Parkside Auto. Glad we got the brakes sorted today. Would you leave us a quick Google review?" followed by your review link. Keep it under 120 characters before the link and send it the same day.

How long should a review request text message be?

Aim for 120 characters or fewer before the link. A standard text message holds 160 characters, and Google's short review link takes about 40 of them. One emoji or one curly apostrophe changes how the whole message is encoded and drops the limit to 70 characters, so type plain punctuation and leave the emoji out.

Can I ask for a 5-star review in a text message?

No. Google's policy allows you to ask for a review but not to influence the rating or the contents. It says merchants should not request that specific content be included, and it names content that identifies a staff member as an example. Ask for a review, not for five stars, and do not tell the customer what to mention.

Is it legal to text customers asking for a review?

In the US, the federal rule on automated calls (47 CFR 64.1200) requires the prior express consent of the person you contact when an automatic dialing system is used to reach a mobile number, and state laws can be stricter. The safe practice is to text only customers who gave you their number as part of the job, name your business in the message, send during the day, and stop the moment someone asks. If you send through a texting platform, ask the provider what consent it needs from your customers.

How many times should I text a customer for a review?

Twice at most: the first request on the day of the visit, and one reminder three to five days later if they have not responded. A third text turns a favor into a campaign. If the reminder gets no response, let it go and ask again after their next visit.

Should I send a review request by text or by email?

Use whichever one the customer already hears from you on. Text suits businesses that book and confirm by phone, such as home services, salons, and auto shops, because the request lands in a thread the customer already knows. Email suits businesses that send receipts and confirmations by email, and it is easier to send automatically. Do not send both on the same day.

Conclusion

A review request text message works when it reads like a note from the person who did the job. First name, who you are, the specific thing, one easy ask, and the link at the end.

Keep it under 120 characters before the link, type it with plain punctuation, and send it the same day. Send one reminder a few days later, then leave it alone.

Ask every customer, offer nothing in return, and never tell them what to write. Those three rules keep the reviews you earn on your profile, and they are the difference between a request and a campaign.

Pick one template from this list, change the words in brackets, and send it to today's customers before you close up.