{"id":8820,"date":"2025-09-25T09:09:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/?p=8820"},"modified":"2025-09-25T09:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T15:09:50","slug":"the-ultimate-review-request-templates-for-maximizing-the-benefits-from-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/the-ultimate-review-request-templates-for-maximizing-the-benefits-from-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Review Request Templates for Maximizing the Benefits from Reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Earning any positive review of your local business is a win, but that win can become a major marketing victory when it contains certain valuable elements. Today, I\u2019d like to offer you just a few really good email and SMS templates for maximizing what reviews can do for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darren Shaw and I were both impressed by a LinkedIn post from Amy Toman<\/a> in which she praised Home Depot for sending her a review request containing suggested elements to include in her review of a product she\u2019d purchased. Amy asked if multiple industries could benefit from this review acquisition approach, and we definitely think so. Let\u2019s see how!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power reviews – what can they do for your business?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At a basic level, review volume and recency are strongly believed to impact rankings in Google\u2019s local search engine results and Maps<\/a>, so they have an intrinsic benefit regardless of what reviewers actually include in them. But power reviews can do so much for you. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reviews that include images<\/strong> (like the above) appear to stay at the top of your Google Business Profile reviews section longer than those without this content, according to studies like this one from Sterling Sky<\/a>. Studies (like one I\u2019ll link to in a moment) show that reviews that contain images and videos are more trusted by consumers, so it\u2019s great to have those highly featured near the top of your review set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Google Local Packs and Maps, reviews that include specific language<\/strong> about products, services, amenities, and features of the business can be excerpted in Google local packs as \u201clocal justifications<\/a>\u201d. See the above examples of customers mentioning pies in their reviews. Despite the fact that none of the businesses in this set has the word \u201cpies\u201d in their business name, these justifications confirm to potential customers that these bakeries offer this menu item.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Google Business Profiles, reviews that include specific language<\/strong> can be highlighted in the Review Summary section of the listing. The above screenshot shows the results I experienced when searching for \u201cbathroom remodel San Francisco\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And, if enough customers review a specific aspect of the business, it will become a \u201cplace topic\u201d, meaning that searchers can filter to see reviews referring to \u201cbathroom remodel\u201d or another key feature of the business. These features could help your brand receive more qualified leads from potential customers who are looking for a very specific service, product, or amenity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reviews that contain detailed descriptions<\/strong> of the customer\u2019s experience earn a 33% increase in consumer trust that the review is legitimate, according to this large survey of 1,200+ US consumers I worked on with GatherUp<\/a>. Given the serious problem of review fraud<\/a>, reviews that appear authentic will become an increasingly valuable asset if predictions hold true that platforms like Google Business Profile are about to be overrun with AI-generated review content<\/a>. Note, too, the positive impacts of images and videos on consumer trust seen in the above slide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reviews that contain structured attribute validation <\/strong>based on questions Google asks reviewers. Hat tip to Claudia Tomina<\/a> for capturing an apparent expansion of Google\u2019s quest to get more information about specific aspects of local businesses by having them select from large sets of pre-populated attributes when leaving a review. Lots of questions need to be answered about where Google is getting the wording of these labels from and how they might impact your ability to rank for tons of terms that might not even be on your website. Stay tuned, because Whitespark has a major study forthcoming on this fascinating topic!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udd14 So how can your business earn these extra review benefits and their ability to impact trust and conversions?<\/em>
<\/strong>
Write more helpful review requests<\/strong>. Do some of the work for your customers to inspire them about what to write and to influence the usefulness of the reviews your business receives. We\u2019ve got templates for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimate Review Request Templates for Power Reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Use Whitespark\u2019s email and SMS templates for a variety of common scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 1: Requesting reviews of specific products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Email Template <\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Hi [customer name],

I\u2019m [your name and job title] from [company name], and I\u2019m writing to check in with you on your purchase of [product]. It\u2019s my job to be sure you\u2019re satisfied, and I wondered if you would be willing to provide your feedback in a review at [Google review link generator link to GBP<\/a>]?\u00a0

I\u2019m enclosing a photo of [product] for your use in your review if you don\u2019t have your own photo, and I\u2019d be so grateful if you could review your experience with:

– The features of this product that stand out most to you
– What you like or dislike about it
– How you\u2019ve been using the product since you purchased it\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0

If there\u2019s anything we could have done better for you, please feel free to contact us directly at [phone number or feedback form link]. I want to be sure you\u2019re fully satisfied and we\u2019re so grateful for your business. Thank you very much if you can take the time to tell us about your personal experience in your review.

[review us here link or button]

Sincerely,
[name, job title, business]<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
SMS Template<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
[Customer name] we\u2019d love to hear what you like\/dislike about your new [product] at [Google review link generator link to GBP<\/a>] Here\u2019s a nice photo you can use in your review. Thanks!\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 2: Requesting reviews of specific services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Email Template<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Hello [customer name],

This is [your name and job title] from [company name], and we were so happy to [service provided] It\u2019s my job to be sure you\u2019re satisfied, and I wondered if you would be willing to provide your feedback in a review at [Google review link generator link to GBP<\/a>]?\u00a0

I\u2019m enclosing a photo of [the service that was provided] for your use in your review if you don\u2019t have your own photo, and I\u2019d be so grateful if you could review your experience with:

– Whether the service met your expectations
– What you like\/dislike about the service
– How we did with our customer service\u00a0

If there\u2019s anything we could have done better for you, please feel free to contact us directly at [phone number or feedback form link]. I want to be sure you\u2019re fully satisfied, and we\u2019re so grateful for your business. Thank you very much if you can take the time to tell us about your personal experience in your review.

[review us here link or button]

Sincerely,
[name, job title, business]<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
SMS Template<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
[Customer name] did our service meet your expectations today? Here\u2019s the photo we took for your use + a [Google review link generator link to GBP<\/a>] link to review us. Thanks!<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scenario 3: Requesting reviews when you’re not sure what a customer purchased<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Email template<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Hello [customer name],

Thank you for being our customer. I\u2019m [your name and job title] from [company name], It\u2019s my job to be sure you\u2019re satisfied, and I wondered if you would be willing to provide your feedback in a review at [Google review link generator link to GBP<\/a>]?\u00a0

I\u2019m enclosing a photo of [the business premises] for your use in your review if you don\u2019t have your own photo, and I\u2019d love it if you could review:

– Whether you found our customer service helpful
– What you like\/dislike about our store
– Why you chose our store\u00a0

If there\u2019s anything we could have done better for you, please feel free to contact us directly at [phone number or feedback form link]. I want to be sure you\u2019re fully satisfied and we\u2019re so grateful for your business. Thank you very much if you can take the time to tell us about your personal experience in your review.

[review us here link or button]

Sincerely,
[name, job title, business]<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
SMS Template<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
We\u2019d love to hear why you chose [name, job title, business]. Here\u2019s a photo we took for your use + a [Google review link generator link to GBP<\/a>] link to review us. Thanks for being our customer!!<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A few bright ideas for earning better reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You know that relationship trope about one partner expecting the other to know what they want without being told? Parlay that into the review scenario. Don\u2019t imagine that customers know how much you\u2019d value a really detailed review from them unless you\u2019re specifically stating that. Apart from sending review requests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n