A template is only half the job.
The request doesn't write the review.
Review links are easy to send. Reviews are hard to write.
A good request gets the customer to tap. What happens next is the part that decides whether you actually get a review. They land on Google, see a blank box, and a lot of them quietly give up.
So copy these freely. Just remember the request gets them to the door. The destination decides whether they walk through it.
Short, specific, one clear link.
The customer already knows what happened. You don't need to sell them again or explain why reviews matter to your business.
The strongest requests are almost boring: a name, the job, a thank-you, and a single link. No guilt. No speech. No paragraph about how much it helps the business.
- Use the customer's name when you have it.
- Mention the specific job so the review starts with context.
- Send one link, not a menu of options.
- Ask once. One gentle reminder a few days later is plenty.
- Never offer a discount or perk in exchange for a review.
Five SMS requests, from warm to no-nonsense.
Text gets read, so keep it to a few lines. The five below say the same thing in five different voices. Pick the one that sounds like you, swap in your customer, the job, and your link, and send it from your own phone.
SMS · warm
Warm and personal
Hi Marisol, glad we got the AC running again. If you have a sec, would you leave us a quick Google review? It honestly means a lot: [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
SMS · direct
Short and confident
Dev, pool's weekend-ready. Mind dropping a quick Google review for Clearwater Pool Co.? [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
SMS · friendly
Casual and a little playful
Hey Kevin! Hope the new bathroom's already your favorite room. If we earned it, a quick Google review for Cedar & Stone would make our day: [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
SMS · polished
Polished and professional
Hello Renee, thank you for trusting Northside Plumbing with the water heater. If you were happy with the work, a short Google review would help other homeowners find us: [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
SMS · curious
Leads with the question
Hi Theo, quick one: what stood out about the new yard? If you'd drop it in a Google review for Rooted Landscape, that's exactly what the next homeowner wants to know: [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
- Don't have your link yet? Find it and make a QR code
Every template above ends at your Google review link. Here's how to grab yours.
Email templates you can copy.
Email gives you a little more room, but the same rules apply. Keep the ask near the top so it survives a quick skim.
Email · service business
After a plumbing job
Subject: Quick favor after the water heater install Hi Renee, thanks again for choosing Northside Plumbing. Would you share an honest Google review about your experience? It helps other homeowners know what to expect: [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
Email · project recap
After a landscaping build
Subject: How did the new yard turn out? Hi Theo, it was a pleasure building out the backyard. Once you've had a few days to enjoy it, we'd love a quick Google review of your experience with Rooted Landscape: [your review link]
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
Email · follow-up
One reminder, a few days later
Subject: Following up on your review Hi Theo, no pressure at all, just circling back in case my last note slipped by. If you're open to a quick Google review for Rooted Landscape, here's the link again: [your review link]. Either way, thank you.
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
In-person scripts and QR cards.
The best moment to ask is often face to face, right when the customer says something kind. Have a short line ready so you don't fumble it.
- Put QR codes where the customer naturally pauses: invoice, receipt, front desk, truck, leave-behind card.
- Pair the code with one short line of context, not a paragraph.
- If you ask in person, follow up with the link by text so they have it later.
In person
When a salon client is already thankful
I'm so glad you love the cut. If you're up for it, I'll text you a quick link to leave a Google review for Mirror & Maple. It really helps other clients find us.
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
QR leave-behind
Printed on an invoice or counter card
Happy with the work? Scan to leave a quick Google review for Summit Garage Doors. It helps your neighbors find us.
Copy gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version to make your own.
Make it sound like you, not a CRM.
A template saves you time. It should not make every message sound identical and automated.
Swap in the real job, the real name, and one true detail from the visit. That one specific line is what makes the customer feel seen instead of processed.
- Reference the actual work, not 'your recent service.'
- Match your normal tone. Warm and plain beats formal and stiff.
- Drop the corporate sign-off. You're a person, not a support queue.
Or stop copy-pasting, and let small Talk send these for you.
Every template above is something you send by hand, one customer at a time, and the link drops them at a blank Google box. small Talk does both halves for you.
It sends the ask for you, right after the job or with one tap, from a real number with opt-out handled. And the link it sends isn't a blank box. The customer taps a few answers, gets a draft built from those answers, edits it, and posts it themselves.
Same ask you'd send anyway. Sent for you, and pointed somewhere that actually gets the review written.
What the customer taps or says
The review it drafts
Devin K.
Water heater started leaking on a Sunday and they had someone out within the hour. They fixed the leak, explained why it kept happening so it won't come back, and left the space cleaner than they found it. No surprise charges. Calling them next time.
Next step
Let the ask send itself.
small Talk turns the texts above into an automatic request after every job, then hands the customer a guided link that drafts the review from their own words. You stop copy-pasting, and far more reviews actually get finished.