--- title: "How to ask for a Google review by text (with examples)" url: https://reviewnudge.app/guides/ask-for-google-reviews-by-text/ published: 2026-09-29 updated: 2026-09-29 author: "Jack Stovell" author_profile: https://i.hilyt.it/jack publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited" summary: "Text customers who gave you their number during the job, soon afterwards, with a short plain message: their name, your business, the job, a request for honest feedback and your direct review link." language: en-GB --- # How to ask for a Google review by text (with examples) > Text customers who gave you their number during the job, soon afterwards, with a short plain message: their name, your business, the job, a request for honest feedback and your direct review link. Ask by text soon after the job, keep it short, and send the direct review link. Use their first name, say who you are, ask for honest feedback, and stop if anyone asks you to. That's it, really. ## Why a text works A text turns up in the same place as the message from their mum, so it tends to get seen. An email can get buried, and a card left on the counter can end up lost in a coat pocket. It also lets the customer do the whole thing on the phone they're already holding. They tap the link, write a couple of lines, done. If they've got a Google Account they can leave a review straight away, and if they haven't, at least they know why it isn't working (customers need one, that's just how Google does it). The text is only half the job. The other half is asking the right people, in the right way, at a sensible time. The rest of this page is about that. ## Before you text anyone Only text customers who gave you their number in the course of the job. Someone who booked an appointment or left a number so you could confirm a visit is fine. A number you found somewhere else isn't. In the UK, electronic messages are covered by PECR, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which the ICO regulates. It applies to marketing texts. Whether a review request counts as marketing depends on what the message actually says. So keep it a plain request: no offers, no promotions, no "10% off your next visit". Say who you are, and if someone asks you to stop, stop straight away. I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice, so for your own situation have a look at the ICO's PECR guidance. It's written for ordinary businesses and it's worth ten minutes. ## What a good review request text contains Keep it short. A good one has six bits in it: - their first name - your business name - the specific job you did - a request for honest feedback - the direct review link - your name That's about it. The first name makes it feel like it came from a person. The business name tells them who's texting (they might not have saved your number). The specific job, say "the boiler service" rather than "your recent visit", jogs their memory and gives them something to write about. Ask for honest feedback and leave it there. Don't tell them what to say or how many stars to give. The link matters more than people think. It should take them straight to the review box for your business, not to a search page. If you don't have it yet, the guide to [finding your Google review link](/guides/find-your-google-review-link/) shows you where it is. And if you'd rather not write these from scratch, the [review request builder](/tools/review-request-generator/) builds a text like the ones below for SMS, WhatsApp or email. One practical thing. Long texts, or ones with emoji in them, may get split into more than one message by the phone network. So keep it lean and go easy on the emoji. ## Example texts by type of business Each of these is a fictional example, made up to show the shape of the thing. Swap in your own details. **A plumber** Fictional example: > Hi Karen, it's Dave from Riverside Plumbing. Thanks for having us in to fix your leaking tap. If you've got a minute, I'd really value an honest review of how it went: [your review link]. Thanks, Dave **A hair salon** Fictional example: > Hi Priya, this is Sam at Fold Hair Studio. Thanks for coming in for your cut and colour. Would you be happy to leave an honest review of your visit? Here's the link: [your review link]. Thanks, Sam **A dental practice** Fictional example: > Hello Mr Osei, this is Elm Dental Practice. Thank you for coming to your check-up. If you'd like to share honest feedback about your visit, you can do it here: [your review link]. Kind regards, Helen, Practice Manager **A café** A text only works for a café if the customer booked with a number, say for a table or a group order. Plenty of café customers just walk in, and then you've got no number to text. For them, a table card with a QR code is the better route, and the [Google review QR card maker](/tools/google-review-qr-code/) makes one. If you did take a booking, though, this works: Fictional example: > Hi Tom, it's Jo at The Corner Table. Thanks for booking the back room for your birthday lunch. Would you leave us an honest review of how it went? Link here: [your review link]. Thanks, Jo Notice what they all share. One thing asked, one link, one name at the end. ## Timing and follow-up Send it soon after the job, while the customer still remembers it. Same day or the next day is about right. Wait a fortnight and they've forgotten what the fuss was about. Pick sensible hours too. Nobody wants a buzz on the bedside table at eleven at night. Mid-morning or early evening on a normal day is fine. You can send one reminder if they haven't responded, a few days later, and keep it just as short and friendly as the first. Then stop. No third text, no fourth. Chasing someone starts to feel like pressure, and Google's policy is clear that businesses shouldn't pressure customers into reviews. If they've left a review, a public reply is a nice touch. You need to have verified your Business Profile first, and your reply shows as the business, not your personal name. Google's own advice is to keep it short, polite and professional, and to sign with your name or initials. The [review reply writer](/tools/review-reply-generator/) can draft two short options if you're stuck. ## Mistakes to avoid **Asking for five stars.** You can ask for an honest review. You can't ask for a particular rating, or tell people what to put in it. Google says businesses must not ask for specific content. **Offering a discount or a prize.** This is banned. No payment, no discounts, no free goods or services for posting, changing or removing a review. Not even a small one. **Texting only the customers you think were happy.** Also banned. It's called selective solicitation, and Google says businesses must not do it. Ask everyone you'd normally ask, whatever you suspect they'll say. **Long messages.** Nobody reads a paragraph on a phone. It might also get chopped into several texts. **Sending a link that lands on a rating screen first.** If your link takes people to a page asking "how did we do?" before it shows the Google review box, you're filtering. Use the direct link instead. There's more in the guide to [asking for an honest review](/guides/ask-for-an-honest-review/). ## Questions people ask ### Can I send the review request on WhatsApp instead of SMS? Yes, the same rules apply. Only message customers who gave you their number during the job, keep it plain with no offers, say who you are, and stop if they ask. The wording of the text can be identical. Just check the link opens properly on their phone. ### Should I include a discount for anyone who leaves a review? No. Google bans offering payment, discounts or free goods or services in return for a review, and it also bans offering them for changing or removing one. It would also turn a plain request into something that looks like a promotion, which is exactly what you want to avoid. ### What if a customer texts back saying they'd rather not? Reply politely, thank them, and don't send anything more. If they've asked you to stop, that's the end of it. Don't try to talk them round, and don't send the reminder. It costs you nothing and keeps things on the right side of the rules. ### What if I get a review that breaks Google's rules? You can report any review, but only ones that break Google's policies are removed. Don't report one just because you disagree with it. Google says it doesn't get involved in disputes between businesses and customers. Evaluation usually takes several days, and a rejected report can get a one-time appeal. ## Sources - [Google Maps: Prohibited and restricted content](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114) - [Google Business Profile Help: Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews](https://support.google.com/business/answer/16816815) - [ICO: Guide to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/direct-marketing-and-privacy-and-electronic-communications/guide-to-pecr/)