How to ask for a review by email (with templates)

Yes, you can ask for a Google review by email, and you can ask every customer, which is the whole point. Keep it plain: a thank you, the specific job, a link, and no offers of any kind. The templates below do that, and the rules are in plain words underneath.

Can you ask for a Google review by email?

Short answer, absolutely. Google itself suggests it. Their tip is that you can send review requests through email, WhatsApp message or Facebook post, and they also suggest putting the review link in thank you emails, on receipts, at the end of a chat, and printing the QR code in store.

If you already send booking confirmations and invoices, you’ve got the habit, right? You just add one more message. Nothing fancy.

The link comes from your Business Profile: Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. That’s it. If you can’t find it, there’s a walkthrough in find your Google review link, and if you’d rather hand out a code, the Google review QR code tool is there for that.

One thing worth knowing: customers have to be signed in to a Google Account to leave a review. They can set one up with a non-Gmail email address, so that’s not a dead end for anyone. Some people will simply not bother, and that’s fine.

What to put in a review request email

It’s a short email. Keep it that way. Six parts, really, and you can write most of them in your sleep.

A subject line that says what it is. The customer’s first name. Your business name and the specific job, so they remember exactly who you are (people book a lot of things). A straight request for an honest review. The link. And a line saying they can ignore it if they’d rather not, then your name.

That last line matters more than it looks. It takes the pressure off, and it keeps the whole thing a request rather than a nudge.

What you leave out matters just as much. No hint at what you’d like them to say. No “five stars would be lovely”. Google’s rules are clear that businesses must not request that specific content be included. You may ask for genuine reviews without incentives and without trying to influence the rating or content. So the ask is for an honest review, full stop.

Honest and balanced helps you anyway. Google notes that a mix of positive and negative often feels more trustworthy, so you’re not trying to scrub anything.

If you want a faster route, the review request generator builds these parts for you.

Review request email templates

Four here. Each one goes to everyone, not a chosen few. That’s the rule that ties them together, and I’ll come back to why.

After a job

Fictional example.

Subject: Your gutter repair with Hartley Roofing

Hi Dana,

Thanks for having us out to repair your gutters. We’ve finished the job and we’re grateful for the work.

If you’ve got a couple of minutes, would you leave an honest review of the gutter repair on Google? Whatever you think is what we’d like to read.

[your review link]

If you’d rather not, just ignore this, no problem at all.

Thanks again, Sam, Hartley Roofing

After an appointment

Fictional example.

Subject: Your sports massage at Northfield Clinic

Hi Priya,

Thanks for coming in for your sports massage appointment.

Would you be willing to leave an honest review of your visit on Google? It helps other people decide, whatever you’d say.

[your review link]

If you’d prefer not to, you can ignore this message.

Best wishes, Jo, Northfield Clinic

After a delivered online order

Fictional example.

Subject: Your candle order from Wick & Ember

Hi Tom,

Your order of candles should have reached you by now, and thank you for buying from us.

We’d appreciate an honest review on Google of the candles and the ordering, however it went for you.

[your review link]

Feel free to ignore this if reviews aren’t your thing.

Kind regards, Anna, Wick & Ember

A single gentle reminder

Fictional example.

Subject: A quick reminder about your gutter repair review

Hi Dana,

Just a quick note in case my last email got buried. If you’d like to leave an honest review of the gutter repair, here’s the link:

[your review link]

If not, no worries, and this is the only reminder you’ll get from me.

Thanks, Sam, Hartley Roofing

One reminder. A few days later. Then stop.

A review request message for WhatsApp

Same parts, fewer words. Texting and messaging feel more personal, so keep it short and let it sound like you. There’s more on this in ask for Google reviews by text.

Fictional example.

Hi Liam, it’s Kate from Brightside Decorating. Thanks for letting us paint your hallway and stairs. Would you leave an honest review on Google? [your review link] No worries at all if you’d rather not.

Fictional example.

Hi Megan, it’s Ruth at Happy Paws Grooming. Thanks for bringing Biscuit in today. Would you write an honest review of the groom on Google? [your review link] Ignore this if you’d prefer not to, and thanks either way.

Both go out to every customer, same as the emails.

Keeping it a plain request, not marketing

Here’s where I’ll be careful, because this is the bit people trip over.

Under PECR, direct marketing means advertising or marketing material directed to particular individuals, and the ICO says the definition is broad. Messages sent purely for admin or customer service purposes, which only give admin info and don’t promote anything, are a different category. Add advertising or marketing material and a message can become direct marketing. In the ICO’s guidance, “electronic mail” covers email, texts, in-app messages and direct messages on social media, so assume the same care applies to a WhatsApp message.

So the practical advice is simple: keep it plain, no offers, no promotion, nothing slipped in about your next sale. The ICO explains where the line sits, so read it for your situation. This isn’t legal advice. The ICO also says its electronic mail marketing guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check the current version rather than trusting my summary.

For the wider picture on asking well, see how to ask for an honest review.

Mistakes that get reviews removed or break the rules

Offering something in return. Free or discounted goods or services for posting, changing or removing a review is fake engagement, and Google says it’s strictly prohibited. The CMA gives the example of offering an existing customer a free or discounted product in exchange for a five-star review. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews. And Google says reviews posted because a business offered an incentive are not allowed and will be removed from Maps.

Picking who you ask. Google’s policy says businesses must not selectively solicit positive reviews, or discourage negative ones. The CMA describes cherry-picking as encouraging just those who are satisfied to leave reviews. That’s why every template above goes to everyone. The CMA is equally clear that merely emailing customers generally to ask if they wish to provide a review is not prohibited under the banned practice.

Steering the content. Don’t ask for specific wording or a particular rating.

I know it’s tempting to tidy up who gets the email. Don’t. Send it to everyone, keep it plain, and let the reviews land however they land. For the rules in full, see asking for Google reviews: the rules and fake reviews and UK law.

Questions people ask

Is it allowed to email customers asking for a Google review?

Yes. Google suggests putting your review link in thank you emails and says you can send review requests by email, WhatsApp or a Facebook post. The CMA's fake reviews guidance says merely emailing customers generally to ask if they wish to leave a review is not prohibited. The conditions: ask customers generally, offer nothing, and don't steer the rating or content.

Can I send the review email only to customers who seemed happy?

No. Google's policy says businesses must not selectively solicit positive reviews, and the CMA's guidance describes encouraging just those who are satisfied to leave reviews as a form of cherry-picking. Send the same request, with the same public link, to every customer you'd normally contact after a job.

How many times should I email about a review?

Once, with at most one short reminder a few days later, then stop. Say in the message that it's fine to ignore it. Google's policy says businesses must not pressure customers to leave reviews while on the premises, and a string of chasing emails puts the same kind of pressure on from a distance.

Does a review request email count as marketing under PECR?

It depends on what the message says, and this page isn't legal advice. The ICO explains that purely administrative or customer service messages aren't direct marketing if they don't promote anything, but adding marketing material changes that. Keep the request plain with no offers, and read the ICO's guidance for your own situation. The ICO says that guidance is under review.