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You know texting customers for reviews works. What slows most businesses down is the blank message box — what do you actually say? Say too little and it feels abrupt; say too much and it reads like spam. The difference between a 5% response and a 25% response is usually just the wording.
Below are ready-to-use SMS review request templates you can copy, paste, and adapt — organized by situation, from the first ask to the follow-up, plus industry-specific versions and the compliance rules that keep them safe.
Every template on this page follows the same four-part structure, because it’s what separates a message that converts from one that gets ignored.
Start here. These work for almost any local business — swap in your details. Brackets mark what to personalize: [Name], [Business], [service], and [link].
Most people who intend to leave a review simply forget. A single, gentle follow-up two or three days after the first text recovers a meaningful share of them — without tipping into nagging. Send this once, and only once.
Follow-up: “Hi [Name], just a friendly nudge — if you have 30 seconds, a Google review would really help our team: [link]. No worries either way, and thanks again!”
The ‘no worries either way’ matters. It keeps the follow-up warm and gives the customer a graceful out, which paradoxically makes them more likely to act. If they don’t respond after this, stop — a third message is where you start damaging goodwill and risking opt-outs.
TrueReview merges each customer’s name and your review link into templates like these and sends them by SMS after every job — with the timed follow-up handled for you and opt-outs managed automatically. A credit card is required to start, and the 14-day free trial includes full sending. Start your trial or explore the SMS review request feature.
The core templates work everywhere, but referencing the specific job lifts response rates because it reminds the customer exactly what they’re reviewing. A few adapted examples:
Home services (HVAC, plumbing, roofing): “Hi [Name], thanks for trusting [Business] with your [repair/install] today! If the crew did right by you, a quick Google review helps us a ton: [link]”
Salons & barbershops: “Hi [Name], loved having you in today! If you’re happy with your [cut/color], we’d be grateful for a quick Google review: [link]”
Auto repair & detailing: “Hi [Name], your [vehicle] is all set — thanks for choosing [Business]! A Google review helps other drivers find us: [link]”
Medical & dental: “Hi [Name], thank you for visiting [Business] today. If you have a moment, we’d appreciate a quick Google review about your experience: [link]”
For medical and dental practices, keep the wording focused on the visit experience and never reference any clinical detail — that’s the safe, HIPAA-aware way to ask. Our HIPAA-aware review playbook for healthcare covers this in full, and if you want the widest set of wording across every channel, the 25 review-request templates and scripts and 12 email templates go further.
Templates are only safe if you send them the right way. Three non-negotiables:
No incentives. None of these templates offer a discount or reward, and yours shouldn’t either — Google prohibits paying for reviews in any form. No review-gating. Send the same template to every customer, not just the ones you expect to rave. Screening by sentiment violates Google’s policy. Consent and opt-outs. Only text customers who gave you their number through the transaction, and honor any opt-out immediately — see our guide to opt-in text messaging.
This is where automation quietly protects you: a tool sends the identical neutral template to everyone and processes opt-outs on its own, so you can’t accidentally drift into gating or message someone who asked you to stop. For the complete system around these templates, see our complete guide to SMS review requests, and to run it hands-free, automated review request software.
TrueReview automates compliant SMS and email review requests, monitors Google and 20+ platforms in one dashboard, and drafts AI-assisted replies you approve. Review Radar™ flags anything that appears to violate a platform’s policies so you stay in control. Start a free 14-day trial — setup takes about 15 minutes.
