What is a review request?
Definition
A review request is a short message, by email, text or in person, asking a customer to leave a review of your business, usually on Google. The best ones are sent soon after the job, thank the customer by name, and include a direct link that opens the review form in one tap.
How to ask customers for reviews
Reviews often tip a new customer toward you or away. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 97% of US consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 74% care most about reviews from the last three months. So a steady trickle beats a burst every few years, and the only way to keep it coming is to ask, every time.
Timing is most of it. Ask when the customer is happiest: right after the work is done and they've seen the result. Keep it short, use their name, mention the job, and link straight to your review form, so it takes one tap instead of a search. A quick word at the end of the job, followed by the link the same day, is hard to beat.
For roofers, ask after the final cleanup, once the yard is clear of nails and the homeowner can see the new roof. For landscapers, ask after a big install or the first visit of the season. For pest control companies, wait for the follow-up visit, once the problem is truly gone. For auto repair shops, ask at pickup, while the car is running right.
Follow the rules. Google doesn't allow paying or rewarding people for reviews, and it doesn't allow asking only the customers you expect to be happy, a practice called review gating. Ask everyone, and reply to every review, good or bad, in a sentence or two.
What to put in a review request
- Their first name and the job you did, so it feels personal.
- One warm line of thanks, not a whole paragraph.
- A direct link to your review form; your Google Business Profile gives you one to share.
- A sentence on how much reviews help a small business like yours.
- No reward, discount or condition tied to the review.
- One polite reminder a few days later if they haven't left one yet.
How Future handles it
On Pro and Premier, appointments and orders taken through your site trigger a review request, written the way you approve, to customers who agreed to hear from you. Asking happens every time instead of whenever you remember. Review requests by text are Coming soon.
Sample reviews from a design get flagged on Future's checklist before you publish, so a real one can take their place. Real reviews and testimonials from your customers are what belong there.