The Text-Message Review Template That Gets a 40% Response Rate

Why SMS Beats Email for Review Requests

Email open rates for review-request blasts hover around 20%. Reply rates? Single digits. SMS open rates are above 95% within minutes, and a well-crafted ask routinely converts at 30-50% — meaning a third or more of the customers you text will actually leave a review.

The reason is simple: a text feels personal. An email feels like marketing.

The 3-Line Template

Send this within 4 hours of finishing the job:

Hey [first name] — [your first name] from [business] here. Thanks for letting us [job they hired you for]. If you have 30 seconds, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? Here's the direct link: [link]. Means the world to a small shop like ours.

Three things make this work. The personal "Hey [first name]," — generic blasts get ignored. The phrase "30 seconds" — sets a small commitment. And the explicit acknowledgement that you're a small shop — most customers want to help.

Two Rules

Don't ever ask for a "5-star review." Google will sandbox you. Just ask for "a review." The good service does the star count.

Don't follow up more than once. If they didn't reply, they're not going to. Follow-up texts get reported as spam and tank your number's deliverability.

Set this up once, automate it on job completion, and watch your review count compound month over month.