What can I send customers when I ask for a Google review?

Which Google review request template should I use?

Email after the customer has used the service

Subject: Share your experience with [business name]

Hi [first name],

Thank you for choosing [business name]. If you would like to share your honest experience, you can leave a Google review here: [Google review link]. Your rating and comments are entirely up to you.

Thank you,
[business name or sender name]

Why it works: the email asks about the customer's genuine experience without requesting a rating, particular wording, or positive sentiment. Google says a business can ask customers to use a Google link or QR code, but the review must reflect a genuine experience and the request must not influence the rating or contents.^1,2

Replace every bracketed item before sending. Use the same eligibility rule for all customers who have had the relevant experience, not only customers you expect to respond positively.³

SMS after the customer has used the service

Hi [first name], thank you for choosing [business name]. If you would like to share your honest experience, you can leave a Google review here: [Google review link]. Your rating and comments are up to you.

Why it works: the message is short enough for a normal customer follow-up, but it still leaves the decision, rating, and words with the customer. It does not attach a discount, gift, or other benefit to the review.^1,2

Use this only in a customer communication channel the person already expects from [business name]. Do not turn the message into a request for five stars, a named employee, a particular phrase, or a specific number of reviews.²

In-person after the customer has used the service

Thank you for choosing [business name]. If you would like to share your honest experience later, you can use this Google review link or scan this QR code: [Google review link or QR code]. The rating and words are up to you, and you do not need to post a review.

Why it works: the customer receives a clear next step without being required or pressured to rate the business while on the premises. Google says merchants should not require or pressure users to leave a rating or write a review on the premises, or request specific content.²

Hand over the link or QR code after the service is complete. Check that it opens the correct Business Profile before printing a card or displaying a code. Google's review-link and QR-code guide covers where to create and check the link.

What should I check before sending any request?

Mark every line true before the request goes out:

• The recipient has actually used or experienced the product or service.
• The same neutral invitation is available to every customer who meets that rule. It is not sent only to customers expected to leave a positive review.
• The request offers no money, discount, free good, free service, gift, contest entry, or other benefit in exchange for posting, revising, or removing a review.
• The request does not ask for five stars, a positive rating, a particular phrase, a named staff member, a specific number of reviews, or any other requested content.
• The request does not require, threaten, or pressure the customer to leave a rating or review, including while the customer is on the premises.
• The wording invites an honest experience and leaves the rating, comments, and choice to post with the customer.
• The Google review link or QR code opens the correct Business Profile.
• The message makes no promise about rankings, leads, revenue, or any other result from leaving a review.
• Any campaign that falls outside this neutral request has been checked against the rules of the review platform and the specific facts of the campaign.

Google allows merchants to solicit genuine-experience content without incentives or attempts to influence the rating or review contents. Google's policy also prohibits selective solicitation of positive reviews, pressure on the premises, and requests for specific content.² The FTC's marketer guidance likewise says to know the platform's rules, ask only people who have used the product or service, and not ask only customers likely to leave positive reviews.³

How do I use these without sounding like a template?

1. Replace every bracketed item with the real business name, the correct customer name, and the link or QR code for the correct Business Profile.
2. Send the request after the customer has had the experience being reviewed; the customer still decides whether to post.^2,3
3. Keep the invitation the same for every eligible customer. Personalize the greeting or the channel, not the requested sentiment.^2,3
4. Do not supply words for the customer's experience or request specific content. The customer must choose the account and wording.²
5. If the customer posts feedback, handle the public reply separately. The Google review reply templates cover replies, while this page covers the request before a review exists.

For the broader request workflow, see how to ask every customer for a Google review. For the person who should perform the work, see who can handle Google reviews.

What should I never put in a Google review request?

The FTC's marketer guide also warns against misusing a platform's reporting mechanism to remove honest negative reviews. Report a review only when it matches the platform's stated policy, not because the business dislikes the rating.³

How is Google's policy different from the FTC review rule?

Google's Maps policy is the direct rule for a Google review. It prohibits incentives for posting any review, revising a review, or removing a negative review, along with selective positive solicitation, pressure, and requests for specific content.^1,2 The FTC's review-rule Q&A describes a narrower federal rule about incentives tied to a particular sentiment, but the FTC says its staff guidance is context-dependent and does not provide a safe harbor. For a Google review request, use Google's stricter boundary: do not offer an incentive at all.⁴

This page is practical copy and a policy checklist, not legal advice. An unusual campaign, incentive program, or regulated industry may need advice based on its facts.