How to Write a Review Request Email Template That Converts

The difference between a 5% and a 25% conversion rate on review emails comes down to about six lines of copy. Senders that look like a real person beat business accounts. Subject lines that read as personal beat 'review request' subjects. Bodies under 60 words beat 200-word essays. Here's the template, with notes on why each piece works.

  1. 1

    Set the From name to a real person at a real address

    From: Maria Chen <maria@mariasalon.com>. Not 'Maria's Salon Reviews' from noreply@. Open rates from person-named senders measurably outperform generic business accounts. Reply-to must also be a real inbox you actually monitor — replies to review requests sometimes contain feedback you want to see.

  2. 2

    Write a personal subject line under 50 characters

    Winners: 'Quick question about your visit today,' 'Hope your color turned out great, Sarah,' 'Thanks for coming in — one small favor?' Losers: 'Review Request from Maria's Salon,' 'We'd Love Your Feedback,' '★★★★★ How did we do?' Personal beats corporate every time.

  3. 3

    Open with a specific reference, not a generic thanks

    'Hi Sarah — thanks again for coming in today.' If your CRM stores it, reference the service: 'Hope the balayage feels great heading into the weekend.' Specificity signals this is a real human follow-up, not a marketing blast.

  4. 4

    Make the ask one sentence and lead with the time commitment

    'If you have 30 seconds, would you mind leaving us a Google review?' Leading with '30 seconds' lowers the perceived cost. 'Would you mind' is softer than 'please' and outperforms it in most copy testing.

  5. 5

    Use a single, obvious CTA button

    One button, centered, labeled 'Leave a Google Review.' Not three options ('Google, Facebook, Yelp'). Not a text link buried in a paragraph. The single-button pattern dramatically outperforms multi-option CTAs.

  6. 6

    Sign with a real name and a P.S. that adds personality

    Maria. P.S. If anything fell short, please reply to this email so I can fix it — I read every one. The P.S. signals you actually care about feedback (and gives unhappy customers a private channel before they leave a public review). It also dramatically lifts read rates because P.S. lines are read more often than body copy.

  7. 7

    Add CAN-SPAM-required footer elements

    Physical business address and an unsubscribe link are required by CAN-SPAM for commercial messages. Keep them small, in light gray text, in the footer. Skipping these is a $51,744-per-violation FTC risk (current penalty cap as of 2024) and tanks deliverability.

FAQ

How long should the email be?
Under 60 words in the body, not counting greeting and sign-off. Longer emails tank conversion in most testing. The customer should be able to read the entire email in 5 seconds and tap the button in the 6th.
Should I use HTML or plain text?
Lightly styled HTML with one button performs slightly better than plain text for most local businesses, mainly because the button is more tappable than a text link. Avoid heavy template-style HTML (images, headers, multiple columns) — those look like marketing and convert lower than near-plain-text designs.
Can I send the same template to everyone?
Yes, with merge fields for first name and (if available) service type. Personalization beyond that produces diminishing returns. The bigger lever is timing — send within 4 hours of service — not template complexity.

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