4 Tips For Collecting Reviews Confidently And Effectively

Let’s talk reviews. There’s no question that reviews are one of the most effective marketing tools you can have in your arsenal — they lend credibility like nothing else can. How many times have you decided to buy something on Amazon because of the raving five-star reviews? Or decided to skip booking a hotel while planning for vacation, just because it had a few one-star reviews on its dirty floor or rude staff?

Reviews are underrated, but they can make or break us.

If you haven’t yet started to collect reviews, now is a great time to start. Asking for a review can be daunting, so I’ve put together four tips for you to ask for a review confidently, plus two mad-libs-style email templates you can use.

1. Ask at the right time.

This is absolutely crucial, because you want to catch them at a time when they're feeling good about completing the project and the details are still fresh in their mind. This should be a couple of days after you've wrapped up the project, no more than a week later, because they'll have moved on to other things by then.

You can ask for a review by itself, or slip in the question at the end when sending them a check-in email or with a thank-you gift card - this will increase the chances of them wanting to reciprocate with a good review.

2. Make it easy-peasy for them.

When asking for a review, make it as easy as possible for them by reducing the number of clicks. Don't ask them to search for you on Google and write a review there. Include the actual link in your email so all they have to do is click once. Likewise, if you're asking for a Facebook review, include the link to your Facebook service page.

If your client really doesn't have time, you can even go as far as to write the review draft yourself and send it to them for approval. I’ve done this with success a few times. But there’s one major downside: this method doesn't really capture their authentic voice and might sound stilted. If you want reviews that sound genuine, ask them to write it themselves, even if it’s just a couple of lines.

3. Tell them how it helps you.

Let your client know how much a review would mean to you and your business. That usually gets them to write one, when they see how much it can help you. You don’t have to sound like you’re asking for a favour — a simple “it would mean a lot to me” or “it would really help my business get seen by more potential customers” will suffice.

4. No platform? Use a short questionnaire that they can respond to on the spot.

If you’d prefer to collect reviews without the use of Google Reviews or Facebook as a platform, you can use guided questions. Just be sure to keep it short, with no more than three questions. Any more and it can start to sound like an exam paper!

These are a few questions you can include:

How has my service helped you?
What was your favourite part of working together?
Is there anything I could improve on?

Store your reviews properly, either with screenshots or copying them into a database you can access easily in future. It doesn’t hurt to pepper your website with these reviews, especially on your Service page. They’ll build your reputation and help you get more clients in future.

Email Templates For Use

1. When you send a final wrap-up email:

“Dear (clientname),
Thank you again for entrusting me with (projectname)! I enjoyed working together with you on your (deliverables).
If you have any questions or need extra support, I’ll be happy to assist you during our support period, which starts from now till (end date of support period).
If you have the time, it would mean so much to me if you could write a short review on my Google page (hyperlink). Every review counts for a small business like mine, and yours would help greatly.
Thanks and I hope to work together with you again someday!”

2. When you send a thank-you gift:

“Dear (clientname),
I really enjoyed working with you! As a thank-you for entrusting me with the project, and for being such a wonderful client, I wanted to send you (gift). I hope it (describe how it might be enjoyed by the client).
I’d love to work with you again in the future. In the meantime, if you can spare the time, it would mean a lot for my business if you could help me write a short review.
All you have to do is to shoot a reply to these three questions:
- How has my service helped you?
- What was your favourite part of working together?
- Is there anything I could improve on?
Please let me know if I can use your photo as well when posting the review on my website.
Thanks again for taking the time to do this!”

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the author

Hi, I’m Melody! I help women-led brands make money with copy that reflects their true brand personality and speaks directly to their audience’s hearts.

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