Review Generation Services: 6 Ways to Get More Reviews

Review generation services help you get more customers to leave reviews by making the ask simple, timely and easy to complete. The same approach works whether you use software or do it by hand: ask happy customers at the right moment, and give them a short path to the review site.

It’s easy to understand why you like to receive great write-ups at online review sites. It’s harder to understand why customers take the time to write them.

Obviously, the first requirement is that they are satisfied with your service. If customers don’t like your product or service, they don’t write reviews.

But only a few of your satisfied customers bother to write reviews. Great service isn’t enough. More often than not, you need to nudge your customers – ask them nicely for a review and hope they don’t forget.

There’s nothing wrong with telling customers that you would appreciate it if they left a positive review. Be sincere. Explain why their feedback matters and how a minute of their time could help you improve your products and services. People are more likely to respond if they understand that they are having a positive impact.

So when the time is right, don’t hesitate. Just ask. It can be in person, over email, in your customer-support chat line, wherever. The important thing is to be honest and genuine.

What review generation services actually do

Online review generation is the process of asking customers for reviews on a regular basis, rather than hoping they show up on their own. A review generation service automates the repetitive parts: collecting contacts, sending the invitation, following up, and pointing people to the right page.

Most services cover the same core steps:

• Collect customers. Add them from a spreadsheet, a connected app or your own system.
• Send the request. Email and SMS are the most common channels.
• Follow up. One polite reminder to people who did not respond.
• Make it easy. A direct link, QR code or landing page that lists the review sites you care about.
• Track results. See which requests turned into reviews.

You can do all of this by hand for a handful of customers a week. Once you have several locations, or you manage reviews for clients, software saves a lot of time. Our review generation software is built for exactly that job.

How to get customers to leave reviews: 6 proven ways

Now let’s take a look at some actionable advice on how to get as many positive reviews as possible.

1. Set up a reviews generation funnel

To maximize results, start by establishing a practical workflow. The goal is to invite your customers to leave you a review – and to make it really convenient for them to do so. Since this is Reviewshake’s bread and butter, we have some insights into how successful companies organize the process to generate more reviews.

Collect customer email addresses

Your collection process will be different depending on whether your business is online, brick-and-mortar, or both. In any case, you need to determine who the satisfied customers are and reach out to them.

This simplest scenario is talking to them face-to-face in your store, but of course that’s not always possible. When you do most of your business online, you need to use different indicators to determine which customers qualify. Most companies use NPS scores or rely on support data to narrow down the list to customers who had positive experiences.

Create a reminder campaign

Once you start collecting emails, don’t squander it with a one-and-done email blast. It’s better to create a drip campaign. Start with a compelling invitation to write a review. Wait a couple days before sending a reminder to those who didn’t respond by posting their experiences.

Try experimenting with different subject lines and email copy until you figure out the winning combination. It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. Different approaches work with different customer bases.

You can also send review invitations via SMS. Similar rules apply here: Reach out to customers and ask politely for a review.

Set up a landing page

Acknowledge that people are busy. That’s why you need to remove all the obstacles between customers and online reviews. The more you make the whole experience of leaving a review frictionless, the better results you’ll achieve.

Offering users multiple review websites means they can choose the one they prefer or already have an account on, minimizing their effort. A great way to do this is by setting up a landing page where you can list all the review websites that accept evaluations of your business.

The landing page can also be a great way to let customers leave you direct feedback.

If you are looking to automate this process, jump over to the Reviewshake signup page and start a free trial to set up and monitor your campaign.

2. Use social media as a source of online reviews

People are accustomed to voicing their opinions on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms. That’s why you should invite users to leave reviews there. Most of your customers already have accounts, so it’s easy for them to share their experiences.

Don’t forget to show off your best reviews on your social media. Share the best customer reviews on your profile page to show that you value their opinions.

Social media is a great place to request and post reviews. It’s also a forum for starting conversations with customers, sharing news, and encouraging engagement. If your customers see that there are real people behind the brand, they will be more inclined to leave a positive review.

If you communicate with customers over email, add a review invitation to your signature: a quick call to action and a link to a review website. Add this subtle reminder to every email and you will surely see results.

3. Ask for reviews on your website

Your website spells out your company’s important features and benefits – why not add a call to action for reviews?

Be sincere. Explain why you need and value reviews, and leave your customers multiple choices so they can select the review website they prefer.

Displaying user reviews on your website can have a positive impact on your online reputation – and it can encourage other users to follow suit. That’s why you should keep user reviews prominent on your homepage.

4. Place review reminders in your store

If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can use offline tactics to get online reviews. Post creative signs to inform customers where and how they can leave a review.

Be creative – design cards, posters, and flyers that encourage feedback. Make sure to provide necessary information: review website profiles, Twitter handles, Facebook pages, and all that.

You can even print a QR code that your customers can scan to jump directly to a review website or the review landing page on your website.

5. Incentivize online reviews

It’s reasonable to offer a small token of appreciation to customers who post reviews. The incentive might be a coupon code or some kind of discount. It could be something intangible like membership to a closed community or early access to a new feature.

You don’t have to break the bank to get more online reviews. If users think you are buying positive reviews, your reputation strategy could backfire. But there’s nothing wrong with offering a small incentive that your customers will find valuable.

One caution: review platforms set their own rules on incentives. Check Google’s policy on prohibited and restricted content before you offer anything in exchange for a Google review.

6. Respond to all reviews

If you want a constant influx of positive reviews, your efforts must be continuous. Show customers that you care about their opinions by responding to each and every review. This is an easy, reliable way to make them feel heard.

It’s okay to use templates. You don’t have to respond to every review with a lengthy essay. Just take a bit of time to address the points the customer brings up. Be grateful for praise and criticism alike – you have nothing to gain by being defensive.

Demonstrating that you value feedback can go a long way toward boosting your online reputation.

Creative ways to get reviews

If the basics are in place and you want more, try a few less obvious moves. None of them cost much.

• Ask at the moment of delight. Right after a successful delivery, a finished job or a thank-you from the customer is the best time.
• Put a QR code where people wait. Receipts, countertops, appointment cards and packaging all work.
• Let your team ask. A short, friendly line from the person who served the customer feels personal.
• Turn thank-you notes into requests. When a customer sends praise by email or chat, reply with a link to leave it as a review.
• Share reviews you already have. Posting a good review on social media reminds other customers that you read them.

Need wording? Our 15 templates for asking for a review cover email, SMS and in-person requests.

Positive business reviews: what to do and what to avoid

Positive business reviews come from happy customers who were asked at the right time. They do not come from pressure, filtering tricks or purchases.

Don’t buy reviews, and don’t write them yourself. Platforms can remove them, and customers tend to notice anything that looks staged. If you are curious why this is a bad idea, read can you buy Google reviews?

Ask everyone, not only the people you expect to be pleased. A balanced mix of ratings looks more believable, and honest criticism gives you something to fix.

A simple review generation strategy you can run every week

A review generation strategy does not need to be complicated. Consistency matters more than clever tactics. Here is a routine you can repeat:

1. Pick the one or two review sites that matter most for your business.
2. Create a direct review link or QR code for each one.
3. Add the day’s completed customers to a list.
4. Send the invitation by email or SMS within a day or two of the visit or job.
5. Send one reminder a few days later to anyone who has not responded.
6. Reply to every new review, good or bad.
7. Once a month, look at how many reviews came in and which request wording worked best.

If you are not sure how to find the link, our guide to getting your Google review link walks through it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get customers to leave reviews?

Ask them directly, soon after a good experience, and make it a one-click job. Send a short email or text with a direct link, and follow up once if they don’t respond. Most people are willing, but they forget or can’t find the page.

What is the best review generation strategy?

The best strategy is a repeatable one: collect contacts, send a request, send one reminder, and reply to every review. Start with the site that matters most to your customers, then add others once the routine is working.

Do I need a review generation service?

Not always. If you see only a few customers a week, a link and a polite ask can be enough. A service becomes useful when you have many customers, several locations, or clients whose reviews you manage, because it handles sending, reminders and tracking for you.

What are creative ways to get reviews?

QR codes on receipts and counters, a review request in your email signature, a personal ask from the staff member who helped, and turning a thank-you message into a review request all work well. They remove effort for the customer, which is what counts.

Is it okay to offer something in exchange for a review?

A small thank-you is common, but platforms have rules, and Google restricts incentivized reviews. Check the platform’s policy first, and never make a reward depend on a positive rating.

Where Reviewshake fits

If you would rather not run this by hand, Reviewshake is reputation management software for agencies and the businesses they serve. You can send review requests by email and SMS, run campaigns, use QR codes and a review landing page, and add customers by CSV, Zapier or API. Reviews from Google, Facebook and 100+ review sites land in one inbox, and AI-drafted replies help you respond in your own tone.

Plans start at $29/month per location, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. You can also see pricing before you decide.