A review request email is a short message you send a customer after a purchase or completed service asking them to leave a review or testimonial. The best ones land 7 to 10 days after delivery, lead with a thank-you, keep a single clear call to action, and link straight to the review form. Sent at the right moment, they convert 18 to 22 percent of customers -- versus single digits when the timing is off.
Why timing beats wording every time
Most review request emails fail for one reason: they arrive at the wrong moment. A perfectly written ask sent two weeks too late, to a customer who has already forgotten you, is dead on arrival. The same template sent at the peak of gratitude converts.
Those response numbers come from testing across thousands of emails: the difference is purely when the ask lands. The 270 percent figure is from the Spiegel Research Center, which found products displaying reviews convert dramatically better -- which is the whole point of collecting them.
When to send: the 7-to-10-day window
The right send time depends on how long it takes a customer to form a real opinion. Ask before they have experienced the value and you get a shrug; ask after the memory fades and you get silence.
| Business type | Best send window | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Simple e-commerce | 7-10 days after delivery | Past the unboxing, opinion formed |
| Complex / setup product | 14 days after delivery | Needs assembly or configuration first |
| Local service | Same day to 48 hours | Satisfaction peaks right after the job |
| SaaS | At a success milestone | Trigger on the moment of value, not a date |
| B2B / agency | At project completion or a win | Tie the ask to a concrete result |
For day and time: Tuesday through Thursday outperform Mondays and weekends, and according to HubSpot, emails sent at 1 p.m. earn the highest click-to-open rate (22 percent), followed by 10 a.m. (21 percent), with a smaller spike around 6 p.m.
The 5 parts of a high-converting review request email
Every email that actually gets replies shares the same skeleton. Keep the whole thing under 100 words.
A personal, specific subject line
Use the customer's first name or their product. "How's your [Product], Sarah?" beats "We'd love your feedback." One emoji can lift opens 5-10%; two or more trip spam filters.
Gratitude first
Open by thanking them before you ask for anything. When people feel appreciated, they're far more willing to return the favor.
One clear ask
A single sentence: would you leave a review? No stories, no guilt trips, no paragraph on why reviews matter to your business.
A one-tap link or button
Send them straight to the review form or your Google review link. Never a homepage, never a login. Every extra click roughly halves completion.
A graceful out
"If anything fell short, just reply and we'll fix it." This catches unhappy customers privately instead of on a public 1-star review.
7 copy-paste review request email templates
Swap the bracketed placeholders for your details. Each one follows the five-part skeleton above and stays short on purpose.
Subject: How's your [Product], [First Name]?
Hi [First Name], Thanks again for your order a couple weeks back. Now that you've had time to put your [Product] to use, we'd love to hear how it's going. A quick review helps other shoppers decide -- and it takes about 30 seconds. [Leave a review ->] Thank you, [Your Name], [Company]
Subject: Quick favor after your [service]?
Hi [First Name], It was a pleasure getting your [driveway / HVAC / lawn] sorted this week. If you were happy with the work, a short Google review would mean a lot to a small local business like ours. It's one tap here: [Write a review ->] Thanks so much, [Your Name], [Company]
Subject: You just hit [milestone] 🎉
Hi [First Name], Nice work -- you just [exported your 100th report / completed onboarding]. That's exactly the kind of win we built [Product] for. If [Product] has helped, would you share a sentence or two? It genuinely helps other teams decide. [Share your experience ->] Cheers, The [Company] team
Subject: A quick testimonial, [First Name]?
Hi [First Name], Working with you on [project] this quarter was a highlight for us. Would you be open to a short testimonial we could feature on our site? No pressure on length -- even two sentences on the result you saw would be perfect. Here's a form that makes it easy: [Add your testimonial ->] Appreciate you, [Your Name]
Subject: Re: How's your [Product]?
Hi [First Name], Just floating this back to the top of your inbox -- no worries if you've been busy. If you have 30 seconds, your review would really help: [Leave a review ->] Either way, thanks for being a customer. [Your Name]
Subject: Would you say that on the record?
Hi [First Name], You mentioned [specific result / kind words] the other day, and it stuck with me. Would you be comfortable if we shared that as a testimonial on our website? You can edit or approve the exact wording here: [Review and submit ->] Thank you, [Your Name], [Company]
Subject: Mind leaving us a Google review?
Hi [First Name], Thanks for choosing [Company]. If we did right by you, a quick Google review helps more than you'd think -- and it's one click: [Write a Google review ->] If anything fell short, just reply to this email and we'll make it right. Thanks, [Your Name]
Subject lines that actually get opened
The subject line decides whether the rest of your email is ever read. These four angles consistently beat generic "Leave us a review" lines.
- ●"How's your [Product], [Name]?"
- ●"[Name], quick question about your order"
- ●"Did it work out?"
- ●"One thing before you go..."
- ●"Mind leaving a quick review?"
- ●"30 seconds to help us out?"
- ●"Thank you -- and a small ask"
- ●"You made our week, [Name]"
Email vs. SMS: which channel converts better?
Email is not your only option, and for review requests it is often not the strongest one. SMS wins on speed and visibility; email wins on tone, detail, and compliance simplicity.
| Metric | SMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | 20-30% | ~98% (read within 3 min) |
| Click-through | 5-12% | 25-40% |
| Best for | B2B, services, detail | Local, retail, speed |
| Compliance | CAN-SPAM (simpler) | TCPA opt-in required |
End to end, SMS converts to completed reviews at roughly 3 to 5 times the rate of email for the same customer list. One caveat on the numbers: the ~98 percent SMS open rate is an estimate from delivery data, not pixel-tracked, and Apple Mail Privacy Protection inflates email opens by 5 to 10 percent -- so trust click-throughs over opens. The strongest play is email plus one SMS, not either alone.
5 mistakes that kill your response rate
Asking once
A single email leaves most of the response on the table. One follow-up 2-3 days later roughly doubles collection.
Routing to a login
The moment a customer has to find a password, you have lost them. Link straight to the form.
Asking too early
Day-three requests catch people before they have an opinion. Wait for the 7-10 day window.
Writing an essay
Explaining why reviews matter buries the ask. One thank-you, one CTA, done.
Generic subject line
"We value your feedback" gets ignored. Personalize with a name or product.
Over-following-up
Three or more nudges reads as harassment. Two touches maximum, then stop.
Staying compliant in 2026
Two rules matter here: email law and review-platform policy. Break either and a request campaign can cost you more than it earns.
- ●Do not incentivize public reviews.Google, Yelp, and Trustpilot ban paid or rewarded reviews. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule (effective October 21, 2024) carries penalties up to $51,744 per violation for deceptive reviews.
- ●Never gate by sentiment. Filtering customers by how happy they are before you send the review link violates Google policy and can be illegal. Ask everyone the same way.
- ●Follow CAN-SPAM. Identify your business, include a physical address, and offer a clear unsubscribe. Review follow-ups are transactional and lighter-touch, but a one-click unsubscribe is always good practice.
Turn one-time reviews into testimonials you own
A Google or Yelp review lives on a platform you do not control -- it can be filtered, buried, or lost if the customer deletes it. A first-party testimonial you collect through your own form is yours forever, and you can feature it exactly where buyers decide.
The smartest setup uses both: request public reviews for search visibility, and collect owned testimonials for your website. For the collection side, see our guides on how to ask for testimonials, how to get more Google reviews, and the difference between a testimonial and a review.
Frequently asked questions
What is a review request email?
A review request email is a short message you send a customer after a purchase or completed service asking them to leave a review or testimonial. It thanks the customer, makes one clear ask, and links directly to the review form or platform. The best ones land 7 to 10 days after delivery and take under 20 seconds to act on.
When is the best time to send a review request email?
Send it 7 to 10 days after the product is delivered or the service is finished. Industry testing across thousands of emails shows response rates of 18 to 22 percent in that window, versus 8 to 10 percent when you ask on day three (too early) or after day 30 (too late). For complex products that need setup, extend to 14 days. Tuesday through Thursday and a 1 p.m. or 10 a.m. send time perform best, according to HubSpot click data.
How do I write a good review request email?
Keep it under 100 words with a single call to action. Use the customer's first name, reference their specific purchase, lead with a genuine thank-you, and put one button or link straight to the review page. Do not explain why reviews matter or route the customer through a login screen -- every extra step cuts your response rate by roughly 20 percent.
Can I offer a discount for leaving a review?
Not on Google, Yelp, or Trustpilot -- all three ban incentivized reviews, and the FTC's Consumer Reviews rule (effective October 21, 2024) carries penalties up to $51,744 per violation for deceptive or paid reviews. You can offer a small thank-you for leaving a first-party testimonial on your own site as long as you do not condition it on the review being positive. When in doubt, ask everyone the same way and reward participation, not sentiment.
How many follow-up emails should I send?
One. A single gentle reminder 2 to 3 days after the first email typically doubles your total response rate, because most non-responses are inattention rather than refusal. A second follow-up adds little and starts to feel like harassment. If someone ignores two requests, stop and move on.
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