Review Request Messages That Work (WhatsApp, SMS and In Person)

Wording matters less than most people think and timing matters more. A mediocre message sent two minutes after a good haircut beats a beautifully written one sent three days later, every time. Get the timing right first, then use these.

Three rules before any template

1. 1Include the direct link. A message saying "please review us on Google" without a link converts close to nothing.
2. 2Send it while the experience is still today. Same visit is best, same day is acceptable, next week is wasted.
3. 3Ask once. A second reminder is defensible; a third makes people block the number.

WhatsApp — the general one

WhatsApp — Hinglish

Send in the language you actually spoke to them in. A formal English message to a customer you chatted with in Hindi reads as a mass send, because it is one.

SMS — 160 characters

Keep it under 160 characters so it sends as one message, and include an opt-out. Transactional-looking SMS from unknown senders gets filtered aggressively in India, so a WhatsApp message to a customer you already have a chat with will almost always outperform it.

At the counter, out loud

This is the highest-converting version of all of them and the one businesses skip, because it requires the staff member to say something. Everything else on this page is a substitute for asking a person while they are standing in front of you.

After a delivery or an online order

The one reminder, two days later

What to never put in the message

• Any offer — a discount, a free item, a lucky draw entry. Incentivised reviews break Google’s policy and can be removed along with the rest.
• The words "5 star" or "positive". Asking for a specific rating is review gating in miniature, and it is prohibited.
• A screenshot instead of a link. People will not type a URL from an image.
• Anything that reads as automated to a customer who has met you. Use their name and mention what they came in for.

And know the ceiling of this method: even a well-timed message with a working link tends to convert in single-digit percentages, because it lands the customer in an empty text box and asks them to write. That is the step that loses most people, and no template fixes it.