Most happy customers never leave a review. Nobody asked them, or the ask came three weeks late, or the link opened a search page and they gave up.
The fix has three parts: ask at the moment they are happiest, make the review one tap away, and use words that sound like you. This post gives you all three, with scripts you can copy, and the rules from Google, Yelp, Trustpilot and the FTC that decide what you are allowed to say.
Why asking works
BrightLocal surveys US consumers about reviews every year. The 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey asked 1,002 of them, and the answer on asking is clear: 78% were asked to leave a review in the past 12 months, and 83% of the people who were asked went on to leave one.
The bar for new customers is also rising. In the same survey, 68% will only use a business with four stars or more, up from 55% a year earlier. 47% will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% look for reviews from the last three months. A steady trickle of fresh reviews does more than a burst once a year.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| 4+ stars, 2025 | 55% |
| 4+ stars, 2026 | 68% |
| 4.5+ stars, 2025 | 17% |
| 4.5+ stars, 2026 | 31% |
Numbers checked on 28 September 2026.
Step 1: Get your review link
A review link opens the review box directly. Without one, the customer has to search for you, find the right listing and scroll to the button. Every extra tap loses people.
Google's help page on review links and QR codes gives these steps:
- Sign in to your Business Profile at business.google.com on a computer.
- Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
- Press Copy to copy the link, or right-click the QR code and save it.
Google says the QR code can only be made in a computer browser, not on a phone. Menu names change now and then, so if the path differs, look for "Ask for reviews" or "Get more reviews" on your profile. Save the link somewhere you can paste it from your phone.
Trustpilot
Trustpilot lets every business invite customers for free by sharing a link to its profile page. The guidelines for businesses ask you to invite consistently: every customer, not only the ones you expect to be happy.
Yelp
Yelp is the exception. Its support center asks businesses not to ask customers for Yelp reviews at all, and its software may hide reviews that look prompted by the business, so they do not count toward your rating. What Yelp allows is letting people know you are there, for example a "Find us on Yelp" sign. If you use Yelp, put the sign up and send your review asks to Google or Trustpilot.
Step 2: Know the rules before you write the ask
Three rules cover almost every small business in the US.
Do not pay for a good review. The FTC rule on consumer reviews took effect on 21 October 2024. Its questions and answers page says you may not tie a reward to a review that says something positive. "Tell us how much you loved your visit and get a $5 coupon" is the FTC's own example of what not to write.
Google and Trustpilot go further. Google's review help page calls any incentive for posting, changing or removing a review fake content, and Trustpilot says "there should be no strings attached". So on those two, no discount for any review, good or bad.
Ask everyone, not only the happy ones. Sending the link only to customers who scored you 5 out of 5 in a survey first is called review gating. Trustpilot forbids it, and the FTC says the practice could break the FTC Act. Ask every customer the same way and let the reviews be what they are.
Step 3: Pick the moment
The best time to ask is right after the good part: the class ended and they are still sweaty and smiling, the haircut is done and they are looking in the mirror, the order arrived.
Some moments that work:
- A studio or gym: after the first class, and after the tenth.
- A salon: at the mirror, then a message the same evening.
- A café or shop: at the counter when someone says "this is great", or when an online order is delivered.
- A coach: after the session where the client hit a goal.
If you ask weeks later, the feeling is gone and the review, if it comes, is shorter.
Step 4: Use words that sound like you
Short beats clever. Each script below says thanks, names what they did, asks once and gives the link. Change the details to fit your business.
At the counter
"Glad you liked it. If you have a minute later, a Google review helps us a lot. The QR code is on the card by the register."
Print the QR code from Step 1 on a small card. Asking out loud and then handing over something to scan works better than asking and hoping they remember.
In a DM
Hi Maria, thanks for coming to the 6 PM class today! If you have a minute, a short review helps new people find us: [your review link]. See you next week.
Use their first name and one detail from the visit. That one detail is what makes it read like a message from a person.
In an email
Subject: How was your cut, James?
Hi James, Thanks for coming in on Saturday. We hope the new cut is working for you. If you have a minute, would you leave us a review on Google? It is the main way new clients find us. [Leave a review] Thank you, Ana at Riverside Hair
One button, one ask. No survey first, no star picker that only sends five-star answers to Google.
In a text message
Thanks for your order from Maple Street Coffee! If you liked it, a quick review helps: [your review link]
Keep a text under 160 characters where you can, so it arrives as one message.
What to leave out
- "Please leave us a 5-star review." Ask for a review, not a score.
- Anything that sounds like a trade, such as "review us for 10% off".
- More than one reminder. One ask and, at most, one follow-up a few days later.
Step 5: Send the ask by itself
Asking by hand works until you are busy, and the busy weeks are the ones with the most happy customers. Postfjord has an automation called Ask for a review that sends the thank you DM for you when someone books or pays. The steps are on the Automation help page:
- Connect your booking system or your Stripe sales under Settings, then Apps. Calendly, Acuity and others are described in Count your bookings, and Stripe sales in Link tags, sales and results.
- Open Automation, press New automation and pick Ask for a review.
- Pick the Instagram or Facebook accounts it should send from.
- Under After, turn on A booking, A purchase or both.
- Write the thank you and paste your Google or Trustpilot link under Your review page.
- Press Save automation.
It sends to everyone who books or pays and can be matched to a DM thread, so there is no gating. It has limits you should know about:
- Instagram and Messenger only let a business write within 24 hours of the person's last message. The DM goes out when someone booked or paid soon after chatting with you. Outside that window nothing is sent, and the thread in the inbox says why.
- Each person gets at most one thank you a month, even if they book every week.
- It waits while the person is in another automation or talking with Claude.
The automation shows Thanked and Clicks, so you can see how many people opened the review link.
The same ask by email
If your workspace has postmail (in testing), you can send the email version from Step 4 as well. Everyone who books through a tracked link gets the tag Booked. Make an email automation that starts when A tag is added to a contact, pick Booked, set a wait of a day, and write the email. It only reaches contacts who confirmed their email address.
A QR code at the counter that opens a DM
The Link or QR code automation gives you a QR code that opens a chat with your Instagram or Facebook account and sends a message. Set the message to your thank you and review link, print the code on a card, and someone who scans it gets the link in their DMs, where they can find it later. The steps are in the same help page.
For quick replies by hand, save the DM script from Step 4 as a saved reply in the inbox. Type / in the reply box, pick it, and {name} becomes the person's first name.
Step 6: Answer the reviews you get
The same BrightLocal survey found that 89% of consumers expect the owner to respond to reviews, and 50% are unlikely to use a business that answers with generic, copied replies. A two-line reply that names what they liked is enough for a good review. A bad one needs more care, and gets its own post later this month.
A checklist to keep
- Copy your Google review link and make the QR code on a computer.
- Print the code on a card by the register.
- Save one DM script and one email script with your own details.
- Ask every customer the same way, with no reward tied to the review.
- Set up Ask for a review so the busy weeks are covered.
- Reply to every review within a few days.
Postfjord's automations are described on the automation feature page, and the salon version of this plan is on Salons and beauty.
FAQ
How do I politely ask a customer for a review?
Thank them, name one thing from their visit, ask once, and give a direct link. For example: "Thanks for coming in today, Maria. If you have a minute, a short Google review helps new people find us: [link]." Ask for a review, never for a score.
How do I get a link for customers to leave a Google review?
On a computer, sign in to your Business Profile, select Read reviews and then Get more reviews, and press Copy. The same screen has a QR code you can save and print. Google's steps are on its help page.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
The FTC rule allows an incentive only when it does not depend on the review being positive. Google and Trustpilot are stricter and ban incentives for reviews altogether, so for reviews on those sites, offer nothing.
Can I ask for reviews on Yelp?
Yelp asks businesses not to. Its software may hide reviews it thinks the business asked for. You can tell people you are on Yelp, for example with a sign, and send your review asks to Google or Trustpilot.
When is the best time to ask for a review?
Right after the good moment: the end of the class, the finished haircut, the delivered order. A DM or email the same day works well. A few weeks later, most people have moved on.
How many times should I ask?
Once, with at most one short reminder a few days later. Postfjord's Ask for a review sends each person one thank you a month at most.