Most customers are happy to leave you a Google review. BrightLocal’s consumer survey work consistently finds around three in four customers will leave a review when asked — the gap between businesses with 12 reviews and businesses with 300 is almost never the quality of the work. It is whether anyone asked, when they asked, and how easy they made it.
This playbook gives you 15 copy-paste templates — SMS and email — grouped by industry: tradies, cafes and hospitality, clinics (with AHPRA-conscious wording) and salons. Plus the timing rule that matters more than any wording, and the two asks that can get your reviews removed.
Everywhere you see [link], use your direct Google review link — the one from the “Ask for reviews” button in your Google Business Profile — so the review box opens in one tap.
The golden window: when to ask
The single biggest lever is timing. Ask while the value you delivered is still front of mind: the tap has stopped dripping, the flat white was excellent, the shoulder finally moves properly. For most local businesses that means 30 minutes to a few hours after the job or visit ends.
Ask the next day and you are a stranger interrupting their commute. Ask within the hour and you are the person who just solved their problem. Same words, completely different conversion.
Channel matters too:
| SMS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Speed of open | Usually within minutes | Hours, if at all |
| Taps to review box | One | Two or three |
| Best for | Same-day asks after a job or visit | Longer relationships, quotes, softer follow-ups |
| Watch out for | Keep under ~300 characters | Promotions-folder purgatory |
Default to SMS. Use email as the softer second channel or where SMS is not appropriate.
Templates for tradies
Trades customers are practical people. Be direct, be brief, use the name of the person who did the work. More trade-specific tactics in Google reviews for tradies.
1. SMS — job just completed:
Hi Mark, it’s Jake from Westside Electrical. Thanks for having us out today — glad the switchboard’s sorted. If you were happy with the work, a quick Google review helps our small team heaps: [link]. Cheers!
2. SMS — sent with the invoice:
Hi Karen, invoice for today’s job is on its way to your email. Thanks again for choosing Reliable Plumbing — and if you’ve got 30 seconds, a Google review goes a long way for a local business: [link]
3. SMS — follow-up, 2–3 days later (send once):
Hi Mark, Jake from Westside Electrical again. No stress if you’re busy — just a gentle nudge about that Google review if you get a sec: [link]. Thanks either way!
4. Email — end of a bigger project:
Subject: Thanks for trusting us with your reno, Mark
Hi Mark,
Now the dust has settled (literally), thanks for having us on your renovation — it was a great project to work on. Reviews are how most of our new customers find us, so if you were happy with how it all went, we’d be grateful for a few words on Google: [link].
Anything that needs a tweak, just reply to this email and we’ll sort it.
Jake, Westside Electrical
Templates for cafes & hospitality
Hospitality asks work best when they are warm and light — you are trading on the good mood you just created. These suit the SMS you send from your POS or loyalty system after a visit.
5. SMS — after a visit:
Hi Emma! Thanks for coming by The Corner Grind today. If you enjoyed it, a quick Google review helps other locals find us — takes about 30 seconds: [link]. See you next time!
6. SMS — regulars / loyalty members:
Hi Sam, you’re basically furniture at this point (the good kind). If you’ve never left us a Google review, we’d love one from a true regular: [link]. Cheers — the Corner Grind crew.
7. SMS — after a function or big booking:
Hi Rachel, thanks for celebrating with us last night — hope the birthday girl approved! If the night hit the mark, a Google review would mean a lot to the team: [link]
8. Email — post-event follow-up:
Subject: Thanks for having your event with us
Hi Rachel,
Thanks again for booking your team dinner with us on Friday — the kitchen loved doing the shared banquet. If everything was to your liking, a short Google review helps other groups find us: [link].
And if anything fell short, reply here and tell me straight — I read every one.
Dana, Venue Manager
Templates for clinics (AHPRA-conscious wording)
If you are a registered health practitioner, AHPRA’s advertising rules restrict the use of testimonials about clinical care in your advertising. The safe pattern: invite feedback about the experience of the service, never solicit comments about clinical outcomes, and keep the tone neutral. Read the full picture in our AHPRA Google review rules guide before you switch anything on.
9. SMS — after an appointment:
Hi Priya, thanks for visiting Coastal Physio today. Feedback helps other locals find care that suits them — if you’d like to share your experience of our service, here’s our Google page: [link]. Thanks, the Coastal team.
10. SMS — new patient, gentler tone:
Hi Daniel, lovely to meet you at Harbour Dental today. If you’d like to share how you found the experience — booking, the visit, the team — we welcome feedback on Google: [link]. No pressure at all.
11. Email — end of a treatment plan:
Subject: Thank you from the Coastal Physio team
Hi Priya,
Thanks for choosing Coastal Physio over the past few weeks. If you’d like to share feedback about your experience with our clinic — how you found the service, the team and the process — you’re welcome to do so on our Google page: [link].
Warm regards,
Meg, Practice Manager
Try this with Limelight: Limelight connects to Cliniko and sends an AHPRA-conscious review request automatically after each appointment — and its review widget can filter clinical content so what you display on your website stays compliant. Owners approve every AI-drafted reply before it posts. See pricing — simple monthly, no lock-in.
Templates for salons & beauty
Salon clients have just walked out feeling great about how they look — that is your window, and your tone can be warmer and more personal than any other vertical.
12. SMS — after the appointment:
Hi Chloe! Loved doing your colour today — it turned out gorgeous. If you’re happy with it, a quick Google review would make my week: [link]. Mia x
13. SMS — first-time client:
Hi Jess, thanks for trying us out today — hope you loved your first visit to Luxe Studio! If we earned it, a Google review helps other people find us: [link]. Hope to see you again soon x
14. SMS — rebooking + review combo (only if they already rebooked):
Hi Chloe, you’re booked for the 14th — can’t wait! In the meantime, if you’ve got 30 seconds, a Google review about today’s visit would mean a lot: [link]. Mia x
15. Email — quarterly to loyal clients who haven’t reviewed:
Subject: A tiny favour from your favourite salon?
Hi Chloe,
You’ve been coming to Luxe Studio for a while now and we love having you. If you’ve never left us a Google review, would you mind sharing a few words? It genuinely helps new clients choose us: [link].
See you at your next appointment!
Mia & the Luxe team
What NOT to say (or do)
Two practices will hurt you more than never asking at all:
- Review gating. Asking “how was your experience?” first and only sending happy customers to Google is explicitly against Google’s review policies and can get reviews removed. Ask everyone, identically. Unhappy customers usually reply privately — which is exactly what you want.
- Offering incentives. Google prohibits incentivised reviews outright, and the ACCC treats anything that creates a misleading impression of genuine customer opinion as a potential breach of Australian Consumer Law. No discounts, no coffee vouchers, no prize draws for reviews. The details are in our guide to buying Google reviews in Australia (short version: don’t).
Also avoid: begging (“we really really need reviews”), scripting the customer (“mention our fast service and fair prices!”), asking twice in the same week, and sending review requests from a no-reply address or an unrecognisable number.
Make the ask automatic
Every template above works — until the week you get slammed and nobody sends them. The businesses that build real review counts wire the ask into the systems they already use: job completed in ServiceM8, appointment finished in Cliniko, sale rung up on the POS, SMS goes out. No remembering, no gating, every customer asked in the golden window.
Before you start, get a baseline: run your profile through the free Google Review Checker — it scores your review health, flags unanswered reviews and benchmarks you against local competitors in about 60 seconds, no account needed. Then pick the three templates that fit your business, load them up, and check your score again next month.
For the full strategy around these templates — timing, QR codes, velocity and staying compliant — see the pillar guide: how to get more Google reviews in Australia.
Frequently asked questions
What should I say when asking for a Google review?+
Keep it short and personal: thank the customer, reference the specific job or visit, explain that reviews help a small business, and include a direct link to your Google review box. One ask, one link, under 300 characters for SMS. The templates in this article cover tradies, cafes, clinics and salons.
Is SMS or email better for review requests?+
SMS almost always converts better for local businesses. Text messages are opened within minutes and the review link is one tap away, while emails often sit unread for hours or land in promotions folders. Email still earns its keep for longer relationships, quotes with attachments, or clinics that prefer a softer channel.
When is the best time to send a review request?+
In the golden window right after the moment of value — typically 30 minutes to a few hours after the job is finished, the meal is over or the appointment ends. The experience is fresh, the goodwill is high, and the customer has usually not moved on to the next thing yet.
Can I ask only my happy customers for a review?+
No — filtering who you ask based on how happy you think they are is review gating, which is against Google’s review policies. Send the same request to every customer. In practice, unhappy customers tend to reply to the message directly rather than post publicly, which gives you a chance to fix the issue.
Are there special rules for clinics asking for reviews?+
Yes. AHPRA’s advertising guidelines restrict how registered health practitioners can use testimonials about clinical care in their advertising. You can still invite patients to share feedback on Google, but your wording should not solicit comments about clinical outcomes, and you need to be careful how reviews are used on your own website.