The short answer
Send one short, personal text within a few hours of finishing the job: thank the customer by name, ask plainly for a Google review, and include a link that opens your review form in one tap. Keep it under about 320 characters, send it from a verified business number customers can reply to, and honor STOP replies immediately.
Three templates that work
The standard ask: "Hi Sarah — thanks for having Miller Plumbing out today! If everything looks good, would you leave us a quick Google review? It really helps our small business: [link]". Warm, specific, one link, no pressure.
The owner-voice ask: "Hi Mike, this is Dana from Brightside Cleaning. It was a pleasure working on your home today. A short Google review would mean a lot to our team: [link]". Naming a real person lifts response noticeably.
The follow-up (send once, a few days later, only if there was no response — and switch to email if you can): "Hi Sarah, just a gentle nudge — if you have 60 seconds, we would love a Google review: [link]. Either way, thanks for your business!" One follow-up roughly doubles total conversion; more than that annoys people.
Timing is most of the result
The same text converts several times better on the day of the job than a week later, because the customer is still feeling the result. An hour or two after payment — or that evening — is the sweet spot: late enough that the visit is wrapped up, soon enough that the gratitude is intact.
The texting rules to respect
Text customers who gave your business their mobile number in the course of doing business with you, tell them who you are in the message, and stop immediately when someone replies STOP. Keep it to one ask and one follow-up per job, and use a cooldown so repeat customers are not re-asked on every visit.
US carriers also require business texting to come from a verified sender — unregistered numbers get filtered before they ever reach the phone. ReviewNudger provisions a dedicated toll-free number for your business and walks carrier verification through for you, so requests send from a number that is actually yours and actually delivers.
Automating the ask
ReviewNudger sends these exact kinds of texts automatically after each completed payment — same neutral ask for every eligible customer, your business name and link included, opt-outs honored platform-wide. You can try the real message on your own phone from our demo page before signing up for anything.
Frequently asked questions
What should a review request text say?
Four parts: their name, a specific thank-you, a plain ask for a Google review, and a one-tap link. Under 320 characters total. Skip the emojis-and-hype voice — customers respond to a message that sounds like the person who did the work.
Is it legal to text customers a review link?
Yes, when you text customers who provided their number to your business, identify yourself, and honor opt-outs. The lines you must not cross are different ones: paying for reviews, incentivizing them, or filtering out unhappy customers.
How many follow-ups are acceptable?
One. It roughly doubles conversion over a single ask, and a second reminder mostly generates opt-outs instead of reviews. Send it a few days after the first text, ideally by email.