The short answer
Send a short, plain email within a day of the finished job: thank the customer by name, ask for an honest Google review, and put your direct review link on one clearly labeled button. Keep it under 120 words, send from your own business address with your postal address in the footer, and stop after one reminder. If you also have the customer’s mobile number, text first — review-request texts convert several times better than email — and let email be the polite follow-up.
Email is the follow-up, not the opener
The honest ranking first: text beats email, by a lot. Review-request texts convert several times better than email, and around a third of customers asked by text shortly after the job leave a review — so when you have a mobile number, lead with the text and let the email arrive a few days later for customers who have not acted.
That still leaves email with real work. It is the primary channel when an email address is all you collected, the natural home for a warmer note than a text allows, and the best place for the one gentle reminder — a second text can feel pushy where a follow-up email feels routine.
Three copy-paste email templates
The day-after ask — Subject: "Thank you from [Business name]". Body: "Hi [First name], Thanks for having us out for [plain service, such as your furnace tune-up]. If everything is working the way it should, would you take a minute to leave an honest Google review? It helps neighbors nearby choose with confidence. [Leave a Google review] Thanks again, [Your name], [Business name]". Put the review link on the button or linked words instead of pasting a long URL.
The after-text follow-up — Subject: "One small favor, [First name]?" Body: "Hi [First name], I texted a couple of days ago after we finished [plain service]. If you have not had a chance, here is our Google review link: [Google review link]. Two honest sentences are plenty. Either way, thank you for your business. [Your name]". Send it once, only to customers who have not acted, and let silence after that be the answer.
The repeat-customer ask — Subject: "Would you share your experience with [Business name]?" Body: "Hi [First name], You have trusted us with [plain service] more than once, and I appreciate it. If you have never left us a Google review, your perspective as a repeat customer would help more than most: [Google review link]. Thank you either way. [Your name]". Tenure shows in a review, and these are often the most persuasive ones a business gets.
The details that decide whether it gets read
Send from a real person at your own business address, not a no-reply account — replies should reach someone who can answer. Keep the subject short, name your business in it, and resist salesy phrasing: a review request reads best as a thank-you note, not a campaign.
Review request emails are commercial email, so include your business postal address in the footer and honor unsubscribes on every later request. Keep the cadence to one first ask and at most one reminder per job — one follow-up roughly doubles conversion, while a third message mostly produces unsubscribes.
Timing still beats copy. A request sent the evening after the job converts several times better than one sent next week, and email is no exception — the customer is still feeling the result. If the work finished today, send today or tomorrow, never with the monthly newsletter.
How ReviewNudger handles the text-then-email handoff
ReviewNudger connects to the software where you get paid — Jobber, Square, QuickBooks, Stripe, Housecall Pro, FreshBooks, Clover, or thousands of apps via Zapier — and sends one neutral review request after each completed payment: by text when a mobile number exists, by email otherwise, with configurable follow-ups on either channel. Your business name, direct review link, and postal-address footer are handled for you, and unsubscribes carry forward automatically.
A cooldown keeps repeat customers from being asked again on every visit, every customer gets the same neutral request by default, and no path ever hides the public review link. It is $29 a month per location, flat, everything included, with a 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
What subject line works best for a review request email?
"Thank you from [Business name]" and "How did we do, [First name]?" both work because they read like follow-up from a person, not a campaign. Keep it short and honest, and skip urgency phrasing and all-caps — oversold subjects get deleted or filtered.
When should I send the review request email?
Within a day of the finished, paid job when email is your only channel — gratitude fades fast. When you texted first, send the email a few days later, and only to customers who have not acted on the text.
Do review request emails need an unsubscribe link?
Treat them as commercial email: include your business postal address and a working unsubscribe, and honor opt-outs on every later request. Beyond the rules, an email that offers a way out simply reads as more trustworthy.
Is email or text better for asking?
Text — review-request texts convert several times better than email, and around a third of customers asked by text shortly after the job leave a review. Email earns its place as the only-channel fallback and as the polite follow-up after an unanswered text.