Is it okay to ask clients for Google reviews?

Yes. Google allows businesses to ask customers for honest reviews. You cannot offer payment, discounts, gifts, or services in exchange for a review. You should also avoid asking employees, competitors, or anyone else with a conflict of interest. Yelp has different rules and discourages businesses from directly asking for reviews.

Can I suggest what a client should mention in their review?

You can suggest general topics, such as the neighborhood, property type, communication, or a problem you helped solve. Avoid giving clients prewritten sentences or telling them what opinion to express. The review should reflect their own experience and be written in their own words.

How many times should I follow up after requesting a review?

Send one reminder about a week after the original request, then stop. Many clients simply overlook the first message, so one polite follow-up can help. Repeated requests may feel pushy and can damage the goodwill you built during the transaction.

What response rate should I expect from review requests?

A response rate of around 50% to 70% may be achievable when you ask at the right time, provide a direct review link, and send one reminder. BrightLocal’s 2026 survey found that 65% of consumers who were asked to leave a review went on to write one. A low response rate may indicate that the request is poorly timed or that the process has too much friction.

Can I ask for a review if the transaction did not close?

Yes, as long as the client had a genuine experience working with you. A review does not have to come from a completed transaction. For example, a buyer can honestly review your communication, guidance, and effort even if they did not purchase a home. Ask without pressure and avoid requesting a review when the relationship ended poorly.

Jul 26, 20267 min read

8 Review Request Scripts That Feel Personal, Not Pushy

Use eight practical email, text, and in-person scripts, plus timing and follow-up tips that make it easier for clients to respond.

By Rajwinder Mahal

The best review requests are short, personal, and easy to act on. A two-line text with a direct review link usually feels more natural than a long explanation, especially during the excitement of closing.

Asking is also more common than it may feel. In BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, 78% of consumers said they had been asked for a review in the past year, and 65% of those asked wrote one. These eight scripts give clients a clear, low-pressure way to respond, along with timing and follow-up guidance for using them well.

When should you ask for a review?

Ask at a high point in the transaction. That is often closing day, with keys in hand and photos on the doorstep, but it may be an accepted offer after a bidding war, a successful appraisal, or another moment of relief. Once normal life resumes, the review request becomes easier to overlook.

The mechanics matter as much as the timing. Ask in person ("would you be open to sharing that in a review? I'll text you the link"), then send the link the same day while the conversation is still fresh. Use your direct Google review link, available under "Ask for reviews" in your Business Profile. Asking clients to search for your profile adds unnecessary friction.

What are the rules before you copy anything?

Ask for honest feedback and offer nothing in exchange. Google's content policy prohibits incentives such as payments, discounts, free goods, or services for posting, editing, or removing a review. It also prohibits reviews involving conflicts of interest, including reviews from you, your team, or your family. The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, in effect since October 2024, bans buying fake reviews and offering incentives conditioned on the sentiment expressed. Do not attach a review request to a closing gift, run a five-star-review giveaway, or draft the review for the client.

Platform rules differ. Yelp explicitly tells businesses not to solicit reviews, so do not use these scripts there. Check each platform's current policy before adapting a request. For a broader comparison, see where to focus your review presence.

What makes a review request script work?

Include four things: a personal detail from the transaction, a reason the review helps someone else, one topic the client might mention, and a single link. The personal detail shows that the message is not a blast. A gentle prompt, such as the neighborhood, property type, or problem you worked through, can also lead to a more useful review than "Great agent!" Specific reviews give future clients more context and may make your experience easier for AI tools to understand. Getting found by AI explains why that context matters. Prompt topics, not opinions, and never hand the client a finished review.

8 review request scripts for real estate agents

1. In person, at closing (the seed):

"Before you head out, it was such a pleasure helping you two find this house. If you'd be open to sharing your experience in a Google review, it would help the next family looking for an agent. I'll text you the link tonight so it's easy to find."

2. Same-day text (the link that follows the seed):

"Congrats again on [address/neighborhood]! 🎉 Here's that review link: [link]. Two or three honest sentences is perfect. Mentioning where you bought and how the [inspection scramble / appraisal gap / 9-day sale] went can help other buyers. Thank you!"

3. Next-day email (when text isn't your channel with this client):

Subject: One small favor from your [neighborhood] team

"Hi [name], now that you're officially home, I have one small ask. Would you write a short Google review about working together? Here's the link: [link]. If a starting point helps, future clients find it useful to hear what kind of home you wanted, what the market threw at us, and how it worked out. Thank you, and enjoy the new place."

4. The one-week nudge (send exactly one):

"Hi [name], no pressure at all. I'm just floating this back up in case the moving boxes buried it. Here's the review link again: [link]. Few words is plenty. Either way, congrats again on the new place!"

5. Past client, months or years later (the honest backfill):

"Hi [name], you crossed my mind because [genuine reason: the neighborhood came up, home anniversary, a similar deal]. I realized I never asked at the time: would you write a short Google review about your experience? It would help future clients understand what it's like to work with me, even [X months/years] later: [link]. Hope [personal detail] is treating you well!"

6. The referral-giver who's also a past client (they already vouched for you privately):

"Thank you again for sending [name] my way. We closed on their place last week. Would you be open to sharing a short Google review about your own experience working with me? It would help people who don't have a trusted friend to ask: [link]."

7. The testimonial conversion (they praised you in writing already):

"That note you sent after closing genuinely made my week. Would you be willing to share the same feedback on Google, in your own words? It would help future clients know what to expect: [link]. Thank you again."

8. The unhappy-ending ask (deal died through no fault of the service):

"I'm sorry we couldn't get you across the finish line in this market. I appreciated the chance to work with you. If you felt well served along the way, a short review about the experience would still help others understand how I work: [link]. And when the timing is right to try again, I'm here."

How does the two-touch follow-up work?

Touch one is the request at a high point in the transaction. Touch two is script 4, sent about a week later. Then stop. The first message reaches clients while the experience is fresh, and the reminder helps those who intended to respond but got busy. Limiting the sequence to two messages keeps it from feeling like pressure.

When a review appears, respond personally within a couple of days. It closes the loop with your client and shapes the next prospect's first impression of your profile. According to BrightLocal, 89% of consumers expect businesses to respond to reviews. For critical reviews, use this response framework.

What should you automate, and what shouldn't you?

Automate timing and delivery, but keep the words personal. Manual collection often breaks down during a busy closing week because the request never gets sent. AgentsCard can send requests after closing and keep responses organized in one place. You should still add the personal detail yourself; a generic merge-field message gives the client little reason to engage. If you're building from a low review count, pair these scripts with the 12-month plan.