How to Ask Customers for Reviews: 7 Compelling Review Request Templates

July 19, 2022
Contributor: Mark DiGiammarino

Encourage customers to give feedback to improve your search rankings, brand reputation and conversion rates.

To experience the benefits of reviews, you’ll first need to collect them from existing customers. Collecting reviews for your product or service is the easiest way to build trust with software buyers: 98% of software buyers say they find user reviews important when evaluating which products to buy.

People like sharing their opinions or experiences, but they need a little extra nudge before leaving a review. Do you have a review collection strategy in place to capture users’ experiences? 

Despite its immense value for customers, collecting reviews often becomes an afterthought for marketing teams due to competing priorities. Review recruitment should be a top priority since reviews don’t just impact purchase decisions at the bottom of the sales funnel, but also increase product visibility via review platforms. 

However, not all reviews are made equal. Some reviews influence buyers more than others.

Which reviews influence customers the most?

One of the top reasons B2B buyers read reviews is to get advice from people with similar needs and experiences. Understanding and identifying what makes a high-quality customer review is vital to effectively collecting and leveraging social proof.

According to our buyer research, great reviews usually have three characteristics:

  • High-quality: Qualitative feedback (including pros vs. cons) is the most valuable review feature for buyers to learn about a product. 
  • Recent: 92% of respondents indicate they are more likely to trust software reviews written within the past year. Collect recent reviews to keep product information relevant.
  • Trustworthy: 66% of software buyers say it is extremely or very important that software reviews are verified by a third party.

The review request templates in this article help you generate reviews containing these three crucial factors for buyers. Read on to get access to customizable templates and best practices to kickstart your review recruitment strategy.

How do you ask for reviews?

When crafted with the right words and timing, requesting reviews throughout the customer journey can make your users feel heard and create a solid foundation for your brand’s reputation. 

Use these seven basic templates as a starting point to request reviews for the different scenarios below. Customize your message depending on the customer’s context, including where they are in the customer journey. While email is a consistently critical channel in B2B marketing, you can adapt these messages for other mediums. 

It’s a good idea to keep the tone of customer emails personal, friendly and empathetic. Thus, most of the review request templates here are personalized and have a human tone. 

1. Let buyers know the value of their review

Customers aren’t always motivated to share feedback. Send them an email explaining why a review would help other buyers or improve their experience of your product. Ask them politely what they'd like in return for a review too (and offer them an incentive in your response to the email). 

Here is a customizable customer review email template to try out: 

Subject: We’d love to hear from you! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for choosing <INSERT: Product name> to address <INSERT: Key business challenge or problem>. I am confident we are going to achieve great things together!

I had a quick question for you: What can we do to receive a review from you?

By leaving a review you create a better experience for yourself and other customers like you.

Please help us keep up with your needs and serve you better. You’d be able to share your thoughts here: <INSERT: Review link>

Would you let me know if you are (or aren't) interested?

Pro tip:

Use this template for all types of customers, regardless of where they are in the buying journey — whether they have just made a purchase decision or are considering software renewal — to receive their feedback. 

If you’re sending large email blasts, it’s best to segment your list based on your buyers’ needs. Mass email blasts will get you plenty of reviews, but they are also likely to generate low-quality reviews. This will increase the chances of being flagged by platforms you wish to publish your reviews on, such as third-party review sites or search engines.

 2. Request a review shortly after the implementation

A great time to make a review request is shortly after the software implementation phase is complete. The idea is to reach buyers while the product is still fresh in their minds and they are most motivated to use it.  

That said, give them some time to experience your product and explore its strengths and weaknesses. While two weeks might not be enough time to generate meaningful insights, a year might be too late to garner engagement. 

Check out the templates below to make a review request post-implementation: 

Subject: Tell us what you thought about <INSERT: Product name> 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for being a valued user of <INSERT: Product name>!

We’d love to hear how your experience was after implementing and trying it out  for <INSERT: Company name>. 

Do you mind taking just a couple of minutes to leave a review?

You can share your feedback by visiting this link: <INSERT: Review link>

Subject: How are we doing?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi <INSERT: Client name>,

Thank you for your business! We're excited to see the returns our product generates for you. I know it's going to be amazing.

We have a quick favor to ask you. Would you take a moment to let us know: How did we do? 

Your opinion matters to us. We will use your feedback to improve our operations and serve you better in the future.

Please share your thoughts here: <INSERT: Review link> 

Subject: Help us improve, <INSERT: Client name>!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I hope you’re feeling great about your experience with <INSERT: Product name>, but we want to know for sure.

Please take a minute to tell us how you really feel right here: <INSERT: Review link>

Your feedback will help us serve you better. 

Pro tip:

Use this email template to target new customers after their first purchase. Make sure to time it right; requesting feedback too soon or too late can be counterproductive. 

If you request a review too quickly (a couple of weeks), then it’s likely that customers are still getting up to speed after implementation. If you request a review too late (nine months to a year), users may not remember their initial reactions or may not be interested in providing feedback.

Three to six months is usually a good starting point to request software reviews. 

3. Schedule an interview for in-depth feedback

Software buyers like to refer to reviews that give a detailed and qualitative commentary about the experience of working with a product.

Schedule a 5-15 minute call with your past buyers to capture their feedback in depth. You can structure this call as an interview or record it as a monologue by the buyer. It’s also a great opportunity to ask for a video review if the buyer agrees to speak to you on a video call. 

Additionally, the constructive feedback provided in an interview could be used to inform your product team and influence the product roadmap. Detailed feedback helps not only customers select the right product but also software providers to improve their product offerings and brand messaging by hearing what clients have to say through voice of the customer (VoC) analysis.  

Here are some sample email templates to schedule interview reviews:

Before the interview:

Subject: Did our <INSERT: Product name> meet your expectations?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi <INSERT: Client name>,

In the past, some of our clients reached us after being disappointed by a competitor. Most of them paid huge sums for <INSERT: Product sought> that didn’t work out well for them. We’re trying to learn from their experience.

We would like to get a sense of your experience so far with our <INSERT: Product name>. Have you run into any frustrations? Would you be willing to share your story in a quick 5-minute call?

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you! 

After the interview:

Subject: Thank you for your time!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi <INSERT: Client name>,

Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me today. Our team is happy to hear that you have been experiencing <INSERT: results or outcome>.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about your decision to buy from us, and your feedback about using <INSERT: Product name> so far.

Here’s a transcript of our interview: <INSERT: Link to interview>

Would you be willing to share this as a review on one of our key review sites?

It’s a quick copy and paste here: <INSERT: Review Link>

No worries if you can’t. You’re amazing either way!

Pro tip:

Reserve interviews for your customers with whom you share the strongest relationships. Some customers may not take the time to speak with you. Some signs of a customer that might share their experience through an interview:

  • A satisfied customer according to your account management team
  • A customer who maintains communication with your company
  • A customer who is an influencer (or expert) in the industry
  • A customer who engages with your content (joins webinars, reads blog posts)
  • A previously dissatisfied customer with whom you made things right

4. Identify and ask happy customers

Satisfied customers are the ideal reviewers for any business. Find out from your account managers who these customers are, and invite them to write or record a testimonial.

Testimonials are slightly different from reviews, as they are from a customer who has had a highly positive experience with your product and can clearly speak to its merits. Positive or glowing user reviews can also be turned into shareable social proof content.

Make your satisfied and loyal customers feel special with a custom-made invitation for feedback. You can offer them incentives such as extended maintenance periods and discount coupons. 

Use this template as a reference point to make a testimonial request:

Subject: We want to hear from you!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi <INSERT: Client name>,

I’m reaching out to the top <INSERT: Percentage> of our customers, and that’s you. You’ve been using <INSERT: Product name> for a while now, and I’d like to check in and hear from you about your experience.

I have just <INSERT: Number> questions to ask, and it should only take <INSERT: Number> minutes.

Would it be okay if we talked on the phone? Let me know if <INSERT: Day of the week> at <INSERT: Time> works for you.

If you’re busy, please let me know if there is a more convenient time or you can also share your thoughts here: <INSERT: Review link>

We appreciate you! 

Pro tip:

Find your happiest customers by segmenting existing customers under criteria such as repeat customers, high-engagement customers, admirers, and high spenders. Then filter out people who qualify for multiple criteria (three or more). You can also use this method to target customers for interview feedback.

5. Request a review after providing training or a service

Don’t miss the opportunity to receive a positive review after providing a customer support service or staff training (whether scheduled or emergency). Send customers a review request email right after. If you provided them with an amazing experience, happy customers will willingly share their feedback. And if not, customers will have a chance to suggest improvements. 

Subject: How would you rate the service you received?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for contacting us for <INSERT: Matter attended to (training exercise, support request, or others)>! We are always working to make our services better.

How was our service today, <INSERT: Client name>?

If we exceeded your expectations, please consider leaving us a review: <INSERT: Review link>

If not, still consider leaving us a review. Your feedback will help us improve <INSERT: Product name> for you and for future customers. We’d love to know more about your experience so we can do better next time.

Thank you for your time! 

6. Reach out after a product demo or free trial

Product demonstrations and free trials are central to the software sales process. Asking for a review can be a great way to follow up with potential customers and lead them further down in the sales funnel. It also shares the experience of trial users to people who may have liked your product but didn’t go through the final purchase.

Here is a review request template for each:  

After a product demonstration: 

Subject: Thank you for choosing <INSERT: Company name>!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

<INSERT: Client name>, we are happy that we could connect on <INSERT: Day> for the demo of our platform.

Did we do a good job of explaining how our solution can help you <INSERT: business challenge or problem or buyer’s pain point that drove them to you>?

We would like to know more about your experience. Could you take a few minutes to tell us what you think?

Any thoughts on how we can serve you better will be much appreciated.

Let us know here: <INSERT: Review link>

After a free trial: 

Subject: How is it going so far?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi <INSERT: Client name>,

You’ve got <INSERT: Number of days> days left on your free trial. Do you feel <INSERT: Product name> is right for you?

I would like to know - what were the most frustrating and wonderful things about your experience with <INSERT: Product name>?

Please help us serve you better by sharing any thoughts you’ve had about our platform, or leave a review for us on our review site: <INSERT: Review link>

7. Don't ignore customers with varying happiness levels

While we don't necessarily encourage collecting reviews from unhappy customers, we do encourage vendors not to discriminate or be overly choosy by trying to only get reviews from happy customers.

Receiving a few negative reviews helps readers trust your review profile, because it contains balanced feedback.  You can also show unhappy buyers and future buyers that you care about their experiences by responding promptly and professionally. 

Customize these templates to reach out to customers with varying happiness levels:

Subject: We want to learn from your experience with <INSERT: Product name or category>

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello <INSERT: Client name>,

Feedback is essential for us to improve your experience with our product.

Whether you're delighted or feel restricted by our product's capabilities, we want to know!

To let us know how we're doing, I want to offer a <INSERT: Give discount coupon or other incentive> to learn from your experience. 

Would you be willing to share your thoughts with us?

Please give us an opportunity to improve with the help of your feedback on our review site:

Pro tip:

No matter if a negative review is authentic, the three mantras to deal with them are: professionalism, openness, and promptness. 

Responding with respect shows prospects that you are reachable in case things go south. Additionally, you can take the opportunity to reach out to users who left a negative review once their problem is properly resolved to update their experience.

Make review collection easy

It takes extensive and continuous effort to collect reviews and manage them for quality and authenticity. Make the process easy by working with our review toolkit and collect high-quality and credible reviews effortlessly. Attract a global audience of reviewers with in-language review collection resources, and show reviewers your appreciation with gift card incentives.

Learn more about how to collect reviews (and make the most of them) in our on-demand webinar:

Webinar: Build a Review-Centric Marketing Engine

Drive more ROI from your ratings with insights from 2 million+ reviews on our platform.
Watch Now

Mark DiGiammarino 

Mark DiGiammarino is the Senior Director of Vendor Services for Gartner Digital Markets. His department helps vendors improve performance through review recruitment, profile optimization and landing page creation. When he’s not at work, you can find him exploring Kentucky’s breweries with his wife, daughter, and their goldendoodle. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn. 
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