Online reviews are a great way to build trust that encourages customers to buy. But how do you get them? Discover how to write the perfect email request.
When you operate an ecommerce store, a regular supply of objective and honest reviews helps customers decide what to buy and whether to buy it from you.
One of the easiest ways to get this feedback? By sending review request emails to people who have already bought from your business.
If you’ve never done this before, it can feel daunting. After all, it’s not in our nature to ask people for favors. But a high-quality, well-written email can persuade customers to leave reviews that drive sales and boost revenue.
In this article, we’ll share 10 ways to craft great review request emails, look at how tracking reviews saves time and effort, and leave you with smart email templates to get you started.
Benefits of online reviews
The main advantage of online reviews is that they help potential customers decide what to buy.
People typically read at least 1 review before making a decision. Having lots of reviews available on your website not only helps them decide which product to purchase but increases the odds of them buying it from you.
There are other benefits to asking for reviews too. Reviews improve your presence in the search results. Not only do you appear for more queries, but a steady flow of regular, positive reviews shows the search engines that your ecommerce store is trustworthy and genuine.
Reviews can also increase the chances of your products and business being cited in AI Overviews and recommended by AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Finally, reviews provide you with valuable feedback that you can use to improve your products and online store. This shows customers that their opinion matters, which leads to improved loyalty and a strengthened customer relationship.
How to manage email requests
If you’re getting started with request emails or you’re a small business owner, use an email marketing platform to handle and track your review request emails.
You can take advantage of premade email review request templates, optimized to generate reviews. There are also automation flows to contact customers for reviews after they’ve received their product.
To make gathering reviews as easy as possible, link to your ecommerce store or Google Business Profile’s review pages in the emails you send. Google Business Profile is a particularly useful tool as it’s free to create a profile and many people read Google reviews before making a purchase.
If you have a larger store or sell a lot of different products, you can also connect a review platform like Yotpo or Judge.me to your email marketing platform. This provides you with even more functionality and updates customer information in real time, letting you see at a glance which customers are happy with your products.
10 ways to encourage customers to submit online reviews
Review request emails are a great way to get valuable customer feedback, but there are a few things you can do to encourage more customers to leave reviews.
#1: Time your messages correctly
Determining the ideal time to send review requests is vital. Send your email too early, and there’s the chance your customer won’t have tried your product yet. Send your email too late, and your customer may have forgotten about their purchase.
The ideal time to ask for a review depends on a variety of factors, including:
- Seasonality: If a customer buys a barbecue in the winter, they may not be able to use it until the spring or summer.
- Complexity: If a product is large, expensive, or complex, a customer may want more time to review it thoroughly.
- Shipping delays: If a review request arrives before a customer has received a product, they may give you a negative review.
Most review management software platforms allow you to set different timing delays depending on the product. However, if in doubt, the optimal time to send a review request email is between 10 and 14 days after a product is delivered.
It’s also important to consider the day and time you send a review request email. Typically, the best days to send an email are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, although your own experiences as an ecommerce business may vary.
Mailchimp’s Send Time Optimization analyzes your existing customer data to recommend the best day and time to send your request review emails for the best results.
#2: Incentivize reviews (if you’re allowed)
Many customers are happy to give you positive feedback, no questions asked. Others may need a little extra convincing.
Offering a modest incentive, like a discount, additional loyalty points, or free shipping on their next purchase, encourages customers to leave feedback. It’s also helpful if you have a product page with no reviews and you want to get some feedback quickly.
If you offer an incentive, you need to be fair and transparent. For example, reward all reviews, not just positive ones. It’s also good practice to mark these reviews as incentivized, so potential customers are aware.
While offering an incentive when asking for reviews can encourage customer engagement, you need to check that your review platform of choice allows it. For example, Google Business Profile does not allow businesses to offer incentives and will restrict profiles that do so.
#3: Keep your emails short and to the point
Concise emails are easier to read and load faster, especially on mobile devices. This means higher review response rates.
The body of text in your review email should contain the following:
- A greeting, thanking the customer for ordering from your store
- An invitation to submit a review
- A short explanation of why customer feedback is so important
- A call to action (CTA)
- A warm and friendly sign-off
Try to keep your review email under 100 words. You can also use images and videos to make your review request email more eye-catching without increasing the word count.
#4: Make submitting a review easy
Customers are more likely to leave a review if they can do it as quickly as possible. If they have to log into their online account, jump through hoops to find the right page, or answer multiple questions to submit a review, they may give up.
Here’s how you can improve the customer experience and encourage them to provide a great review:
- Include a direct link to the review page in the email. Alternatively, allow customers to click a star rating directly inside the email.
- Automatically log customers into their online account.
- Provide prompts to help customers write their review.
- Make the review form as simple to use as possible. A short review is better than no review at all.
- Thoroughly test the customer experience before you send your review request email on desktop and mobile.
You should also include your contact info at the bottom of your email. That way, if a customer wants to get in touch about a product without submitting a review, they can.
#5: Use personalization
Personalization significantly increases response rates across email campaigns, and the same logic applies to your review request emails too.
Personalizing your subject line and email with a customer’s name and the product they purchased encourages them to keep reading and makes them more likely to want to submit a review. You can easily get this information from your ecommerce platform.
You can also use personalization to ask specific questions to get more detailed reviews. If a customer has bought a nonalcoholic beer, you can ask them to consider the mouthfeel, the aftertaste, and the aroma when writing their review.
Segmentation is also a powerful way to personalize your review request emails. For example, you can send different emails to customers who have purchased a product before and those who have purchased a product for the first time.
#6: Send a follow-up
Not all customers will read or act upon your initial review request email. They may be busy or want extra time to try out their product before they leave feedback.
Sending a follow-up email to remind customers to write a review gently nudges them into taking action.
We recommend sending a single follow-up 5-7 days after your original review request email. Sending multiple follow-up emails may annoy customers.
#7: Optimize for mobile
Many customers will read your request review email on a mobile device. Optimizing your email for mobile makes it easier for these customers to write reviews. You can enhance your request emails by:
- Using responsive email templates
- Keeping your email design simple and uncluttered
- Optimizing images to load quickly
- Not placing links too close together
- Making CTA buttons easy to click
Most email marketing platforms allow you to review your email on mobile before you send, and some allow you to customize your emails to appear different on mobile.
As well as the email, consider the review form. Use autofill so customers don’t have to enter data manually, and allow them to take a photo or video of their product using their mobile phone camera.
#8: Consider SMS messages
A Short Message Service (SMS), a text message sent to a mobile device over a cellular connection, is a great way of getting a customer’s attention.
Customers receive several email messages a day, meaning a review request email may get lost in their inbox. Most customers only receive a handful of SMS messages daily, meaning they’re more likely to see your message and write a review.
SMS messages must be 160 characters or under, so make sure your SMS review request is concise. We’ll share an SMS review request template you can use later in this article.
Alternatively, you can use rich communication services (RCS), which use mobile data or WiFi to ask for a review, or an internet-based instant messaging service like WhatsApp.
#9: A/B test your emails
Even making small tweaks to your review request emails, for example, changing the subject line or adding an image, can significantly affect your response rates.
A/B testing can help you see which changes have the most impact. This is when you create 2 similar emails, with a key difference, and see which leads to more reviews.
Many review platforms and email platforms (like Mailchimp) let you carry out simple A/B testing, meaning you can ensure your review request emails are optimized for success.
#10: Say thank you
Responding to both positive and negative reviews shows customers that you appreciate the time they have taken to write a review and are listening to their feedback.
It also means you can provide your side of the story in the case of a negative review, providing potential customers with additional information that may lead to a sale.
Respond as quickly as possible (ideally within 48 hours), be polite, and personalize your feedback to each customer. You can use review management software to track and assign comments.
Email templates to get you started
Not sure how to ask for a review? We’ve put together some review request email templates you can use. Just customize to fit your needs and send.
Basic email request
Subject line: So, what do you think?
Hi [First Name],
We hope you’ve had the chance to try out your new [product] and that you’re enjoying it!
We want to know what you think—your review will help other customers make informed decisions and give us valuable feedback.
We’d really appreciate it if you could leave a review using the link below—it will only take a few minutes.
[review link]
Thank you for shopping with us, and we hope to hear from you soon!
All the best,
The [Company Name] team
Incentivized review
Subject line: Review your [product] and receive [discount] off your next order 💵
Hi [First Name],
Thank you for purchasing [product] from us.
We’d love to know what you think. Whether you absolutely love it or think there’s room for improvement, your feedback helps us and future customers too!
As a thank-you for taking the time to leave a review, we’ll send you [discount] off your next order. Just click the link below to get started, and we’ll email your exclusive discount code.
[review link]
Thank you for shopping with us. We hope to hear from you soon!
All the best,
The [Company Name] team
Follow-up email
Subject line: Have you reviewed your [product] yet?
Hi [First Name],
Just a quick reminder to leave a review for [product] if you have a minute.
If you’ve already left a review, thank you. We really appreciate it.
If you haven’t had the chance yet, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Your review helps potential customers decide and provides us with valuable feedback.
[review link]
Thank you for shopping with us. We hope to hear from you soon!
All the best,
The [Company Name] team
SMS review request
Hi [First Name], we hope you’re enjoying [product]. We’d love to hear what you think! [review link]. Thanks, [Company Name]
Make asking for reviews easy with Mailchimp
The best way to get positive reviews for your ecommerce store? Just ask!
Most customers will be more than happy to leave a review and share their thoughts if you send them a well-thought-out message.
Mailchimp makes creating and managing your review requests a breeze. Sync your ecommerce platform, build your email, and set up automated review emails that trigger when customers purchase your products. You can even send follow-up emails and SMS messages.
More reviews mean more sales and more satisfied customers. Win-win!