Practice
Review solicitation
Review solicitation is the act of asking customers to leave a review, through email, SMS, in-person prompts, receipts, or links.
Asking works: the majority of reviews exist because someone asked. What matters is that the ask is uniform, unconditional, and free of any incentive tied to sentiment.
Platform rules differ sharply. Google permits asking; Yelp prohibits it outright and demotes businesses found soliciting.
In practice
Ask once, shortly after the value is delivered, with a direct link and no sentiment screening. Check the individual platform's rule before you automate it.
Common questions
- Can I offer a discount for a review?
- No. Incentivised reviews violate every major platform's policy and, in the US, trigger FTC disclosure obligations. Incentivise the visit, never the review.