# Review response

> A review response is the business's published reply to a customer review, visible to everyone who reads the original.

_Category: Practice · Updated 2026-08-15 · By Elizabeth Davis_

Source: https://happyreplies.com/glossary/review-response

The response is written for three readers at once: the reviewer, the prospective customer scanning for how you handle criticism, and increasingly the model summarising your business.

The structural pattern that works is consistent across platforms and industries: acknowledge the specific thing, explain briefly without excusing, state what changed, offer one route to resolution, sign with a name.

## In practice

Keep it under 100 words, avoid repeating the complaint in the first line, and never argue the facts in public.

## FAQ

### How long should a review response be?

Two to four sentences for most reviews. Long responses read as defensive regardless of what they say.

## Related terms

- https://happyreplies.com/glossary/service-recovery
- https://happyreplies.com/glossary/response-time
- https://happyreplies.com/glossary/negative-review