SMS and Email: The Best Review Request Sequences
The exact 3-touch SMS and email sequences that consistently push review request conversion above 35% for Australian service businesses.
26 April 2026 7 min read
Most businesses send one review request and hope for the best. The result: 5–10% conversion. The businesses doing it properly run a multi-touch sequence and convert 30–40% of customers into reviewers. Here's exactly how.
The winning sequence (SMS-first)
- Touch 1 — SMS, 2 hours after job completion: short, personal, direct link to leave a Google review.
- Touch 2 — Email, 48 hours later: friendly nudge with the review link and a one-line 'thank you' from the owner.
- Touch 3 — SMS, 5 days later: final soft reminder, only if they haven't reviewed yet.
SMS template that converts
"Hi [Name], it's [Owner] from [Business]. Thanks for choosing us today! If you've got 30 seconds, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It genuinely helps a small business like ours. [link]"
Email template that converts
"Subject: A quick favour, [Name]? Hi [Name], thanks again for trusting us with [job]. Reviews are the lifeblood of our business — would you mind sharing your experience on Google? It takes 30 seconds and it means the world. [link] Cheers, [Owner]"
Why SMS beats email
- SMS open rates: ~94% within 3 minutes.
- Email open rates for service businesses: 20–35%.
- SMS click-through to Google: 4–6x higher than email.
- Email is still useful as touch 2 — it adds context and credibility.
About the author
Altitude Reputation Team
Australian Reputation Management Specialists
The Altitude Reputation team has helped hundreds of Australian service businesses grow their Google reviews, improve local rankings and turn customer feedback into a repeatable lead source.
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