A 6-phase Review Engine that gets businesses more 5-stars by asking at the one moment customers actually want to write them — the peak. Templates, scripts, and response patterns inside.
The single biggest factor in whether a customer writes a review isn't your product, your incentive, or your follow-up cadence — it's when you ask.
Ask too late and the moment's gone. Ask before they've felt the win and you'll get a polite shrug. Ask in the peak — the second they're feeling the value — and conversion jumps 3–4×.
That's what this engine is built to do.
Every business has a moment. Here's where it usually hides — pick the one closest to yours, then read on for how to build the engine around it.
Peak: right after checkout, while the customer is still smiling at what they bought. Not the next day. Not by email. Right now, at the counter.
Peak: the moment the customer sees the finished work and says "wow." Before you've packed up. Before they've paid.
Peak: 2–4 days after delivery — long enough to actually use the product, short enough that the dopamine is still fresh. Day 7 is too late.
Peak: when the check arrives and the meal was great. Plates clean, drinks finished, the table relaxed. Before the rush of paying.
Peak: the end of the session where the client just had the realization, or the close of a launch where the result hit. While the win is loud.
Peak: the day a project ships and the client is forwarding it around. Or the email after the first big result lands. Hit it before the next fire starts.
Six phases, in order. Build them once and the engine runs itself. Click any card to expand its to-do list.
Five minutes of prep saves you from rebuilding the engine three weeks in. Most of these you'll re-use for every channel and every script.
yourbiz.com/review if your site builder supports itReviews are a trust market. Google, Yelp, Apple, and the FTC have strict rules. Break them and you can lose your listing, your account, or face a fine — even if your intent was clean. The four to watch:
Don't offer discounts, freebies, gifts, raffle entries, or anything of value in exchange for a review. Google, Yelp, and Apple all ban it. The FTC fines for it. "Leave us a review and get 10% off" is the fastest way to get your listing suspended.
Don't pre-screen customers ("Did you have a 5-star experience?") and only send happy ones to public review sites. The FTC settled a major case on this in 2023. Ask every customer the same way — let them choose what to write.
No employees, no family, no friends, no "we'll write one for you." Platforms detect IP overlap, account age, language patterns, and review velocity. One fake review can torpedo years of legitimate ones.
If you do feature a customer testimonial in marketing and you gave them a free product or service to write it, the FTC requires disclosure ("I received this product for free in exchange for an honest review"). Reviews on Google or Yelp follow the no-incentive rule above — disclosure isn't a workaround.
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