Referral request email template and review request pack
A referral request email template and seven more messages for the moment you have earned the right to ask: the trigger, one line on who you want to meet, an intro your customer forwards as it is, a Google review request with no incentives, a thank-you, one follow-up and a clear opt-out. Plus a filled example, a Word file and a free Excel tracker, no sign-up needed.
Made by Anatolii Ulitovskyi 
Fact-checked by RH Fardin Updated 1. When to ask: the earned trigger and who not to ask
Read firstYou have earned the right to ask when the customer has just told you, in words or with a rating, that you delivered. Every ask needs its own trigger, recorded on the contact with the date. No trigger, no ask.
The four earned triggers
| Trigger | What counts | Ask within |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered result | The job or order is finished and confirmed by the customer. | Review: 1 day. Referral: 2 to 4 weeks. |
| Thank-you | A written thank-you, not a polite goodbye. | The same day, in your reply. |
| 5-star rating | 5 stars in the chat widget, or 4 with a positive comment. | 1 day. |
| Renewal or repeat order | A second purchase, a renewed contract or an upgrade. | The same week. |
One ask per message
- Review first, referral later. A review takes two minutes; a referral lends you the customer's reputation, so give the result 2 to 4 weeks to prove itself. Never both in one message, and at least 4 weeks apart.
Do not ask
- Anyone with an open complaint, a late delivery or an unpaid dispute, and anyone who said no in the last 12 months.
- For a referral: a customer who rated you 3 stars or less. Fix the problem and wait for the next trigger.
- For a review: do not filter by rating. Google's policy forbids selectively soliciting positive reviews1, so every customer gets the same ask at the same point in your process. The trigger sets the day, not the list.
Owner and action fields, filled in before you send
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Owner | The person who delivered or was thanked. Never a shared mailbox. |
| Trigger and date | Which of the four triggers, and when. |
| Channel and type | The channel the customer used last. Referral or review, never both. |
| Follow-up date | Ask date plus 7 days. One follow-up, then stop. |
| Complete when | Trigger, intro text (for a referral) and follow-up date are on the contact. |
2. Referral request email template: result, fit, intro, easy no
Send when
- 2 to 4 weeks after a delivered result, or the week after a renewal.
- You can name the result in the customer's own words.
- You know who you want to meet: one type of person, one line.
SubjectA quick question after your project or result
OrFirst name, do you know someone with their problem?
EmailHi first name,
It was good to hear that the result in their words, e.g. the new boiler kept the house warm through the cold week. Thank you again for choosing us.
A quick question. We would like to help more recipient fit in one line, e.g. homeowners in your area with a boiler older than 12 years. Is there one person you know who fits that?
If so, I can send you three sentences you can forward to them as they are. They can say no, and you do not have to do anything else.
If nobody comes to mind, that is completely fine. Thank you either way.
Best regards,
your name
your company, phone
TipThe recipient fit is the whole trick. "Anyone who needs a plumber" gets nothing. "A neighbor whose boiler is older than 12 years" gets a name, because the customer can picture the person.
When they give a name, reply with the forwardable intro (next tabs) and say you will only contact the person if they get in touch first.
3. Short referral request message for SMS, WhatsApp and chat
Send when
- The customer just thanked you or rated you 5 stars in a chat, WhatsApp or SMS thread. Reply in the same thread, the same day, in under 300 characters.
Message, after a thank-youThank you, first name, that made our day. One quick question: do you know one recipient fit, e.g. neighbor with an old boiler who might want the same? If so, I can send you a 3-line intro to forward. If not, no problem at all.
Or, after a 5-star ratingThanks for the 5 stars, first name! If you know one recipient fit who could use our help, I can send you a short intro to forward to them. Completely fine if nobody comes to mind.
Reply when they say yes, email or chatGreat, thank you. Here it is, ready to forward:
paste the forwardable intro
Change anything you like. I will only get in touch with contact first name if they contact me first.
Reply when they say noNo problem at all, first name. Thank you again, and enjoy the result.
TipSave the three messages as saved replies with shortcuts such as /ref-ask, /ref-yes and /ref-no. Replace the brackets before you send. If they give a name, add the tag Referrer to the contact.
4. The forwardable intro your customer sends to their contact
The part most templates skipMost referrals die because the customer has to write something. Write it for them: three sentences in their voice, forwarded as they are or with a word changed. The contact can say no with one tap.
Intro, the customer forwards thisHi contact first name,
We just had your company the result, e.g. replace our boiler and they were one honest word, e.g. quick and tidy. You mentioned their situation, e.g. your boiler playing up, so I thought of you.
If you want, your name can call you: phone. Or just reply here and I will connect you. No pressure either way.
customer first name
Shorter, for WhatsAppHi contact first name, we just used your company for the result and they were one honest word. You mentioned their situation. Their number is phone if useful. No pressure. customer first name
Rules for the intro
- In the customer's voice, first person. One honest word about you, which the customer may change.
- The recipient fit from your ask, so the contact knows why they are being written to.
- Your name and one way to reach you, not a tracking link. "No pressure either way" stays in every version.
TipNever send the intro to the contact yourself, even if the customer gives you the number. The referral belongs to the customer.
When the contact writes or calls, create the lead the same day with Referred by set to the customer. If they never appear, do not chase them.
5. Thank-you after a referral, with and without a reward
Send when
- Within one day of the referred contact getting in touch, whatever happens next.
- Again when they become a customer, with the reward if you offer one. If they never get in touch, thank the customer for forwarding, once.
Without a rewardHi first name,
Contact first name got in touch today. Thank you so much for the introduction. Whatever they decide, I appreciate you putting your name behind us.
If there is ever anything you need from us, you know where I am.
your name
With a rewardHi first name,
Contact first name got in touch today. Thank you for the introduction. As promised, once their first job or order is done you will get the reward, e.g. a $50 credit on your next service. I will confirm when it is on your account.
Thank you for trusting us with someone you know.
your name
Keep rewards simple and legal
- One fixed reward for every referral, stated before the customer forwards anything, paid when the referred person becomes a customer. Write it on the contact record and the credit note.
- A reward for a referral is normal. A reward for a review is not: Google treats incentives for reviews as fake and misleading content2, and in the US the FTC rule bans incentives conditioned on a review's sentiment3.
- If you sell to businesses, check that the referrer may accept gifts. Offer to donate the reward or skip it.
TipA thank-you without a reward, sent the same day, beats a reward sent three weeks late. Speed is the signal.
6. Review request message for Google and other review sites
No incentives, everAsk when
SubjectHow did we do, first name?
OrOne minute for a review of your company?
EmailHi first name,
Thank you for choosing your company for the job or order. I hope the result is working well.
If you have one minute, would you leave us a review on Google? It helps other people like them, e.g. homeowners in the area decide.
review link
Honest feedback is what we want, including anything we could do better. If something was not right, reply to this email and I will sort it out personally.
Thank you,
your name
your company
Short message, SMS, WhatsApp or chatThank you for choosing your company, first name. If you have a minute, an honest review on Google helps others decide: review link. If anything was not right, just reply here and I will fix it. Thank you!
Reply after a 5-star rating in the chatThank you for the 5 stars, first name! If you have one more minute, the same words on Google would help others find us: review link. Completely optional.
Never offer a discount, a gift, a prize draw or a credit for a review: Google lists it as prohibited content1 and the US FTC rule bans incentives tied to a review's sentiment3. Never ask only the customers you expect to be positive, and never send suggested wording.
TipReply to every review, good or bad, within a week, and never offer a discount in a public reply. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 80% of consumers said they are likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews4.
7. Follow-up and opt-out: one gentle follow-up, then stop
Follow-up rules
- One follow-up, 7 days after the ask, in the same thread, adding something: the intro text or the link again. Never a second one.
- Never follow up with the referred contact. Any reply from the customer ends the sequence, including "not now".
Referral follow-up, email or messageHi first name, one short follow-up on my question last week. In case it helps, here is the intro, ready to forward if someone comes to mind:
paste the forwardable intro
If nobody does, no need to reply, and thank you again for the result.
Review follow-up, short messageHi first name, in case it got buried: here is the review link again, review link. One minute, honest words. If you would rather not, that is fine and I will not ask again.
When they say no, not now, or ask you to stopOf course, first name, and sorry for the extra message. I have made a note so nobody from your company asks you again. If you ever need anything with what you do, you know where I am.
Log the outcome and close the ask
| Outcome | What to do |
|---|---|
| Introduction made | Create the lead with Referred by. Thank the customer within 1 day. Tag them Referrer. |
| Review posted | Note the link on the contact. Reply to the review within a week. |
| Declined | Note it on the contact with the date. No asks for 12 months. |
| No answer | 7 days after the follow-up, close the ask. Next trigger, next ask, 3 months later at the earliest. |
8. Rules: what never to do in a referral or review request
8.1Never pay for a review
WhyGoogle lists incentives for reviews as prohibited content1; the US FTC rule bans incentives conditioned on a review's sentiment3.
Do insteadReward referrals only, in writing.
8.2Never pick only the happy customers for reviews
WhySelectively soliciting positive reviews is against Google's policy1.
Do insteadAsk every customer at the same point in the process.
8.3Never send a third message
WhyMore messages cost more trust than they bring.
Do insteadClose the ask as No answer. Next trigger, next ask.
8.4Never add the referred contact to a mailing list
WhyOne forwarded intro is not consent to hear from you.
Do insteadAnswer what they asked. Ask before adding them to anything.
TipIf a customer asks what they get for a review, say: "Nothing, and that is the point. We want your honest words." Then thank them.
For small sales and support teams
Know who referred whom, and never ask twice.
In CRMsoftware.pro every customer is a contact with tags and custom fields such as Referred by, every ask is a task with an assignee and a deadline, and a 5-star rating at the end of a chat tells you it is time to ask. You send the messages yourself.
- Contacts and companies with tags, custom fields and the full chat history
- WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram in one inbox, with saved replies for the short asks
- Free plan with contacts, 1 pipeline and basic tasks. Channels from Launch, $19 a month billed yearly; saved replies from Growth, $49
Free plan: 3 users, no credit card.
Filled example
One boiler, one review and one referral in 16 days
Hillcrest Plumbing & Heating, a fictional two-person company, replaces a boiler for Priya Nair on 21 September. She rates the WhatsApp chat 5 stars and writes a thank-you: the trigger. Kim sends the review request the next day, waits two weeks, then the referral request email template with a one-line recipient fit. Priya forwards the intro to her neighbor, who writes in the next morning.
Contacts in the CRM on 7 October
| Priya Nair | Customer since 21 Sep, tag Referrer |
| Trigger | Thank-you and 5-star rating, 21 Sep |
| Review | Posted 23 Sep, replied the same day |
| Referral ask | Email 5 Oct, intro forwarded 5 Oct |
| Tom Keller | Lead 6 Oct, Referred by: Priya Nair |
| Reward | $50 credit when Tom's job is done |
Asks in the tracker
| Date | Ask | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 22 Sep | Review ask, WhatsApp | Review posted 23 Sep |
| Mon 5 Oct | Referral ask, email | Introduction made 6 Oct |
Why ask
Why ask for referrals and reviews: most customers say yes when asked well
Reviews are read by almost everyone, and asking for them is normal. In BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, a panel of 1,002 US adults, 97% of consumers said they read reviews for local businesses, 78% had been asked to leave feedback for a business, and 83% of people asked to leave a review went on to leave one4. The ask is not the problem. A vague ask, a reward or a third message is.
Referrals carry more weight than anything you can buy. In Nielsen's 2021 Trust in Advertising study of more than 40,000 consumers, 88% said they trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel5. That trust belongs to the customer, which is why the intro is in their voice and sent by them.
97%
of consumers read reviews for local businesses
83%
of people asked to leave a review went on to leave one
88%
trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel
Referral vs review
How to ask a client for a referral vs a review: two different asks
A referral is a private introduction to one specific type of person. A review is a public rating anyone can read. Different timing, rules and rewards, so never mix them in one message.
| Question | Referral request | Review request |
|---|---|---|
| What you ask for | An introduction to one type of person, made by the customer | A public rating in their own words |
| Earned trigger | Delivered result, thank-you, 5-star rating or renewal | The same triggers, or one fixed point in your process |
| When | 2 to 4 weeks after the result, or the same day after a thank-you | Within 1 day of the trigger |
| Who you may ask | Happy customers with no open issue | Every customer at the same point, never only the happy ones |
| Reward | One fixed reward is fine, paid when the referred person buys | None, ever |
| Follow-up | One, after 7 days, with the intro text | One, after 7 days, with the link again |
Google's policy on prohibited content says a business must not "offer incentives" such as "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services" in exchange for posting any review, and must not "discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers"1. Its Business Profile help calls incentives for reviews "fake & misleading content"2.
Excel tracker
What is in the Excel referral and review tracker
Three sheets: Asks with one row per request, Summary with totals and conversion rates, and Lists with your owners and dropdown values. Columns marked Auto fill in by themselves.
| Column | What it does |
|---|---|
| Date asked, customer, company | One row per ask, dated the day you sent the message. |
| Trigger | Delivered result, Thank-you, 5-star rating or Renewal. |
| Channel and type | Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Chat or In person; Referral or Review. |
| Intro sent | Yes or No for a referral, Not needed for a review. |
| Follow-up date Auto | Date asked plus 7 days. A weekend date moves to Monday. |
| Follow-up sent | The date of the one follow-up. Empty if the customer answered first. |
| Outcome | Introduction made, Review posted, Declined or No answer. Empty means open. |
| New lead or review link | The referred person's name, or the link to the posted review. |
| Owner | Who asked and who follows up. |
| Status Auto | Waiting, Follow-up due, Overdue, Close as No answer, or Done. |
The sample holds the two asks from the example and 7 more: 3 introductions made, 2 reviews posted, 1 declined, and on a weekday 1 follow-up due today, 1 overdue and 1 ask to close as No answer. The Summary sheet shows asks, introductions, reviews posted, conversion rates and totals by trigger, channel and owner. Opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets (File, then Import).
How to set up
Set up referral and review requests in 5 steps
- 1
Write your versions once
Fill in the brackets: company, one-line recipient fit, review link. Save the emails as drafts and the short messages as saved replies.
- 2
Get your review link
In your Google Business Profile, copy the review link or QR code2. One tap on a phone must open the review form.
- 3
Pick your triggers
Decide which of the four triggers apply, and who owns the ask: the person who delivered.
- 4
Decide the referral reward, or none
One fixed reward, paid when the referred person buys, written down. Nothing for a review.
- 5
Log every ask and close it
One tracker row or CRM task per ask. Trigger, intro text and follow-up date make it complete; an outcome closes it.
Set it up in CRMsoftware.pro
- Open Custom Fields in the left menu and click Add field: Entity type Contacts, Field label Referred by, Field type Text, then Create field. Repeat for Leads.
- In Contacts, add the tag Referrer under Tags to a customer who made an introduction. When the referred person writes in, fill in Referred by on the lead and convert it to a contact, company and deal in one click.
- Open Tasks and click New Task for every ask: Task title (Referral ask or Review ask plus the customer's name), Assignee and Deadline (trigger plus 1 day for a review, plus 14 to 28 days for a referral). When you send it, write the channel, the intro text and the follow-up date in the Status summary, click Mark done and create the follow-up task. My Tasks shows Due today and Overdue.
- On Growth, save the short messages in Settings > Saved Replies with New reply: Shortcut (/ref-ask, /ref-yes, /ref-no, /review-ask), Title, Reply body, Share with team, Create reply. In a chat, type the shortcut and replace the brackets.
- In My Bots, open your bot and turn on Satisfaction Ratings on the Behavior tab: customers see a star rating prompt when a conversation ends. Ratings appear in Analytics under Satisfaction; a 5-star rating is your trigger for the review ask.
CRMsoftware.pro does not send review or referral requests automatically: you send each message yourself, and tasks keep the timing. Contacts, 1 pipeline and basic tasks are free. WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram come with Launch, $19 a month billed yearly; saved replies with Growth, $49.
Weekly ask review, 10 minutes
- Every open ask has a follow-up date and an owner.
- Follow-ups due today go out today, in the same thread.
- Follow-ups sent 7 or more days ago are closed as No answer.
- Every introduction has a lead with Referred by and a thank-you sent.
- Every posted review has a reply.
FAQ
Referral request email template and review request questions
What should a referral request email template include?
Four things: the result the customer just confirmed, in their words; who you want to meet, in one line (the recipient fit); an offer of three sentences they can forward as they are; and an easy no. Under 130 words, 2 to 4 weeks after the result.
What is a polite way to ask for a referral?
Ask only after something you earned: a delivered result, a written thank-you, a 5-star rating or a renewal. Ask for one specific introduction, write the forwardable intro for them, say that no is fine, follow up once at most, and thank them whatever happens. A no means no asks for 12 months.
When is the best time to ask a client for a referral?
When you have a trigger: the result is delivered and confirmed, the client has just thanked you or rated you 5 stars, or they have renewed. For a one-off job, 2 to 4 weeks after delivery. Never at the proposal stage or while a complaint is open.
What is a good message to ask for a review?
Short, honest, with one direct link: thank them for choosing you, ask for one minute and an honest review on Google, paste the link, and say that if anything was not right they should reply to you instead. Send it within a day of the trigger. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 83% of people asked for a review left one4.
How do I ask for a Google review by text?
One message of under 300 characters with the review link from your Google Business Profile2: thanks, one line on why it helps, the link, and an offer to fix anything that was not right. Follow up once after 7 days at most, then stop. Every customer gets the same message.
Can I offer a discount or a gift for a Google review?
No. Google's policy on prohibited content lists offering incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods for a review, and selectively soliciting positive reviews1; its Business Profile help calls incentives for reviews fake and misleading content2. In the US, the FTC's 2024 rule also bans incentives conditioned on a review's sentiment3. A fixed, disclosed reward for a referral is fine.
How do I track referrals in CRMsoftware.pro, and can it send the requests for me?
It does not send them: you send each message yourself, and tasks keep the timing. Add a custom field Referred by to Contacts and Leads in Custom Fields, tag referrers with Tags, and create one task per ask in Tasks with an Assignee and a Deadline. Contacts, 1 pipeline and basic tasks are free; WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram come with Launch, $19 a month billed yearly; saved replies with Growth, $496.
Related templates
Free tools
Sources
- Google Maps user contributed content policy, rating manipulation: Google, Prohibited & restricted content
- Google Business Profile Help on review links and incentives: Google, Tips to get more reviews
- FTC press release of August 14, 2024: Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials
- Survey of 1,002 US adults, published February 11, 2026: BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026
- Trust in Advertising study of more than 40,000 consumers, November 2021: Nielsen, Beyond martech: building trust with consumers and engaging where sentiment is high
- Plans, prices and features, checked 7 October 2026: CRMsoftware.pro pricing
Earn the ask, then make it easy to say yes.
Start free with 3 users, contacts, 1 pipeline and basic tasks. Launch, $19 a month billed yearly for 8 users, adds WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and the unified inbox. Growth, $49 for 20 users, adds saved replies; Scale covers 50 users.