Review Collection: Everything You Need to Know

Send Your Review Requests at the Right Time

Timing is one of the biggest drivers of review volume.

Review emails convert highest on Tuesday and Wednesday around 10am local time. People are settled into the rhythm of the week and more likely to pay attention.

Conversion can be 10 to 20 percent higher on these days compared to Fridays.

Fridays perform poorly and Saturday and Sunday should be avoided completely. If you are using a review platform with automated sending, check that it is not sending at weekends. Weekend emails often get buried and never recovered.

Hit the Customer’s Happy Point

You want to catch the customer when they are feeling positive about their purchase.

For ecommerce that is usually:

• The day of delivery

• Or the day after delivery

If you can trigger based on delivery confirmation, do it. If not, aim for 2 to 3 days after delivery.

Some products require more usage time:

• Clothing: same day or next day works well

• Makeup or skincare: wait 5 to 7 days so they have actually tried it

• Electronics or homeware: usually 3 to 5 days is enough time to unbox and set up

The goal is to ask when the experience is fresh and positive.

Use Simple, Clear Subject Lines

The subject line should be plain, direct and include your company name.

Examples:

• Company Name – How did we do?

• Please help us by leaving a review – Company Name

• Company Name – Leave us a review

No emojis. No cute tone. No sales language. Familiarity and clarity convert best.

Keep the Email Short

The email itself should be one short paragraph, ideally two sentences.

Example:

Hi [Name], thanks for choosing us. We would really appreciate it if you could share your experience.
Write a review

Place the call to action as either:

• A button

• Or a clearly underlined link

The wording should be Write a review. Keep it obvious.

Do Not Embed the Review Form in the Email

Some tools let customers leave the review inside the email body. It seems convenient but it consistently reduces conversion. It also hurts deliverability. Always send the user to a clean review page.

Avoid Stars, Graphics and Heavy Design

Plain emails land in the inbox more reliably and convert higher.

Images, star ratings and HTML-heavy templates increase filtering and reduce open rates. Simplicity wins.

Do Not Incentivise Reviews

Offering discounts, points or rewards for leaving a review confuses people and lowers the quality of the reviews you get. Incentivised reviews tend to be vague and not very helpful.

The best reviews come from customers who genuinely want to share their experience. Keep the request honest and straightforward.

Don’t Ask for Too Much at Once

If you want both company reviews and product reviews, split the requests.

1. Send the company review request first

2. Send the product review request 2 to 3 days later

If you combine them in the same message, conversion drops because there is too much to think about.

One clear ask at a time always performs better.

What About SMS Review Requests?

SMS can convert higher because it lands directly in front of the customer, but it becomes expensive fast for any brand sending volume. It is also much easier to annoy customers through text.

I only recommend SMS review collection for industries that genuinely struggle to collect reviews and need a more direct touchpoint. For most businesses, email is more cost-effective and more sustainable.

Summary

• Send review requests on Tuesday or Wednesday at 10am

• Never send review requests on weekends

• Ask when the customer is happiest with their purchase

• Keep the subject line simple and familiar

• Keep the email to one short paragraph

• CTA should say Write a review

• Do not embed the review form in the email

• Do not incentivise

• Separate company reviews and product reviews

• Only use SMS if you have a strong reason

This approach consistently produces more reviews and better quality feedback.

Check out Freshmint.com for more information on review collection.