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What Should a Handyman Say in a Review Request Text?

By Ansh Singh · Updated November 8, 2026 · 9 min read

Short answer: Keep it to two or three lines. Use the customer's first name, name the job you did, say thanks, and add your Google review link. Send it within a day of finishing, to every customer, not only the happy ones. Do not offer money, discounts or freebies in return. Google bars that.

A review request text is a short message you send a customer after a job, asking them to rate you on Google. It works for a handyman because your jobs are small and the customer remembers you fresh. A text sent from the driveway beats an email sent next week.

This page gives you ten texts to copy, the rules that keep your profile safe, and a way to send them without it eating your day.

What do Google and the FTC allow when you ask for reviews?

Read this part first. Google calls incentives for reviews fake and misleading content and strictly prohibits them.

What is allowed. Google's help page says you can remind customers to leave a review, and you can share a Google link or QR code to make it easy. Customers need to be signed in to a Google Account to post (Google Business Profile Help: read and reply to reviews).

What is not allowed. Google says offering incentives, such as free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for posting, changing or removing a review is strictly prohibited (same page). Its contribution policy also says businesses may not "selectively solicit positive reviews" or discourage negative ones, and should not ask for specific content or pressure customers (Google: prohibited and restricted content, fake engagement).

In plain words:

1. No deals for reviews. Do not say "leave a review and get $20 off your next job."
2. No gating. Do not ask "How was it?" first and send the link only to the people who say "great." Send the same text to everyone.
3. No scripts for the customer. Do not tell them what to write.
4. No fake reviews. Do not write them yourself, and do not buy them.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has a rule on this as well. Its guidance says the rule covers writing or selling fake reviews, and that businesses cannot require or imply that a review must be positive or negative to earn an incentive. It also bars suppressing reviews with false accusations, threats or groundless legal threats (FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, questions and answers).

How do you get your Google review link?

You need one short link that opens the review box. Google's help page says you can share a link or QR code, and points to its instructions for creating one. Find that in your Business Profile, copy the link, and save it in your phone's notes so you can paste it in seconds. Better still, save the full text as a phone shortcut so one tap fills in the message.

Print the QR code on your business card or invoice. Handymen often hand customers a card at the door, and a code on it lets someone leave a review on the spot.

When should you send the text?

Send it when the customer is happiest and the job is fresh: the same day or the next morning. For a handyman that usually means right after you walk through the finished work together.

Some timing rules that fit small jobs:

• Same day, after the walk-through. Best for one-visit jobs like a door rehang or a faucet fix.
• After the final visit. For multi-day jobs, wait until you are done, not between days.
• Not while there is an open problem. If something still needs fixing, fix it first. That is not gating. It is finishing the job. Send the same text to this customer once it is resolved.
• One reminder, once. If they do not respond in three days, send one short follow-up. Then stop.

Ten review request texts for handymen

Copy these and change the names, jobs and link. Read each aloud. If it sounds like you talking, send it.

1. The standard text after a job

Hi Maria, it's Dan from Dan's Handyman. Thanks for having me out to fix the closet door today. Would you leave an honest Google review about the job? It helps a small business like mine a lot: [link]

2. The short one

Hi Tom, thanks again for today. Would you leave me a quick, honest Google review about the job? [link] Thank you!

This one asks for an honest review, good or bad. Send it to every customer, not only the ones you think are happy.

3. For a customer you chatted with after the job

Hi Linda, thanks again for having me out to put up the shelves. Would you leave an honest Google review about the job? It takes about a minute: [link]

4. For a repeat customer

Hi Carl, always good to be back at your place. If you haven't left a Google review yet, I'd appreciate an honest one for the porch repair: [link]

5. For a customer who hired you through a friend

Hi Priya, thanks for trusting me with the bathroom repairs. I got your name from Sam, so it means a lot. Would you leave an honest Google review? It helps others find me: [link]

6. For a multi-day job

Hi James, the deck repair is finished. Thanks for your patience over the three days. Would you leave an honest Google review about the job? Here is my link: [link]

7. The one reminder, three days later

Hi Maria, no pressure at all. Would you leave an honest Google review of the closet door job? [link]. Thanks again!

8. For a customer who is older or not comfortable on a phone

Ask in person: "Would you mind if I text you a link so you can leave a review? I can help you open it if you like." Some people prefer a QR code on your card, or a family member who can post it for them. Do not post it for them.

9. After a tricky job you fixed

Hi Ben, thanks for letting me come back and sort out the leak under the sink. I know it was a hassle. Would you leave an honest Google review about the repair? [link]

Ask in good faith, the same way you ask everyone. If the customer is still unhappy, listen first and fix what you can, then send the same text you would send anyone.

10. The text for a property manager or landlord

Hi Ana, thanks for the work orders this month. Would you leave an honest Google review of the repairs? [link]

An example town note

Every example above uses made-up names. Put your own customers' first names in, and name the real job, so the review sounds like a real story. A review that names the job, such as a fixed fence gate in a town like Chattanooga, reads as more real to the next homeowner. Let customers write in their own words, though. Never ask for specific wording.

What do you say in person?

Texts work best with a spoken ask first. As you pack up, say something like:

"I'd love a Google review. I'll text you a link so it takes a minute."

Say it to every customer, not only the pleased ones. Then send the text while you are still in the driveway. A customer who already agreed will open it.

How do you reply to the reviews you get?

Reply to all of them. Google says replies are public and should be professional, polite, short and relevant. It advises against promotional offers in replies and says to personalize them instead of sending the same thank-you to everyone (Google Business Profile Help: read and reply to reviews).

A good reply to a five-star review:

Thanks, Maria. Glad the closet door is working again. Call me any time you need something else fixed. Dan

A good reply to a bad review follows Google's advice: do not share private information or attack the reviewer, acknowledge a mistake where it is fair to, apologize when it is called for, use the person's name, and answer quickly.

Hi Tom, I'm sorry the paint patch didn't match. That's on me. Please call me at [number] and I'll come back and redo it.

Never offer a deal in the reply to get someone to change their review. Google's page says that kind of offer is prohibited.

How many reviews do you need?

There is no magic number, and it varies by town. One Zarla study asked ChatGPT and Google's AI for the best business in 10 trades across 10 US cities. Businesses named by at least one of the two had a median of 444 Google reviews, against 192 for those not named, with ratings of 4.9 and 4.8 (Zarla: AI Visibility Index). We did not see handyman listed among the trades, so use it as a sense of direction only. We cover realistic targets in how many Google reviews a handyman needs.

The habit matters more than any target. Send the text after every job.

How do you make this easy to keep up?

• Save text 1 as a phone shortcut.
• Set a daily reminder at 5 p.m.: "Review texts for today's jobs."
• Keep a simple list of customers, jobs and whether you sent the text.
• If a missed-call text is already set up, add the review text next to it. See missed-call text back for handymen.

If you advertise your small-job work, check your state's rules first. Our Washington page shows what one state says. For more ways to bring in work, read how to get more handyman jobs. For examples of review requests from other trades, the hub guide on contractor review examples shows more. And once the reviews come in, make sure your Google Business Profile is complete so people can see them.

Common questions

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

No. Google says offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for a review is strictly prohibited. The FTC rule also bars requiring or implying that a review must be positive to earn an incentive. Say thanks instead.

Should I only ask happy customers for reviews?

No. Google's policy bars selectively soliciting positive reviews. Send the same request to every customer. Fix any open problem first, then send it.

What if the customer does not have a Google account?

They need one to post. Google says a customer can create one with a non-Gmail email address. If they do not want to, thank them and move on. Do not push.

Is it okay to text a customer for a review?

Yes. Google says you can remind customers to leave feedback and can share a link or QR code. Send the text to people you have just worked for, keep it short and send it once, with at most one reminder.

How soon after a job should I ask?

Within a day. The job is fresh in the customer's mind right after the work is done, so a same-day text is a sensible default.

To see a handyman site built to show your reviews, get a free demo on our home page.

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help: read and reply to reviews (2026)
• Google: prohibited and restricted content, fake engagement (2026)
• FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, questions and answers (2026)
• Zarla: AI Visibility Index (2026)