How to Set Up Your First Review Request Campaign in 5 Minutes
Online reviews are the new word-of-mouth. 93% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchasing decisions (BrightLocal 2026), and businesses with 5+ star ratings see 27% more revenue than those with lower ratings. Yet most small businesses have fewer than 20 reviews — not because they provide bad service, but because they never ask.
The solution? Automated review requests. Instead of awkwardly asking every customer to leave a review (which is inconsistent and forgettable), you set up a system that asks automatically — at the right time, through the right channel, with the right message.
In this step-by-step guide, you'll learn exactly how to create your first automated review campaign in under 5 minutes using Review Requester. No marketing experience required.
Why Automated Review Requests Beat Manual Asking
Before diving into the setup, let's understand why automation wins:
Manual asking is inconsistent. You might remember to ask your first customer of the day but forget your tenth. You might ask in person one time and via email the next. This inconsistency means most customers never get asked.
Manual asking feels awkward. Nobody enjoys putting customers on the spot. "Can you leave me a review?" feels pushy, and customers can sense that discomfort. Automated requests feel professional and expected.
Manual asking doesn't scale. If you serve 50 customers per week, manually asking each one would take hours. Automation handles it in the background while you focus on serving customers.
Automated asking is data-driven. The best time to ask for a review is 24-48 hours after a positive interaction — when satisfaction is fresh but the customer has had time to experience the full value. Automation ensures perfect timing every time.
Step 1: Connect Your Review Platform (Minute 1)
After signing up, head to Settings and connect your preferred review platform:
Paste your direct review link. This is the URL customers will be taken to when they click "Leave a Review" in your email. A direct link (not just your business page) increases review submission rates by 3x.
💡 Pro tip: Not sure how to find your Google review link? In Google Business Profile, go to "Ask for reviews" and copy the link. It should look like: https://g.page/your-business/reviewStep 2: Create Your Campaign (Minute 2)
Navigate to Campaigns and click "Create Campaign". You'll configure:
💡 Pro tip: Start with a "Post-Appointment" or "Post-Purchase" trigger — these get the highest response rates because satisfaction is fresh. Avoid "manual" triggers until you're comfortable with the system.
Step 3: Customize Your Email Template (Minute 3)
Click on the template to edit it. You can:
The templates are designed to feel personal, not spammy — because customers can tell the difference.
Step 4: Add Your Customers (Minute 4)
You have two options:
Option A: Import from CSV
Upload a spreadsheet with customer names and emails. Perfect if you have an existing client list.
Option B: Add manually
Type in customer details one at a time. Great for starting small.
💡 Pro tip: Start with your 10 most recent happy customers. Don't boil the ocean — you can always add more later.
Step 5: Activate Your Campaign (Minute 5)
Toggle the campaign to "Active" and Review Requester will:
The Impact
Businesses that follow this 5-minute setup see:
Ready to Start?
It takes 5 minutes to set up your first campaign. After that, Review Requester collects reviews while you focus on running your business.
