Soliciting reviews is incredibly important in 2021 – but it’s also incredibly tricky!

Why? Because the most popular review platforms have their own set of rules you must follow, or risk your reviews (or worse, the entire page) being taken down.

Google, one of the most popular and important platforms, is explicit about their rules here: Google Text Review Policies.

At Kukui we take great pride in not only an excellent rate for gathering your wonderful and well-earned reviews – but we always abide by the terms and conditions of those important platforms so you know your reviews and reputation are safe.

Review Solicitation & Strategy FAQs:

Can I ask customers first how their experience was, before deciding where to send them to leave a review?

No. This is called “review gating” and it does go against Google’s (and many other review sites) terms. These websites want their reviews to be diverse and include not just glowing, positive reviews. When you sift through your customers first and only ask your happy customers to leave a review you are violating the terms and conditions of these sites and run the risk of your reviews being flagged and page getting frozen or removed.

Can I incentivize customers to leave reviews with prizes or discounts?

Not if you are sending these reviews to Yelp or Google. Both sites are explicit about not soliciting reviews in exchange for product/money etc. However, if you do choose to do this we recommend that you only post those reviews to your website (where you are in full control of the review) and have the reviewer disclose that information. (this review was generated in exchange for a 10% discount).

Can I provide an iPad or phone in my shop for customers to leave a review while they are here?

Google and Yelp track IP addresses – so an influx of reviews from the same IP address will be quickly flagged and removed. You could ask for reviews this way to go to your own website, only – but keep in mind customers might actually prefer to receive an email or text after  they leave, than to be solicited and handed an iPad before they even walk out the door. Remember to keep your requests as genuine as possible. You aren’t asking for a review just to try to beat an algorithm – you are asking about their experience because you genuinely care.

What do I do about negative reviews?

Two tips – Don’t hide them, and don’t ignore them. Let’s face it – when you look at a page with nothing but 5 Star reviews, aren’t we all just a little suspicious of they’re real? Truth be told having a few – not so great reviews in your queue really helps people see that these are real customer experiences, and you are a real business. Sometimes businesses make mistakes, customers know and accept this, but it’s all about how you respond. Have you ever seen a customer who originally left a poor review come back and leave a 5 STAR review because of the way the business responded and fixed their mistake. Negative reviews are really where you find your chance to shine. When you can, post a public response (be sure the customer gets notified) apologize, and tell them how you are going to fix it. This strategy works.


 How to I safely ask for reviews without getting penalized?

Use this method – When a customer is checking out be sure you have their email and phone number as part of your check out process. While you’re cashing them out, let them know they will be getting an email or text from you asking about their experience, encourage them to reply because you truly want to know how you did. In your automated email and/or text message be sure you have a clear call-to-action and as few steps as possible for them to complete the review process.

Lately, text message requests have a much higher response rate than requests sent via email. If you’re looking for a quick and easy automation to generate reviews via text be sure to check out Kukui’s Text Connect Platform which offers you branded customizations and review options!

Kayla Ogden
Senior Director of Client Services