If Asking for Reviews Has to Be Awkward, It Might as Well Be Funny
How to Ask for Reviews Without Sounding Like Everyone Else
The smoke alarm in my kitchen doubles as a dinner bell. Not on purpose. It’s just what happens when you cook the way I cook, which is to say: confidently, and occasionally on fire. My family knows it’s time to come to the table when the smoke alarm goes off.
I think about this because some of my best ideas work the exact same way — they’re not what you’d call elegant, but they absolutely get the job done, and at some point you might as well have a little fun with it.
A little while ago I wrote a whole post about why asking for reviews feels so awkward and what to actually do about it. That was the responsible version.
This post is the smoke-alarm version. A little chaotic, technically effective, no apologies.
Everything in here is a real idea, several of them I’ve genuinely tried, and a few I’m absolutely going to try the second I finish writing this sentence. None of these are “professional.” All of them work better than a flat “would you mind leaving us a review?” because they make the ask feel like a tiny bit of fun instead of a tiny bit of homework. Probably. I’m guessing. TBD. (For real though.)
The One-Word Review Experiment
This one is SO fun and SO easy. Absolutely brilliant and I’m totally going to try it:
“I’m running a totally unscientific experiment: if you had to describe working together in ONE word, what would it be? If you’re open to dropping that word on Google, here’s the link.”
And hey, maybe one word turns into five words turns into a full sentence turns into an actual review. I mean, I know I’d get carried away personally.
The Review Bingo Card
Make a simple bingo-style graphic with squares like:
“Wish I’d done this sooner”
“Didn’t know this could feel easy”
“Worth every penny”
“Finally feels like me”
Then send it with: “If any of these feel true, feel free to steal the wording and pop it into a Google review.”
Permission plus play equals action. You’re not asking someone to write something from scratch — you’re handing them words and inviting them to claim the ones that fit. Also excited to try this one!
The Checklist
Send something like:
“Check all that apply after working together:
☐ felt calmer
☐ trusted my business more
☐ stopped overthinking everything
☐ would do it again in a heartbeat”
Then follow with: “If you checked any of these, here’s the Google link.”
People love recognizing themselves in a list. It’s basically a horoscope, except it’s about you and it ends in a 5-star review. (I mean, come on.)
The “Absolutely Unnecessary” Button
Drop a button somewhere unexpected — a client portal, the final email, a thank-you page — that says:
“Absolutely unnecessary, but deeply appreciated → Google Review”
People click things they’re told they don’t need to click. It’s a whole personality trait. Use it for good.
The Review Confessional
Frame the ask like you’re letting them in on a secret:
“I have something to admit to you: asking for Google reviews makes me want to hide under a desk. But they help so much. If you’re open, here’s the link.”
Vulnerability buys you goodwill almost instantly. People like helping someone who admitted the thing felt a little embarrassing to ask for.
An idea that didn’t really work but also sort of did
A couple of years back, I sent an end-of-year questionnaire once hoping to gather a few reviews. A lot of people filled it out, which was SO FUN to open.
But zero Google reviews came out of it directly. We got great feedback and so much helpful insight! Still totally worth it. (Ugh I ALMOST SAID “WORTH DOING” and that’s an AI tell if I ever heard one. Brutal. Quit taking our words, AI!)
Seriously though, back to it.
Not every idea on this list is going to be your magic bullet, and that’s fine. Try a few, see what your actual clients respond to, keep the ones that work, quietly retire the ones that don’t.
If you want the more grounded version of this whole topic — the mindset stuff, the actual timing, why bribery isn’t as ethically weird as it sounds — that’s the other post. This one’s just for fun. But also, I’m actually doing these. So it was worth it for ME to read, as I wrote it. Ha!
Questions I get a lot:
Do gimmicky review requests actually work?
Some do — the one-word experiment and the bingo card both lower the effort it takes to respond, which IN GENERAL tends to increase response rates. Others are more about making the ask memorable and a little delightful than about hard conversion numbers. Test a few to see what your clients respond to!
Is it weird to ask for reviews in a fun or unconventional way?
Maybe. But who said weird is bad? You’re just making an ask that’s usually a little awkward feel lighter and more like you. If your brand has a sense of humour (and it should, if you’re here… YOU clearly do, I’m hilarious), your review requests can too.
Liked this? I send a short email every couple of weeks — a real story plus one useful thing about your website or marketing. Never longer than your coffee.
Doreen Vanderhart is the founder of Knap Creative, a boutique design and marketing studio for established, service-based businesses. She has never once asked for a review in a normal, boring way, and she’s not about to start now.
Happy clients who leave reviews become referral sources too. [→ How to Get More Client Referrals (Without Asking All the Time)]
