Your first review workflow should make it easy for genuine customers to describe their experience, including problems. Start with a useful request and measure publication separately from invitations.
Prepare a profile customers can recognize
Begin with the store domain shoppers already know. Claim the business profile and complete the DNS ownership check before managing campaigns or replies. Check the store name and public details so a customer following your review link can recognize the business they dealt with. Ownership verification demonstrates domain control, not approval of the store’s products.
A new profile may have no published direct reviews. Leave the empty state visible rather than inventing an average or borrowing a collected score. The customer link still works. Useful feedback is the first milestone; immediate search rankings are not a setup feature.
Choose customers using a consistent rule
Define a group by an actual interaction, such as orders delivered during a particular week. Give those customers enough time to receive and experience their order. Include delayed deliveries, returns, and support requests when they meet the same rule. A group based on who seemed happiest produces selected feedback rather than an open invitation.
Record why recipients are eligible and why you may contact them. Do not purchase addresses or turn prospects into a customer-review campaign. If you have few completed experiences, keep the group small rather than expanding it with uncertain contacts.
Use one clear route to share feedback
Copy your review link into a follow-up you already control, or use the collection workspace to paste addresses or import a customer CSV. The shared link is useful for packaging and existing messages. Campaign invitations provide a recipient-specific route and reporting for matched submissions. Neither method automatically proves a purchase.
Ask for an honest experience in plain language and include one clear review link. Customers need an account to submit, and submitted reviews go through moderation before appearing publicly. Preview the actual campaign message and recipient list before confirming a send. Free includes 50 invitations per calendar month in UTC; check the remaining allowance rather than assuming every draft will fit.
Follow through after the request
Check delivery and moderation before concluding that nobody responded. Queued requests, sent emails, submissions, and publications are different events. An illustrative weekly record can list “requests sent; submissions received; published reviews awaiting replies” without implying sales.
Respond to published direct feedback, especially when a customer describes an unresolved problem. Keep order numbers and contact details out of public replies. Once eligible direct reviews are published, your storefront widget can display them. Continue the same invitation rule for the next group, and improve clarity or timing without restricting the process to customers likely to praise you.
First-review launch worksheet
| Decision | Write down your answer |
|---|---|
| Customer group | The experience-based rule that includes favorable and unfavorable outcomes. |
| Timing | When recipients have had enough time to experience the order or service. |
| Contact permission | Why you are authorized to contact this group. |
| Request route | Shared link or a previewed ReviewList campaign. |
| Follow-through | Who checks delivery, moderation, and unanswered published reviews. |
Questions and answers
Can I request reviews before verifying my domain?
You can share the customer review link while DNS verification is pending. Managing email campaigns, profile details, widgets, and replies requires ownership verification.
Will every invited customer leave a review?
No. An invitation is optional. Delivery, participation, moderation, and publication are separate steps, and no plan guarantees a review count.
Should I ask customers to leave five stars?
Ask customers to describe their real experience instead. Positive and negative feedback are equally welcome; do not condition an invitation or reward on a particular rating.
Sources and scope
ReviewList publishes this guide to explain a practical research or review workflow. Linked sources support the specific external principles discussed; they are not endorsements of ReviewList. Current merchant terms and the details of a particular order may differ.
Editorial date: Oct 13, 2026. Suggest a factual correction.