Why Respond to Positive Reviews (With Examples)

Customer reviews play an increasingly important role in the success of businesses. It doesn’t just apply to product reviews, like those on Amazon, either. Reviews of services, of dentists, of plumbers, or customer experiences at car dealerships – they’re all growing in number and importance. So why respond to positive reviews?

Chances are good that as a business owner you understand why you should respond to negative reviews. It allows you to mitigate a potentially damaging situation. It allows you to possibly turn a negative review into a positive review, or at least a neutral. It may even prevent a customer from choosing another business. However, did you know that it’s just as important to reply to positive reviews? Why is that? How should you go about doing it?

Why should you respond to positive reviews?

There are actually quite a few reasons that you should respond to positive reviews, even if all you do is basically thank them for taking the time to leave a review. One of the most important is that it helps to build loyalty in your customers. According to a recent study, 78% of consumers stated that they feel that a business cares more about them if someone replies to their review, whether that review is positive or negative.

Another benefit here is that responding to reviews helps you attract new customers. If a potential customer is on the fence between you and a competitor, and they’re reading online reviews for both companies to help narrow down their choices, do you think they would be more likely to choose the company that replied only to negative reviews, or the one that took the time to appreciate all customer reviews?

Replying to positive reviews also makes it easier to boost customer retention, as well. How much money does it cost you to attract and convert a new customer? It’s a lot. Now, how much money does it take to keep an existing customer? It’s far less. By replying to positive reviews, you show that you care about all of your customers, and encourage existing customers to stay with you.

Finally, replying to positive customer reviews builds credibility. It can increase your ranking in the search engines (local seo), and show that you’re not just a faceless corporation interested in padding the bottom line.

How do you respond to positive reviews?

While responding to positive reviews is not as delicate a process as replying to negative ones, it does require that you do more than just say “thanks!” and go on your way. Make things personal by calling the person by name (if possible). Next, find a genuine way of expressing your gratitude. Sometimes, something simple is best (Tom, thanks so much for the awesome review, for instance). However, if someone takes the time to write a lengthy review, you should take the time to do more than say thank you. That shows you’re invested in building strong relationships with your customers, and that you really do appreciate them taking the time to not only patronize your business, but to write a review about it. Finally, sign off with genuine emotion to cement the personal connection you created.

Positive review response examples

We already discussed some of the important elements of responding to a positive review. So what are examples of positive feedback? Check out these positive feedback examples to see how to respond when a customer gives you a good review:

• “Cindy, we’re so glad you enjoyed the Chicken Florentine last night. It’s always been a crowd-favorite, and we work hard to keep it that way!”
• “Thank you for your feedback about your experience at our store. Your review means a lot to us and helps spread the word about our business to other customers like you!”
• “Gary, thanks for taking the time and effort to leave a review. We work hard to deliver the best service possible, and we’re glad it showed during your visit!”

Positive review response templates

Still wondering how to go about responding to positive reviews? We’ll make it easy on you! Here is a template for responding to positive reviews, no matter what type of business you’re in.

Response to a First-Time Reviewer

CUSTOMER NAME,

Thanks for taking the time to review PRODUCT OR COMPANY NAME. We know it takes time and we appreciate your effort! We’re glad you had a good experience and hope to see you again soon.

Thanks,

YOUR NAME

Response to a Customer Loyalist

CUSTOMER NAME,

We’re glad to see you again! We always appreciate your thoughtful reviews and are glad to see you’re still enjoying our PRODUCT OR SERVICE. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Thanks,

YOUR NAME

Response to a Professional Reviewer

CUSTOMER NAME,

Thank you for a very well-rounded and thorough review of PRODUCT OR SERVICE. We appreciate your hard work in putting this review together and know it will be helpful and informative for your customers. Have a good day!

Thanks,

YOUR NAME

Response to a 4-Star Review Response

CUSTOMER NAME,

Thanks for taking the time to review PRODUCT OR COMPANY NAME. We know it takes time and we appreciate your effort and are glad you had a good experience! How we can turn that 4-star review into a 5-star?

Thanks,

YOUR NAME

Response to a 5-Star Review Response

CUSTOMER NAME,

We are so happy that you enjoyed your experience with PRODUCT OR COMPANY NAME. We know it takes time and effort to write these reviews. We can’t wait to see you again and look forward to serving you in the future.

Thanks,

YOUR NAME

Response to Review with No Comment

CUSTOMER NAME,

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with COMPANY NAME. We can’t wait to see you again and look forward to serving you in the future.

Thanks,

YOUR NAME

Adding Variables to Your Review Responses

Adding variables to your review responses can help personalize replies to customers. Here are a few examples:

Custom Location Name Variables

CUSTOMER NAME, 

Thank you for your recent review of COMPANY NAME of LOCATION NAME. We know the LOCATION NAME family was happy to serve you and look forward to you visiting us again in the future.

Thank you,

YOUR NAME

Custom GEO Name Variables

CUSTOMER NAME, 

We love our LOCATION NAME customers. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for your recent review. We will have a member of our team respond and reach out within the next 24 hours.

Thank you,

YOUR NAME

Reviewer First Name Variable

FIRST NAME: Thank you so much for your recent review of COMPANY NAME. We know it takes time and effort to write these reviews, so we greatly appreciate you taking the time.

Thank you,

YOUR NAME

Get More Templates

Looking for even more template examples to sink your teeth into? Check out our library of 500+ customer text templates.

Get the Templates

Why you shouldn’t ignore negative reviews

We’ve already talked about the importance of responding to reviews, and negative reviews are perhaps the most important type to respond to. Responding to a negative review can be tricky, but it may turn an upset customer into a happy customer, and it will show other customers you care about making things right.

Positive reviews: An opportunity to optimize

Replying to positive reviews is not just about customer retention and building loyalty. It can be an important tool for building online visibility. Use your business name and/or location in your reply when it makes sense to highlight a specific location or call out your own business. Attempt to mirror some of the details regarding the product or service in your reply, as well.

Replying to positive reviews can have some significant and profound benefits for your business. Make time for it regularly.