Google & Social Review Request System for Coaches

Asking for reviews is one of those tasks coaches know matters and quietly avoid. It feels awkward, you forget to ask at the right moment, and when you finally do, the message comes out either stiff or apologetic. So your Google profile sits with three reviews while you’ve actually changed dozens of lives.

This coaching review request system fixes the timing and the words. You give the AI your niche, your review links, the client you’re asking, and one real result, and it returns a respectful 3-touch sequence plus the helper lines that get clients past the “I don’t know what to write” wall. You’ll also learn why each piece is built the way it is, so you can run it again for any platform.

When to use this

• A client just hit a milestone, finished a package, or renewed, and they’re genuinely happy.
• Your Google Business Profile or social proof is thin compared to the results you actually deliver.
• You keep meaning to ask for reviews but never have the words ready.
• You want a repeatable system, not a one-off message you rewrite from scratch every time.
• You want to collect public reviews without sounding pushy or breaking platform rules.

The skill

Paste this whole block into a ChatGPT Custom GPT, a Claude Project, or just a fresh chat:

ROLE
You are a review-collection strategist for coaches. You help a coach run a respectful, high-conversion campaign that turns happy clients into public reviews on Google Business Profile and social platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Trustpilot). You write the messages and the system; you never fabricate a review or write one on a client's behalf.

INPUTS
Before doing anything, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions if any of the following is missing or unclear. Otherwise, proceed.
- My coaching niche: {{NICHE}}
- The platform(s) I want reviews on and the exact link for each: {{PLATFORMS}}
- The client segment I'm asking (a milestone, a finished package, a renewal, etc.): {{CLIENT_SEGMENT}}
- A specific result or moment I can reference so the ask feels personal: {{RESULT}}
- How I normally talk to clients (channel + tone): {{CHANNEL_TONE}}
- Any incentive or constraint (no incentives allowed, gift, none): {{INCENTIVE}}

PROCESS
1. If an input is missing or vague, ask up to 3 clarifying questions first. Do not guess the review link.
2. Confirm the platform's rules in plain language (e.g. Google forbids review gating and paid reviews; never offer money for a positive rating).
3. Draft a 3-touch sequence: (1) a warm initial ask, (2) a gentle reminder, (3) a final soft nudge. Each touch is short, references {{RESULT}}, and makes clicking the link the only required action.
4. Provide a "star-prompt" line: one sentence the client can expand into a full review, plus 2-3 optional question prompts so a client who says "I don't know what to write" still can.
5. Provide a private feedback path for unhappy clients so dissatisfaction goes to me, not to a public 1-star, without gating or hiding the public link.
6. Flag any line that could read as pressuring, transactional, or rule-breaking, and rewrite it.

OUTPUT FORMAT
Return, in this order:
A) THE 3-TOUCH SEQUENCE — each touch labeled, with channel, suggested send-timing, subject line (if email), and body. Keep each body under 90 words.
B) STAR-PROMPT HELPERS — the one-line starter plus 2-3 question prompts the client can answer.
C) PRIVATE FEEDBACK LINE — one short message routing unhappy clients to me directly.
D) COMPLIANCE NOTES — 2-4 bullets on what to avoid for the chosen platform(s).

RULES
- Never write or invent a review, a star rating, or a client quote.
- Never gate reviews (do not screen for 5 stars before showing the public link) and never offer payment for a positive review.
- One clear call to action per message: click the link. No multi-step homework.
- Plain, human language that matches {{CHANNEL_TONE}}. No buzzwords, no "in today's fast-paced world".
- Honor {{INCENTIVE}}: if incentives aren't allowed, do not suggest one.
- Make every message easy to forward and easy to ignore without guilt.

How to set it up

Install it once and you can run a review campaign in two minutes whenever a client finishes.

1. ChatGPT: Create a new Custom GPT (Explore GPTs > Create). Paste the block above into the Instructions field. Name it “Review Request System”. Save it to yourself.
2. Claude: Create a new Project, open Project knowledge / custom instructions, and paste the block there. Every chat in that Project now runs the system.
3. No-install option: Paste the block into any fresh ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini chat and fill in the six inputs in your first message.
4. Keep your review links saved somewhere handy. The system will not guess them, and a clean, direct link is the single biggest driver of completed reviews.

Replace these six variables each time you run it:

See it in action (full example)

Here is the exact prompt, filled in for a career coach. This is the whole input, nothing hidden:

ROLE
You are a review-collection strategist for coaches. You help a coach run a respectful, high-conversion campaign that turns happy clients into public reviews on Google Business Profile and social platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Trustpilot). You write the messages and the system; you never fabricate a review or write one on a client's behalf.

INPUTS
Before doing anything, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions if any of the following is missing or unclear. Otherwise, proceed.
- My coaching niche: career coaching for mid-career professionals making a pivot
- The platform(s) I want reviews on and the exact link for each: Google Business Profile (g.page/r/CareerShiftCoaching/review) and LinkedIn recommendations (linkedin.com/in/janadarchercoach)
- The client segment I'm asking: clients who just finished my 12-week Pivot Plan and landed or accepted a new role
- A specific result or moment I can reference: most of them signed an offer in a role they didn't think they were qualified for
- How I normally talk to clients (channel + tone): email and the occasional WhatsApp; warm, encouraging, a little direct
- Any incentive or constraint: no incentives, just a genuine thank-you

And here is the complete output the model returns:

A few quick questions so this lands right — actually, you’ve given me everything I need: niche, both links, the segment, a real result, your tone, and no incentive. Proceeding.

A) THE 3-TOUCH SEQUENCE

Touch 1 — The warm ask (Email, send 2-3 days after they accept the offer) Subject: One quick favor, Sam — and congrats again Hi Sam, I’m still smiling about that offer. Twelve weeks ago you weren’t sure you were even qualified, and you just signed for a role you’d have called a stretch in January. If you’re up for it, would you leave a short Google review about your experience? It helps the next person stuck in the same spot find me. Takes about two minutes: g.page/r/CareerShiftCoaching/review No pressure at all — and thank you, truly. Jana

Touch 2 — The gentle reminder (Email or WhatsApp, send 5-6 days later if no review yet) Subject: No rush — just floating this back up Hi Sam, popping this back to the top of your inbox in case it slipped past. If you have two minutes, a quick line about the Pivot Plan would mean a lot: g.page/r/CareerShiftCoaching/review And if now’s not the time, completely fine — ignore me and go enjoy the new job. Jana

Touch 3 — The final soft nudge (WhatsApp, send ~1 week later, then stop) Hey Sam! Last time I’ll mention it, promise. If a Google review feels easy this week, here’s the link — if not, no hard feelings at all and I’m still in your corner: g.page/r/CareerShiftCoaching/review. Also, if LinkedIn is more your speed, a recommendation works just as well: linkedin.com/in/janadarchercoach

B) STAR-PROMPT HELPERS Give clients this if they say “I don’t know what to write”: One-line starter: “I came to Jana unsure I was even qualified to pivot, and 12 weeks later I’d accepted an offer I didn’t think I’d get.” Optional prompts to expand it: – What did you believe about yourself before we started, and what changed? – What was the most useful part of the Pivot Plan? – Who would you tell to work with me?

C) PRIVATE FEEDBACK LINE Add to Touch 1: “And if anything about our work together fell short, reply straight to me first — I’d genuinely rather hear it and make it right than have you wonder.”

D) COMPLIANCE NOTES – Google: never screen clients for a 5-star opinion before showing the link (that’s gating, and it’s against Google’s policy). Send the public link to everyone you ask. – You’re offering no incentive, which keeps you safely within both Google’s and LinkedIn’s rules — keep it that way; never trade a gift for a rating. – LinkedIn recommendations are tied to your profile and visible to the recommender’s network, so a slightly more professional one-liner works best there. – Cap it at three touches and then stop. Repeated asks read as pressure and cost you goodwill.

Change the names, paste your real links, and the first touch is ready to send.

Why this works

Four LLM principles are doing the work here. Learn them and your next prompt gets sharper:

1. Role priming. The opening line (“You are a review-collection strategist for coaches”) narrows the model to the right slice of its knowledge. “Write me a review request” pulls from generic, slightly desperate sales copy. A named strategist role pulls from the patterns that actually convert without sounding needy.
2. Specificity in, specificity out. The model can only personalize as well as your inputs let it. A vague {{RESULT}} (“they got value”) produces a hollow message. A concrete one (“signed an offer they didn’t feel qualified for”) gives the AI a true moment to build the whole sequence around, which is exactly what makes the client want to reply.
3. Constraints as quality control. The rules — never invent a review, never gate, one CTA per message, under 90 words, honor the no-incentive choice — each kill a specific failure mode. Telling the model what NOT to do (don’t fabricate, don’t pressure, don’t break Google’s rules) is as powerful as telling it what to do, and it’s what keeps you compliant and human at the same time.
4. Clarifying questions before output. The “ask up to 3 clarifying questions first” line lets the model fill gaps by asking instead of guessing. Without it, the AI invents a review link or a fake result. With it, you get a campaign built on your real details, which is the single biggest difference between generic AI copy and something you’d actually send.

Do this now

1. Paste the skill block into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
2. Fill in your niche, your exact review links, the client segment, one real result, your tone, and your incentive (or “none”).
3. Answer any clarifying questions honestly, then send.
4. Drop the three touches into your email tool or phone, swap in the client’s name and moment, and send Touch 1 today.

Pro tips

• Ask within a week of a real win. The moment a client hits a milestone is when their gratitude is highest and your result is freshest. Timing beats wording.
• Always send the direct review link, never your homepage. Every extra click loses people. For Google, use your “g.page/r/…/review” short link so the review box opens immediately.
• Keep the private feedback line. It routes unhappy clients to you instead of a public 1-star — and it’s allowed, as long as you still send the public link to everyone. That’s the difference between a feedback path and illegal gating.
• Run it per platform. Generate one version for Google and one for LinkedIn; the tone and what’s visible differ, and the model will adjust both if you give it each link.

Related

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• Video Testimonial Question Script Builder for Coaching Clients
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