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How to reply to a negative review
A calm, short reply to a bad review often does more for your reputation than the review itself did damage.
4 minute read
A one-star review stings. But people reading your reviews pay close attention to how you respond. A calm, specific reply shows future customers what happens when something goes wrong at your business.
Wait before you write
Never reply while you're angry. Read the review, find out what actually happened from your staff, and reply once you're calm, ideally within a day or two.
A simple structure that works
- Thank them for taking the time to write.
- Acknowledge the specific problem in plain words. Don't argue about the details in public.
- Say what you're doing about it, if anything has changed.
- Invite them to contact you directly, and give a real way to do it.
- Sign it with your name or your business name.
What to avoid
- Copy-pasting the same reply under every review.
- Sharing the customer's private details, or what they ordered or were treated for.
- Offering discounts in public in exchange for changing the review.
Reply to good reviews too
A short, personal thank-you under a good review shows that you read everything. Praisio's reply writer drafts three options for any review, positive or negative, so replying takes a minute rather than ten.