Deliverability, Consent & Inbox Placement

What This Page Helps You Do

This page is about sending strategy, not just sending mechanics.

The system helps with infrastructure, routing, suppression handling, and compliance mechanics, but your results still depend heavily on what you send, when you send it, which channel you use, and whether the customer expected it.

Use this page to answer five practical questions:

How should I think about Gmail, spam, and Promotions?
Why do we insist on permission-first sending?
When should I use email, SMS, or both?
What kind of message gets completed, not just opened?
How should reminders work without damaging trust?

Start With the Right Goal

Do not think of this as trying to beat Gmail or trick spam filters.

The real goal is to send a message the customer recognizes, expects, and wants. When that happens, everything tends to improve at once:

More opens and clicks
Fewer spam complaints
Better response rates
Better long-term sending reputation
More trust in your business and your brand

Inbox providers do not judge messages by copy alone. They also look at engagement, complaint behavior, unsubscribe patterns, domain reputation, and whether the message appears honest and relevant to the recipient.

Understand Gmail First

Spam vs Promotions

At Gmail, these are two different outcomes.

Spam means the message was treated as unwanted or risky
Promotions means the message was accepted, but categorized as marketing or offer-oriented content

A message in Promotions is still delivered. It is not the same as being blocked or treated as abusive.

Why Gmail Has a Promotions Tab

Gmail separates different kinds of messages so personal conversations, receipts, account notices, and marketing content do not all compete in one stream.

The Promotions tab exists because many users want commercial content organized separately from person-to-person email. Gmail continues to invest in that experience, which means Promotions should be treated as a normal inbox category, not as a punishment.

That has two practical implications:

Not every legitimate request belongs in Primary
There is no reliable copy trick that guarantees Primary placement for every recipient

If your message is genuinely promotional, the right goal is not to disguise it. The right goal is to make it relevant, accurate, and worth opening.

Ask First, Then Send

Our guidance for both email and SMS starts with a simple rule: ask first.

Verbal consent matters because it creates expectation. A customer who just said “yes” understands why the message is arriving, recognizes your business name, and is far less likely to treat the message like spam.

This is one of the strongest habits for improving both compliance posture and inbox performance.

Why This Helps Email

When a customer expects your email, they are more likely to:

Open it soon after it arrives
Click the link they were told to expect
Avoid marking it as spam
Recognize the sender name and subject line

Those are healthy trust signals. They support deliverability far better than trying to rewrite a message to look less promotional.

There is also a placement benefit here. In our experience, an email worded more like “we promised to send this, here it is” is more likely to land in the inbox than a generic “please take a moment to review us” message.

The reason is simple: expected follow-up tends to behave more like wanted mail, while generic review requests can read more like broad promotional outreach.

This only works when it is true. Ask first, then send the email you said you would send.

Why This Helps SMS

SMS is even more personal and interruption-heavy than email. An unexpected text can feel invasive very quickly.

Getting permission first helps ensure the customer:

Understands why you are texting them
Recognizes the message when it arrives
Does not feel surprised or misled
Is less likely to opt out or complain

Why We Treat This as Policy, Not Just a Suggestion

Permission-first sending protects all three layers that matter:

Customer trust
Platform compliance
Long-term deliverability

It also keeps your team honest. If a request template says “as promised” or “here is the link I mentioned,” that should be true. The benefit comes from real context, not from pretending there was a prior conversation when there was not.

When possible, send the request while the customer is still with you. That simple moment makes a big difference. They know it was sent, you know it was received, and the customer can act on it while the interaction is still fresh.

Choose the Right Channel

Choosing the right channel is not just about what gets seen first. It is about what gets completed.

That distinction matters because visibility is not the same as conversion. A text message may be noticed faster, but that does not automatically mean the customer will go on to complete the review. In many cases, the better channel is the one that makes follow-through easiest.

Email vs SMS

In practice, both email and SMS are usually sent and delivered quickly. The bigger difference is what happens next:

How the customer prefers to receive the request
How easy it is for them to complete the task afterward
Whether a reminder path is available
Whether the message format matches the amount of effort you are asking for

SMS often produces very strong open rates, but that can be misleading if you judge success by opens alone. The metric that matters more is completed reviews.

Email often performs better on completed reviews because it gives the customer more flexibility. They can open the request on mobile, come back to it later, and complete the review on a desktop or laptop if that feels easier. That matters more than immediate visibility.

This is especially relevant for review requests that may require more reading, a little more thought, or more typing. People still generally prefer a keyboard and a larger screen when they are writing anything with substance.

Mobile Is Not Always the Easiest Place to Complete

Mobile-first delivery does not always mean easiest completion.

For some review platforms, especially Google, completing the review can be more comfortable on desktop than on a phone. The important takeaway is not to optimize only for the fastest moment of attention. Optimize for the easiest path to completion.

Recommended Channel Mix

In most cases, the strongest option is email plus SMS when the customer has properly given permission for both.

That combination works well because:

SMS helps the request get noticed quickly
Email gives the customer a better environment to complete it
Email preserves the reminder path
The customer can use the channel that feels easiest in the moment

It is also worth remembering that most people check email on their phones too, so you are not giving up the mobile experience by sending email. In many cases, the customer will still see the email on mobile, but they are more likely to notice and open the text first.

If you must choose only one channel, email is often the better default for review requests because it supports both easier completion and a follow-up reminder.

SMS-only is usually best reserved for situations where the customer is effectively text-only, does not have an email address available, or specifically asks to receive the request by text.

QR Codes and Printed Links Still Matter

Even though this page is primarily about email and SMS, those are not your only options.

QR codes and printed links are still very useful when email or SMS is not the right choice, feels inconvenient, or would create an awkward moment. They give you a simple fallback that is easy to present in person without asking the customer to dictate contact details or wait for a message.

These options work especially well when:

the customer does not want to share an email address or phone number
the interaction is brief and you want a low-friction handoff
the customer would rather scan or type the link on their own time
you want something that also works on printed materials, counters, receipts, cards, or signage

In those moments, a QR code can be the cleanest path. A printed short link can serve the same purpose when scanning is not convenient.

The tradeoff is that these methods are less direct than a tracked request sent by email or SMS. They are excellent fallback and convenience tools, but they do not replace the value of permission-based direct outreach when that option is available and appropriate.

For more on these distribution options, see Smart Links and Sending Requests.

If you use Send from Your Device, the same permission-first guidance still applies. The message comes from your phone number or email account, but that does not replace the need for customer consent or override an unsubscribe or suppression.

Open Rates vs Completed Reviews

High open rates can look impressive, but they do not necessarily tell you which strategy is working best.

The better question is: which channel setup produces the most completed reviews with the least friction?

For most businesses, the answer is not “whatever gets seen first.” It is the channel mix that gives the customer the easiest path to follow through.

Write a Message That Feels Expected

The strongest request messages usually do three things right away:

Remind the customer why they are receiving the message
State the single action you are asking them to take
Make that action easy to complete

For review requests, that usually means the message should feel like a direct follow-up to a real interaction, not a broad marketing blast.

Email Request Writing

Subject Lines

Use subject lines that are clear and recognizable.

Good patterns usually include:

Your business or location name
A plain description of the request
Language that matches the recent conversation

Examples of strong direction:

Thanks for visiting Lakeside Home Services
Your feedback for Northside Plumbing
Quick review request from Acme Auto

What to avoid:

Fake reply markers like RE: when there was no thread
Vague teaser copy
All caps
Excess punctuation
Subject lines that imply an account issue or urgent problem when none exists

Opening Lines

The first lines should anchor the message in the actual customer interaction.

That usually means mentioning:

The visit, service, or conversation that just happened
Why you are reaching out now
What you would like the customer to do next

Do not lead with a discount, a sales pitch, or unrelated promotional copy if the message is supposed to be a review or feedback request.

Body Copy

Keep the body short and organized around one primary action.

Strong request emails usually:

Stay focused on a single ask
Put the link or button high in the message
Tell the customer what to expect when they click
Use plain language instead of hype-heavy marketing language
Mention effort clearly when helpful, such as “this only takes a minute”

Email Theme Choice

The system currently offers two email themes in the template editor:

Minimal HTML Format (Better Deliverability)
Rich HTML Format (More Design - Best for Transactional Emails)

This choice affects more than appearance. It can also affect throughput and deliverability.

The minimal format is usually the safer default for review requests and reminders. It stays lighter, simpler, and closer to the kind of message people expect when you are asking for a straightforward follow-up action.

The rich format may look more polished, but the minimal format often feels more hand-crafted and more human-to-human. Depending on the kind of request you are sending, that difference can matter a lot. A review request often works best when it feels like a genuine follow-up from a real interaction, not like a designed campaign.

The rich format gives you more design presence, but heavier visual treatment can make a message feel more campaign-like or promotional depending on how it is written and who is receiving it. That does not mean rich email is bad. It means it should be used deliberately.

As a general rule:

Use Minimal HTML Format (Better Deliverability) for most review-request and reminder email
Use Rich HTML Format (More Design - Best for Transactional Emails) when stronger branding or layout is important and the message truly benefits from it

If your priority is maximum throughput and the cleanest deliverability posture, start simple.

SMS Request Writing

SMS copy should be even tighter than email.

Good SMS requests usually:

Identify your business immediately
Reference the recent interaction naturally
Include one clear link
Keep the message short enough to scan quickly

Avoid using SMS like a mini email. Long, cluttered texts create friction and can feel less trustworthy.

Use Reminders Strategically

The system supports a single configurable email reminder for review requests. We do not support SMS reminders for review requests, and that is intentional.

Text messages are more interruptive, feel more personal, and become unwelcome faster when they repeat. If someone did not act on the original text, repeated follow-up texts usually create more risk than value.

We often recommend sending the original request by both email and SMS when the customer has properly given permission and the moment is right. SMS tends to get seen quickly. Email often produces better completion rates, especially when the customer may need to read a little more, think for a moment, or type a longer response.

When you ask properly, get clear permission, and send through both channels while the interaction is still fresh, that combination often produces the best overall results.

Off-the-Hook Review Reminders

An Off-the-Hook Review Reminder is an automated follow-up email sent to a customer who has not yet responded to the original review request.

The goal is not to pressure the customer or make them feel like they failed to do something they promised. The goal is to remove pressure, reduce awkwardness, and make it easy for them to respond whenever it is convenient.

That matters because many customers fully intend to leave a review, then simply get distracted. If the follow-up makes them feel watched or called out, the emotional tone of the interaction turns negative very quickly. That is the opposite of what you want.

The best reminder copy shifts the tone from accountability to appreciation. It should feel more like:

a helpful follow-up
a thank-you in advance
a simple second chance in case the first message was missed

It should not feel like:

a reprimand
a guilt trip
a demand for action

This is one reason the reminder is email-only. Email gives the customer a lower-pressure space to engage when they are ready. A second text message a few days later is much more likely to feel pushy, personal, or intrusive.

This is also why we think of SMS follow-up as one-and-done. The original text can be excellent for visibility, but the follow-up path belongs in email.

Used well, this single reminder can have an outsized impact because it catches the customers who meant to respond but simply did not get to it the first time. In practice, that one well-timed follow-up is often one of the strongest levers for improving completed-review volume.

Avoid the Wrong Patterns

These patterns tend to create more risk than value:

Sending without asking first
Saying “as promised” when nothing was actually discussed
Using fake RE: or FWD: framing
Writing the message like an ad when it is supposed to be a follow-up
Packing multiple offers or asks into one request
Using shouty formatting, urgency, or gimmicky punctuation
Over-following up, especially by text message
Asking only the customers you think will leave positive reviews
Offering incentives tied to positive reviews

Review Request Guardrails

Review requests should be built around real customer experiences.

Good Practice

Ask after an actual visit, service, or completed interaction
Invite honest feedback
Make it easy for the customer to choose a public review or a private path
Send the request while the customer is still present whenever possible
Treat reminders as a gentle nudge, not pressure

Bad Practice

Screening only for people you believe will leave positive reviews
Pressuring customers to leave a five-star review
Offering rewards that are conditioned on positive sentiment
Hiding the real purpose of the message behind misleading copy
Asking or expecting the customer to write the review while standing with you

If you use the system to collect direct feedback as well as public reviews, that should support honest routing and better customer experience, not manipulation.

Sending in the customer’s presence is often excellent. Asking them to actually write the review in front of you is not. That can feel uncomfortable, controlling, or transactional, and it often leaves a worse impression than simply letting them respond on their own time. This is one reason kiosk-style review collection is so often problematic, even though many other services still promote it.

Asking only customers you expect to be positive is also bad operating practice, not just a compliance risk. It means you miss real feedback that could help you improve the business, fix recurring issues, and understand where customers are getting stuck.

Review Flows and Custom Forms can optionally collect separate email and SMS marketing permission while customers move through those experiences. Permission applies to the exact contact value shown and is stored with the customer when FSRevs can identify them safely.

Do not rush or abuse that trust. Get consent properly first, then send accordingly.

To configure collection or review a customer’s current status, start with:

Email and SMS marketing permission is separate from permission to publish testimonials, photos, videos, names, or other customer-submitted content.

How the System Helps

The system can help with the mechanics of healthy sending, including:

Sending infrastructure
Message templates
Reminder timing
Unsubscribe handling
Bounce and complaint tracking
Suppression of unsafe recipients

We are also happy to help directly. That can mean testing, troubleshooting, reviewing your setup, or simply helping you skip the trial-and-error phase by leaning on what we have learned after sending millions of review requests on behalf of customers.

What the system cannot do for you is create customer expectation after the fact. That part comes from your team and your process.

Use the system as the delivery layer, but build your habits around real permission, accurate messaging, and follow-up that matches the conversation the customer actually had with your business.

We are here to help first, but we also have to protect our ability to send responsibly for every customer on the platform. If an account generates too many complaints, unsubscribes, or other negative signals that could harm our sending performance, we may need to step in, review the sending behavior, limit activity, or require changes before sending continues.

Where to Apply This Guidance

Use this page when you are:

Writing or editing Message Templates
Choosing review-flow Email Request settings
Setting reminder timing in a review flow
Training staff on how to ask for permission before sending
Troubleshooting low opens, high complaints, or weak response rates