1. Who to contact
The sweet spot is a business with between 5 and 60 Google reviews. Fewer than 5 and they usually aren't established enough to pay; more than 100 and they already have this solved. Start with the trades below, in your own city, so you can walk in if needed.
Plumbers
Emergency jobs, huge review sensitivity, one bad review really hurts.
Electricians
Trust-driven, customers check Google before letting them in the house.
Cleaners
Repeat customers, easy to ask, very high response rates.
Movers
Reviews are the entire buying decision. Best-converting trade.
Auto repair shops
High volume, competitive local map, owners feel the ranking pain.
Salons & barbers
Fast turnover, dozens of customers a week, instant results.
Dentists & clinics
Highest value per customer, biggest budget for tools.
Roofers & landscapers
Big-ticket jobs, buyers research heavily before calling.
Gyms & studios
Membership decisions come straight off Google ratings.
HVAC
Seasonal urgency and expensive jobs — reviews decide who gets the call.
2. The email sequence
Four emails over two weeks. Most replies come on emails three and four, so do not stop after the first one. Replace everything in {curly braces} before sending — a personalised first line is the difference between 2% and 15% replies.
Cold email #1 — the opener
Send Tue–Thu, 7–9am local time. Keep the subject lowercase, it reads like a real person.
Subject: {business name} — 34 reviews?
Hi {first name},
I looked up {business name} on Google — {review count} reviews, {rating} stars. The work is clearly good, but the competitor two streets over has three times the reviews and is showing above you in the map results.
I run ProofLocal. It messages every customer after the job and gives everyone the same simple way to share honest feedback on Google, with a private feedback route too.
Want me to set it up on your account free for 14 days? No card, and I'll do the setup myself so you don't have to touch anything.
{your name}
prooflocal.appFollow-up #1 — 3 days later
Reply to your own email so it threads. Short is the point.
Hi {first name}, just bumping this in case it got buried.
Happy to set the whole thing up for {business name} and show you the first reviews coming in — takes me about 10 minutes and costs you nothing for two weeks.
Worth a quick look?
{your name}Follow-up #2 — 6 days later (proof angle)
Use a real number once you have one. Until then, use the competitor comparison.
Hi {first name},
One last one from me. I pulled the top three {trade} in {city} on Google:
- {competitor 1} — {n} reviews
- {competitor 2} — {n} reviews
- {business name} — {n} reviews
Reviews are the main thing deciding that order. If you want the gap closed, I'll run it free for 14 days and you can judge it on results.
If it's not a priority right now, no problem — I'll leave you be.
{your name}Follow-up #3 — 2 weeks later (break-up)
This one gets the most replies of the whole sequence. Send it and mean it.
Hi {first name}, closing the loop on this — I'll assume review growth isn't on the list this quarter.
If that changes, the free trial is at prooflocal.app and my inbox is always open.
All the best with {business name},
{your name}3. DMs, calls and walk-ins
Instagram / Facebook DM
Comment on one of their posts first, then DM the next day. Never send a link in the first message.
Hey {first name} — saw the {recent job / post} you put up, nice work.
Quick question: are you actively asking customers for Google reviews, or is it hit and miss? I built a little tool for {trade} that asks every customer automatically after the job. I can switch it on for you free for a couple of weeks if you're curious.LinkedIn connection note
Under 300 characters. Ask, don't pitch.
Hi {first name} — I work with {trade} on Google review growth. Noticed {business name} has strong work but a thin review count. Mind if I send over what I'd change? No pitch, happy to just share it.Walk-in / phone script
Best conversion of anything here. Ten shops beats a hundred emails.
"Hi, is the owner around? I'm {your name}, I'm local. I help {trade} collect more honest feedback automatically — you finish a job, every customer gets the same message, and they can share publicly or contact you privately.
I'm setting it up free for a few businesses around here for two weeks. Takes me ten minutes and there's no card. Want me to do yours?"Reply when they say 'how much?'
Never lead with price. Answer, then pivot back to the trial.
It's $29/month for a single location, $79 if you've got several — but honestly, don't decide on price yet. Run the free 14 days, see how many reviews land, and if it hasn't paid for itself you just cancel. That's the whole deal.
4. Your daily routine
About 90 minutes a day. Do it every weekday for two weeks and you will have contacted 200 businesses — enough to expect roughly 20 replies and a handful of trials.
- Open Google Maps and search '{trade} in {your city}'.
- Skip anyone with 100+ reviews — they don't need you. Target 5 to 60 reviews.
- Grab the owner name, email, phone, review count and rating for 20 businesses.
- Send 20 opening emails before 9am. Takes about 40 minutes with the template.
- Send 10 DMs to the ones with an active Instagram or Facebook.
- Walk into 3 local shops in the afternoon and use the in-person script.
- Log every send with the date so follow-ups go out on day 3, day 6 and day 14.
5. Track it in one sheet
Open a blank spreadsheet and make these columns. Nothing fancier is needed until you pass 500 contacts.
6. When someone says yes
- Create their account with them on the phone — do not send a signup link and hope.
- Ask for their Google review link and paste it into their settings there and then.
- Import 20 recent customers together so the first requests go out the same day.
- Message them on day 3 with the review count. Early proof is what turns trials into payers.
- Call on day 12, before the trial ends, and ask them to keep it going.
Send them here
Every script points to the same place: a free 14-day trial with no card. Link to prooflocal.app, or set the account up for them yourself.