Short answer: don't offer discounts, freebies or entries in a draw in exchange for a Google review. Google's review policy bans compensation of any kind for reviews, and the FTC's fake-review rule separately targets rewards tied to a positive (or negative) opinion. You can ask every customer for a review. You can't pay them for one.
The tempting version sounds harmless: "Leave us a review, get 10% off your next visit." Here's why that one costs more than it earns.
Two rulebooks, two different lines
Google's policy is the stricter one. Summaries of it say businesses can ask for honest feedback but can't offer money, freebies or discounts tied to a review, and that violations can mean review removal or a suspended listing. Because most guides online are marketing blogs, read Google's current Business Profile review policy yourself before you build a program on anyone's summary, including ours.
The FTC rule is about sentiment. The final rule on deceptive reviews, 16 CFR § 465.4, covers compensation or other incentives given in exchange for, or conditioned on, a review expressing a particular sentiment. Freshfields' summary of the rule is a readable starting point. In plain terms: "5 stars and we'll give you a coupon" is the clearest violation. Law firms differ on how far the rule reaches beyond that, which is a good reason to ask a lawyer if you're set on any reward scheme.
Notice what the two have in common. Neither one is bothered that you asked. Both are bothered that you attached a price.
Why it backfires even if nobody sues
- The reviews read differently. A run of five-star reviews that all land the day you launch a coupon looks odd to readers and to Google's systems alike.
- You lose the honest signal. Reviews are supposed to tell you what customers think. Bought ones tell you what customers will say for 10% off.
- Competitors report it. Our guide on spotting and reporting fake Google reviews is the same playbook a rival can use on you.
What you can do instead
Skip the reward and make the ask easier, more frequent and better timed:
- Ask every customer. Not just the ones who seem delighted. How to ask customers for reviews covers wording for in-person, email and text.
- Remove friction. A QR code on the counter that opens the rating screen beats telling someone to "search for us on Google". See QR code review cards.
- Thank people, don't pay them. A reply to each review, and a "thanks for the kind words" from the owner, costs nothing and isn't compensation for the review.
- Recognise your team, not your customers. Rewarding staff for earning reviews is a different matter from rewarding customers for writing them. Show the team whose service earned each rating, and don't pressure anyone to chase only perfect scores.
- Keep a steady flow. A small number of asks every day beats a one-week blitz with a prize attached.
The gating trap hiding inside incentives
Some owners try a workaround: offer the reward only to people who say they were happy. That combines two violations, since you're now soliciting selectively and attaching a reward. Our explainer on Google review gating policy covers where the boundary sits.
The clean version is the opposite. Everyone gets the same prompt, every rating is visible to you, and the customer picks where their words go. Starboard's QR rating flow works this way: stars first, then a choice between a public review and a private note, shown to everyone the same way and regardless of rating. No reward changes hands and nobody is filtered.
Quick rules to pin up
- Never offer money, discounts, gifts or draw entries for a review.
- Never make any benefit depend on the rating.
- Never ask only the customers you think are happy.
- Ask everyone, make it quick, and say thanks.
- When in doubt, read the current policy pages and ask a lawyer.
Reviews you earned are slower to collect than bought ones. They are also the only kind that keep working for you.