Getting reviews and testimonials after every gig

Bands lose most of their reviews in the week after the gig. The client was thrilled on the night, said "we'll definitely write something", and then went on honeymoon or back to a full inbox. Three months later the memory is fond but vague, and the review never happens. A review is a small favour that has to be asked for at the right moment, in the right way, with the link in the message.

Why this matters more than it looks

A planner with two bands on a shortlist will pick the one with 40 recent reviews over the one with 6 old ones, almost regardless of the video. Reviews also decide where you show up in map search and on directory sites, and they give you the words for your website. A band that adds 20 reviews a year is compounding; a band that adds none is relying on the same three quotes from 2021.

The realistic numbers: asked well, 40–60% of private clients and 20–30% of corporate clients leave a review. Not asked, under 5%.

When to ask

Three moments, and you use all of them:

1. On the night, in person. As you say goodbye: "It was a brilliant night. We would love a few words about it; I will send you the link tomorrow." Not the request itself; the permission for the request. It roughly doubles the response to the next step.
2. Two to five days later, by message or email. The gig is fresh, the photos are starting to arrive, the couple is still talking about it. This is the ask with the link.
3. Ten days after that, one gentle reminder if nothing has happened. Then stop. A third message costs goodwill.

For weddings, if the couple is on honeymoon, delay step two by a fortnight and send it with a "welcome back". For corporate events, ask the person who booked you, not the person who paid the invoice; the booker is the one who was there.

What to say

Short, specific and effortless to act on. A template to adapt:

Hi Sarah and Tom, thank you for having us on Saturday; the moment the whole room joined in on the last song is one we will remember. If you have two minutes, a few words here would help other couples find us: [link]. Anything you noticed on the night is perfect, even a couple of sentences. Congratulations again from all of us.

The rules inside it:

• Name a specific moment from the night. It shows you were present and gives them something to write about.
• One link. Not "Google or Facebook or our site"; choose for them.
• Say how long it takes and how short it can be. "Two sentences" gets more reviews than "a review".
• No incentives. Discounts for reviews are against the rules on most platforms and read badly.

If you have photos from the night (your own, or the photographer's with permission), attach one. A photo turns "please do a task" into "look at this", and the reply rate climbs again.

Where reviews should live

Choose one primary home and send everyone there:

• The main map and business listing service is the best default: reviews there affect local search for "wedding band [city]", they display on the map, and they are hard to fake, which is why planners trust them.
• A wedding directory if you get significant enquiries from one; their review counts drive their ranking.
• Facebook if your clients are already there and that is where your page lives.

Then copy every review, with permission implied by its being public, to your website's reviews page and to the EPK. The website is the display; the platform is the source. For where they go on the site, see band website essentials and your band's EPK.

Testimonials that are not reviews

• Planner and venue quotes. Ask the planners and venue managers you work with regularly for one sentence about what it is like to work with you. These matter to other planners more than couple reviews do, and they belong on the page that agencies see.
• Video testimonials. Thirty seconds on a phone, at the end of the night, from a guest or the couple: "Get the band, they were incredible." Ask the person filming social clips to collect one per gig; see social media for working bands.
• Thank-you emails. When a client writes "you made the night", reply and ask whether you may quote it, with their first name and the event month. Almost everyone says yes.

Using them

• The three most specific recent reviews go on the home page, not the three most gushing. "They learned our first dance in a week and it was perfect" beats "Amazing band!!!"
• A review card with first name, event type and month, once a fortnight on social media.
• The best line from a recent review in the introduction text of your quotes, next to the link to the video.
• A review that mentions a specific venue goes into the email to that venue asking to be on their suppliers list.

Responding

Reply to every review within a week, briefly, by name, with a detail. It shows the next reader that you are the kind of band that answers. A bad review, which happens to everyone eventually, gets a calm, short, factual reply and no argument; the reply is for the people reading it later, not for the reviewer.

The system

Reviews happen when they are nobody's memory and someone's job:

1. The gig sheet has a line: "review ask sent" with a date field.
2. The person who handles client contact sends the message from the template three days after every gig.
3. A reminder ten days later if needed.
4. Once a month, the new reviews are copied to the site, the EPK and the social queue, and the oldest home-page quote is rotated.

Do this today

• Choose the primary platform and copy the direct review link somewhere you can find it on a phone.
• Write your version of the template and save it.
• Send it to the last three clients you have not asked, with a photo if you have one.
• Add the "review ask sent" line to the gig sheet.

Where expert.band helps

Every gig in expert.band has a description that survives the night, so "review ask sent 12 Sept, reminder 22 Sept" lives with the gig record next to the client's details and the quote. When the review arrives, its best line goes into the introduction text of your next quote from the quotes page, where the next client reads it beside the price.