Collecting product reviews builds trust and helps other shoppers make confident buying decisions. With MailPoet, you can set up an automation that sends customers a review request email after their order is complete, including a direct link to leave a review.

Prerequisites

• MailPoet 5.28.0 or later.
• MailPoet Premium plugin (active). The pre-built automation template requires a paid MailPoet plan.
• WooCommerce 10.8.0 or later.
• The Customer review request feature must be enabled in WooCommerce (see below).
• Product reviews must be enabled in your WooCommerce store. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products, scroll to the Reviews section, and confirm that Enable product reviews is checked.

Enabling the Customer Review Request Feature in WooCommerce

The direct review link used in MailPoet’s review request emails relies on a WooCommerce feature called “Customer review request.” This feature is disabled by default in WooCommerce 10.8.0 and must be turned on manually.

To enable it:

1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > Features.
2. Find Customer review request (beta) in the list.
3. Check the box to enable it.
4. Click Save changes.

Enabling this feature creates a dedicated Review Order page in WooCommerce and activates the infrastructure MailPoet uses to generate direct review links for each order.

Note: If any of the requirements above are not met, the “Ask to leave a review post-purchase” automation template and the review link personalization tag will not appear in MailPoet. See Requirements for the Pre-Built Template to Display for a full checklist.

Avoiding Duplicate Review Request Emails

Enabling the WooCommerce “Customer review request” feature activates two things:

1. The Review Order page — the landing page where customers submit their reviews. This is what MailPoet needs to generate direct review links.
2. WooCommerce’s own review request email — a built-in email that WooCommerce can schedule automatically after an order is completed.

WooCommerce’s native review request email is disabled by default, so turning on the feature flag alone does not cause duplicate emails. However, if you later enable the WooCommerce email while also running a MailPoet review request automation, your customers could receive two separate review request emails for the same order.

If you plan to use MailPoet’s review request automation, keep the WooCommerce native email disabled:

1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Emails.
2. Find Review request in the list and click Manage.
3. Confirm that the Enable this email notification checkbox is unchecked.
4. Click Save changes.

Using MailPoet’s automation instead of WooCommerce’s built-in email gives you access to the full block email editor, open and click analytics, revenue tracking, and the ability to add conditions and branching to your workflow.

There are also differences in how each system sends the email:

• WooCommerce’s native email is treated as a transactional email and is sent to all customers, regardless of their marketing opt-in status.
• MailPoet’s review request automation includes a Delay step between the trigger and the email, which classifies it as a marketing email. This means it is only sent to customers who have opted in to receive your marketing emails. Keep this in mind when deciding which approach to use. You can learn more about this distinction in How to Set Up an Automation.

How the Direct Review Link Works

MailPoet includes a personalization tag called [woocommerce/order-review-url] that you can use inside automation emails. When the email is sent, this tag is replaced with a unique link that takes the customer directly to a WooCommerce page where they can review the products from their specific order.

The link includes a secure order key, so even guest customers (those who checked out without creating an account) can reach the review page without needing to log in.

Note: The review link tag is only available in automation emails that are triggered by a WooCommerce order event, such as Order Completed or Order Paid. It cannot be used in regular newsletters or post notification emails.

Option 1: Use the Pre-Built Automation Template

The quickest way to get started is with MailPoet’s built-in template.

1. Go to MailPoet > Automations and click New Automation.
2. Look for the Ask to leave a review post-purchase template. Select it and click Start Building.
3. The template comes pre-configured with:
   • An Order Completed trigger.
   • A Delay step (you can adjust the number of days).
   • A Send email action with a pre-built email that includes a “Leave a review” button already linked to the review page.
4. Click the Send email step to customize the email subject, content, and design.
5. Adjust the delay to match your fulfillment timeline. A common choice is 7 to 14 days after the order is completed, giving customers enough time to receive and try their purchase.
6. When you are satisfied, click Activate to turn on the automation.

Tip: You can preview the automation template’s pre-built email content before you start building, directly from the template selection screen.

Requirements for the Pre-Built Template to Display

If you do not see the “Ask to leave a review post-purchase” template in the template list, verify that all of the following conditions are met:

1. WooCommerce 10.8.0 or later is installed. The review link infrastructure was introduced in this version. Check your WooCommerce version under Plugins > Installed Plugins.
2. The “Customer review request” feature is enabled. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > Features and confirm that Customer review request (beta) is checked.
3. The Review Order page exists and is published. WooCommerce creates this page automatically when you enable the feature. You can confirm it exists by going to Pages in your WordPress dashboard and searching for “Review Order.” If the page is missing, try disabling and re-enabling the feature, or run the WooCommerce database update from WooCommerce > Status > Tools.
4. MailPoet Premium is active. The automation template requires a paid MailPoet plan and the MailPoet Premium plugin.

Once all conditions are met, the template will appear in the list when you create a new automation.

Option 2: Build the Automation from Scratch

If you prefer to create your own automation, follow these steps.

Step 1: Create the Automation

1. Go to MailPoet > Automations and click New Automation.
2. Click Start from Scratch.
3. Choose a trigger. Select Order Completed (or another order-related trigger such as Order Paid).

Step 2: Add a Delay

1. Click the + button below the trigger and select Delay.
2. Set the delay to the number of days you want to wait before sending the review request. We recommend 7 to 14 days for physical products.

Important: Adding a Delay step between the trigger and the Send email step classifies the email as a marketing email. It will only be sent to customers who have opted in to receive your marketing emails. You can learn more in How to Set Up an Automation.

Step 3: Add and Design the Email

1. Click the + button below the Delay and select Send email.
2. Click Design email to open the email editor.
3. You can start with the Ask for a product review email pattern, which includes a pre-written message and a review button, or design your own email from a blank template.

Step 4: Add the Review Link to a Button

If you are designing your own email or want to customize the button:

1. In the email editor, add a Button block (or select an existing one).
2. In the button’s settings, set the URL to: [woocommerce/order-review-url]
3. Set the button text to something clear and actionable, such as “Leave a Review” or “Share Your Feedback.”
4. Click Save and continue to return to the automation editor.

Step 5: Activate the Automation

1. Set an appropriate Subject for the email in the automation editor sidebar.
2. Review your automation flow and click Activate.

What Happens When the Email Is Sent

When a customer’s order triggers the automation and the delay period passes, MailPoet renders the email and replaces [woocommerce/order-review-url] with a direct link to that customer’s order review page in WooCommerce.

MailPoet handles edge cases automatically:

• Deleted or unpublished products: If a product from the order is no longer available or has reviews disabled, it is excluded from the review page. If no products in the order can be reviewed, the email is skipped entirely rather than sending a broken link.
• Duplicate products: If the same product appears multiple times in an order, it is shown only once on the review page.
• Guest customers: The link includes a secure order key, so customers do not need to be logged in to leave a review.

Tips for Getting More Reviews

• Time it right. Wait long enough for customers to receive and use their products, but not so long that the purchase feels distant. 7 to 14 days works well for most physical products.
• Keep it short. A brief, friendly message performs better than a lengthy email. Let the customer know their feedback matters and make the review button prominent.
• Use the Order Completed trigger rather than Order Created or Order Paid. This ensures the order has been fulfilled before you ask for feedback.

Related Articles

• How to Set Up an Automation
• Automation Triggers
• Automation Actions
• A Guide to Personalization Tags for Tailored Newsletters