Review replies that still sound like you.
Review replies means we draft a warm, personal reply to your new reviews, good or bad, in your voice. You approve it with one tap, and we post it promptly. It comes with Grow and Full Care.
In one sentence: we watch the review sites your customers read, write replies to new reviews that sound like you on a good day, send them to you for a quick OK, and post them promptly, so people reading your reviews see a business that listens.
Why do review replies matter?
Replies aren't for the person who wrote the review. They're for the hundreds of people who read it later, while deciding whether to book you. Here's what we see most often.
The one-star review that sat there for a year
A bed and breakfast gets a harsh review about a cold room in February. The owners are upset, mean to reply "when things calm down", and never do. A year later it's still near the top, with no answer underneath. To a stranger, silence looks like agreement, or worse, like nobody's home.
The reply written at 11 pm
A clinic owner reads an unfair review late at night and replies straight away, explaining what happened at the appointment. It feels like setting the record straight. But it confirms the person was a patient and shares details of their visit in public. In the US, a California dental practice paid a $23,000 settlement in 2022 after replying to Yelp reviews with patient information (HHS Office for Civil Rights, reported by HIPAA Journal, 2022).
The same reply, forty times
A busy salon answers every review with "Thanks for your review! See you soon!" It's better than nothing, but only just. Half of consumers say templated or generic replies put them off (BrightLocal, 2026). Readers can tell when nobody actually read what they wrote.
What do we do, and when?
| What we do | When | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Watch Google, Facebook, Yelp, Tripadvisor and the review sites your trade uses | Ongoing | New reviews, on the sites we watch for you |
| Draft a reply in your voice, checked by a person | Promptly, after a review appears | The review and our draft, in one short message |
| Post the reply after your OK | Once you've said OK | "Replied" in your note, with the date |
| Flag any review of 3 stars or less | Quickly, when we see it | A heads-up, so it doesn't catch you off guard |
| Spot what customers praise and complain about | In your monthly page | Two or three themes, in their words |
| Update your voice notes: words you like, words you'd never use | Whenever you edit a draft | Drafts that need fewer changes over time |
How does approving a reply work?
New reviews and our drafts arrive together, by email or WhatsApp, whichever you prefer. Reply "OK" and we post it. Change a word and we post your version, and remember the change for next time. It takes most owners only a few minutes.
- Happy reviews. If you like, you can give us a standing OK for short thank-yous to 4 and 5 star reviews, so they go out without waiting for you. You can take that back any time.
- Unhappy reviews. Always wait for your personal OK. No exceptions.
- If a reply is held up. If it's waiting on your OK, we nudge you once and show that in your note. If it's held up on our side, we post it as soon as we can and tell you why in your note.
Real reviews only
We reply to real reviews. We don't write, buy or filter them. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's 2024 rule bans fake reviews and review suppression, and lets it seek civil penalties against people who knowingly break it.
People read your replies, not just your stars.
From BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, which asked 1,002 US consumers how they use reviews.
of consumers read reviews for local businesses
expect businesses to respond to reviews
are likely to use a business that responds to all its reviews
are put off by templated or generic replies
The same survey found 42% are unlikely to use a business that never replies, and 19% now expect a reply the same day, up from 6% a year earlier. Read the survey.
Three businesses, three different voices.
Before we write a single reply, we learn how you talk: how you sign off, whether you use first names, the words you'd never say. These show the difference.
"Biscuit came home looking like a brand new dog. So gentle with him too."
Our draft: Thank you, Jo! Biscuit was a star on the table (mostly). We'll see you both in six weeks. Give him a scratch from all of us.
Warm, playful, uses the dog's name, because that's how this owner talks.
"Made my first year as a sole trader painless. Clear and patient."
Our draft: Thank you for taking the time to write this. We're glad your first year felt manageable, and we look forward to helping again when next year comes round.
Calm and formal, no exclamation marks, no detail about the client's affairs.
"Waited 25 minutes past my time and nobody said why."
Our draft: Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear this, and we take waiting times seriously. We can't discuss anyone's visit in public, but our practice manager would like to hear more. Please email us at the address on our website.
Clinic-safe: it never confirms the person was a patient.
Names and numbers changed for illustration.
What happens when someone leaves a bad review?
A bad review is upsetting. Our job is to be the calm second pair of eyes, so the reply helps you with every future customer who reads it.
We tell you first
Any review of 3 stars or less gets a quick heads-up, so you hear it from us, not from a customer or a friend.
FirstWe check the facts
We ask what happened, if anything. Sometimes the reviewer has the wrong business. Sometimes they have a fair point, and owning it is the strongest reply.
NextWe draft a calm reply
Thank them, own what's fair, keep private details private, and offer a way to talk it through.
ThenYou approve, we post
Nothing goes out until you say so. If the review breaks the site's own rules, we help you report it through that site's process.
With your OKCan you get a bad review removed?
Only the review site can remove a review, and only if it breaks their rules: fake, from someone who was never a customer, offensive, or a conflict of interest. We'll help you report those properly. Removal is the site's decision.
Monday, 8:00
Hi Claire, 4 new reviews. Three replied, one needs you.
- Two 5-star reviews on Google, replied Tuesday with your standing OK
- One 5-star on Tripadvisor, replied Thursday after your OK
- Needs your OK: a 2-star on Google about the breakfast time. Draft is ready for you
- The view, the scones, "quiet at night"
Names and numbers changed for illustration.
Each review, each reply, and the date it went out.
Your Monday note lists each new review, where it was posted, and when the reply went out. Anything waiting for your OK is at the top, so it's easy to see what still needs you.
- Each review, by site and star rating
- Reply date, so you can see when it went out
- What customers praise and complain about
Part of Grow and Full Care.
Grow answers your reviews. Full Care also asks your customers for them, so there are more to answer. Month to month, no setup fee.
Keep
$100 / month
Protect, plus your enquiries by name. Review replies aren't included on Keep.
- Protect, in full
- Your enquiries, by name
- Move up to Grow any month
Grow Recommended
$250 / month
Everything in Keep, plus review replies in your voice.
- Replies drafted for you to approve
- A heads-up on bad reviews
- Listings care and leak fixes
Full Care
$500 / month
Everything in Grow, plus review requests to your customers.
- Everything in Grow
- Customers asked, no gating
- AI answer check
What's not included?
- Asking customers for reviews. That's review requests, part of Full Care.
- Offering refunds or freebies in your name. We'll suggest how to put things right, but only you decide what to offer.
- Social media comments and messages. We reply to reviews, not to comments on your posts or private messages.
- Legal action over a review. We don't give legal advice. If a review is defamatory, we'll suggest you speak to a lawyer.
- Anything fake. No made-up reviews, no paid reviews, no review gating, no removal for a fee. Not as an extra, not ever.
How does this compare with doing it yourself or using a freelancer?
| What you get | Doing it yourself | A freelancer | Penguina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews answered on the sites that matter | When you can | Sometimes | Yes |
| Replies listed in a weekly note | No | Rarely | Every Monday |
| Sounds like you, not a template | Yes | Varies | Yes |
| Your OK before anything is posted | Yes | Varies | Yes |
| A calm second opinion on bad reviews | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Clinic-safe wording for health businesses | If you know | Varies | By default |
| No fake, paid or gated reviews | Up to you | Ask them | Never |
Replies that fit your kind of business.
Chiropractors
Patients often mention their pain or treatment in a review. The reply never repeats it, and never confirms they were seen. Thank them for the kind words, and keep it general.
Bed and breakfasts
Guests compare places on Google and Tripadvisor, and they read the owner's replies to judge how they'd be treated. A warm, specific reply is a small welcome before they arrive.
Dog groomers
Owners write about their dogs like family, often by name. Using the dog's name in the reply shows someone really read it. On a bad review, kindness matters even more.
Questions about review replies.
Something else? Ask in the chat, email hello@penguina.website or WhatsApp us.
Will the replies sound like a robot?
No. Software helps us spot new reviews and suggest a first draft, but a person reads each review, rewrites the reply in your voice and checks it before it reaches you. Then you approve it. Nothing goes out in your name without a human check. Read how we use AI.
Do I have to approve every single reply?
Replies to bad reviews, always. For short thank-yous to 4 and 5 star reviews, you can give us a standing OK so they go out without waiting for you. Most owners start by approving everything, then relax once they trust the drafts.
How quickly do replies go out?
Promptly. We draft a reply soon after a review appears on the sites we watch for you, and post it once you've said OK. If a reply is waiting for your OK, we nudge you once and show it in your note, so you know where it stands. If something holds us up, your note says so. Read more about how we work.
Which review sites do you cover?
Google, Facebook, Yelp and Tripadvisor, plus the sites that matter in your trade, wherever the site lets a business reply. We agree the list with you in month 1, and you can add to it later.
Should I reply to a review I think is fake?
Usually, yes: a short, calm reply saying you can't find a record of the visit and inviting them to get in touch. Future customers see that you're reasonable. At the same time, we help you report it through the review site's own process.
What if I'm away on holiday?
Tell us who can approve replies while you're away, or give us a standing OK for happy reviews. Bad reviews wait for you or the person you choose. Nothing is posted without someone's OK.
Can you get us more reviews too?
On Full Care, we ask your customers for a review after their visit, with no filtering. On Grow, we answer the reviews you get.
Related pages.
Sources for the figures on this page
Not sure where to start? Send us your website.
We look at it the way a customer would, find up to 3 real problems, and fix one of them free. No call needed.