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How to Build a Review Engine Guests Actually Want to Use
Tour Operator Growth Podcast
90% of travelers read reviews before booking, yet most great trips never turn into a single review. Why? Timing.
In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, Nikki and Greg open the Sharing stage of the Resmark Growth Engine and break down how to build a review system guests actually want to use. They dig into the 24 to 72 hour window when guest excitement peaks, how to set up an automated SMS and email review sequence that feels personal, where to send guests to leave reviews, and how responding to every review (especially the critical ones) can turn browsers into bookings.
What you'll learn:
- Why reviews drive SEO, AI search, and OTA rankings, not just social proof
- The 24 to 72 hour window when guests are most likely to leave a review
- How to build an automated, personalized review sequence over SMS and email
- Where to send reviews: Google for direct bookings vs. OTAs like TripAdvisor and Viator
- Why a great response to a 3-star review can convert better than a 5-star one
- How to handle negative reviews, fake or bot reviews, and total silence
- Simple tactics you can implement this week to capture more reviews
If this episode helped, share it with a tour operator who's earning reviews but not capturing them, and subscribe so you don't miss part two.
🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve:
https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey
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Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com
Chapters:
1:15 The Sharing stage & the 5-stage Growth Engine
2:30 Why reviews matter: 90% of travelers read them
5:43 What's in a guest's head after a trip (the 72-hour window)
8:11 How to capture reviews in the moment
10:57 Building an automated review sequence
15:25 Where to send reviews: Google vs. OTAs
17:48 Why you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket
19:27 Responding to every review (and the 3-star secret)
24:43 Handling bad, fake & missing reviews
30:51 Top tactics to get more reviews this week
33:04 Recap & what's coming in part two
