Reviews
How to draft and approve an AI review reply
Use AI to prepare a review reply, then have a person check the facts, tone, privacy, and destination. Approval and publication are separate steps, and unsupported sources still require a handoff to the original review site.
Reviewed by LocalCMO Editorial Team Last reviewed
Before you start
- Open the original review with its rating, source, date, and business location.
- Know the confirmed facts the reply may refer to and who can approve it.
- Check whether the review source has a supported publishing connection or requires a manual handoff.
Steps
Read the original customer comment
Keep the full review, rating, source, date, location, and current response status visible. Do not draft from a sentiment label or summary alone.
Generate a draft
Ask for a concise response that acknowledges the customer's actual comment. The draft should not invent an event, promise compensation, admit an unverified fault, or expose private information.
Check facts and tone
Compare every factual statement with the available business record. Remove arguments, defensive language, private account details, and claims the team cannot verify.
Edit for a human response
Use the customer's context, the business voice, and a clear next step when one is appropriate. Avoid repeating the same generic phrase across unrelated reviews.
Approve the final wording
A person should approve, edit, or reject the exact customer-facing reply. Record who made the decision and when.
Publish or hand off
Publish only through a supported connected source. For any other source, open the original review site and copy the approved response there.
Verify the public result
Check the original review after submission. Keep approved, submitted, published, failed, and needs-action as separate statuses.
EXPECTED RESULT
What you should see when you finish
- The final reply remains tied to the original review, rating, source, date, and location.
- A human approval record identifies the exact wording that may be published.
- The workflow shows whether the reply was published through a supported connection or handed off to the original site.
If something does not look right
The draft includes something that did not happen
Remove the unsupported statement and return to the original review and confirmed business facts. If the facts are unclear, route the review to a person instead of guessing.
The approved reply is not visible
Check whether the source supports connected publishing and whether the status is approved, submitted, failed, or needs-action. Approval alone does not mean the review site published it.
How to draft and approve an AI review reply FAQ
Can AI reply to every review automatically?
No. LocalCMO can help draft a response, but a person should review customer-facing wording. Publishing also depends on the review source and account connection.
What should an AI review reply avoid?
Avoid invented facts, private information, arguments, unverified admissions, and promises the business has not approved.
Does approving a reply mean it is published?
No. Approval records a human decision. Submitted, published, failed, and needs-action are separate delivery states that should be checked on the original source.