How to run a re-activation campaign for new clients
When you onboard a new client, one of the fastest ways to create visible movement is a review request campaign to past customers. This guide walks through the process from strategy to setup using EMR's built-in drip campaign system.
Why re-activation campaigns work
Most businesses have dozens, sometimes hundreds, of past customers who had a good experience but were never asked to leave a review. They are unlikely to go back and do it on their own. A simple, well-timed request changes that.
A re-activation campaign sends a measured, multi-step review request to those past customers over 2 to 3 weeks. Done well, it can create a visible run of fresh reviews early in the relationship and help the client feel the service working in the first month.
What a re-activation campaign does for your client
When to run a re-activation campaign
Week 1 of a new client
The most impactful moment. Ask the client for a list of past customers during onboarding. Run the campaign before the first month is over. They see results before the first invoice.
When a client has few reviews but many customers
A dentist with 500 patients and 15 Google reviews is sitting on untapped potential. A re-activation campaign can turn that 15 into 50+ within weeks.
After migrating from another platform
If the client is switching from a competitor, a re-activation campaign shows them EMR delivers. It also catches up on any reviews that were missed during the transition.
As a one-time upsell or launch bonus
Some agencies offer the initial re-activation campaign as a paid setup fee ($200-500) or include it free as a trust-building gesture. Either way, it creates immediate value.
How to position this to clients
You don't need to explain the mechanics. Position it as part of your service delivery.
During the sales demo
"Do you have a list of past customers? We can run an initial campaign to get you reviews from people who already love your business."
As part of onboarding
"Step one of our setup is to send a review request to your existing customers. Most businesses see 10-30 new reviews in the first two weeks."
As a free launch bonus
"We include a one-time re-activation push in your first month at no extra charge. It gets you visible results fast."
As a paid setup service
"Our launch package includes a bulk review request to your past customers. It's a one-time $299 setup that typically generates 20-50 new reviews."
As an optional add-on
"If you have a customer list ready, we can run an initial push. If not, we start with the automated ongoing campaign and build from there."
To justify the retainer early
Run it in week 1 so the client sees 15-30 new reviews before the first monthly invoice arrives. Makes the retainer feel worth every penny.
Before you start
Make sure these are ready before creating your campaign.
A feedback form
Review sources connected
Email provider (if sending email)
SMS provider (if sending SMS)
A customer list
Client permission
For agencies setting this up for a client
Go to Customers → Manage Customers → click Impersonate next to the client's name. You'll see their dashboard exactly as they see it. Set up the campaign from there. Click "Leave Impersonation" when done.
You can also switch to the client's organisation using the location switcher, but impersonation is the clearest way to ensure everything is correct from the client's perspective.
Step-by-step setup
Create the campaign
2 minutes
Go to Grow → Campaigns → Request Reviews. Click "Create Your First Campaign" (or the + button if campaigns already exist).
Give it a name like "Re-activation Past Customers" and select the feedback form this campaign should use. Click Create.
Tip: The campaign name is internal. Your customers never see it. Name it something you will recognise when managing multiple clients.
Configure the drip sequence
5 minutes
Every new campaign starts with 4 steps pre-configured: an immediate send, a follow-up at 3 days, another at 7 days, and a final reminder at 14 days. This is a proven sequence. You can use it as-is or adjust it.
Click any step to edit the subject line, message, channels (email, SMS, WhatsApp), and design. Each step can use different channels. For example, Step 1 sends email + SMS, while Step 2 is email only.
Toggle "Different messages per channel" to write a detailed email and a short SMS, both sent at the same time within the same step.
Tip: For a re-activation campaign, the default 4-step sequence works well. You are reaching out to people who already had a good experience, so the job is to make it easy, not to oversell.
Set the send schedule
1 minute
Click the Schedule button in the campaign builder. Set the hours during which messages can go out, for example, 9 AM to 6 PM.
If a message is due to send at 11 PM, the system holds it until the next morning within your schedule. This prevents review requests arriving at unsociable hours.
Test the campaign
2 minutes
Before adding real contacts, send a test email to yourself. The campaign builder has a test option that sends the actual rendered email, branding, colours, and all, to your inbox.
Check the subject line, the message, the review link, and the design. Make sure it looks right on both desktop and mobile.
Upload your customer list
3 minutes
Click Import to open the CSV upload. Drag and drop your file (up to 10MB). The system reads your column headers and automatically maps them to the right fields, email, phone, first name, and last name.
Select the campaign you just created. Set a daily limit if you want to spread sends over several days. For re-activation, 20-30 per day usually gives a natural flow.
Click Import. The upload processes in the background. Any rows with invalid data are skipped and reported.
Tip: For a 200-contact re-activation list, a daily limit of 25 means the campaign runs over about 8 days. Reviews trickle in steadily, giving the business time to respond to each one.
Monitor results
Ongoing
Once contacts start flowing through the drip, the campaign dashboard shows total invites sent, opens, clicks, redirections to review sites, unsubscribes, and average rating.
Each contact goes through the full sequence automatically. You don't need to do anything else. Check in after a few days to see how reviews are building.
Adding contacts to your campaign
For a re-activation campaign, the most common method is a CSV upload of past customers. But there are four ways to add contacts.
CSV upload
Recommended for re-activationUpload a spreadsheet of past customers. Best for re-activation campaigns where you have a historical list.
1. Confirm the file is CSV with headers and phone numbers include country prefix
2. Upload and map columns (auto-detected for common headers)
3. Select the campaign and set a daily limit
4. Click Import. The upload processes in the background
Single invite
Manually enter one contact at a time. Good for testing or adding individual customers after a service visit.
Email trigger
Automatically add contacts when a CRM, invoicing tool, or helpdesk sends an email. Best for ongoing automation, not one-time re-activation.
API
Programmatically add contacts via the REST API. Best for developer-led integrations and custom workflows.
Daily limit for re-activation campaigns
When importing a CSV, you can set a daily limit (e.g., 30 per day). This spreads sends across multiple days, which is useful for:
Avoiding SMS carrier rate limits
Letting the business respond to reviews as they come in
Preventing a sudden spike of reviews that looks unnatural
For a re-activation campaign with 200 past customers, a daily limit of 20-30 gives a natural, steady flow over 7-10 days.
Best practices
Use real past customers
Only send to people who actually used the business. Never use purchased lists or cold contacts. The people you are reaching already had a positive experience. That is the whole point.
Keep the message simple
"We'd love to hear about your experience. It takes 30 seconds." That's the core message. Don't overthink it.
Set a reasonable daily limit
20-30 per day for a re-activation campaign. This gives the business time to respond to reviews as they arrive and prevents unnatural spikes.
Match the branding
Use the client's logo, brand colour, and a professional email template. The review request should feel like it comes from the business, not a third-party tool.
Test before sending
Always send a test email to yourself first. Check subject line, message, links, and design on both desktop and mobile.
Tell the client what to expect
"We're sending review requests to your past customers over the next 10 days. You should start seeing new reviews within a few days. We'll handle responses."
Use the send schedule
Set business hours (9 AM – 6 PM). Nobody wants a review request at midnight.
Don't spam
The 4-step drip over 14 days is sufficient. Don't add 8 steps or follow up daily. Respectful persistence, not harassment.
Common questions
Ready to run your first re-activation campaign?
Start a free trial, onboard a client, and run a re-activation campaign in the first week. It's the fastest way to show visible value.