Note: Any money examples here are hypothetical. We're not promising anyone will earn anything.
An idea for a service: watch a local business's reviews, draft replies for the owner's approval, and send a monthly report on what customers say.
The idea
Help local businesses stay on top of their online reviews: watch the main review sites, draft replies for the owner's approval, and send a simple monthly report on what customers are saying.
Who it's for
Local businesses with steady review traffic and no time to manage it, like restaurants, salons, dentists, contractors, and auto shops.
The problem you solve
Reviews pile up across several sites. Owners reply in bursts, miss the upset ones, and never step back to see the patterns.
How you help
A monthly done-with-you service. You watch the client's review sites, use an agent tool to draft replies in their voice (Google says Gemini in Gmail can draft professional emails, and Lindy says actions that write or send can wait for approval), and the owner approves before anything posts. Each month, you send a one-page report: themes, standout quotes, and one or two suggested fixes. Our Online Review Replies workflow shows the do-it-yourself version.
Tools you'd use
Gemini in Google WorkspaceLindyNotion AI and Notion Agents
How it works, step by step
Here's how it could work, step by step (it's an outline, not a case study):
- Agree on which review sites to watch and the owner's tone.
- Set up alerts so new reviews land in one place.
- Draft replies within a day or two, and flag upset reviews right away.
- The owner approves, then you post or the owner posts.
- At month's end, summarize themes and standout quotes.
- Suggest one or two practical fixes based on the feedback.
Ways to get paid
Common ways to charge (just examples, not our earnings): a flat monthly fee per location, with tiers by review volume. We're not quoting dollar amounts as market rates. Any numbers you use are hypothetical until you test them in your own market. Never promise more stars or more reviews.
What you need to get started
You'll want good writing judgment, a calm touch with upset customers, comfort with at least one agent tool, and a clear approval process with each client.
Keeping it running
Get the owner's approval on every reply, never post fake reviews or offer rewards for reviews, follow each review site's rules, and keep client data private.
Things to watch out for
Watch out for slow approvals, very sensitive complaints that need the owner personally, and clients asking for things review sites don't allow. Set an approval deadline, and escalate anything serious to the owner.
Sources
Heads-up: some links here may become affiliate links down the road. Here's how that works. Right now, no affiliate programs are connected.