Quick TL;DR: If ChatGPT keeps writing review replies that sound like a corporate chain, don’t ask it to be better. Tell it what to avoid. A short list of “don’ts” fixes most of it.
The problem
You paste a Google review into ChatGPT and type “write a reply.” What comes back is polite, smooth and completely forgettable. “Thank you for your feedback. We value our customers.” Nobody believes a person wrote it.
The cause is simple. A vague request gets the most average answer the model can give. And the average business reply is the stuff you’ve read a thousand times. Customers have read it a thousand times too. They skim past it, and worse, they notice that you didn’t bother to write anything real. A reply is public, so future customers read it as a sample of how you treat people. A canned answer to a five-star review wastes a free chance to sound human, and a canned answer to a one-star review can make an annoyed customer more annoyed.
The fix: constrain it
Reddit user u/Dexi1310 shared a small habit that works. Instead of asking for a good reply, give the model a few firm limits. Rules about what not to do narrow the output far more than adjectives like “friendly” or “authentic.” Words like “friendly” are open to interpretation, and the model’s interpretation is always the safe, average one. A hard limit leaves no room to interpret.
The limits that matter in their prompt:
- Keep it to 2 to 3 sentences, so it can’t ramble.
- Mention one specific thing the reviewer said, which proves someone actually read it.
- Don’t open with “Thank you for your feedback.”
- Use one exclamation mark at most.
- Don’t promise anything that hasn’t been agreed.
- For negative reviews, acknowledge the problem plainly and offer one next step, like a quick call.
- Sound like the owner, not a marketing team.
You don’t need all seven on day one. Start with the three that annoy you most and add more as you spot new patterns. A short list you actually use beats a long one you never finish.
Why this works
Generic replies come from generic defaults. Every item on the don’t list removes one of those defaults. Ban the stock opener and the model has to find another way in. Cap the exclamation marks and the fake enthusiasm drops. Forbid promises and you protect yourself from a reply that commits you to a refund you never offered. That last one matters more than it sounds. Left alone, the model loves to write “we’d be happy to make this right,” and a screenshot of that line can come back to bite you.
The example in the post shows the effect. A review says a plumber came out on a Sunday and didn’t charge extra. Instead of three lines of boilerplate, you get: “Glad the Sunday call-out helped, burst pipes don’t wait for Monday. Thanks for taking the time to write this.” It’s short, specific and sounds like a person.
The same logic works on a bad review. Say someone complains the technician arrived two hours late. A don’t list pushes the reply toward something like: “You’re right, two hours late is too long and I’m sorry it cost you your afternoon. I’d like to hear what happened, so call me on the shop line when you get a minute.” It admits the problem, doesn’t make excuses and offers one clear next step.
One commenter added a good upgrade. Build your don’t list from your own edits. Every time you delete a phrase from a draft, add it to the list. After a few weeks the prompt carries your voice without you retyping it. Keep the list in a notes app or a saved custom instruction so you can paste it in seconds.
Use cases
- Review replies: Google, Trustpilot, Facebook and Yelp, positive or negative.
- Customer emails: Apply the same don’t list to support replies and follow-ups.
- Social comments: Quick answers that shouldn’t sound scripted.
- Any repeated writing task: If the output keeps coming back with the same annoying habit, ban that habit by name.
Prompt of the Day 🧭
You’re replying to a customer review for a small local business. Here’s the review: [paste review]. Write a reply of 2 to 3 sentences. Mention one specific thing they said. Don’t open with “Thank you for your feedback”, use one exclamation mark at most, and don’t promise anything that hasn’t been agreed. If the review is negative, acknowledge the problem plainly and offer one next step, like a quick call. Sound like the owner, not a marketing team.
Swap in your own pet hates. If you can’t stand “valued customer” or “we apologise for any inconvenience,” add them to the list. Read the result out loud before you post it. If you wouldn’t say it to the customer’s face, trim it or add another rule.
Your move
Take the last three replies you were unhappy with. Write down every phrase you’d cut, turn that into a don’t list, and run the prompt again. Then tell me what you banned first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I build a ‘don’t’ list that fits my business?
Keep a running note of every phrase you delete from a draft because it sounds cheesy, and add it to the list each time. After a couple of weeks you’ll have a list that sounds like your business, not a generic template. That beats any list you could write from scratch on day one.
Q: Should I mention the reviewer by name?
Yes, if the reviewer names a person, like the tech who came out or the staff member who helped them. Using that name makes it clear the owner remembers the job. Only use names that appear in the review itself, and never guess one.
Q: Why does a ‘don’t’ list work better than asking for a friendly tone?
Asking for ‘friendly’ or ‘professional’ gives the model a vague target, so it falls back on stock phrases like ‘thank you for your feedback’. Naming the exact phrases and habits to avoid removes those defaults, and the reply sounds more like a person. Start with three or four pet hates and grow the list from there.
Quick tip: tell it what NOT to do when it writes your review replies
by u/Dexi1310 in ChatGPTPromptGenius