Exact words for the pre-winter roof check text to past customers
Copy-ready texts and an email a roofer can send past customers before winter to book roof checks, gutter work and repairs, plus when to send and who to skip.
Your fall schedule thins out in November, and the phone does not ring again until the first storm. Meanwhile, every customer you roofed in the last ten years has a roof that is about to get its hardest few months, and most of them have forgotten your name.
A short text to that list is the cheapest job source you have. Here are the exact words, when to send them, and what to do with the replies.
Why past customers first
New leads cost money. Past customers cost a text. They already trust you, they already know your crew showed up on time, and many of them have a neighbor, a rental or a parent's house that needs the same thing.
They also help your reviews. Across the 102,385 roofing listings we track, the median company has 13 Google reviews. Getting into the top quarter takes about 50, and the top tenth sits around 141. A pre-winter check is a second chance to ask a happy customer who never left one. The reviews guide covers how to make that ask at the end of the visit.
Who to send it to
Pull every residential customer from the last ten years with a phone number. Then cut:
- Anyone with an open complaint or warranty dispute. Call them instead.
- Anyone you replaced in the last six months. Their roof is fine and they know it.
- Anyone who asked not to be contacted.
Split the rest into two groups: full replacements and repairs. The repair group often has the most work waiting, because a repair was a sign the rest of the roof is aging.
Text one: the check offer
Send this the first week of November, mid-morning on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hi Karen, this is Dave with Summit Roofing. We replaced your roof on Elm Street a few years back. Before winter, we are doing quick roof and gutter checks for past customers at no charge. Takes about 20 minutes, no one needs to be home. Want me to put you on the list? Reply YES and I will text you a day.
Why it works: it uses their name, reminds them who you are with a detail they will recognize, says exactly what happens and how long it takes, and asks for a one-word reply.
If you charge for inspections, say the price plainly. "Our pre-winter check is $89 for past customers" is fine. Do not hide it.
Text two: the repair group
Hi Tom, Dave with Summit Roofing here. We fixed that leak over your kitchen last spring. Winter is when small problems on older roofs turn into ceiling stains. We are doing free 20-minute checks for past customers before the cold sets in. Want one? Reply YES and I will send you a time.
The specific detail matters. "That leak over your kitchen" lands harder than "your recent repair."
Text three: the reminder
Send once, five to seven days later, only to people who did not reply.
Hi Karen, Dave again. Just checking if you want a spot on the pre-winter check list. I have openings next week. Reply YES or NO, either is fine.
"Either is fine" gets more replies than you would think, including some no's, which are useful. Stop after this one. Two texts is service. Four is spam.
The email version
For customers with an email but no mobile number:
Subject: A free roof check before winter, Karen
Hi Karen,
We replaced your roof on Elm Street in 2022. Before winter we are checking past customers' roofs and gutters at no charge. It takes about 20 minutes and you do not need to be home.
Reply to this email with a day that works, or call or text me at the office.
Dave, Summit Roofing
Put the real install year in. Leave out logos and photos. A plain note from a person reads like a person.
What to do on the check
Bring a phone and take ten photos: every slope, the flashing, the vents, the gutters, the attic if they let you. Text the photos to the homeowner the same day with one line on each. That photo report is what turns a free check into a paid repair or a booked replacement for next spring.
If you find nothing, say so. "Your roof looks good, here are the photos" earns more trust and referrals than a stretch for a sale. Then make the ask:
Glad it looks good. If you have a minute, a quick Google review would help us a lot this winter. Here is the link.
When the replies come in
Answer every YES within the hour during business hours. Book the visit by text. If you wait a day, half of them forget why they replied. The missed calls and follow-up guide has the follow-up rhythm for anyone who goes quiet after saying yes.
If a check turns into a quote for replacement, the pricing and quoting guide covers how to present good, better and best options so a winter quote does not sit until March.
A hypothetical
Say you have 600 past customers with phone numbers. You cut 80. You send 520 texts. If one in ten says yes, you have 52 checks in November, which is a week or two of easy work for one crew member. If one in five checks finds a paid repair at $400 to $900, that is roughly ten repairs, plus whatever replacements and referrals come out of it. The numbers are made up. The method is not.
If you want help building the list and sending these, the free 14-day trial covers any one service with no card. See the free trial page or text or call (385) 475-4642.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, roofing companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor