From Reviews to Rentals: Turning Google Feedback into Real Growth with Kale Leavitt of StorageReach

Kale Leavitt, CEO of StorageReach, joins Matt Engfer to break down why Google Reviews have become one of the most powerful—and most misunderstood—drivers of growth in self-storage.Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in storage marketing, Kale explains how reviews impact far more than reputation. From organic rankings and paid search performance to leasing velocity and customer trust, reviews now touch every part of the renter’s decision-making process. He shares what he learned while helping grow SEO services from zero to nearly 1,500 facilities, and how those lessons led to building StorageReach as a review-first platform designed specifically for self storage.In this episode, Kale walks through the mechanics behind quality, quantity, and consistency in review generation, why “spikes” hurt more than they help, and how automation allows operators to generate steady reviews without overwhelming tenants. The result is a practical, system-based approach to turning reviews into measurable business performance.Key Takeaways:(0:00) Intro(1:34) Kale's story(4:16) The beginning and growth of StorageReach(7:11) Marketing lessons learned from the early days(9:00) The MVP of StorageReach and getting Google reviews(11:41) Checking the boxes of getting reviews and seeing results(14:44) Effective ways to get positive review and avoid negative reviews(19:56) Working alongside Google(22:21) What’s next for StorageReachResources Mentioned:Kale Leavitt | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kale-leavitt-9063488b/StorageReach | Websitehttps://storagereach.comCubby | Websitehttps://www.cubbystorage.comThank you for listening to “Students of Storage.” Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.#SelfStorageReviews #StorageMarketing #StudentsOfStorage