This is our first year as well. We are doing very well. We had professional pictures taken and a floor plan. We priced our property just slightly below our competition. We did not do much discounting at all. The entire summer was booked by Thanksgiving! We have only a few stray days left in September and we even have a few 2013 bookings. I was agressive about getting reviews. After a guest leaves, we have the house cleaned and inspected for any problems. Once I know all is well, usually only a day or two after check out, I send them an e-mail telling them I am sending their deposit back and that I would love to hear their feedback on the house. They usually send a nice note about how much they loved the house. That's when I tell them I am going to send them two e-mail links to send reviews - one to VRBO and one to Flipkey. I tell them they can write the same thing on both sites. Then I send the requests from VRBO/Flipkey. 90% of my guests have followed through and written reviews so far! Hope that helps!

...there is a place in the reservation manager that you can make a "review request" email template to send out to people after their stay.

I would not rely on that template or sending via HomeAway/VRBO for two reasons:

1) That does not give you the option to ask them to post a review to your other site(s) such as FlipKey, which relies and ranks almost exclusively based on reviews.

2) Those form requests often go to the recipient's SPAM or JUNK mail folder and they never see it.  That happened to us a few times.  Better to send a request from the e-mail addreses they have been corresponding with you at all along.  That way you know they'll get it.