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How To Ask For A Testimonial In 6 Ways (With 7 Request Templates)

Need testimonials? Try these 6 strategies and 7 request templates to collect powerful reviews that enhance your brand and customer trust.

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How To Ask For A Testimonial In 6 Ways (With 7 Request Templates)
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Oct 14, 2024
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Need testimonials? Try these 6 strategies and 7 request templates to collect powerful reviews that enhance your brand and customer trust.
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Current Column
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Imagine this: You’re cruising along on a solid marketing plan. You’ve created great content, optimized your SEO, and even implemented a solid social media strategy. But there’s one little missing detail. You don’t have any testimonials on website. You might be thinking, What’s the big deal? It’s not like everyone has to have testimonials, right? The truth is that having no testimonials on your website can hurt your business, especially if your competitors have an abundance of glowing reviews. The good news is that asking for testimonials doesn’t have to be awkward. This article will teach you how to ask for a client testimonial to boost your credibility and get back to what you love—running your business.
Testimonial software can help you achieve this goal. It simplifies the process for you and your customers, making it easy to collect, organize, and showcase testimonials on your website.

What Is A Testimonial?

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial

Testimonials and Their Benefits

When prospects visit your website, they are looking for answers. They want to know if your business can help solve their problems, whether they can trust you, and what to expect if they buy your product or service. Without a personal referral, a good testimonial can help answer these questions.
A testimonial provides third-party credibility to your business. It lets your prospects know that others like them have had a positive experience with your company. And this helps to build trust. The more testimonials you have, the more information your prospects have to help them decide whether to buy from you.
  • How to Get Testimonials from Clients

Why Are Testimonials on Websites So Effective

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial
Customer testimonials play a crucial role in marketing. They allow past and current customers to share their experiences and highlight how a business met and exceeded their expectations.

Testimonials Build Trust

Testimonials also serve as social proof, the psychological concept of influencing people to follow the actions and opinions of others. When potential customers see positive feedback and success stories from real individuals, they can confidently say your business is truly loved.

Research Shows That Testimonials Boost Conversions

Edelman Trust Barometer

Research studies show that the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that trust in a brand is a top business driver. Almost two-thirds (64%) of millennials and 60% of Gen Z consumers agree that a good brand reputation may get them to try a product, but if they can’t trust a company, they will soon stop buying from them.
The Edelman study also showed that trusted brands benefit from customers’ loyalty. Indeed, 67% of people are more likely to stay loyal to—and advocate for—a brand if they trust it.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce shared that when consumers interact with your review, they are 58% more likely to convert, generate 62% more revenue per site visitor, and spend 3% more per order.

Wyzowl

Research from Wyzowl revealed that 77% of those who watched a brand’s testimonial said it helped convince them to buy their product or service. These stats highlight the importance of online reviews and testimonials. Good testimonials help you build (online) credibility, and customers will get the social proof they need to trust you.

11 Common Types Of Testimonials That Are Effective For A Website

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial

1. Quote Testimonials: Quick and Easy Social Proof

Quote testimonials are a simple yet effective type of testimonial to feature on your website. These short snippets of customer feedback are easy to acquire, whether you’re a new or established brand. To grab visitors’ attention, combine quote testimonials with an image of the customer or brand logo.
You can also include a call to action (CTA) when possible. For example, if a customer leaves a glowing review of your product on social media, you can showcase the quote on your website and link it to the product page.

2. Social Media Testimonials: Leverage the Power of Social Proof

Social media testimonials are customers’ reviews and comments on your business’s social pages. You can ask customers to leave feedback directly on your page, tag you in a post, or use a unique hashtag.
The goal is to capture this user-generated content (UGC) and display it on your website. Consider embedding your social feed on your site so newcomers can immediately see this social proof.

3. Customer Reviews and Ratings: Display Third-Party Feedback

Many people think of customer reviews and ratings as the first testimonials they see. In addition to being displayed on your website, customer reviews can appear on marketplaces (e.g., Amazon) or review sites (such as Yelp or Capterra). You can display badges from these sites with an aggregate rating or score to show you are a trusted vendor.

4. Authority Testimonials: Get Endorsements from Influencers

Also known as influencer testimonials, authority testimonials are pieces of content that include a celebrity or spokesperson supporting your company. Often, this person is a significant influencer of your target audience and helps build your business's credibility. The most effective spokespersons are the ones who share the core values of the company and deeply connect with the target audience.
Influencer testimonials can be expensive, and finding the right influencer can be challenging. Still, when they succeed, these campaigns can pay dividends for your company over time.

5. Case Studies: Showcase Detailed Customer Success Stories

Case study testimonials are another way to capture and relay social proof to your audience. They typically include an in-depth explanation of how a customer uses your product with detailed examples of use cases. Case studies differ from interview testimonials in that they convey the analysis and results of using your product or service. In contrast, interview testimonials focus on various experience topics in a question-and-answer format, usually with little rewriting needed.

6. Video Testimonials: Bring Your Customer Reviews to Life

Showcase your customers’ positive experiences with your company using video testimonials. Not only do they tell a story visually, but viewers can see real customers talk about what makes your brand successful in their own words.

7. Interview Testimonials: Capture the Details of Customer Experiences

Like case studies, interview testimonials examine customers’ experiences with your product or service. The question-and-answer format prompts customers to provide details on certain aspects of your business, from customer service interactions to the quality of your product.

8. Blog Post Testimonials: Create Long-Form Social Proof

Asking customers to detail their testimonials in a blog post is an excellent long-form social proof format. Many companies will review products or services in a blog post and compare them to other solutions on the market.
Whether you ask your customers to write a blog post for you or simply get their testimonial to include in a blog post, your blog audience will better understand what your product offers.

9. Press Review Testimonials: Highlight Positive Media Coverage

For growing companies, getting your business featured in the news (for the right reasons) is a significant accomplishment. Just like the restaurant Five Guys decorates its walls with press accolades, consider how to highlight positive media reviews.
Capture quotes, buy reprint rights, and share your brand’s media coverage on social media.

10. Peer Review Testimonials: Display Third-Party Feedback

Peer review testimonials are feedback that customers post on review sites like Yelp, Angi (formerly Angie's List), or Trustpilot. These reviews can influence customers as many consumers look at these review sites during decision-making, mainly when using a company for the first time.
Studies show that 54% of consumers will only consider buying from a business if they have four or more stars on a review site. These reviews can be quickly captured, reformatted, and shared on your company's website, bringing social proof to your site.

11. Audio Testimonials: Capture Customer Feedback Easily

Audio is similar to video in how it can influence and motivate your audience. For example, you can use an audio testimonial in a podcast, radio ad, or LinkedIn content. One great benefit of audio is that it‘s cost-effective. You don’t need an entire production crew and tons of expensive equipment.
With those tools, you can tell an inspiring customer story by threading different customer quotes together in one track. You only need a:
  • Microphone
  • Recording software
  • Quiet room to record in

How Testimonial Software Enhances Trust and Boosts Conversions Across Industries

Testimonial simplifies the process of building trust and credibility for businesses. Our testimonial software allows an accessible collection and display of authentic client testimonials featuring:
  • Video and text options
  • An embeddable wall of love widget
  • A clever Email Assistant
  • Third-party review imports
Testimonial helps boost your credibility and conversion rates by showcasing real customer experiences. This is ideal for:
  • Content creators
  • Agencies
  • eCommerce
  • SaaS companies
Build a wall of love for free today with Testimonial.

6 Methods For Requesting Testimonials

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial

1. Use a Testimonial Tool To Improve Your Testimonial Collection Process

Gathering testimonials manually, such as through email requests, can be slow and labor-intensive. You must draft messages and follow up with customers; you often need more time to respond. This can lead to missed opportunities to showcase positive feedback that could help potential customers make informed decisions.
Tools like Testimonial streamline collecting and displaying customer feedback, making it faster and more efficient. With platforms like this, you can:
  • Send automated requests
  • Capture testimonials in various formats like:
    • Text
    • Video
Import reviews from third-party sources
Testimonial also provides features like an embeddable “wall of love” widget, allowing you to showcase customer experiences directly on your site without hassle. This simplifies the collection and the presentation, making it easier to build trust and credibility with new visitors. Some even have built-in invite systems so you can automatically invite people and track the status of their testimonials.  A tool like Testimonial even lets you import testimonials from review platforms like:
  • Google
  • G2
  • Facebook
  • Twitter (X)
  • Instagram

2. Email Requests for Customer Testimonials Remain Highly Effective

Email requests remain one of the most effective channels for collecting customer testimonials because it's a straightforward and scalable approach. Later in this post, you'll find testimonial email templates that simplify collecting testimonials via email. You can ask for positive feedback in bulk by emailing your email list, or you can send an individual testimonial request by sending a direct message to your customer's email address.
You can set up automation so happy clients receive an automatic email when they complete an action. For example, ask for a testimonial two days after buying my product. After a positive customer service interaction, ask for a testimonial; that way, your customer success team will only need to remember to do this sometimes.

3. Text Messages (SMS) Are a Direct Way to Request Customer Reviews

Text messages (or SMS) offer an intriguingly direct and personal channel for requesting customer reviews. Customers receive dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of emails per day. In an age where inboxes are cluttered, a text message can gracefully cut through the noise.
Because text messages are so direct, they carry a higher risk of intrusion or annoyance if not done thoughtfully. Make your request respectful, clear, and to the point, ideally integrating it as a seamless part of an already positive customer experience. This way, you encourage valuable testimonials while maintaining the sanctity of personal space.
The header or footer of your website serves as prime real estate for collecting valuable feedback. It's an area consistently visible to your audience, often catching their eye right before they navigate away or complete an action on your site. Strategically placing a simple but engaging call-to-action (CTA) here can encourage loyal customers to share organic feedback. Given that they're already on your platform, it minimizes friction, making it exponentially more accessible for them to participate. It's conveniece coupled with visibility!
Pro tip: When Collecting testimonials passively, use incentives like discount codes and gift cards to incite more people to leave a testimonial.

5. Social Media is a Gold Mine for Collecting Testimonials

If you've already built a social media following, you're sitting on a gold mine for collecting testimonials. Your audience is engaged, they know your brand, and they're likely to have positive experiences they're willing to share.
A single well-crafted post asking for reviews can generate immediate and numerous client testimonials and, sometimes, even traffic via public social media posts.

6. Asking in Person Can Also Be Effective

If you’re new to this and don’t have an established email list of customers, asking in person can also be effective. Whenever your customers come to your shop, you can kindly ask them for a written or video testimonial. This way of asking is convenient for business owners who nurture face-to-face relationships.

Testimonial Request Templates

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial
Here are a few sample testimonial collection templates for asking customers for testimonials. Use these testimonial request letters to ask for testimonials via email, SMS, social media, or elsewhere.

Short and Formal (Email or SMS)

Hi [Client Name],
Would you write a testimonial about your experience working with me? I would greatly appreciate your feedback.
Thank you!
[Your Name]

Short and Fun (Email or SMS)

Hey [Client Name]!
Would you consider leaving me a shoutout? A quick testimonial about our project together would be the cherry on top of a fantastic experience. Thank you so much!
[Your Name]

Short and Fun (Email or SMS)

Hey [Client Name],
Time to toot my own horn! Could you give me a testimonial boost? Your kind words about our work would make my day.
Thanks a bunch!
[Your Name]

Medium and Formal (Email)

Hello [Client Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I’d like to ask if you could kindly provide a testimonial about your experience working with me. Your feedback would mean a lot and help me attract future clients.
Thank you for considering!
[Your Name]

Long and Formal (Email)

Hello [Client Name],
I am writing to express my gratitude for the opportunity to work with you. It's been a great pleasure helping you achieve your goals, and I'm proud to have contributed to your success.
I would be honored if you could write a testimonial about your experience working with me. Your endorsement will help me grow my business and attract future clients.
Writing a testimonial can be time-consuming, so I appreciate any thoughts you can share about my work. Your insights on my skills and professionalism would be an excellent addition to my portfolio.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
[Your Name]

Bonus

Testimonial Request for Social Media (DM)

Hey [Client Name]!
I hope you’re doing great!
Could you give me a quick shoutout? Your testimonial would mean the world and help me connect with future clients. Appreciate you! 😊
[Your Name]

Short and Friendly Social Media Post

We want to hear from you!
We want to know if you’ve visited [Business Name] and had a great experience!
Click this link to give us your testimonial, including a text or video, and tell us what you enjoy about [Business Name].
Share your thoughts >>> [Link here]

What To Include In A Formal Testimonial Request?

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial
When you reach out to request a testimonial, it’s crucial to cover four essential parts effectively. Here’s what to include in each section.

1. The Request

This is where you clearly and politely ask for a testimonial. Be straightforward and express your appreciation for their support. Here’s how to frame it:
  • Greeting: Start with a friendly greeting.
  • Purpose: Briefly explain why you are reaching out.
  • Request: Directly ask for the testimonial.
  • Appreciation: Thank them in advance for considering your request.

2. The Testimonial Questions

Provide specific questions or prompts to guide your client in writing their testimonial. These can be open-ended to encourage detailed responses or direct questions to get specific feedback.

3. Customer Detail Collection

Gathering relevant details from your client can enhance the credibility of the testimonial. Consider including:
  • Client's Full Name: For authenticity.
  • Job Title and Company Name: To establish authority.
  • Duration of Working Relationship: How long have you worked together?
  • Photos or Logos: If appropriate, Visual elements accompany the testimonial.
Always ask for permission to use their testimonial in your marketing materials. Be clear about how you intend to use their feedback and reassure them that their privacy will be respected if they prefer to remain anonymous.

7 Places To Include Testimonials On Website

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial

1. Key Landing Pages: The Best Place for Testimonials

Placing testimonials on your key landing pages will provide the best area for potential customers or buyers to see how great your brand or company is. Also, having testimonials on your products or services pages will allow you to back up any claims you have.

2. Ad Content: Let Your Customers Vouch for You

Let your customers vouch for you in paid ad campaigns and watch the results roll in by creating a testimonial ad.

3. Your Success Stories / Portfolio / Case Studies: The Best of Both Worlds

This is where you can provide quantitative data in the form of data & statistics of outcomes and qualitative data using customer testimonials.
As previously mentioned, having a combination of both will win over your customers’ hearts and minds.

4. Contact Pages and Checkout: The Final Touch of Persuasion

A testimonial within your checkout or contact page can be the final touch of persuasion you need. This could just be what you need to push someone to decide to buy your products or services. To make this as effective as possible, save your best testimonials for last.

5. Social Media Content: Share the Love

Share testimonials across your social media channels for high engagement. Remember to tag your clients in the content and ask them to share it so you can reap brand exposure with their networks.

6. Testimonial Pages: The Wall of Love

While many companies include testimonials throughout their site, creating a dedicated testimonial page is also a good idea. For example, making a wall of love with Testimonial ensures we get all our testimonials from various sources on a single page.

4 Best Practices For Designing A Testimonial Page On Your Website

How to Ask for a Testimonial
How to Ask for a Testimonial

1. Design Your Testimonial Page for Maximum Engagement

Designing a testimonial page effectively can significantly enhance its impact, as it's often one of the most visited pages for potential customers seeking validation.

2. Craft Compelling Headlines to Draw Readers In

Most visitors won’t read every testimonial, so using concise, descriptive headlines is critical. Aim for 5–7-word headlines that emphasize the most important takeaway from the testimonial. For instance, highlight specific results, unique benefits, or positive outcomes. This lets visitors quickly find testimonials most relevant to their needs and encourages higher engagement rates.

3. Paint a Complete Customer Profile to Build Trust

People tend to trust testimonials from individuals who share similar experiences, so providing as much context about the customer as possible is crucial. Include details such as their:
  • Name
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Occupation
  • Company
This helps visitors relate to the customer, making the testimonial more persuasive. A more complete customer profile fosters a stronger connection and authenticates the endorsement.

4. Feature a Single Standout Testimonial for Immediate Impact

Instead of displaying all testimonials equally, consider featuring one prominently at the top of the page. If customer service is a key differentiator for your business, lead with a testimonial that praises your service team’s excellence.
Highlighting a standout review first can immediately communicate your core strengths to potential clients, setting the tone for the rest of their experience on your site.

Build a Wall of Love for Free Today with Testimonial

How Do Testimonials Work?

Testimonials show that other people like you help potential customers build trust with your business. This can be especially important for small businesses and startups, which often lack name recognition and a proven track record. Having a solid collection of testimonials can improve your reputation and credibility, ultimately increasing purchases and conversions. Studies show that businesses that display testimonials see 62% more conversions on average.
Testimonials can also help improve your SEO. Search engines like Google want to deliver the best results to their users. When you have a good collection of testimonials, especially if they contain relevant keywords, it signals to search engines that your business is credible and trustworthy. This can help boost your SEO and improve your visibility on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

How to Get Testimonials

Before you can display testimonials on your website, you have to collect them. You can start by reaching out to your past and current customers to get testimonials. Look for anyone who seems happy with your product or service and ask if they would be willing to write a review for you. Making this process as easy as possible encourages more customers to participate.
For example, you can provide a few questions for customers to answer in their testimonials or offer to write a draft for them that they can edit and personalize. You can also get creative about how to ask for testimonials. While reaching out to customers via email is perfectly acceptable, you can also request testimonials on social media or even through video calls. If you record the call, you can create a testimonial video to share on your website.

How to Ask for Testimonials

Asking for testimonials doesn’t have to be awkward. In fact, many customers are happy to provide reviews if you approach the subject appropriately.
  • Make sure you ask at the right time. The best time to request a testimonial is shortly after a customer has purchased and had enough time to use your product or service.
  • They will have formed an opinion about their experience and be more likely to share it with you. Personalizing your request can also improve your chances of getting a testimonial. Please mention a specific project you worked on with the customer or reference their unique business to jog their memory and help them write a more detailed testimonial.
  • Be sure to show appreciation when a customer agrees to write a testimonial.

Written by

Damon Chen
Damon Chen

Founder of Testimonial

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