How to Ask for Testimonials (Without Sweaty Pits)
What’s the scientifically most effective and most efficient thing you could do to grow your business in less than 5 minutes? Get a testimonial.
60% of people say trust is the most important attribute for a company to have. 94% read reviews before buying, with 61% of those saying they “always” do and 33% saying they “regularly” do.
So how do you go about gettin’ testies when every time you’re about to ask, fear puckers your butthole? I’ve been there. Still am, at times. It’s awkward to ask others what they think about you.
Partly because we’re afraid of what they’ll say (They hate me! They hate my work! I’m a fraud! A failure!) and partly because we feel it’s braggy or conceited to plaster glowing reviews about ourselves all over the internet (Look at me! I’m so important!).
But guess what? Tough shit.
Because putting yourself out there and crapping your pants and working up the nerve to ask someone what they think of your work is very actually the difference between earning pennies per word and $0.50, $1, or more per word.
Repeat after me: Testies are besties.
(If I have accomplished only one thing with this newsletter, let it be having that gross nickname pop into your head every time you think of testimonials, and putting a smile on your face instead of a grimace of dread.)
I’m not perfect, either. I badly need to update my own testimonials and start promoting them in my nearly non-existent social media marketing. I’m a work in progress, as we all are, right?
To make this easier for you (and me), I’ve included two email templates below you can use to ask clients for testimonials. Totally free. No clicks, opt-ins, or strings attached.*
Here they are, just copy n’ paste.
(*Okay, one string attached: You have to USE THEM TODAY (!!!) to reach out to at least one client. No clients yet? No problem. Ask a former mentor, teacher, colleague at work who read something you wrote once — whatever. Ask someone for a testimonial related to your writing work.)
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Free Email Templates to Get Testimonials
Template #1: For General Testimonial Requests
“Hi [client],
I’m [working on revamping my website / updating my portfolio / insert other action] and am wondering if you’re willing to give me a testimonial to use on [my website / marketing item / other]?
I really value our partnership and work together, so no worries either way, but it would definitely help me out.
Thanks so much for your consideration and talk soon about [your project / the next time you’ll talk to them / other random closing remarks].”
Template #2: For When Your Client Just Said Something Nice
“Hi [client],
I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve worked hard over the last year to really refine my process for [thing/skill they praised].
Really appreciate your kind feedback too! Would you mind if I used it as a testimonial on my website? If so, I could either attach to your name or leave it anonymous.
Specifically this bit: [Quote a sentence or two from their previous feedback.]
Let me know & thanks again.”
BONUS: 4 Tips to Get A+ Testimonials Every Time!
It’s one thing to work up the nerve to ask (99% of the battle!) and another to actually GET the testimonial. Sometimes even clients who love us to bits won’t turn one in. Why? Lots of reasons: They forget, they get busy, they don’t know what to say, etc.
It’s not a reflection on you or your work; clients just feel a bit of friction toward writing them sometimes. That’s okay.
Use these tips to ensure you get a great testimonial every time AND use it the right way:
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1. Follow up. And up, and up, and up…
Even the most well-intentioned clients get distracted or busy. Don’t ask once and assume if they don’t send one that they hate you and don’t want to write one. Follow up! Be courteous, nice, and for the best result, combine it with the next tip…
2. Do the heavy lifting
The biggest reason I’ve run into for clients not providing testimonials is that they don’t know what to write. They may just not know how to phrase exactly what they think about your (awesome!) work, or the kind of feedback or review that would be most helpful for you.
So write it for them. Yep, write it for them. I don’t mean in a sneaky way and post it on your website and say Jim Bob thinks you’re the “best thing that’s happened to content marketing since the phrase, “Content is king.”
I mean, put some words in their mouths, not all. For example:
“Hey, Caroline. We talked last week about you writing a testimonial for me and I know things get busy, so I was wondering if I could help get this off your plate. I’ve written up the below testimonial that I hope fits. What do you think? If it sounds good, let me know and I’d love to use it on my website with your name attached. Of course, feel free to edit as well. I’ll wait to hear from you, and won’t use this without your permission. Thanks again so much - this really helps me out! *insert pre-written testimonial*
Now all Caroline has to do, instead of write a testimonial she may have been procrastinating on, is say, “Yes, Michelle, that’s great. Go ahead and use that. Thanks!”
Want to know how many times this strategy has worked for me? About 80% of the time. Seriously. Both for myself and when I used to do the same service for my clients at the agency I worked at.
3. Include a testie link in your email signature
Why crap your pants one day per quarter when you can do it every time you send an email? Kidding. Because adding a testimonial request to your email signature gets reviews on autopilot for you, and you’ll forget it’s even there. I have a simple link in mine that goes to a Google Form.
Now, most people don’t click on it and I get 99% of my testimonials the old-fashioned way, but hey, it takes a few minutes to set up and can bring in some great feedback.
4. Follow up, post-testie
Your client wrote you a shining review, or you wrote it for them and they replied with a three word “Yep looks good” email — same diff. Anyway, you have a nice testimonial now. Cue angels, cue music, cue harps!
Don’t just leave it at that. Reply back to your client and thank them for their kind words, and mention how grateful you are to work with them, etc etc. Don’t drool too much, but you get the idea. Everyone likes to be appreciated and it’s a great opportunity to show your client some love.
Even better? Send them a gift as part of your thank you. A virtual Starbucks card, even for $5-10, can brighten someone’s day. Or, use a remote gifting service like Guusto or Packed With Purpose to deliver a real, physical gift from anywhere in the world.
I once sent a client a small metal statue of a bomb with the letter F on it that I found on Etsy, because he runs a machine shop and likes to swear a lot. He called me specifically to tell me that was the best gift he’d ever gotten at work and laughed for about 5 minutes. It was the best.
See? Testimonials can be FUN.
I hope you found those templates and tips useful.