You’re probably reading this blog post for one of two reasons:
1) You’ve stumbled across it because you want to get better testimonials
Or
2) You’re one of my clients, whom I’ve asked, “so where are your testimonials?” and you’ve had to tell me you’re “working on it.”
Either way, the point stands: you know testimonials are important.
But getting them? That’s not always easy.
As a copywriter, I cannot stress the importance of good testimonials enough. Especially as someone who writes websites for a living, having something better than “She’s great! Would hire her again!” is vital for convincing people they should invest in you.
And yet, as someone whose job is quite literally saying the things that people don’t have the words to say themselves, I know how hard it can be to get people to actually fill out a dang testimonial form, let alone write a glowing review that could have been penned by Taylor Swift herself.
Luckily, there are hacks for bringing out the best words in people. Here’s how to get testimonials from clients that you’ll be practically framing in your home office.
First, there is a right way and a wrong way to get testimonials. Here’s what NOT to do:
X Don’t give people a blank page assignment:
The WORST thing you can do is ask people to start from a blank page to sing your praises. While some overachievers might be ready to wax poetic about how amazing you are, most people don’t do well with a blank page.
It’s the same reason you also put off writing things — you don’t know what to say, your mind goes blank, you can’t tell which of your ideas make sense.
The same goes for your own clients. Asking them an open-ended question like “can you write me a review?” is going to reduce your chances of them actually doing it.
Not because they don’t want to, but because they just genuinely won’t know what to say. It becomes too easy for them to push off their writing to later, thinking the words will come to them, but it eventually just leaves their mind altogether.
X Don’t wait a long time to ask:
The last thing you want to do is ask someone to remember tiny details for something that happened weeks or even months ago.
If you can ask your clients for testimonials ASAP after finishing a project, that will get you the best testimonials. If your work is fresh in their mind, their words will be fresher too.
X Don’t pressure them to write one:
Lastly, if you’ve followed up once or twice about them writing a testimonial for you and they still haven’t done it yet, it’s best to drop it and move on.
If you keep following up, they’ll likely feel more pressure or annoyance that you keep asking and will probably feel less generous with their words. Don’t force them to write you a nice testimonial; it is a courtesy, after all.
OK. Now that we’ve covered what NOT to do, let’s get into the real meat of how you can get some bomb testimonials from your clients.
(And yes, these are psychologically designed to get you the best words possible, as if I were in charge of writing your website copy and needed amazing testimonials to complement the amazing words I write for you!)
**Also, I recommend surveying people in Airtable or Google forms, just so you can make it really quick and convenient for them to answer you.
1. Ask how they were feeling before and after working with you
One of the most important things you can ask people about when it comes to your work is how they feel about it.
Listen, most people make most decisions based on their feelings (we’re talking 90% of the decisions we make every day.)
Because of this, you’ll want to make sure that you clearly understand the emotional landscape of your clients before and after working with you.
Asking them to share the before and after of how they’re feeling is one of the most concrete ways you can show how transformative your work is.
2. Ask about their quick wins
Another question you’ve got to ask is how quickly they started winning after they started working with you.
This doesn’t have to be anything big too! Not a lot of services provide instantaneous results that are also incredibly transformative, but if your work is enough to help people start feeling more confident, clear on the direction they are going in, or happy that they’ve taken action, those are wins you’ll want to document.
3. Ask them about the impact your work will have on their life/business/etc.
You’ll also want to ask them about the impact your work will have on their business, life, or whatever area you’re affecting in their life.
For myself, I’m definitely asking people about how my work writing their website copy will impact their business, but also their life too. I frequently get people telling me that, not only are they glad their website now accurately reflects their brand and business, but they’re glad they don’t have to take the time out of their day to figure out how to write it themselves.
The impact of your work could go well beyond just the scope you’re completing for them. It could help them show up more confidently, save them time, or make them more favorable in the eyes of their audience or community.
4. Ask them what they would tell someone who is considering hiring you
This is such an important question to ask! When people are on the fence about hiring you, it’s incredibly effective for them to hear from someone who has been in their shoes, rather than just hearing from your own voice again.
Asking someone this question, and then plugging it into your website at the exact point they would be reading it in their decision making process is copywriting gold.
5. Give them the floor (this is when they can write a free testimonial)
Ok! Now that you’ve asked all these questions and put them in a frame of mind to provide valuable feedback and insights on your work, give them the floor to give you a testimonial.
This is where they can speak directly to the reader and mention other amazing things they love about you that they’re dying to get off their chest.
Some people might be feeling pretty verbose after being prompted with a couple questions, other people might clam up and not say much, but if that’s the case, you’ve already had them answer the most pressing questions, which you can easily put together in a testimonial, so you’re covered!
How to actually use your testimonials effectively once you get them
Ok, now that you’ve gotten your amazing testimonials, you need to make sure they’re being put to good use.
As your website copywriter, I would be looking at your testimonials to inform how I talk about your brand.
If a bunch of people keep mentioning how approachable and funny you are? You can bet that’s going in the copy. If people keep saying that you’re the smartest person they’ve ever met and all your tips are gold? That’s copy, baby!
Testimonials should be sprinkled throughout your website in strategic, relevant spots (like your homepage, services page, or portfolio page.) Using your testimonials strategically means that you match a previous client’s words to the decision-making process someone else is going through when they’re trying to decide if they want to hire you.
Other places that you can get “testimonials” or social proof from your clients
Don’t forget that you can use other things besides official testimonials as your social proof.
Have emails back and forth with your clients? Comments in Google Docs? DMs? All of those can be used on your website or in your marketing as social proof.
Any touchpoint with a client can be used as social proof, so even the client who ghosts you after you send a feedback form might have had some great words for you in your previous interactions.
Testimonials are great, but they’re only one part of making your website and marketing effective
As a copywriter, I cannot stress enough how important amazing testimonials are.
And yet, they are just one part of your website! You still need to have strategically written copy to match and elevate the glowing reviews you’ll now get from your feedback forms.
If you need help writing copy for your website and business, check out my copywriting services here to see how we can work together.
