Online reviews are a tried and true way of earning customers’ trust and growing your business.

Do you know how to effectively solicit quality customer reviews? Client testimonials are essential to the growth of your brand and the expansion of your customer base. Whether you own or operate a service-based business or a product-based company, your customers want to know your brand is trustworthy and reliable. Quality testimonials and customer reviews show potential clients proof that your brand satisfied previous clients, and that it will be a positive experience for them, too. Online testimonials can be particularly impactful for small businesses looking to make headway among competitors. Testimonials can convince an on-the-fence-consumer to choose your brand over competitors simply because there’s evidence that you are worth the investment. 

Why do client testimonials help?

Recent studies support the idea that testimonials are absolutely critical to securing customer’s trust in your service or product. According to Search Engine Watch, 72% of customers will not take action until they read a positive review of a company. Furthermore, the practice of reading testimonials is ubiquitous among consumers. Big Commerce reports that 92% of customers read online testimonials before making an investment in that service or product. What’s more, customers implicitly trust reviews they find online—88% of consumers trust online testimonials as much as the word of their family members or friends. Writing a testimonial can also help encourage a client to give you a referral—in a sense, it’s a dress rehearsal for when they talk you up to their coworkers, friends, and family!

How many testimonials should I put on my website?

We recommend having at least 3 testimonials on your website. Too few testimonials gives customers the impression that your brand is inexperienced, that you don’t have enough satisfied customers, or that you aren’t established enough to be worth their investment. 

There’s no question that you need testimonials to help grow your business. But how do you ask customers to give a review, without sounding pushy or desperate? Find out below!

How do I ask a client for a testimonial?

• Use a post-project feedback form to get the client's perspective on their experience working with you. For example, you can ask: "If you were to recommend my services to a colleague or friend, what would you say?"

• Give people the option to submit their testimonial via video, voice memo, or in writing. People need to feel that this is convenient and easy to do---so make it accessible for them! We recommend transcribing this later so that you have the text on your site.

• When clients give you praise in person, email, or on the phone, write it down and ask them: “Can I quote you on that and would you mind if I shared that with my audience on my website?"

• Consider linking to other testimonials so the client can get an idea of what others have said.

• Be sure to ask if they are OK with you sharing their name, full name, or just initials, as well as their credentials and/or title or affiliation.

• PRO TIP: Always send a formal thank you and a link to the testimonial once it’s up on your site.

• After a client shares a positive review with you, don’t be afraid to ask for future referrals! 

  • For example, you might follow up with the client by writing: “Thank you for sharing your experience with me; I’m so glad you are satisfied with our service (or product). Please consider referring a colleague or friend our way in the future—we always appreciate word-of-mouth referrals, plus you and your friend will receive a special discount if they book with us!” 

What should the customer feedback form look like?

Before you ask for a testimonial or review from your customers, it’s important to determine what kind of information you’d like to get from them. Additionally, most people require some prompting to feel confident they can write and submit a helpful review. Below are several sample questions to help you get some ideas for eliciting positive reviews from your clients. 

• What’s your name? 

• What type of project was this / service was performed / product was purchased?

• How did you hear about our brand? 

• What made you want to invest in working with us / buying our product?

• What problem were you hoping to solve, or what results were you trying to achieve by working with us?

• What challenges, worries, problems, etc. did our product or service alleviate?

• What was your favorite part of working with us / using our product?

• If you were to describe (and/or recommend) our brand to a friend or colleague, what would you say?

• Is there anything else that you’d like to share? 

Below is our agency’s very own post-project feedback form that you can use as a template for asking clients for testimonials. Feel free to copy any phrasing or questions that are helpful to you!

When can I ask for customer reviews?

• After a project successfully wraps up. 

• When a client says something nice to you in an email or during a phone / in-person conversation. 

  • If this happens, you can say to the client: “Do you mind if I quote you on what you just said?”

• When a client refers someone to you.

At the end of the day, getting customer reviews is one of the best ways to show potential customers that your brand is well-established, that you provide value to clients, and that your product or service is worth their investment. 

Want to find out more about how you can attract customers and generate new business through online testimonials? Feel free to reach out to us here so we can discuss how we might work together to grow your brand.