In this article we’re going to explain how to ask for a testimonial.
It can feel a little awkward asking your customers for something in return after you’ve delivered your product or service. But, word of mouth marketing from happy customers is truly invaluable when it comes to building a positive brand reputation.
Plus, we’re going to make it easy for you by throwing in some email request templates. All you need to do is hit copy and paste – thank us later!
How to ask for a testimonial
The correct way to ask for a testimonial can be broken down into a few stages…
1. Identify the perfect customer
The first step is to identify the perfect customer. Have a look at your previous interactions with customers and pick out those that had the most positive experiences.
Customers that had smooth sailing and shared kind words while doing business with you are the best candidates for a glowing testimonial.
If you’re struggling to find evidence of a positive experience from past customers, don’t forget to look through your inbox (including deleted emails), your project management tool, and even external reviews sites.
2. Get the timing right
Timing’s everything! It’s going to be a lot easier to collect testimonials if you ask for them directly after doing business with a customer. So, immediately after their product has been delivered or right after project completion.
This way, everything is still fresh in the customer’s mind and you also haven’t completely closed off communication yet. The more time that passes after project completion, the more difficult it becomes to get a testimonial.
3. Make it easy to say yes
Ultimately, you’re asking your customers for a favour here. So the easier it is for them to say ‘yes’, the better. For a testimonial video, this could mean sending a videographer to their office at a time and date that’s convenient for them.
For a written testimonial, try sending a quick and easy form that asks specific questions you want to know the answers to. This not only makes it easy for your customers to fill out, it also ensures you get the information you need without having to ask again.
Google Forms is a great way to set this up. It’s free and easy to create a form from scratch. You can then share it as a link in your testimonial request emails (more on those later!)
4. Prepare a personalised request
We’ve prepared some email request templates below that should help to speed up the process of asking for testimonials. But you should always personalise your requests to some degree.
This can be as simple as addressing the customer by their name, or as detailed as talking about specific parts of their purchasing experience. The choice is yours!
Just remember to keep your request straight-forward, as well as personalised and friendly.
5. Reach out
So, you’ve selected the perfect customer and the perfect time. You’ve made it easy to say yes and you’ve personalised your message. Now all you need to do is reach out!
It’s probably best to do this in the way that you already communicate with your customers. So, if that’s by phone then give them a call. If it’s by email, check out our testimonial request templates.
6. Follow up
If you don’t get a response, consider following up once or twice. People are busy and their inboxes could be crowded, so it could be that your first message simply got lost in the shuffle.
When following up, all the same rules apply: make it personalised, timely, and reach out in a way that works best for your customer.
3 testimonial request email templates
1. The professional ‘catch all’
This template request email template is great for sending to all of your past clients, even those you haven’t been in touch with for a while. It’s the perfect way to start collecting testimonials.
We hope this message finds you well.
As a past customer, we’d love to hear about your experience with [Company Name]!
We’re always striving to do our best for our customers, so your feedback would be greatly appreciated.
If you can spare a couple of minutes, please let us know about your experience with our company by filling out this simple testimonial form.
Your testimonial will help us to improve our [products/service] and better serve you and others in the future.
Thank you for being a part of our journey!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
2. The post-sale
This email template has been designed to be sent immediately after closing business with a client. Everything is still fresh in their mind so you can strike while the iron is hot!
Thank you for your recent purchase of [Product/Service]. We hope you’re already seeing the benefits 🙂
We’d love to hear about your experience as a [Company Name] customer. Could you spare some time to fill out our testimonial form?
It only takes a couple of minutes and helps us to ensure we continue doing the best for our customers.
Thank you for your support.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
3. The incentive
If you’re struggling to get clients interested in giving you a testimonial (don’t worry, it’s hard!), then it can help to offer them an incentive. Try this email template:
As a valued customer, we would love to hear about your experience with [Company Name].
Please share your feedback by filling out our quick and easy testimonial form. To show our appreciation, we’d love to offer you a [Discount/Gift] as a way to say thank you for your testimonial.
As soon as you fill out the form, we’ll automatically send you the [Discount/Gift].
Thank you for being a valued customer!
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Questions to include in your testimonial request form
We recommend using Google Forms to collect your testimonials and linking to this form in your testimonial request emails. Here’s a list of questions to put in your form:
– What item did you purchase?
– In your own words, please tell us about your experience with our company.
– Are you happy for your experience to be shared on our testimonials web page?
– Are you happy to be contacted about appearing in a testimonial video filmed at your convenience?
– How likely would you be to recommend our company out of 5 (with 1 being most likely and 5 being least likely)?
Final thoughts
Every happy customer has the potential to help you increase brand trust through a testimonial. And with 90% of buyers who read positive customer success content claiming that it influenced their purchasing decisions, it’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.
Interested in more data about the power of testimonials? Check out this article: 27 Stats That Prove the Power of Testimonials.
Or get started with our affordable, worldwide testimonial video service.
