How to Ask For a Testimonial (+ FREE Request Templates)

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.

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! 

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: 

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: 

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.