How to Ask for Client Testimonials: The Only 2 Email Templates You’ll Ever Need

Last updated: December 15, 2021

So, you’ve just finished a project.

Your client is over the moon, and you know that now would be the best time to ask them for a testimonial, right before you say your final goodbyes.

But you feel uncomfortable.

You just hate asking people for a favor, even if it takes a minute. Also because in the past, not every client replied, which hurt your feelings so hard you cried a little was disappointing.

#ugh 🙄

Today, I’d like to share with you my personal testimonial request email templates, which have a success rate of…<checks her notes> 100%.

Meaning, I got a great testimonial every time I asked for one, and if I wanted to edit it, the client was fine with that, too.

Two testimonial request email templates that make getting great client testimonials easy

Before we dive in, let’s make sure we’re on the same page re what makes a great testimonial.

A great testimonial is one that is specific enough to sound authentic and credible while covering:

• the challenges your client was struggling with
• how you help them overcome those challenges
• what specific results your work had for their business

…so that your prospects who’ll be reading this testimonial can relate to it and see that you successfully helped people with the same problems in the past.

An example of an effective client testimonial

Which also means that “Ann did a great job. We highly recommend her.” is a bad testimonial.

Agreed? Good.

Now to the templates.

If you’re lucky, you’ll get a clear and specific testimonial right away.

But sometimes, a client is so excited about the job you did that they’ll send you a whole novel about how they found you and what they thought about working with you.

And although it will make your ego jump from joy, you may find yourself in a difficult situation.

It looks like you have only two choices now:

• To put that novel of a testimonial on your website (and bore the hell out of your prospects), or
• To thank your client but not use their testimonial (and lose valuable social proof you so totally deserve)

Thankfully, there’s a third way.

Edit your client’s testimonial and ask for approval

It’s totally fine to rewrite your client’s testimonial to distill it to the “meatiest” parts. You just need to ask for approval after that. I do it all the time, and not a single client has ever objected.

You need to do it properly though, and make sure your client knows you appreciate their feedback and understands the reasons for the changes you’d like to make.

Here’s the template I use.

And here’s a specific example.

Got a long testimonial that’s too good to shorten? Do this.

Funny story: An effective testimonial isn’t necessarily short.

On a big scale, an effective testimonial needs to do only two things:

• cover the challenge, process and results
• be written and designed in a way that prospects will read it till the end (or at least absorb the most important bits)

Obviously, a short testimonial takes care of #2 automatically.

But there’s still a way to present a longer testimonial effectively.

Here’s how I do it (on my website as well as on the websites of my clients when I write new web copy for them):

Final words of wisdom

You may feel a bit scared or uneasy when asking for a client testimonial (and totally terrified when asking to edit it).

Don’t be.

Your happy client likes you. And when we like someone, we’re more than happy to do something nice for them.

Go get them*, tiger 💪

* – and by “them” I mean both your new killer testimonials and your new clients those testimonials will help you get.