How to Get Testimonials (Even When You're Just Starting Out)
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Testimonials are some of the most persuasive content you’ll ever have, because they’re not you saying you’re good — they’re someone else saying it. But most people either never ask, ask badly and get vague “great product!” quotes, or (the cardinal sin) make them up. This guide covers how to get genuine, specific testimonials — even with few or no customers yet — and how to use them honestly.
A note up front that colours everything below: a testimonial must be real. Never write one yourself, never invent a person, never exaggerate a result. Beyond being dishonest, fabricated testimonials and false results claims are often illegal. Everything here is about earning real ones, because real is also what actually convinces people.
Why most testimonials are weak (and what strong ones do)
A weak testimonial says: “Great product, highly recommend!” It’s positive but useless — it could be about anything, and readers discount generic praise instantly.
A strong testimonial tells a tiny story: “I’d been stuck trying to plan my week for months. After using this, I actually finish my client work by Thursday and take Fridays off.” It names a before, an after, and a specific result. That specificity is what makes it believable and persuasive.
The difference isn’t luck — it comes from how you ask. Ask a vague question, get a vague quote. Ask specific questions, get specific gold.
When to ask: at the moment of the win
Timing matters more than people realize. The best time to ask is right after the person experiences a result — they finish your course, your product solves their problem, or they message you to say it helped. Enthusiasm and concrete detail are freshest in that moment.
Practical ways to catch the win:
- Build the ask into the end of your product or course (“you made it — would you share what changed for you?”).
- Watch for spontaneous praise (a reply, a comment, a DM) and ask right then if you can quote it.
- For services, ask at the natural completion point, when the result is fresh and the relationship is warm.
Ask weeks later and the detail fades, along with the willingness.
What to ask: the questions that produce gold
Never ask “Can you give me a testimonial?” — it puts the work on them and produces vague praise. Instead, ask a few specific questions they can answer easily:
- What problem were you facing before? (sets up the “before”)
- What changed after? (the transformation)
- What specific result did you get? (the proof)
- What would you say to someone who’s on the fence? (the persuasive close)
You can send these as a short email or form. The answers often are the testimonial, in the person’s own authentic voice — you just stitch them together (with permission). This works whether you’re emailing a customer or running a quick feedback form to a course cohort.
How to get testimonials with no customers yet
The chicken-and-egg problem: you need testimonials to get customers, but customers to get testimonials. The way out is to deliver the result first, for free or cheap, in exchange for honest feedback.
- Run a small beta or pilot. Give a handful of people free or discounted access in return for genuine feedback. Their real experience becomes your first testimonials.
- Help people directly. If you solve someone’s problem — even informally — ask if you can quote what happened.
- Pre-sell with a founding group. Early buyers who get a result are perfect first testimonials.
These are real testimonials from real people who genuinely got the outcome — which is the only kind worth having. You’re not faking proof; you’re earning your first batch by delivering value before you have a track record.
How to use them honestly
Once you have genuine testimonials:
- Light editing is fine — trim for length, fix a typo — but never change the meaning or add words they didn’t say.
- Get permission for how you’ll use it, including their name and photo if you show them. A real name and face is far more credible than ”— J.S.”
- Place them where decisions happen — on your sales page near the buy button, in launch emails, and especially next to the specific claim they back up. A testimonial mentioning a result is most powerful right beside that promise.
And the line that never moves: if a testimonial claims a result, that result must be real and typical enough not to mislead. Don’t cherry-pick a wildly unusual outcome and imply it’s normal. Honesty here isn’t just ethics — misleading proof creates refunds, disputes, and lost trust the moment reality doesn’t match.
Where this fits
Testimonials are social proof — one of the levers that turns interest into a purchase in the “decision” stage of a sales funnel. They make your sales page more convincing and your launch sequence more persuasive, because they answer the quiet question every buyer has: “has this actually worked for someone like me?”
They pair naturally with the rest of the trust-building you do over email — a real customer story in a nurture email does more than any amount of self-promotion. And when a testimonial points to a strong before-and-after, it’s worth expanding into a full case study — the same story told in enough depth that the next buyer can see themselves in it.
The bottom line
Getting good testimonials comes down to asking real customers the right questions at the right moment: catch them right after a win, and ask specific before/after/result questions instead of “can I have a testimonial?” If you have no customers yet, deliver the result for free or cheap to a small group and earn your first genuine ones that way.
Then use them honestly — light edits only, permission always, placed where buyers decide — and never, ever invent one. Real, specific testimonials are among the most persuasive assets you’ll ever own, precisely because they’re true. That truth is the whole reason they work.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get testimonials when I have no customers yet?
Start by giving a few people the result for free or at a steep discount in exchange for honest feedback — beta users, a small pilot group, or people you help directly. Their genuine feedback becomes your first testimonials. You can also gather testimonials for the outcome you deliver in a related context (a free workshop, a piece of advice that worked). The rule that never bends: the testimonial must be real and given with permission. Never write or invent one.
When is the best time to ask for a testimonial?
Right after the person experiences a win — finishing your course, getting a result from your product, or a moment where they tell you it helped. That's when enthusiasm and specifics are freshest. If you wait weeks, the detail fades and so does the willingness. Build the ask into the natural high point of the experience rather than treating it as an afterthought.
What should I ask to get a good testimonial?
Don't ask 'can you give me a testimonial?' — that produces vague praise. Ask specific questions: What problem were you facing before? What changed after? What result did you get? What would you say to someone on the fence? Specific questions produce specific, believable answers, which are far more persuasive than 'great product, highly recommend.'
Is it okay to edit a testimonial?
Light editing for length or clarity is fine — trimming a rambling answer or fixing a typo — as long as you don't change the meaning or put words in the person's mouth. Always keep it truthful and get permission for how you'll use it (including their name and photo). What's never okay is writing the testimonial yourself, exaggerating a result, or inventing a person. Fabricated testimonials are dishonest and, for results claims, often illegal.
Where should I put testimonials once I have them?
Where buyers make decisions: on your sales page near the buy button, on your landing pages, in your launch emails, and next to specific claims they back up. A testimonial that mentions a specific result is most powerful placed right beside that promise. Spread a few throughout rather than burying them all in one block, so social proof appears exactly where doubt creeps in.