How to Get Testimonials From Clients, Without Being Pushy

If you sell a service, as a coach, consultant, freelancer, designer or agency, testimonials do more of your selling than almost anything else. A prospect cannot try your work before they buy, so they look for someone like them who already did. The good news is that clients are usually glad to help. They just need to be asked at the right moment, in the right way.

1. Make it part of how you work

The businesses with the most testimonials do not rely on remembering to ask. They build it into the project:

• Mention it at the start. In your onboarding email or kick off call, say that at the end you will ask for a short testimonial if they are happy. Nobody is surprised later.
• Put it in your wrap up checklist. Final invoice, handover files, testimonial request. Same order, every client.
• Ask at milestones on long engagements. A six month retainer has several wins along the way, and each one is a moment to ask.

2. Ask right after a win

The best moment is when the client has just felt the result: the launch went well, the first sale came in, they hit a goal you worked on together, or they thanked you without being prompted. When a client says something kind in an email or on a call, reply with “Would you be happy to say that on a short video? It takes a minute.”

Asking weeks after the project ended, or alongside a renewal invoice, gets slower and more guarded answers.

3. Make it effortless

• One link, no sign-up. Every extra step loses people. A link that opens straight to recording in the browser works on any phone.
• Let them choose the format. Some clients will happily record a video, some prefer a voice note, some want to type three lines. Accept all three. See video vs written testimonials.
• Say how long it takes. “About two minutes” gets more replies than an open ended request.
• Give them questions. A blank page is hard. Two or three prompts make it easy, and the answers come out more specific.

4. Ask questions that tell a story

Prospects want to know what it was like before, what you did, and what changed. Three questions cover it:

1. What was going on before we started working together?
2. What was it like working with me (or us)?
3. What has changed since, and who would you recommend this to?

For coaching clients, ask about how they feel and what they now do differently. For B2B clients, ask for a number if they have one, such as time saved or revenue gained. There are more in our list of testimonial questions.

5. A message you can copy

Hi Sam, it has been great working with you on the new site, and I am really glad the launch went so well. Would you be willing to record a short testimonial about the project? It takes about two minutes, works on your phone, and there is nothing to install. You can record a video, send a voice note or just write a few lines, whatever you prefer. Here are three questions to get you started, and the link: [your link]. Thank you!

Send it personally, from your own email or messages, not as a bulk campaign. If you do not hear back, one friendly reminder a week later is fine. Then let it go. More templates are in how to ask for a video testimonial.

6. Get permission, in writing

Before you publish, make sure the client has agreed to how you will use their words, voice, image and name, and whether they want their company named. A tick box with clear wording is enough if you keep a record of exactly what they agreed to. Our testimonial release form post has wording you can adapt.

7. Stay honest

You can thank a client for their time, but do not tie a reward to a positive testimonial, do not write it for them, and do not change what they meant when you shorten it. If you offered something in return, say so where the testimonial is shown. These are the habits the FTC rule expects, and they make testimonials more believable anyway.

8. Put them to work

• On your home page and sales page, near the point where people decide to get in touch.
• In proposals and sales emails, as a link to a page with all of them.
• On LinkedIn and Instagram, as short captioned clips.
• On the page for the service the client bought, so prospects see a match.

See where to put testimonials for more on placement.

Doing it with Akteora

Make a collect link with your questions and consent wording, and send it at the end of each project. Clients record video, audio or text in their browser with no account. Approve what comes in, then show it with the testimonial widget or a public page you can link from proposals. Agencies can run a separate brand for each client. The free plan is enough to start.