How to Get Your First Testimonials as a New Business

Every new business has the same problem: people want to see testimonials before they buy, and you cannot have testimonials until people buy. Here are honest ways out of that loop, and the shortcuts that will cost you more than they save.

First, what not to do

It is tempting to write a few yourself, ask friends to pose as customers, or buy reviews. Don’t. In the US, the FTC rule on reviews and testimonials, in effect since October 2024, bans fake testimonials, testimonials from people who never used the product, AI-generated ones, and buying positive reviews. Penalties are counted per violation.

It also rarely works. Fake testimonials tend to sound alike, and visitors notice. One discovered fake can undo everything real you collect afterwards. See the FTC rule in plain English.

1. Give a few people early access

Offer your product or service to a small group for free or at a discount, in exchange for honest feedback. Then ask the ones who are happy for a testimonial.

• Ask for honest feedback, not a positive review. Making the deal depend on a good review is exactly what the rules ban.
• Disclose it. When you show their testimonial, say they got early access for free or at a discount.

2. Ask the customers you already have, even one

If you have had even a single paying customer, ask them. One real testimonial with a name, a face and a specific result is worth more than ten vague ones. Ask right after they get a result, when they are happiest, and make it easy: one link, three questions, 30 seconds. Our guide on how to ask for a video testimonial has message templates.

3. Bring your reviews from elsewhere

You may already have praise that is not on your website: Google reviews, a marketplace profile, Trustpilot, an app store, a thank-you email. With the author’s permission, you can show these, labelled with where they came from. Don’t present a review from another site as if it was given to you directly.

4. Use what you did before

If you are a freelancer or consultant starting your own business, former clients and employers can speak to your work, even if it was under another company’s name. Be clear about it: “Worked with Sam at their previous agency” is honest; presenting it as a customer of your new business is not.

5. Run a small pilot

For B2B products, offer one or two businesses a short pilot with a clear goal, for example “get your first ten video testimonials in two weeks”. At the end, whatever the result, ask for honest feedback. A pilot customer who reached the goal often becomes your best case study.

6. Show other kinds of proof while you wait

Testimonials are not the only way to earn trust on a new site:

• a clear money-back guarantee or free plan, so trying you costs nothing;
• a real “about” page that says who is behind the business;
• a demo or walkthrough video of the product itself;
• honest numbers, like “in use by 12 teams”, once they are true.

7. Make asking automatic

The reason most businesses have few testimonials is not unhappy customers. It is that nobody asked at the right time. Add the request to your process: after delivery, after onboarding, after a renewal. One friendly reminder a few days later catches the people who meant to and forgot. Then put them where visitors decide; see where to put testimonials on your website.

How Akteora helps

Akteora has a free plan made for exactly this stage. Create a collect link, send it to your first customers, and they record video, voice or text on their phone with no app or account. You can import existing reviews from a spreadsheet, labelled with where they came from. Every testimonial waits for your approval, then appears on your website with a widget or on a public testimonials page. Nothing is ever written or rewritten by AI.

Start free, or see how to import your existing reviews.