How to get testimonials before and after you launch

Did you know that you can get your audience to sell your products for you? I don’t mean by becoming a product affiliate either.

We’re talking about Testimonials…

If you don’t have a single testimonial on your website then you’re probably losing out on new subscribers, sales, clients, customers, and even affiliate income every single day.

The thing is, most creatives just sit and wait for those testimonials to just magically appear. But, what most people don’t realize is, your readers, subscribers, and even your customers don’t know how to give them! They may think you’re stuff is great but are you making it easy for them to do it? Where do they go to give one? How do they write it?

Most people won’t bother sending you an email that simply says “great product ”. In some cases, you might, but the reality is, your readers and customers don’t know how or when to email you or what to say, which is a barrier you can take down with the right techniques.

So, let’s start from the beginning. How do you get customers to sell for you with great testimonials?

How to Get More Testimonials for Your New Blog or Digital Product

As a creative digital entrepreneur, you know that promoting and getting traction for your new online course, service, or blog can be painfully slow sometimes. But, you should know that testimonials will be the key to the success for many of your projects going forward.

No doubt you have spent serious time and effort making sure that everything is just right as you start out on this exciting journey with your digital business. Now that you’re all set and ready to move from creation to engage with your potential subscribers, clients and customers, a problem that you have probably faced is – how do you encourage visitors to subscribe or hit the buy button?

Let’s be honest. Unless you sell an extremely in demand product.. then no one is really heading to your website thinking they’re about to spend money or signup for yet another newsletter. You don’t do it either.

The only reason anyone does subscribe OR buy is because of a need to fix a problem, combined with sufficient proof that your product will do that.

Provide them with Proof

The perfect way to provide proof is by adding customer testimonials to your landing pages and marketing.

The other benefit to having testimonials is that strong and positive testimonials can also provide a path to become firmly established in your niche.

Why include testimonials?

The number one reason to include testimonials is that they are free!

No need to hire a graphic designer here. Adding some words and a customer photo as your testimonial to a page costs nothing but a few moments of time.

Testimonials provide social proof that your products or services have been used or subscribed to by real people and highlight the fact that they found real value in your offering. If someone is conducting research on an online course topic for instance, then they are also likely to review your competitors offers.

Having solid testimonials can act as a much-needed tool to persuade a customer to choose you.

Testimonials are just another word for recommendations and we all know the value of hearing something was good from a friend or colleague. It’s also a great way to build up an overall picture of how your product or service is being viewed out in the market place and provide you with a portfolio to showcase.

The feedback from testimonials can also provide an insight into any areas where you may be losing customers within the sales cycle, giving you the chance to make the necessary changes to stop that from happening.

I know what you’re thinking..

How do I ask for a Testimonial?

Self-promotion can be difficult for some people but it’s a necessary tool and shouldn’t be shied away from. There is nothing wrong with letting people know that what you have to offer is awesome.

The best way to ask for testimonials is to request feedback at the earliest point in the customer journey that’s workable. If someone has enjoyed reading your blog or e-book, then they’ll be more than happy to leave positive feedback. If you do experience negative feedback, then you can use this as an opportunity to turn a customer’s negative experience into a positive engagement by continually making improvements and ensuring that your customer feels valued.

Incentives are also a great way to encourage clients and customers to complete testimonials. It doesn’t have to be a big expensive incentive some basic ideas include product vouchers or discounts on first orders.

Heres what to ask to get Testimonials

Whether you want testimonials for a freebie or a paid product… these testimonial questions will help.

Here’s what, you’re going to ask in order (feel free to adapt these to your business as you see fit.):

What was your main concern when deciding to buy this product?

What did you discover as a result of buying and using this product?

What is your favorite feature of this product, and why?

What are 3 other benefits of this product?

Would you recommend this product to others? If so, why?

What else can you tell us about your experience with this product?

These are The Types of Testimonials To Add from the questions people answered:

There are a few variations of testimonials that can be utilized as demonstrated below:

1. General Overview – A general testimonial covers the overall look and feel of the product or service and how easy it was to use, it should outline the main benefits the customer experienced because they chose your offering.

2. Specialist Testimonials – These are exceptionally advantageous if you’re focusing on a niche product that requires specialist knowledge. These testimonials showcase that you’ve got the required skills and knowledge necessary to perform the requested service or prove you can definitely deliver the product.

3. Resolution Testimonials – These are some of the best testimonials to use as they highlight to any potential customers that if there’s an issue it will be dealt with professionally and supportively which encourages further admissions of trust in you and your service.

“I was sure the investment was too high, but when I got the results I realized it was the greatest bargain I’d gotten in years…”

“I thought the whole process would be too difficult for me, but once I tried it…”

Testimonials can come from a couple of different viewpoints such as an individual person or on behalf of an organization. Depending on your product it’s always best to try and get a good mixture of both if it’s appropriate to your offering.

A simple resource you can use to collect testimonials

Designing your testimonial request is key as it should be super easy for the customer to complete and shouldn’t take up much of their time. A great way of achieving this is by using just a few specific questions as the basis of the form. The answers to those questions can then easily become an invaluable source of marketplace data collection which will enable you to gain real long-term insights and analysis into your business.

In my business, I use type-form for surveys and to capture testimonials based on pre-determined questions. It’s an easy to use drag & drop type of editor too, which makes it user-friendly.

Having a selection of testimonials encourages trust and empowers any potential customer to feel they’re making the right decision by spending or subscribing with you.

What if you are just creating your first product and have zero customers or subscribers?

Click here to grab a copy of the free guide. Uncover The Easy Steps For Getting As Many, Objection Smashing, Credibility Boosting Testimonials You Want For Any Product Or Service!

You can set this simple system up in less than a day and start getting testimonials as soon as tomorrow.

This guide with templates shows you how to get specific, credibility-boosting testimonials for absolutely any product or service even if no one has ever heard of you before.

So, go ahead, make the move and start asking your existing customers to help promote your business and establish your place in the digital market!

More Resources:

• How I make a full-time income selling digital products
• The blog business model that makes a full-time income
• How to Launch a Digital Product
• The benefits to bloggers for selling digital products