Testimonial examples
A testimonial works when it names the situation before, the change after and the person saying it. Below are twelve examples written that way, each with the weak version beside it so the difference is visible. The examples are illustrative, not real client quotes.
- Twelve contexts, from email marketing to accounting
- A short note on why each one works
- Six rules to apply to the ones you already have
- One link to collect your own, free
Free plan: 5 testimonials and 2 case studies. Your client never signs up.
“Our welcome flow was basically off. Three weeks after the rewrite, email went from 9% to 24% of monthly revenue.”
Marta R., e-commerce founder
Case study
From 9% to 24% of monthly revenue in three weeks
Email marketing, e-commerce
Our welcome flow had not been touched in two years. After the rewrite, email went from 9% to 24% of monthly revenue in three weeks. I did not have to write a line of it.
Weak version: “Great to work with, really knows email.”
Why it works: Names the asset, gives the before state, gives one number with a timeframe.
Sales page copy
The old page explained what we did. The new one explains who it is for. Same traffic, and demo requests doubled in the first month.
Weak version: “The new page is so much better!”
Why it works: Contrast in the client's own words, then the outcome. No adjectives doing the work.
Brand design
We were embarrassed to send our deck to enterprise prospects. Now we open with it. Two of our last three deals said the materials made us look bigger than we are.
Weak version: “Beautiful work, highly recommend.”
Why it works: The emotional before state is specific, and the result is something a buyer recognises.
Consulting, operations
We were losing a full day a week to manual reporting. The process he set up runs itself now, and the weekly numbers land in Slack every Monday at 9.
Weak version: “Very professional and organised.”
Why it works: Quantifies the pain rather than the praise, and describes what exists now.
Web development
Our checkout broke on mobile Safari and two agencies could not find it. She found it in an afternoon and rebuilt the flow. Mobile conversion has not dipped since.
Weak version: “Fast, reliable, delivered on time.”
Why it works: A story with a villain and a resolution. Third parties failing raises the stakes.
Coaching
I came in wanting to raise my rates and terrified of losing clients. I raised them 40% and lost one, who was the one I dreaded emails from anyway.
Weak version: “Life-changing experience.”
Why it works: Names the fear the next buyer has, then answers it honestly, including the loss.
Ghostwriting
My team could not tell which posts I wrote and which he did. That was the whole test, and he passed it in week two.
Weak version: “Captures my voice perfectly.”
Why it works: Turns a vague claim into a test with a pass or fail.
SEO
We had 40 blog posts and none of them ranked. He deleted 19, rewrote 8, and by month four we were on page one for the three terms our buyers actually search.
Weak version: “Our rankings improved a lot.”
Why it works: Specific actions, a specific timeline, and a result tied to buyer intent.
Video production
We had shot with two other crews and never used the footage. This is the first time we finished a shoot with something we were happy to put on the homepage.
Weak version: “Amazing quality videos.”
Why it works: The previous failures are the proof. No numbers needed.
Recruitment
We had the role open for five months. She sent four people in two weeks and we hired the second one. He is still with us 18 months later.
Weak version: “Found us great candidates.”
Why it works: Retention is the number most testimonials in this field forget.
Accounting
I had been filing myself and assumed I was fine. The first review found three years of missed deductions. It paid for the year of service in one afternoon.
Weak version: “Saved us money on tax.”
Why it works: Reframes cost as return without exaggerating.
Course, education
I had watched maybe 30 hours of free content and still could not start. The difference here was the deadline and someone reading my work. I shipped in week three.
Weak version: “Learned so much, thank you!”
Why it works: Explains why the paid thing worked when the free thing did not.
Six rules behind every example above
Apply these to the testimonials sitting in your inbox right now.
One number, with a timeframe
'+34% revenue' is a claim. '+34% revenue in six weeks' is evidence. If the client did not give a number, do not add one.
Start where the client started
A testimonial without a before state has nothing to compare against. Ask what the situation was before you got involved.
Keep their words, not yours
Clumsy sentences in a client's voice outperform polished sentences in yours. Fix the typos, leave the phrasing.
Attribute it properly
Name, role and company. 'Sarah M.' reads as invented, because most of the time it is.
Let the doubt in
A testimonial that mentions the hesitation and then answers it is more believable than one that never had any.
Match the reader
Show two or three client types so a prospect can find themselves in at least one story.
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