Writing Effective Customer Testimonials

Here's 2 testimonial formats that don't sound like bullsh*t: It’s tempting to showcase your most effusive reviews, but that’s a missed opportunity. We got this one last week: "I've been an entrepreneur for almost 30 years and this is the best thing I've ever done. Wish I did it 30 years ago.” I love reading testimonials like that! But I don't post them on our site. Why? Because they sound like bullsh*t. Think about it from your prospect’s perspective: If they read a review that says “This product is awesome!” will they think “Wow, this product must be awesome. Lemme grab my credit card…” (No. No, they will not.) Effective testimonials don’t just say “It's awesome,” they break through by addressing prospect’s specific goals and fears. Like this... 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝟮 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿? Share quotes from people describing that exact outcome. For example: • “We cut production times by 30% while lowering defect rates, I didn’t think that was possible.” • “We quadrupled the engagement rates of our outreach campaigns, now we actually need to hire more salespeople.” • “We were able to achieve 100% FCA compliance without hiring additional people." 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮: 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽? Call it out and knock it down. Examples: • “Normally my sales reps hate new software and refuse to use it, but they love [product] and they’re 24% more productive after the first week.” • “I thought migration would be a huge hassle, but we were up and running in 2 hours, no engineering required.” • “Our CEO was watching this project closely, so I was nervous about working with software from a startup. But [product] not only did the job, it made my whole team look like rockstars." For both options, the key is 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. The more directly you can address the reader’s exact desire or blocker, the more the quote will resonate with them – and the less it will sound like bullsh*t. 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗽: What if your customers don’t give you the right words for your ideal testimonial? You can always reply to a happy customer and ask “Would you mind if we phrased your testimonial this way instead?” They’ll usually say yes. Who else needs to read this? Tag them 👇🏼 Are you a little smarter than you were 2 minutes ago? Follow me: Matt Lerner so you don't miss my future posts.

Plot twist: Your top performer isn't even on payroll. While you're grinding through cold calls and perfecting pitch decks, your actual sales superstars are sitting in your customer base, and most companies completely ignore them. Think about it: Who's more convincing? ❌ You explaining why your product is amazing ✅ A customer explaining how it transformed their business Here's the playbook that's turning customers into commission-free closers: 🎯 Turn success into content: Skip the generic thank-you note. Get that win in front of eyeballs; case studies, LinkedIn posts, video testimonials. Success is contagious. 🎤 Hand them the microphone: A 2-minute customer video explaining their transformation beats your entire sales deck. Let them tell the story in their words. 🔄 Build the referral machine: Make customer intros part of every quarterly check-in. The best reps I know cut their sales cycles in half with warm introductions. 💬 Steal their language: Stop using marketing speak. Use the exact words your customers use to describe their problems and wins. That's what resonates with prospects. 🏆 Make them famous: Customer of the month. Slack shoutouts. Social media features. People love recognition, and others want to be next. The reality check: Your customers aren't just buying your product; they're betting their reputation on it. When they succeed, they become walking proof that you deliver. And in a world where everyone's selling, proof beats promises every time. Your customers already said yes once. Now make them want to repeat it for you. #sales #customersuccess

After working with 100+ early-stage SaaS companies I've seen how testimonials really drive inbound. One of my portfolio company nailed a 110% CTR on LinkedIn InMail with a testimonial ad. Why? Because people trust real stories. In a sea of generic product ads, a solid testimonial stands out and builds instant credibility. Get your customers talking. Encourage reviews, and if it fits your vibe, offer small incentives. It’s simple: happy customers share, and their stories convert. But keep it real. Paid review services with cookie-cutter testimonials? Don’t even go there. They’re obvious, they destroy trust, and they’ll hurt your brand. Genuine feedback wins every time. Use it, amplify it, and let your customers tell the story for you.

>>> What if your next deal came from someone reading your LinkedIn profile, without ever clicking away? Yesterday, we wrapped up Referable Profile Sprint, and one insight kept coming up: We obsess over headlines and banners, but neglect our most powerful asset: client references. Don’t assume prospects will leave LinkedIn to hunt down testimonials on your website. Show the proof where they’re already looking. 🟦 How to write killer references 🟦 Sometimes your clients are so busy they’ll ask you to draft the testimonial. I recommend two approaches: →𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲 Send 5–7 targeted questions by email: “What was your biggest challenge?”, “What results did you see?”, “What doubts did you have before we started?” Ask them to answer in a few bullet points—then polish into a tight quote. →𝟭𝟱-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 Jump on Zoom/Teams with your client. Guide them through the same questions live, capture their words verbatim, and instantly craft the testimonial together. 🟦 What your references must address 🟦 Prospects want two things: → HOPE - tangible results “After upgrading my LinkedIn presence before attending a major industry event in Q4, I closed two deals in Q1 worth €20 K. Connecting with potential clients on LinkedIn was enough. Jasna took me from 0 to 1 with my personal and company profile and coached me on prospecting from my network. I wish I’d turned my profile into a sales page sooner.” → FEAR - overcoming doubts “My priority is finding new clients, and it always felt like trial and error. Before attending my first big trade show, I never imagined I could prospect so effectively on LinkedIn. Jasna took me from uncertainty to a clear process for reaching out, and the results speak for themselves.” 🟦 Where to publish your references  🟦 → 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 under each relevant 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 entry → 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 section: pin 3–5 top quotes, PDFs, or short videos → 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 reviews (with star ratings) if you offer services → 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 testimonial slider or case-study pages → 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘀 and pitch decks: insert one-sentence highlights on each cover slide → 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: “See what clients say ⟶ [link to Featured testimonial]” 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: When you collect, craft, and showcase references directly on LinkedIn, you turn your profile into a self-running lead generator. No more “tell me about your work” - your clients’ voices do the selling for you. What’s your biggest hurdle in gathering testimonials? Let me know in the comments—or DM me, and I’ll share my free reference-request template.

You don't need to "sell" your offer When your clients’ results speak for you. The fastest way to attract new leads? → Show them what’s possible through your client wins. But not all wins create the same impact. Here’s how to share client results that actually convert: 1️⃣ Go beyond the testimonial Don’t just say “They loved working with me.” → Highlight the before and after transformation. → Use real numbers, real emotions, real breakthroughs. Example: “Jess went from no strategy to 5 clients/month.” 2️⃣ Share the behind-the-scenes process Leads want to know HOW it happened. → Outline what you did together in a few bullet points. → Make it feel possible and repeatable. This builds trust and shows your method works. 3️⃣ Use storytelling, not just screenshots Instead of posting “client win 🎉” in a Canva graphic: → Share the client’s journey like a mini case study. → Use simple storytelling language they relate to. This pulls your dream client into the narrative. 4️⃣ Add soft CTAs to nurture Not every post needs to hard sell. → Try: “Curious how this could look for you?” → Or: “DM me ‘GROWTH’ and let’s chat about it.” This lowers pressure and increases connection. Remember: Your client results are your best marketing asset. Use them strategically and consistently to bring in warm leads. PS: What’s one client win you’re proud of right now? Drop it below 👇 I’d love to celebrate it with you.

Here’s my step-by-step process for turning customer stories into a growth engine. If you’re trying to build a customer marketing function that goes beyond feel-good story telling and actually drives revenue, here’s what’s worked for me so far: Step 1: Build relationships before requests. Every strong story starts with trust. Before I ask a customer for a testimonial, I try to understand their experience—how long they’ve been with us, what results they’ve seen, and what “success” means to them. I usually work with the CSM who knows them best. A warm handoff makes all the difference. Customers can tell when you’re collecting stories just for your KPIs versus when you genuinely care about their journey. That difference shows up in how openly they share. Step 2: Treat interviews like conversations, not scripts. I always come prepared, but I don’t stick to a rigid list of questions. It makes the conversation too mechanical. My focus is to make the customer feel seen. When they feel relaxed, they open up—and that’s where the most authentic insights come out. I listen for emotion, language patterns, and specific details that make their story real. Those unscripted moments often become the most powerful lines in the final draft. Step 3: Build internal systems that protect your sanity. Customer marketing is a cross-functional job. You’re constantly coordinating with Sales, CSM, Design, Product Marketing, and Legal—all at once. To manage it, I document everything. Approval steps, design requests, interview statuses, publishing timelines. It sounds basic, but it’s the only way to stay sane. I maintain a shared tracker where everyone can see what stage each story is in. It saves hours of back-and-forth and helps me focus on actual storytelling instead of follow-ups. Step 4: Always close the loop internally. Once a case study or customer story goes live, I don’t just publish and move on. I make sure Sales knows where to find it, CSMs can share it with their accounts, and leadership sees how it’s performing. Sometimes that means tagging people in Slack, sometimes it’s a short recap deck. The point is to make sure the story doesn’t die after launch. When people see the impact—on pipeline, retention, or credibility—they start rooting for your function. That’s how you turn customer marketing into something the whole org values. Each of these steps helped me build a customer marketing program that feels collaborative, strategic, and human, all without burning out or overcomplicating it.

Flooding your sales page with 20 testimonials won’t increase conversions. Here’s why Why should you care? Because I’ve: ✅ 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝟲-𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 ✅ 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 Here’s what’s dulling your impact and how to fix it: 📍𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 Twenty short blurbs saying “they’re great” won’t move the needle. It’s noise, not persuasion. 📍𝗡𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 Our brains don’t retain bland praise. They latch onto contrast, emotion, and vivid detail. 📍𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 Von Restorff Effect: the brain remembers what stands out. One story that hits outperforms 10 that don’t. 📍𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 Testimonials are not trophies. They're tools. Use them to tell a before-and-after story people feel. 📍𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 Copy-pasting praise isn’t enough. Edit. Shape. Highlight moments that make people go “wow.” 📍𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 Let the story do the selling. Don’t tell me they loved it. Show me how it changed everything. 📍𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 Treat testimonials like mini case studies. Lead with impact. End with clarity. If you had to choose ONE client story that defines your work, which one would it be? #coach #business #sales

Gong's 4 top-performing LI video ads are entirely narrated by their customers. The format is genius. The targeting is crisp. Here's how to copy it 👇 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵: • 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘢𝘥 • 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘪𝘴 ~10-12 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘦 + 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭 - 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝘀 The Number 1 rule of any customer story is to make it industry-relevant. For this campaign, Gong targeted 3 industries. Science (w/ Elsevier in this video) B2B software (w/ Square) Finance (w/ Nasdaq) I don't work at Gong, so I can't know for sure. But I'd guess these are among the top 3 customer verticals for Gong. Obviously, those are juicy logos. But these work with smaller logos too, as long as the audiences match the creative. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮 - 𝗖𝗼-𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 The punchiest thing about these ads is their focus. No background on their company. No talk about sales methodology. No introduction, even. It's purely focused on Benefit → (because of) → Feature And then they show you the feature themselves. Concise. Clear. Cool. Work with your customer to genuinely discover what their favorite feature is. When it's authentic, it's always better. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯 - 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 Testimonials are expensive if you do 1 per day. So if I were working at a Series A/B B2B SaaS company, I would book multiple rooms in an office space, and get ready for a super day. You can staple this onto a customer event OR host a "dinner" and make this a two-fold initiative. (Ads + your customers exchanging insights) These ads didn't need b-roll of employees. They just needed a VP of Sales at a desk. You can do that anywhere. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰 - 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮 This is one of the top reasons this ad is so compelling. It's a VP of Sales (on camera) talking directly to a VP of Sales (the viewer). So many testimonial ads look off-camera, which sucks. There's no connection with the viewer. Eye contact grabs your attention much faster & holds it. Obviously, use a teleprompter to help your customers with this :) 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱 - 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵*𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝘀 I watched the full videos for each customer. They were ~2-3 min long. In it, they talked about: → Leadership philosophy → Problem they faced → 2-3 features → Outcomes Then each one of those videos became 3-4 different (0:15) ads. That's how this campaign had a lot of legs. ------ Want to talk shop about testimonial ad breakdowns for your brand? Book a call here: https://lnkd.in/dCbNsG4P

I figured out how to get stronger testimonials and what to do with them. By spending 10+ hours last week studying how experts use them. Here are 9 things I learned: 👉 1. Don't limit them to your sales page. Testimonials and customer stories should appear EVERYWHERE you are. Including your: • Content • Newsletter/Emails • LinkedIn profile Use them at every step of a buyer's journey. 👉 2. Get stories from customers who: • Switched from a competitor to you • Had a successful implementation of your product or service • Upgraded to a higher tier of your offering • Were skeptical at first, but you won them over 👉 3. Make a specific ask when asking for a customer story. "We're hoping you can speak to X, Y, and Z." 👉 4. Don't use the word "case study" when you ask. Instead say "customer story" or "Can we feature you?" 👉 5. When you interview a customer, ask: • Open ended questions • "How did that feel" • "Can you give me an example of that" 👉 6. Get multiple testimonials from each customer. Different ones for different win moments they've had with you. 👉 7. Make it easier for customers to give you testimonials. The biggest roadblock is people don't know what to say. Give them questions or a template to help. 👉 8. Have a system for how you collect, store, and use testimonials. It doesn't have to be complicated, but you need a plan. 👉 9. Alex Hormozi's take on testimonials: "Your proof will sell more than your offer and will do more selling than any promise." I'm guessing he knows a thing or two about that. Want more tips like these? This week on LinkedIn I'll reveal: • How I've built a 6-figure business on a $99 product • An unusual way I use AI to help with content • A new way of thinking about email unsubscribes 👉 Follow me 🔔 Hit the bell at the top of my profile to turn on notifications so you don't miss those posts Thanks for your interest!

GOOD testimonials build credibility. GREAT testimonials close deals. (Most founders don't know the difference. ) I see this a lot: Founder invests €30k in a website redesign. Gets amazing client feedback. Puts testimonials on the site… These usually read: - "Great product!" - "Excellent support!" - "Highly recommend!" Very cool. But also incredibly generic. These might make you look credible… But you actually want to use your testimonials in a better way: To answer objections your leads didn't even know they had. Here’s what I mean ↓ 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝘁𝘆: "The platform was easy to use and the team was responsive." (Okay and?) 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: "We evaluated 6 analytics platforms. Most forced us to choose between powerful features or clean UX. This was the only one that delivered both without compromise." 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘃𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: "It helped our team work more efficiently." 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: "Our finance team went from 3 days to 6 hours on monthly reporting. We recovered 240 hours in Q4 alone." See the difference? One says you're good. The other proves you're the only logical choice. So why do most founders only get "good" testimonials? They ask: "How was your experience?" That question gets you fluff. Want great testimonials? Ask great questions. Three I use: 1. What made us stand out when you were evaluating options? 2. What hesitations did you have before buying, and how did we address them? 3. What specific results have you seen since implementing? This is one piece of what makes a homepage convert. If your testimonials are solid but conversions are low, the issue is usually structural: - How your homepage is organized - What storytelling framework you're using - Where objections are (or aren't) being addressed. We work through exactly this in our homepage restructuring workshop. DM me if you want to talk through whether your homepage is actually working for you. ✉️