How to Get Client Testimonials: 8 Proven Strategies (+ Email Templates)

A client testimonial is a statement from a satisfied customer describing how your product or service helped them achieve a specific outcome. It works by lending third-party credibility to your brand — when potential customers see that real people have had positive experiences, they trust you faster and convert at higher rates.

Your client testimonials are your most powerful native advertising tools. You don’t need to spend as much money as you do on traditional advertising — you just need to know how to collect them effectively. After years of experience with SaaS products, I’ve found that some methods of gathering client testimonials consistently outperform others.

In this guide, you’ll learn 8 proven strategies for getting client testimonials, complete with ready-to-use email templates, real examples, and a step-by-step approach to displaying them for maximum impact.

Types of Client Testimonials (and When to Use Each)

Before diving into how to collect testimonials, it helps to know what you’re aiming for. Different testimonial formats serve different purposes — and knowing which type to request makes your outreach more focused and effective.

Quote testimonials are the most common format: a short, attributed statement from a customer, typically displayed on landing pages, pricing pages, or sales decks. They’re fast to collect and easy to place anywhere. Aim for 2–3 sentences that name a specific result (“We increased feature adoption by 40% after using AnnounceKit”).

Video testimonials carry significantly more trust than text — viewers can see and hear a real person speaking authentically. They work especially well on homepages and in sales outreach emails. A 60–90 second video where a customer describes their before/after experience is ideal. Even a self-recorded smartphone video is effective if the content is genuine.

Case study testimonials go deepest: they tell the full story of a customer’s challenge, the solution, and the measurable outcome. These are best suited for your blog, sales proposals, and enterprise deals where prospects need detailed proof before committing. Case studies typically run 500–1,500 words and include specific metrics.

Social media testimonials are organic posts, tweets, or LinkedIn recommendations that customers share unprompted. These are particularly valuable because they’re unfiltered — you can screenshot and repurpose them (with permission) as highly authentic social proof. Monitor brand mentions and set up keyword alerts to catch these when they happen.

Review platform testimonials (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot) come with built-in credibility because they’re hosted on neutral third-party platforms. Potential customers actively browse these sites during their evaluation process, so directing satisfied customers here pays dividends beyond your own website.

How to Identify the Right Clients to Ask for Testimonials

Not all customers are equally likely to give you a great testimonial — and asking the wrong person at the wrong time leads to weak responses or no response at all. The best testimonial candidates share three characteristics: they’ve been using your product long enough to see real results, they’ve had a measurable positive outcome, and they have a history of engaging with your team.

In practice, look for customers who have completed onboarding and been active for at least 60–90 days. Power users who log in frequently, have adopted multiple features, or have expanded their plan are strong candidates. Customers who have already sent you a positive message, left a chat compliment, or given you a good NPS score are your warmest leads — they’ve already expressed satisfaction, so you’re simply asking them to formalize it.

For B2B SaaS products, prioritize customers who can speak to business outcomes rather than just product features. “AnnounceKit helped us keep our users informed” is good; “AnnounceKit reduced our support ticket volume by 30% by keeping users proactively updated about changes” is great. Brief your customers on what makes a compelling testimonial before they write — the more specific the outcome, the more persuasive the result.

1) Wait for Your Clients to Spend Time With Your Product

Timing is everything when requesting testimonials. Asking a customer who just completed onboarding is likely to produce a thin response — they haven’t experienced your product’s full value yet. Waiting until the project or onboarding period is fully complete gives your customers the perspective they need to speak meaningfully about the results.

Asking for references in the early stages of the project or while the project is in progress may seem a bit strange. Your client may not have experienced your work in-depth enough to conduct a detailed and accurate review, or may not be feeling all that optimistic about the project at that stage. Waiting until the project is complete gives you the best chance of getting a helpful and detailed reference that you can use to market your business effectively.

To structure your testimonial request, consider using survey tools like Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Jotform. These let you ask specific, guided questions that help customers articulate their experience — which typically results in far more usable testimonials than an open-ended “what did you think?”

2) Real Evidence is the Best Friend of Persuasion: Case Studies

Case studies are an incredibly effective way to get testimonials from clients as they provide detailed and specific information about how your product or service has helped them. This can be much more believable than a general reference. As AnnounceKit, we have created case studies with many of our users — Flair is one of them.

When you create a case study, document the customer’s original challenge, the specific solution they implemented, and the measurable results they achieved. Include direct quotes from the customer at each stage — these become your most powerful testimonial snippets. Be sure to include any relevant data or statistics that show the positive impact of what you’re doing.

If possible, prepare case studies with clients from different industries. This shows potential customers that your product performs well across a wide range of use cases. A fintech company, a SaaS startup, and an enterprise team all validating your product tells a much more complete story than three testimonials from the same vertical.

3) Create Testimonials by Filming Videos With Your Clients

Video testimonials are among the most persuasive forms of social proof because viewers see and hear a real person speaking authentically about their experience. Another method to impress your potential customers is the reference videos you will shoot together with your customers.

First, make sure you have a clear idea of what you want the reference to be about. It should focus on a specific product or service you offer and be tailored to your target audience. Reach out to your best customers and ask if they’re willing to provide a testimonial. Make it easy for them by providing a list of questions to answer — you can even send them a short script to follow.

Finally, film the testimonials. You can publish this video on YouTube or upload it to your website. Even a simple Loom recording or Zoom call recording works well. The authenticity of the format matters more than production quality — a genuine 90-second response from a real customer outperforms a polished but scripted video every time.

4) The Fastest, Cheapest, and Easiest Way to Get Client Testimonials: Emails!

Requesting testimonials from your clients via email is one of the simplest and fastest methods available. You can explain how important their feedback is, and personalizing these emails makes your users feel valued. If you create templates, you don’t have to spend time composing a new message every time — and you can offer small incentives to encourage responses.

One important thing: don’t send multiple follow-up emails to non-responding users. Overwhelming customers to get references is counterproductive and damages your relationship. One follow-up after 5–7 days is appropriate; after that, let it go.

Template 1: Standard Post-Project Email

Use this for customers who have recently completed a project milestone or reached a meaningful goal with your product:

Subject: Quick favor — would you share your experience?

Hi [Name],

We at [Company] wanted to thank you for the partnership we have with [Customer Company]. It has been great to work together on achieving your goals.

I noticed that you have now reached the goal we set for our cooperation. We would love to hear your honest opinion on how you have liked using [Product] so far. We would very much appreciate it if you would be willing to review us — it takes under one minute, and you can do it here: [Survey Link].

Congratulations once again for reaching your goals! Let me know if you have any questions.
Kind regards, [Your Name]

Template 2: LinkedIn / Social Proof Request

Use this for customers you have a warm relationship with and who are active on LinkedIn:

Subject: Would you be open to a quick LinkedIn recommendation?

Hi [Name],

Working with you and the team at [Customer Company] has been a genuine pleasure. I have been really impressed by the results you’ve achieved — [specific outcome, e.g., “the way you used announcement widgets to reduce churn during your pricing change was impressive”].

If you have 5 minutes, I’d love it if you’d leave a short LinkedIn recommendation or a review on [G2/Capterra/Trustpilot]. Even 2–3 sentences about your experience would mean a lot and help others in your position discover us.

No pressure at all — and thank you regardless!
[Your Name]

Template 3: In-App or Post-Interaction Request

Use this for customers who just had a great interaction with support or celebrated a milestone inside the product:

Subject: Glad we could help — could you share your thoughts?

Hi [Name],

So glad we could help you resolve [issue/milestone] today! Moments like these remind us why we built [Product].

If you have a moment, would you mind writing 2–3 sentences about your experience for our website? Your words help other [target persona, e.g., “SaaS product managers”] who are evaluating us understand what working with [Company] is really like.

You can submit it here: [testimonial form link]. Thank you so much!
[Your Name]

5) Follow the Crumbs on Social Media

If you want to get customer testimonials, one of the best places to start is social media. Look for posts where people are talking about their positive experiences with your business. Search for hashtags related to your brand or product name, and set up Google Alerts or a social listening tool to catch mentions automatically.

When you find potential testimonials, reach out to the owners of those posts. Thank them for their kind words and ask if you can use their comment on your website or social media. Most of the time, customers will respond positively — they’re already fans. This is also a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship and invite them to participate in a more formal case study.

Social testimonials are particularly valuable because they’re unfiltered and time-stamped — potential customers can see that real people are praising you in their own words, on their own channels, without being prompted. If you have a product that genuinely solves a real problem, finding customer reviews on social media is only a matter of knowing where to look. You can pair these discoveries with customer feedback tools and management strategies to build a systematic collection process.

6) Collaborate With Your Partners in Your B2B Business

If you are running a B2B business, your customers are companies — conscious buyers who understand the value of professional references. This creates a unique opportunity: testimonial reciprocity. As AnnounceKit, we use many SaaS products ourselves, and some of our customers also use our product. When there is genuine mutual value, collaborating on testimonials for each other is a natural next step.

If you have clients like this, reach out and propose a mutual testimonial exchange. Both parties benefit: you each gain authentic social proof from a credible industry peer, and you deepen a partnership relationship in the process. Since both parties are industry practitioners, these references carry significant weight with potential customers who recognize the companies involved.

7) Create a Feedback Form Designed for Testimonials

One underused tactic is building a dedicated testimonial feedback form with structured questions that guide customers toward writing a specific, impactful testimonial. Instead of asking “Would you like to leave a testimonial?” — which puts the burden of composition entirely on the customer — a guided form helps them articulate exactly the story you need.

A well-designed testimonial form includes 5–7 questions such as: What challenge were you facing before using [Product]? What specific outcome have you achieved? How would you describe the product to a colleague? What feature do you use most and why? Would you recommend us, and to whom? These questions generate rich, specific material that you can use verbatim or lightly edited — always with the customer’s approval.

Tools like Typeform, Google Forms, and Jotform make this easy to build and embed. Consider placing the form link at natural touchpoints: in your onboarding completion email, in your NPS follow-up, and in your customer success check-in cadence. The more seamlessly you embed the request into an existing workflow, the higher your response rate will be.

8) Get Permission and Edit for Clarity

Always get explicit written permission before publishing a customer testimonial. Company names, logos, and individual names are proprietary — not every customer will want them used publicly, even if they provided a glowing review. A simple one-line email asking “Is it okay if we use your testimonial on our website and marketing materials, attributed to you and [Company]?” is sufficient.

It is also perfectly acceptable — and often necessary — to lightly edit a testimonial for grammar, clarity, or length. The key rule is: never change the meaning, and always send the edited version back to the customer for approval before publishing. This two-step process (collect, edit, approve) protects you legally and ensures your testimonials are as polished and credible as possible.

Document your permission process. Keep a record of every customer who has authorized use of their testimonial, including the date and the exact scope of permission (website only, or also marketing materials and social media). This protects you if a customer later disputes the use of their words or if a future team member questions the authorization.

How to Display Client Testimonials Effectively

Collecting testimonials is only half the job — where and how you display them determines whether they actually influence buying decisions. The most common mistake is burying testimonials on a dedicated “Testimonials” page that prospects rarely visit. Instead, deploy them at the precise moments in your buyer journey where social proof removes friction and accelerates trust.

Your homepage hero section should feature your strongest 2–3 testimonials — ideally ones that name a specific outcome and include a recognizable company logo. Your pricing page is another critical placement: prospects evaluating cost are at peak anxiety, and a testimonial from a customer in a similar role or company size directly addresses their hesitation. Case study links placed near your pricing tiers perform especially well for enterprise deals.

For SaaS products, in-app testimonial displays are a powerful tool for reducing churn and driving feature adoption. When users reach a new milestone or explore an upgrade, showing them a testimonial from a customer who benefited from that exact feature creates a highly contextual nudge. Tools like AnnounceKit let you deliver targeted announcements and social proof messages to specific user segments — so you can show the right testimonial to the right user at exactly the right moment in their journey. You can also combine testimonials with in-app notifications to surface customer wins at key product moments. This approach is far more effective than static testimonial blocks that all users see regardless of context.

Client Testimonial Examples

Real examples always produce better results than generic templates. Here are a few examples of our customer testimonials that illustrate what great social proof looks like in practice — specific outcomes, named companies, and concrete value delivered.

Wrapping Up

Asking your clients for testimonials doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think. With these 8 proven strategies — from timing your request correctly and using structured feedback forms to reciprocal B2B collaboration and social media monitoring — you can build a reliable testimonial collection process that consistently generates powerful social proof.

The most important thing is to start. Pick the strategy that fits your current customer relationships best, send your first request this week, and iterate from there. Happy customers want to help you succeed — you just need to make it easy for them. And once you have those testimonials, use tools like strategies to increase user retention to keep those satisfied customers engaged long-term.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you ask a client for a testimonial without it feeling awkward?

The key is timing and specificity. Ask immediately after a positive interaction — when they’ve just hit a milestone, resolved an issue, or expressed satisfaction in a conversation. Reference the specific outcome they achieved, and make the ask as easy as possible by providing a direct link to a form or review site. When the request feels natural and low-friction, most customers are happy to oblige.

Do I need permission to use customer testimonials?

Yes, always. Even if a customer freely offered their feedback, you should get explicit written permission before publishing their name, company, and words publicly. A simple email asking for authorization is sufficient. Scope your permission clearly — cover website use, marketing materials, and social media so you don’t need to ask again each time you repurpose the testimonial.

Can I edit a client testimonial before publishing it?

Yes, light editing for grammar, clarity, and length is acceptable and often necessary. The critical rule is to never change the meaning of what the customer said, and to always send the edited version back to them for approval before publishing. This protects your relationship, ensures accuracy, and keeps the testimonial legally sound.

When is the best time to ask for a testimonial?

The optimal window is 60–90 days after a customer starts using your product — long enough to have seen real results, but close enough that their experience is still fresh. Other prime moments include: immediately after a support interaction that resolved well, when a customer hits a meaningful usage milestone, or when they renew or upgrade their plan. These are moments of peak satisfaction.

How many testimonials do I actually need?

Quality beats quantity every time. Three highly specific testimonials that name real outcomes from recognizable companies will outperform 30 generic “Great product!” blurbs. Aim to have at least one testimonial for each key use case, customer segment, or industry you serve — so prospects can always find a testimonial from someone who looks like them. Build from there as your customer base grows.

What makes a client testimonial actually convincing?

The most convincing testimonials are specific, outcomes-focused, and attributed. “AnnounceKit helped us a lot” is weak. “Since we started using AnnounceKit to announce product updates, our support ticket volume dropped by 25% — users now find answers in announcements before reaching out to support” is powerful. Coach your customers to describe the before-state, what they did with your product, and the specific after-state. Attribution with a full name, title, and company logo adds a final layer of credibility.

How do I collect testimonials at scale without annoying customers?

Build testimonial collection into your existing customer journey rather than treating it as a one-off campaign. Set up automated trigger-based requests that fire after key events (onboarding completion, first successful use of a premium feature, 90-day anniversary). Limit requests to one ask per channel per quarter per customer. Make the form short — 3 questions maximum — and offer a preview of how their testimonial will be displayed so they know exactly what they’re agreeing to.