In the example mentioned earlier in the guide, Kai had a mini-text testimonial from the client (a single sentence). However, the more ideal testimonial from the client was a long text testimonial (two-four paragraphs long). Let’s examine your options in depth.
We typically think of testimonials as a single line of text or a short paragraph, but there are a number of different forms that a client testimonial can take. And some are much more valuable to your business than others.
1/ A mini text testimonial
A mini text testimonial is typically one sentence long, and the short testimonial you’re used to seeing around the web:
“We love Bob’s Burger App!” — Dina13
They aren’t very powerful, but they’re easy to gather and better than nothing.
2/ A short text testimonial
A short text testimonial is a short piece of text (two to four sentences long) that highlights some features of the service. It has a couple of the elements of a strong testimonial. The folks at Podcast Motor use this testimonial on their sales page for their podcast editing services :
3/ A long text testimonial
A longer text testimonial is typically two to four paragraphs long, generated with the gathering questions recommended above.
You can see an example of a long text testimonial here. This is a quote from a client that worked with me to increase their Organic Traffic from SEO:
We tripled the amount of organic traffic that was coming to our site!
With Summit Evergreen, we had a great product but didn’t have a way to get the word out there in an organic, repeatable way. We were at a loss on how to increase our traffic and convert that traffic into purchases. Our customer base was made up of referrals, early adopters, and ad-spend — effective for short-term growth, but not long-term sustainability.
Our competition had a couple years on us for SEO. In the first 3 months working with Kai, we tripled the amount of organic traffic that was coming to our site. Now we rank on the first page for all our major keywords, have 2 pages as the top result for highly trafficked keywords, and even rank in the top 10 for searches on for our competitors.
Best of all, conversion rates have stayed steady, which means that our 300% increase in traffic is converting into 300% more leads over the same time span.
People actually talk about Summit Evergreen on podcasts and in articles that we have no connection to — showing true market growth. Kai has been indispensable to the growth of Summit Evergreen.
Keith Perhac, Summit Evergreen
Here’s an example of one from Meg’s service:
I used to send out a feedback survey to clients and put together the testimonials myself from the responses. It took a lot of work, and the responses just kept piling up because I could never seem to find the time to keep up with all of that feedback.
Initially, the price of Meg’s service was a bit steeper than I was expecting. But I’ve found that the time savings alone are well worth it.
We have a nice process in place that makes it much easier for me to get and publish testimonials. The results I get are significantly better than what I would do on my own. Having Meg as an expert third-party handle constructing the testimonials really helps. I just worked with my clients for a few weeks or months, so I already know what they’re telling me. It’s difficult for me to objectively look at their feedback and pick out the compelling points. But when I get the testimonials Meg puts together for me, I think, “Wow, that’s awesome!”
This is currently the only part of my business I outsource and it’s worth it. I’d definitely recommend Meg’s service to others.
Josh Doody, Salary Negotiation Coach (www.fearlesssalarynegotiation.com)
4/ A mini case study
A mini case study testimonial is four to six paragraphs long (or longer). It will be on the longer side of the testimonials generated with the gathering questions recommended above.
Click here to see just a few examples of mini-case study testimonials Meg has helped others collect.
5/ An audio testimonial
An audio testimonial is a short, spoken word testimonial from a client or customer. An audio testimonial can be anywhere from a few seconds long to multiple minutes long. It’s not a commonly used format, but can be a way to increase the trust in the authenticity of the testimonial without the extra barrier of getting a video testimonial.
6/ A video testimonial
A video testimonial is a short, recorded video testimonial from a client or customer. A video testimonial can be anywhere from a few seconds long to multiple minutes long. Here’s a great web page with video testimonials for organic traffic expert Jon Nastor.
Want help getting testimonials from your clients (without the awkwardness)?
Meg has done-for-you testimonial services available to make it easier for you to get powerful testimonials. Check them out here.
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