The Art of Writing Testimonial Questions

Customer Surveys

In the competitive landscape, testimonials are a powerful tool for establishing credibility and building trust with prospective customers. But it’s the testimonial questions you ask that decide the quality of the testimonials you collect.

When done right, they provide authentic insights into the experiences of satisfied clients and offer valuable social proof that can influence purchasing decisions.

In this article, we’ll discuss the most common types of testimonials, how to write testimonial questions, and provide strategies for getting the feedback you need.

What are testimonial questions?

Testimonial questions are designed to collect feedback on a client’s experience with your product, service, or brand.

These questions serve as a guide during testimonial interviews or surveys, enabling businesses to gather details and sentiments from satisfied customers.

By asking the right questions, you can uncover unique insights that resonate with potential clients and bolster your company’s reputation.

Importance of asking the right questions

Asking the right questions is paramount when it comes to extracting detailed and insightful testimonials. Well-crafted questions can prompt clients to share specific examples, highlight key benefits, and address potential objections.

Great testimonials answer any questions that potential customers may have about how your company delivers positive experiences.

By guiding respondents through a structured interview or survey, you can ensure that their testimonials encompass the most relevant and impactful information.

Remember, the purpose of these testimonials is to convince potential customers that you’re the right choice for them.

Common types of testimonial questions

Let’s get into some of the different categories of testimonial questions to ask customers.

Questions for gauging customer experience

To obtain testimonials that showcase overall customer satisfaction and experience, consider asking the following questions:

How has our product/service improved your daily life/business operations?
What were your initial expectations, and how did our product/service exceed them?
How would you describe the value our product/service provides?

Questions for highlighting benefits

To highlight specific benefits or features of your offering, incorporate these questions:

Which particular aspect of our product/service has had the most significant impact on your success?
Can you share a specific example of how our product/service solved a particular problem for you?
In what ways has our product/service saved you time/money/resources?
What is your favorite feature, and how is it essential to your business?

Questions for overcoming concerns

Addressing potential concerns through testimonials can be highly effective. They allow you to identify pain points that may affect future customers. Consider using these questions:

Were you hesitant to try our product/service? If so, what ultimately convinced you to move forward?
What would you say to someone who has concerns or doubts about our product/service?
How has our product/service addressed any previous challenges or frustrations you experienced?

Questions to ask for testimonials

Whilst the goals of testimonials are largely the same, the language you use or the areas you focus on may differ.

Here are some examples of written and video formats so you know what questions to ask to get good testimonials.

Video testimonial questions:

Any testimonial will be a huge boon, but customer video testimonials can also help improve your video marketing strategy. Seeing a real, identifiable, person make a recommendation can go a long way in convincing people to choose your product.

To help you get started, here are some testimonial video questions:

How has our product/service transformed your business?
Can you describe the specific outcomes you’ve achieved with our product/service?
What would you say to others considering our product/service?

Written testimonial questions:

In most cases, you will be asking for testimonials via email or using a survey. These questions won’t differ too much, but they may be less emotive as they don’t require visual components.

How would you summarize your experience with our product/service in a few sentences?
What sets our product/service apart from others you’ve tried?
How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others?

How to request testimonials

Collecting testimonials requires a proactive approach and strategic selection of individuals who can provide valuable feedback.

When making testimonial requests, follow these steps to ensure a positive response:

1. Identify satisfied customers

Start by identifying clients who have had positive experiences and achieved notable results with your product or service. Look for those who have expressed satisfaction or provided positive feedback in the past.

2. Engage with loyal customers

Reach out to repeat customers who have shown loyalty and a long-term commitment to your brand. Their experiences and insights are likely to be more comprehensive and reliable.

If you’re stuck, you can easily run a Net Promoter Score survey to identify your Promoters. These are customers who recommend you to others by word of mouth.

3. Target success stories

Seek out clients who have achieved outstanding success using your product or service. These success stories can be powerful testimonials that showcase the impact of your offering.

4. Request testimonials personally

Approach potential testimonial providers personally. Send them a personalized email or reach out via phone call to thank customers for their support and feedback.

5. Provide guidelines

When asking for testimonials, provide clear guidelines and suggestions to help individuals structure their responses. Offer a list of potential questions or prompts to guide their testimonial creation process.

6. Offer incentives

Consider providing incentives or rewards for customers who take the time to provide testimonials. This can be in the form of discounts, exclusive offers, or recognition within your customer community.

7. Utilize multiple channels

Make it easy for customers to provide testimonials by offering various channels for submission. This could include written testimonials via email, video testimonials uploaded to a dedicated platform, or even social media shout-outs.

8. Follow-up with and remind customers

Sometimes customers may require gentle reminders to submit their testimonials. Follow up with polite reminders, ensuring that they feel supported and encouraged throughout the process.

9. Seek permission

Always seek permission before sharing a customer testimonial, not everyone is comfortable in the public eye.

Tips for conducting testimonial interviews

Once you’ve written your customer testimonial questions, you’ll need to figure out the method by which you’ll collect the feedback. Whether this will be a video interview, by email, or using a survey.

If you’re conducting a one-to-one interview, we’ve got some tips to ensure you have a fruitful and engaging conversation.

Establish a comfortable and relaxed environment.
Begin with open-ended questions to encourage detailed responses.
Actively listen and ask follow-up questions to delve deeper into their experiences.
Allow interviewees to share anecdotes or stories that demonstrate the value of your product/service.
Prepare some testimonial prompts so customers don’t feel like they’ve been put on the spot.
Write some creative testimonial questions that highlight the uniqueness of your brand voice.

Collecting testimonials with surveys

Testimonial surveys can be valuable tools for gathering feedback at scale. But, there is a knack to creating surveys that collect, so it’s best to brush up on these tips before getting started.

Consider the following tips:

Use a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions for comprehensive feedback.
Keep surveys concise and focused to maximize response rates.
Incorporate rating scales or Likert scale questions to quantify satisfaction levels.
Include space for additional comments to capture unique insights.

Turning responses into testimonials

Once you’ve collected testimonials, you’ll need to start thinking about how you’ll present them to prospective customers.

For example, you may want an entire page dedicated to each testimonial. Or you may decide to grab the best quotes from all your testimonials and create a singular page.

Whatever you decide, you’ll need to ensure you hit these points:

Specific details and examples that illustrate the impact of your product/service.
Emotional appeal and genuine sentiments that evoke trust and reliability.
Real results or measurable benefits achieved through your offering.
A brief and well-structured format that is easy to read and understand.