How to Get More & Better Testimonials

Many things affect how well your course will sell — your offer, the price, audience match, etc. But even if all those are excellent...

Your bottom line will suffer if your audience doesn't trust you.

One of the best ways to build said trust is through testimonials. That's because even though great copy, visuals, etc., can do wonders... 

It's still you singing praises about yourself. With testimonials, you've got others, presumably unbiased people, doing it for you. 

But not all testimonials are created equal.

If they aren’t believable and/or don’t cover the things that will move the needle with your potential buyers…

You’re wasting space showcasing them.

Today, I want to show you exactly what a good, conversion-optimized testimonial looks like, what to avoid doing when asking for testimonials, and a neat trick for boosting not only the number of testimonials you get…

But also their quality and persuasive power.

Let’s dive into it.

The Only Testimonial Type You Should Showcase And Why

One caveat before I explain the power of this type of testimonial:

If your course isn’t amazing and doesn’t fulfill the promises you make in your offer…

You won’t be able to get them despite the explanation & tips in this article. So, cover those basics first and then come back. 

But if you already have those covered…

People who go through your course will love it. And be ready to rave about the result it helped get them.

The thing is, most course creators do testimonials wrong despite having satisfied customers. They tend to take anything that praises them and the course as an awesome testimonial.

Yet, in reality, if a testimonial isn’t based on the student’s transformation and talks about features and things only the writer & you recognize as benefits…

It’s basically worthless for driving more traffic and serves just your ego.

On the other hand, a transformation-based testimonial covers both. Hence, you should aim to get ONLY such testimonials. And I’ll show you a method for doing this soon.

But first, you must understand how to recognize a transformation-based testimonial. And avoid being sucked in by feature-based ones that just sound good.

The best way to get this understanding is to see real-life examples. So, let me show you some:

Transformation-Based vs. Feature-Based Testimonials: How To Recognize Them And The Difference In Conversion Power

I’ll show you both using my “Piano In 21 Days” course as an example. For starters, check out this testimonial:

Sounds good, right? But read it again, and you’ll hear the same thing I do:

Feature, feature, feature.

If your testimonials talk only about features (if you’re having trouble differentiating features, benefits, and transformations — check out this article), they won’t be effective. Simply because they don’t put the vision of an easily attainable desired outcome in your prospects’ minds.

You want prospects to see how your course changes lives and imagine getting a similar outcome.

Check out this review to see what I’m talking about in action:

For “Piano In 21 Days,” the ultimate transformation is being able to play songs on the piano. Notice how this review neatly showcases it…

While also mentioning features (“jac is so easy to follow”) that make it believable & attainable. 

Look, you shouldn’t run away from features entirely. Or even zero-conversion-power lines. As long as the transformation is front and center, even lines like “Piano In 21 days is an amazing course” won’t matter. 

It’s the journey from “not believing that I could learn the piano to playing chords and songs in a very short time” that counts.

Check out another testimonial that’s basically transformation + outcome showcasing perfection:

You clearly see how Tony got exactly where he wanted to be. And why “Piano In 21” days was the key ingredient in that success.

But I get it. Just knowing what transformation-based testimonials look like won’t help you get them. And it might seem you’re at the mercy of your customers’ ability to showcase the transformation & benefits of your course.

Yet, there’s a neat trick to incentivize people to leave such testimonials. It will take some effort on your end, I won’t lie.

But the end result is far more than worth it, IMO. 

Check out the next section and see if you agree.

How To Skyrocket The Chances Of Getting Transformation-Based Testimonials

Just asking usually won’t cut it. Even though most people are willing to provide you one…

They may not know what you’re after or have the tech skills to do it (creating a video testimonial can be harder than you might think for some people)… 

So, with the “just ask” approach, you’re playing a numbers game. And will have to send a lot of testimonial requests to get a few transformation-based ones (if any).

This is where my “trick” for getting more & better (transformation-based) testimonials comes in:

Schedule calls with people after they complete your course.

Sounds exhausting, I know. But hear me out:

When people finish your program, reach out and say something like:

“Hey, I’d love to schedule a really short Zoom call to discuss your experience with my course.”

Use any message that suits your brand — but the gist is to schedule that Zoom call. Then, get their permission to record it (otherwise, use the call as a learning experience only).

The barrier to entry for a recorded Zoom call is far lower than for providing a testimonial. Plus, it makes it easier to direct people toward mentioning the transformation.

To do this, focus on getting people to talk about their situation BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER the course. 

In my “Piano In 21 Days” course, the “before” means asking what they could do on the piano, if they had always wanted to learn to play it, etc. 

The “after” implies asking what they can now do that they couldn’t before, how that makes them feel, etc.

You can clearly see the transformation angle here. Still, you should also ask about the “during” part, even though it’s more feature-focused. People want to know the experience was quick & painless. 

So, ask what they liked/didn’t like, what they’d improve, etc. 

Now, you might say, “That’s all great, Jacques, but getting people on a call is still not easy.”

And you’re right. But that’s where incentives may help.

Technically, you can’t offer incentives for a review without disclosing it in the testimonial.

But there’s no problem with offering incentives to get on a Zoom call, right? So, get creative and use the knowledge of your audience’s needs/desires to figure out what could work here. 

Finally, remember to ask for permission to edit the call into a testimonial. I suggest editing first and then showing that version to students and asking if you can share it for marketing purposes.

Most of the time, you’ll get a “yes.”

Yes, there’s work to be done here. But your transformation-based testimonial conversion rate will skyrocket because you’re playing a quality instead of a quantity game. 

Conclusion

If done right, testimonials can build your audience’s trust in your promises…

And awaken the desire to get the transformation/outcome others have already experienced.

Of course, not all testimonials can do this. And most don’t.

But if you focus on getting transformation-based testimonials only and apply the “Zoom Call” method I introduced in the previous section…

You’ll have more testimonials, each packing a much stronger punch conversion-wise.

Here’s to skyrocketing the chances of getting many such testimonials.

I’m rooting for you.

-Jacques