How to Get Powerful Testimonials From Freelance Clients (+ template!)

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When it comes to building trust and validating your business, testimonials from freelance clients hold a lot of sway.

You can spend all day telling someone why they should hire you, but nothing is quite as convincing as someone else recommending your services. 

For freelancers, testimonials make a powerful marketing tool and boost the legitimacy and trustworthiness of your services.

If you want to know how and when to ask for testimonials, the best ways to use them in your marketing, and get a handy template to get a “yes” from clients, read on for the freelancer’s guide to getting powerful testimonials from clients. 

Should you Ask Freelance Clients for Testimonials?

Some freelancers get hung up on the idea that they’re bothering a client by asking for testimonials. Or that the client might feel obligated to say “yes” or something positive when they don’t really want to. 

First, get over this. 

People love helping other people. 

Chemically speaking, altruistic behaviour releases endorphins and boosts happiness. 

We’re hardwired to help. 

If a client feels uncomfortable giving you a testimonial, they’ll probably just ignore your request.

Delight Your Customers

We all know how annoying it is to be bombarded with requests for reviews, whether it's in the middle of using an app or after eating in a restaurant. 

The first step in getting testimonials from freelance clients is to provide a service that’s really exceptional. 

People don’t feel the need to write something up when a service is performed exactly as expected. 

But when a client's expectations are wildly exceeded they’re more likely to go the extra step to tell everyone else how wonderful you are. 

It’s highly possible that your work is good and the client is satisfied but is there anything you can do to blow them away? 

This doesn’t mean going out of scope. It just means doing small things: being super responsive, proactive and empathetic - do these things and you’re 90% better than 90% of freelancers anyway. 

What Types of Reviews and Testimonials Can You Ask For?

Clients can give you testimonials in various formats across different platforms. You might want to choose one over the others, or have a mix depending on your goals.

Here’s a review of the pros and cons of the most common testimonials types:

• Google Reviews

Pros: Asking a client to write a Google Review has two main benefits: 

1. It will raise the profile of your business, and seeing 5 stars under your Google Business Profile increases trust. 

2. Google business reviews are beneficial for search engine optimisation and your ranking factor. The more Google reviews you have, the better you’ll rank among your competitors.

Cons: The client has to log in on Google before they can leave a review, which can create a bit of friction. A lot of people will bail when they’re forced to log into something.

• LinkedIn Testimonials

Pros: Getting reviews on LinkedIn provides public proof of your abilities and endorses your skills. Asking for LinkedIn reviews is also a good excuse to connect with a client and grow your network. 

Cons: Similar to Google reviews, a client will need to log in, which can create friction. LinkedIn can also be a bit of a virtue-signalling click-hole, where the signal-to-noise ratio is quite low. Some people see LinkedIn testimonials as having less weight. 

• Feedback Surveys

When I began my freelancing career, after completing a project I would send the client a short Google Form. It had a range of questions in it - what went well, any feedback for improvement, did they get the end result they wanted etc. etc. and space to leave a testimonial.

Pros: Surveys mean you can collect really comprehensive feedback that helps you improve your services. Clients tend to give you a lot of phrases you can pull out to use in a review. 

Cons: Surveys take up a lot of a client's time. Even if they can do it in 5 minutes or less, no one really wants to sit through a series of questions. I’d only reserve these for large projects or when you’ve been working on a retainer with a client for a while to use as a check-in.

• Video Testimonials

Video lets your prospective clients see and hear a reaction, making it more credible, engaging and authentic.

Pros: Video testimonials from freelance clients give extra legitimacy because you can see a real customer and hear about their experience.

Cons: They can be time-consuming to make and edit, you might not get the quality you want and not everyone performs well on camera or wants to be on camera. You could storyboard it or write a script but that’s a bit disingenuous. It also takes a lot of a client’s time and energy to give you a video. 

• Website Testimonials

Getting a written testimonial from your clients to put on your website can go a long way in building trust. 

Pros: You control where the testimonials live, you can present them in a way that works with your brand and they can help you hit search engine keywords. 

Cons: You have to ask clients to give you testimonials…(but you have to do that anyway, so just can think of many drawbacks for this method).

Tips for Getting Testimonials from Freelance Clients

1.Make It as Easy as Possible

Find a way for your clients to give you reviews with the least possible effort. Remember it should not be a burden on the customer to review you.

Email them specific links to where you want them to leave a review. If you’re asking for a Google/ LinkedIn review, tell them they'll have to log in - this helps prepare them for a possible small hurdle.

Asking something like, “Feel free to leave a review” is not going to cut it. Frame the client’s mindset and give them prompts. “What did you like most about the service?” Why did you choose me as your freelancer? Why would you recommend me to colleagues?” - this will help them to leave a high-value testimonial.

2. Write It for Them

The best way to secure a freelance testimonial is to write it yourself and send it to the client for review and approval. This makes it easier for them because they don’t have to spend time and effort writing something nice about you and your work. 

You know the client, their challenge, how you solved it and how the relationship went. Crafting a short story based on what happened thinking in terms of problem, solution and results is a good way to frame your testimonial.

Make sure that what you’re saying is true and believable.

Send it to the client and tell them they can make any changes or edits they wish.

99% of the time the client will be happy with it and sign off on it. 

• 3. Use Keywords in the Testimonial

Another advantage of writing the review yourself is that you can include relevant keywords to help with Google rankings.

Maybe your keyword is “freelance designer London”. In your testimonial you could write something like…

“We were looking for a freelance designer in London to….”

Include location keywords (London, Hong Kong, Berlin etc). service keywords (website designer, website copywriter etc.) these will all help your site rank for different search terms.

The Best Way to Get a Testimonial from Freelance Clients: Step-by-Step with Template 

You get testimonials the same way you get business, you have to ask. 

Customers who like you and work with you shouldn’t need much encouragement to leave you a good review.

But like most things in life, some ways of asking are more effective than others. 

Here’s the process and script I use to successfully get high-value testimonials from clients: 

Step 1: Contact the client around a week after project approval/ completion.

Step 2: Express your appreciation and thanks.
It feels good when people thank us for things. A great way to build camaraderie with a client is to show your appreciation for choosing your services. 

Step 3: Explain why you want a testimonial and how much it would help you
When we ask someone to do us a favour we will be more successful if we provide a reason. People simply like to have reasons for what they do. (I'm asking for a testimonial because…)

Step 4: Share the pre-written testimonial.

Step 5: Let them know they can edit as they see fit.
This puts the client in the driving seat. 99% of the time a client will probably approve without edits (sometimes they make it even better).

Template:

“Hi xxx,

Just wanted to express my thanks for putting your trust in me for XX project. You and your team were effortless to work with and I really appreciate the insights you shared in the copywriting workshop.

I wonder if I could ask a small favour? I’m currently trying to improve my portfolio and I would love to get a short testimonial from you if you wouldn’t mind? 

I know you’re busy and this can be a hassle, so I’ve taken the liberty of writing something for you below.

“Insert the testimonials you’ve written here ”

It would be great if you could let me know if you’d be happy for me to put this on my website <link to testimonial page>. Of course, feel free to edit or change the text how you wish.

Thanks in advance,

When Should you Ask Freelance clients for Testimonials?

Timing is everything.

I usually send a testimonial request within a week or so of project completion. You’ll want to get the testimonial while the work is still fresh in their minds and when they are most likely to be happy.

Do: Asking for a review might be one of the last interactions you have with a client so make it as pleasant and as seamless as possible. 

Don’t: Avoid sending it over with an invoice asking for payment. Asking for two things, especially when one of those is money can be a bit distracting and they might miss the part about leaving a review.

Should you Offer an Incentive for a Review or Testimonial?

Some freelancers might offer incentives for a client to leave a review, such as a discount on future service or a small gift.

While this can be motivating for clients, it also presents a conflict of interest and feels a little akin to bribery. 

Clients that love you, your work and collaborating with you won’t need an incentive to leave a review - just make sure what you deliver is excellent. 

What if a Client Declines to Give a Testimonial?

Sometimes a client might not want to give a testimonial. 

There can be a few reasons for this.

One reason is simply that some companies won’t allow them to give freelancer testimonials. Anything said publicly by a company representative may need to be approved first and this can make it too burdensome for them. 

Another reason is maybe they weren’t that thrilled with the work. Sometimes things aren’t as good as expected but the client would rather avoid a potential conflict than raise an issue.

Where Should You Use Testimonials?

I put testimonials on a dedicated page on my website. I also try to share the most relatable testimonials in client pitches or when compiling case studies in my portfolio.

How to Make Client Testimonials More Convincing 

There are a number of ways that you can add power to testimonials:

• Add the reviewer’s name and role to show it's a genuine.

• A link to the client’s website will help to show the review is coming from a reliable source. 

• A picture of the client can make your testimonial more convincing. (However, some clients might find this off-putting. I don't want my big face all over the web, some clients don’t either. An alternative is to use their company logo.

• Think about the story - don’t just get a testimonial that says you did a good job, paint a picture of the before and after, show how you solved the problem.

• Keep it short. I’m sure you could wax lyrical about how great you are all day. Keep testimonials to a few sentences at most!

When it comes to client testimonials, they’re a great tool that can help to do the selling for you. Remember to ask for testimonials when the project is fresh in the mind of the client, write it for them to take out the leg work and be sure to place it where it can be found on your website.  What are your tips for getting testimonials from freelance clients?