Want people talking about you? In a good way, of course!
This blog will give you everything you need to get your customers talking and show you what to do with their words of praise.
Key Takeaways (TLDR):
Topic: How to ask clients for reviews and testimonials, where to use them, and why social proof is one of the most powerful visibility tools available to small business owners.
What you’ll learn: Most business owners assume that if they do great work, glowing reviews will arrive on their own. They rarely do. This post makes the case for asking directly and confidently, covers eight specific questions you can use to gather rich, usable testimonials from clients, explains where to ask for reviews across multiple platforms, and shows you exactly how to put that social proof to work in your marketing. It also addresses the difference between talking about yourself and bragging, and why getting your clients to speak on your behalf is one of the most effective things you can do to grow your business.
Who this is for: Entrepreneurs, coaches, service providers, and small business owners who deliver great work but aren’t consistently asking for reviews, or aren’t sure how to ask in a way that feels natural and gets results.
Written by: Emily Aborn, Small Business Copywriter and podcast host of the Small Business Casual Podcast. Emily is based in NH.
You work hard for your clients, delivering with care and exceeding expectations. At the end of a product, you send off your work, quietly hoping they’ll tell someone about it. 🤞🏻
Sometimes they do, but more often, they either don’t think of it at all OR they have the best of intentions, and then life gets in the way. They get busy, distracted, and move on to the next thing on their list.
Not because the experience wasn’t great, but because you didn’t explicitly ask them to put it into words.
That’s where this article comes in to save the day! You don’t have to feel pushy or awkward asking for reviews, it’s a natural extension of the relationship you’ve already worked to hard to build and it’s one of the most powerful things you can do for your visibility.
So, what are you waiting for!? Let’s get asking…
Why Asking for Reviews & Testimonials Matters
When you ask a client to share their experience, you’re not just collecting kind words for your website or boosting your Google My Business profile. You’re also gaining clarity and insight into your own business.
Reviews can help you understand:
- Where your clients were before they found you
- What they were struggling with
- What the tipping point was
- How it felt working with you was from their side
- And what changed for them as a result
They can also shed light on where there might be room for you to grow and improve, which is invaluable feedback. Reviews help you double down on what you’re doing well and improve what needs fixing.
They give you the exact language your ideal clients use to describe their problems and their results, which makes your marketing infinitely more resonant. They also help future clients see themselves in someone else’s story, which is one of the most powerful ways to build trust before anyone has ever paid you a dime!
Reviews Don’t Just Happen by Chance…
We often assume that when we truly wow our clients, the reviews will naturally come pouring in. Womp, womp. They rarely do. Even if people are happy about your work (and may even have every intention to tell you so!), they’re also busy, distracted, and dealing with their own long to-do lists.
But, don’t despair! The good news is that people usually like helping you. When you make it easy and ask directly, most clients are happy to share their experience. They just need the nudge!
One important note: Always ask for permission before using a review publicly. Let your client know where it will appear, whether you’ll use their full name, first name only, or initials, and whether you’d like a headshot or their company name alongside it.
Where to Ask for Reviews
Reviews and recommendations can come from many places:
- At the end of a project or engagement
- Via LinkedIn recommendations
- On Google and Facebook
- Podcast listener reviews
- Speaker and workshop feedback forms
- Podcast hosts, you’ve guested with
Each of these vehicles serves a slightly different purpose.
Google and Facebook reviews help with local visibility and search.
LinkedIn recommendations add professional credibility.
Client testimonials on your website help future clients who are making the decision to hire you.
Podcast reviews help you reach more listeners and grow your show.
Think about which of these you’re currently underleveraging and start there!
6 Questions to Ask Clients for Quality Reviews
The quality of a review or testimonial depends almost entirely on the questions you ask. For example, vague questions usually get you vague answers.
Specific questions tend to get specific, usable, powerful answers. Are you catching my drift? Specific is terrific!
Here are six questions to ask clients for quality reviews:
- Why were you seeking help with this in the first place?
- How did you hear about or find me?
- What were you hoping to achieve in hiring me?
- What was your experience like working together?
- What results did you get?
- What would you say when recommending me to others?
You don’t need to use all six, pick 3-4 that feel relevant for the client/project and send them over in a simple email. Bonus points if you give them the link to your Google My Business profile and nudge them to share it there too!
The easier you make it, the more likely you are to get a response.
Using Reviews & Testimonials in Your Marketing
Once you have their magical words, use them for good, not evil! Don’t let testimonials sit in a folder somewhere collecting digital dust.
Here are some ideas to put them to good use:
Your website. Sprinkle testimonials throughout your site… not just on a dedicated reviews page. A well-placed client quote on your services page or homepage builds trust right where the decision is being made.
Social media. Share a client win as a post, a graphic, or a short story. Give context around who the client was and what changed for them. This kind of content often says more than you could about yourself directly.
Emails. Include a testimonial in a newsletter or a sales email to show real results in your own words.
Podcasts. If you host a podcast, reading a listener review on air is a great way to acknowledge your community and model the kind of feedback you’re looking for from others.
Blogs and case studies. A client story told with context, the before, the process, and the after, is one of the most compelling pieces of content you can create (bonus points for SEO ranking). It shows potential clients exactly what working with you looks like from the inside.
Social Proof Says A Thousand Words
When a potential client is considering working with you, they’re often doing their homework. They may check your website, look you up on social media, and ask others. They want confirmation that you’re the real deal and that they’re making the right choice.
Reviews, testimonials, case studies, and ratings provide exactly that! They take some of the risk out of the decision by showing a clear picture of what working with you looks like and what kind of transformation is on the other side.
Social proof isn’t a nice-to-have. For most small businesses, it’s one of the most persuasive marketing tools available, and it costs nothing but the courage to ask.
Why not start now?
Email one client today! Someone you just wrapped up with, or someone you’re about to. Ask them a few of the questions above and get those kind words down in writing.
Then… let’s take this challenge a step further, shall we!? Do something with your new review: Put it on your website, share it on social media, read it on your podcast. Go on! Let other people brag about you for a change!
Additional Resources:
Small Business Casual Episode: Sharing Client Success Stories: Case studies, portfolios, testimonials, and beyond!
Frame it as a favor that also helps other people like them. Something as simple as: “I loved working with you and I’d be so grateful if you’d be willing to share a few thoughts on your experience. It helps me reach more people who might benefit from the same kind of support you got.” Most clients are happy to help when they understand the why behind the ask. The awkwardness usually lives more in your head than in the actual exchange.
Right at the end of a project or engagement, when the experience is fresh and the results are most tangible. Don’t wait weeks or months. The further out you get from the work, the harder it is for a client to recall the specific details that make a testimonial genuinely useful. If you have an offboarding process, build the review request right into it so it becomes a natural, automatic step.
Everywhere that matters! Don’t stick them on a single testimonials page that site visitors may never find. Place them strategically throughout your site: near your service descriptions, on your homepage, and on any page where a visitor is likely to be making a decision. A testimonial placed right next to a call to action is far more persuasive than one buried in a tab nobody clicks.
