How to get testimonials from clients

Ask at the win.Make yes the easy answer.

To get testimonials from clients, ask at the moment of a clear win, and make it easy to say yes. Don’t ask for “a testimonial”: send three to five specific questions, about what was wrong before, what nearly stopped them buying and what is different now. Offer to turn their answers into a few sentences and send them back for approval, and get their permission in writing, including how they want to be named. Below are when to ask by type of business, a request writer, the questions that get specific answers, four request templates, what to record, and the FTC rules on asking.

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3 to 5 questions their words, your draft, their yes nothing leaves your browser

By the Builderify team

01 Ask specific questions 02 Draft from their words 03 Use what they approve
01 / When to ask

When should you ask a client for a testimonial?
At the win.

Ask when the client has just seen the result and is pleased about it. That moment is different for a plumber, an accountant and a coffee shop, so the table gives one for each. Asked then, the client remembers the details, and the details are what make a testimonial believable.

Signs it’s time

  • They thank you for something specific, without being asked.
  • They refer a friend, or buy again.
  • The result shows: the job signed off, the return filed, the goal reached.

When not to

In the middle of a problem, in the same email as an invoice, or before the result is visible. And ask once, with one reminder at most: a client who doesn’t answer twice has answered.

The moment to ask for a testimonial, by type of business
Business The moment of a clear win Ask by
Trades and home services At the final walk-round, when they see the finished job, or a week later once they have lived with it. In person at sign-off, then by email
Design, web, photo or agency When they react to the final delivery, or when the work brings its first result, such as an enquiry or a sale. By email, after the handover
Accounting, legal or consulting Right after a clear outcome: the return filed, the deal closed, the problem solved. By email, after the outcome
Coaching, fitness or personal care When they mention progress themselves: a milestone reached, a goal met, a compliment from someone else. In person, then by text
Online or local shop After the second order, not the first: buying again is the clearest sign they like it. By email, after a repeat order
Weddings and events Within a week or two of the event, while the day and the guests’ comments are fresh. By email, within two weeks

Asking in person works best, with the words in writing afterwards. People say yes more easily face to face, but a spoken “happy to” is not something you can quote. Write down what they said, send it to them, and let their reply be the record.

02 / Request writer

How to ask for testimonials from clients,
written for your client.

Tell the writer what you did, for whom and how you’ll ask. It writes the request as an email, a text message or what to say in person, five questions for your kind of business, a permission line and the one follow-up to send if nothing comes back. It starts with a made-up bathroom fitter’s client; change the details to yours. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Request writer · a made-up bathroom fitter’s client
When it finished
How you’ll ask

The email uses three of the five questions, so it stays short. Use all five on a call, in person or in a form.

Request email · 5 questions · permission · follow-up

A good moment: still fresh, and they have had time to live with it.

Request email

Subject: Three quick questions about the new bathroom

Hi Maria, It’s been about a week since we finished the new bathroom, and I hope it’s all going well. I’m gathering a few words from clients for our website, so people planning similar work at home can hear about us from someone other than me. Would you share yours? To make it quick, here are three questions. A line or two for any of them is plenty, and I’ll shape your answers into a short testimonial and send it back for you to approve or change before it goes anywhere. 1. Before the new bathroom, what was bothering you most? 2. What almost stopped you from going ahead, and what made you choose us? 3. Now it’s done, what do you notice day to day? Are you happy for us to use your words, as you approve them, on our website and in our marketing? If so, just say yes, and tell me how you’d like to be named: full name, first name and town, or initials. If it’s not for you, no problem at all. Thank you either way. Sam

Five questions · for a call, a form or in person

  1. Before the new bathroom, what was bothering you most?
  2. What almost stopped you from going ahead, and what made you choose us?
  3. How did the work itself go: the timing, the tidiness, how we kept you updated?
  4. Now it’s done, what do you notice day to day?
  5. Who would you tell about us, and what would you say?

Permission line · in writing, every time

Are you happy for us to use your words, as you approve them, on our website and in our marketing? If so, just say yes, and tell me how you’d like to be named: full name, first name and town, or initials.

Follow-up · A week later, if nothing has come back

Hi Maria, just bringing this back to the top of your inbox. Even one line about the new bathroom is enough, and I’ll do the writing. If it’s not for you, no problem at all.

One reminder, then stop. The follow-up is the only one. A testimonial you had to chase three times won’t read like one anyway.

Draft only from what they said. Tidy the grammar and cut the length, but keep their facts and their phrases, and add nothing they didn’t say.

Read it as a promise. If you won’t really send the draft back before it goes up, untick the box and take that sentence out.

03 / Questions to ask

Testimonial questions to ask clients
that get more than “great service”.

Ask about a before, a doubt and an after, and the testimonial writes itself. A specific story, from a problem to a result, is what a reader believes. Each question below gets one part of that story. Put together, the made-up answers in the last column are the testimonial in the hero above.

  1. 01 Before What was going on before you came to us? The problem, in their words. Readers recognise themselves in it. “The shower leaked into the kitchen ceiling, and we had put it off for two years.”
  2. 02 Doubt What almost stopped you from going ahead? The objection your next client has too, answered by someone who had it. “We dreaded being without a bathroom for weeks.”
  3. 03 Experience What stood out about working with us? The part only a client can vouch for: how you behave. “They cleaned up every evening and texted me each morning.”
  4. 04 Result What is different now? The outcome, ideally with a number or a date in it. “Nine days start to finish, and the ceiling has been dry since.”
  5. 05 Who for Who would you recommend us to? Tells the right reader that this is for them. “Anyone in an old house who has been putting it off.”

Questions that get weak testimonials

  • Could you write us a testimonial? A blank page. Most people put it off, then write “Great service, highly recommend.”
  • Were you happy with our service? A yes-or-no question gets a yes or a no.
  • How would you rate us out of 5? A number, not a sentence. That is a review, and its own ask.
  • What did you love about working with us? Leads the answer, so it reads like you wrote it.

The doubt question matters most

“What almost stopped you?” gets the objection your next client is weighing right now: the price, the disruption, whether you’d turn up. A testimonial that names a worry and says how it turned out answers that objection better than anything you could write yourself.

04 / Templates

Testimonial request email templates
for four situations.

Pick the one that fits, replace everything in [square brackets], and send it from your own address. A request from a person gets answered; one from a no-reply address doesn’t.

The last one is the easiest testimonial you’ll ever get: the client has already written it. Search your inbox for “thank you” and “recommend”, and you’ll probably find a few.

After a project

Subject: Three quick questions about [the project]

Hi [first name], It’s been about [a week] since we finished [the project], and I hope it’s all going well. I’m gathering a few words from clients for our website, so people thinking of hiring us can hear about us from someone other than me. Would you share yours? A line or two for any of these is plenty: 1. Before [the project], what was the problem you wanted solved? 2. What almost stopped you from going ahead? 3. What’s different now? If it’s easier, reply with rough notes. I’ll shape them into a few sentences and send them back for you to approve before anything goes up. And tell me how you’d like to be named: full name, first name and town, or initials. Thank you either way, [Your name]
05 / Permission

How do you get permission
to use a testimonial?
In writing, with the details.

A written yes to the exact wording, and to how they’ll be named, is the permission. An email reply or a ticked box on a form is enough for most small businesses; a video or a photo needs its own yes. Keep the record with the testimonial, so that years later you can still say who agreed to what.

  • Their original words The reply, the form answers or your notes from the call, kept as they came in. Email of 12 November
  • The approved version The exact wording they said yes to, after any edits. “We’d put it off for two years…”
  • How they are named Full name, first name and town, initials, or company and role. Maria, Leeds
  • Where you may use it Your website only, or also social posts, print and ads. Website and social
  • When and how they agreed The date, and the email reply, form tick or signed release. Reply, 19 November
  • Photo, logo or video A separate yes for each. A face or a voice needs its own permission. No photo
  • Anything they received A discount, a gift or a free session, so you can disclose it. Nothing
  • Any connection to you Friend, relative, employee or business partner. None

Look at the list again once a year. The FTC’s FAQ says an older testimonial should come down if what you sell has changed since, and if a client asks you to remove theirs, remove it.

Written

Start here, with every client

  • Easy to say yes to: a reply to an email is all it takes.
  • Easy to draft, approve and change later.
  • Fits anywhere: your site, a quote, a proposal, a post.

Video

Ask the clients who already said yes in writing

  • Harder to doubt: a face and a voice.
  • Ask them to say their written answer on camera, on a phone or a video call, in under a minute.
  • Get a separate written yes to using their image and voice, add captions, and keep the full recording.
06 / What not to do

Five ways to get a testimonial
you can’t use.

In the US, a testimonial on your website is an endorsement in your advertising, so the FTC’s rules apply to how you got it. Its rule on consumer reviews and testimonials has been in force since 21 October 2024, and lets it seek civil penalties against knowing violators.FTC Here are the points that matter when you ask. Where and how to show testimonials, and the rules on display, are in the guide to adding testimonials to your website.

  1. 01

    Writing it for them and publishing it

    Draft from their own words if it helps, then send it back and use only the version they approve. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say an ad doesn’t have to use an endorser’s exact words unless it presents them as exact, for example in quotation marks, but it may not take them out of context or reword them so as to distort their opinion or experience.16 CFR 255.1

  2. 02

    A reward that depends on praise

    You can thank people, but not with a discount or gift that depends on the testimonial being positive. If they did receive something, or were told in advance they might be featured, the FTC’s FAQ says to disclose that in the ad, next to their words.FTC FAQ

  3. 03

    Asking only the happy ones, then calling it typical

    Picking your best testimonials for your own site is normal. Presenting them as what most clients say, or as a fair sample, is not, if you only asked the people you expected to be pleased. The FTC’s FAQ calls asking only likely-happy customers misleading when it skews the picture.FTC FAQ

  4. 04

    A result nobody else gets

    A testimonial with a number in it, such as money saved or weight lost, reads as what others can expect. Unless you can show it’s typical, the FTC expects you to say clearly what people generally get.FTC FAQ

  5. 05

    Friends, family and staff without saying so

    Their words can still be used, but the connection must be disclosed next to them. Testimonials from people who don’t exist, or who never used what you sell, are banned outright under the FTC’s 2024 rule.FTC rule

  6. And a Google review?

    That is a different ask with stricter rules: it goes on Google in the client’s own words, you can’t edit it, and Google bans any reward for it. Ask for one at a separate moment; the guide on how to get more Google reviews has the wording and the link.

This is how the FTC’s guidance reads to us, not legal advice. Other countries have their own rules on endorsements and reviews.

07 / Collect them

Ask on a timer,
and keep every answer in one place.

For one client a month, a reply to your email is all you need. Once there are more, the asking gets forgotten and the answers end up in five places. In Builderify, a form on one page of your site collects the answers and the permission, and a sequence sends the request a set number of days after each job.

  1. 1

    Build a testimonial form

    In Custom Forms, part of the website widget Bubble, start an empty form. Add a text field for their name, a paragraph field for each question from the writer, a radio choice for how they want to be named (full name, first name and town, initials), and a checkbox that says what they allow, such as “You may use my answers on your website and in your marketing.”

  2. 2

    Show it on one page only

    Make a page on your site for it, such as /feedback, and leave it out of your menu. Add a Custom Form block to the Bubble and give it an include rule for that page; targeting is set per block, so your other visitors never see it. The link in your request goes to that page, and the form is waiting in the Bubble there.

  3. 3

    Read the answers where they land

    Each submission is kept with the form, with the page and the date: open the form in the dashboard to search, filter by date, read one in full or export them all to CSV. Each also shows in the activity feed as a new form submission, and account owners get an email about it unless they switch that off. That stored submission, with the box they ticked, is your written record. A submission joins a lead list only if the form has a consent box they ticked and the block is connected to a list, so asking for a testimonial signs nobody up for your newsletter.

  4. 4

    Send the request on day 7, automatically

    Make a list such as “Finished jobs”, and a sequence on it in Sequences with two emails: the request on day 7 with the link to your form page, and the reminder on day 14. Days count from when each client joins the list. Leave Enroll new leads on, switch the sequence on, and add each client by hand the day you finish, confirming they agreed to hear from you. A sequence fills in first name, last name, full name and email, not the project, so write the job as something general, such as “the work we did for you”.

  5. 5

    Stop the reminder when they answer

    A reply to one of the sequence’s emails takes the client off it. Filling in the form doesn’t, so when an answer arrives, open the sequence and remove them, or word the reminder so it reads fine to someone who has already answered: “If you’ve already sent it, thank you, and ignore this.”

One client, in creditsFrom the rate card
The request email
0.5 credits
The reminder, if it goes
0.5 credits
Both, at most
1 credit

Every account gets 250 free credits a month, and page loads with the widget on them are counted too. There is no monthly fee; packs start at $9 and purchased credits never expire. See pricing for the whole rate card.

The same list-and-sequence setup chases quotes in the guide to the follow-up email after a quote, and greets new subscribers in the welcome email sequence. Once a testimonial is approved, the guide to how to add testimonials to your website covers where to put it.

Questions

Asking for testimonials, before you ask.

Ask soon after a clear win, by email or in person, and say why: a few words for your website, so people like them hear from someone other than you. Send three specific questions rather than asking for "a testimonial", offer to shape their answers into a few sentences for them to approve, and ask how they would like to be named. Send one reminder a week later at most.

At the moment the client has just seen the result and is pleased: the final walk-round of a job, the handover of a project, the day the problem is solved, or after a customer's second order. Avoid asking in the middle of a problem or in the same email as an invoice.

Five cover it: what was going on before, what almost stopped them going ahead, what stood out about working with you, what is different now, and who they would recommend you to. Avoid yes-or-no questions and "could you write us a testimonial?", which tend to get "great service, highly recommend".

You can draft one from their own words, as long as they approve it before you use it. In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides say an endorsement does not have to use the exact words unless it is presented as exact, for example in quotation marks, but it must not be reworded or taken out of context so as to change their opinion or experience. Never publish a testimonial the client has not seen.

Not one that depends on the testimonial being positive. In the US, the FTC says an incentive cannot be conditioned on praise, and if the client received something, such as a discount or a gift, that should be disclosed next to their words. Google bans any reward for a Google review, so keep that ask separate. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

All four were read on 29 October 2026. The timing and the questions on this page are common practice, not the result of a study. The Builderify details come from the Bubble, Leads and Sequences pages and the rate card on this site. Every client, answer and testimonial on this page is made up, and nothing here is legal advice.

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