Now, this may or may not come as a surprise to you, but many of the testimonials you read online are not from the hand (or mouth) of the person they are attributed to.
It’s very common for clients to request you to write a testimonial for them. This makes a lot of sense. Some people are too shy, or nervous of their copywriting skills to put something down themselves. They are perfectly happy, however, to approve something that sums up how they feel.
There are a couple of tricks to copywriting testimonials for others.
Don’t put your words in other people’s mouths
If you ask for a testimonial and your client asks if you can write something on their behalf, then do them justice and write something that sounds like your client and uses their words, not your own jargon.
“I was breathless when I first read our web copy. The allegorical phrasing and alliterative construction made the hairs rise at the nape of my neck.”
is better as:
“I love reading our copy, and our sales have really improved. I could never have written that myself! Thanks Steve.”
Be real. It’s more powerful.
Say something of substance
Go back and read the last post Do Testimonials Really Need Copywriting?
Read the section talking about question styles that get the best responses. Now is the time to be your own best copywriter, and ask your-client-self the very same types of questions.
- How did you feel?
- What improvements have been seen?
- How have others reacted?
In other words, don’t just say how great you are; instead, convey real human emotions about how your client felt: relief, surprise, excitement, happiness, thrilled, confident. These words are infused with spirit and will help to sell your expertise much more than tired terms like ‘great’ or ‘wonderful.’
Once you have written your piece, send it to your client for review and approval. Usually they like it enough and approve it right away, but don’t be surprised if you receive some changes in return. Often, all that was needed was a little prompting with a great copywriting service to get the best out of your client.
Coming next in the series: Copywriting FAQs Part 1 – It’s not just a list of misplaced content
