Every copy should include testimonials. Testimonials build credibility, and show that other people are using your product or service and have achieved exactly what you promised. Without testimonials, your offer is being based on what “YOU” alone have written, and why should they trust you? Testimonials are great instruments of social proof.
It’s very important that you start collecting as much feedback as possible from your past clients and surveying them to be able to use their statements in your copy. An offer without testimonials can read very flat, especially if the reader is expecting to read what others have said.
For a testimonial to be truly believable, it’s best to use the name of the person; and to do this, you need their permission. A full name instead of an abbreviation will look far more credible than just listed initials. We’ve seen testimonials that simply state “A.S” or “J.B” and to me that means absolutely nothing.
We generally prefer to see a full name, and even a location such as “Jim Johnson, Michelle, Georgia”. I do not expect to see a telephone number and exact address as that leads to privacy rights, but at least a full name and city/state helps in validating the testimonial.
With the ever-increasing investigations into companies, it’s also important that every testimonial you list is actually backed with proof. This is in case you are ever investigated. Keep all your testimonials on file, whether they are testimonials sent in through the mail or email. If you are quoting something that was said on the phone, then that’s harder to track unless you have the recording.
There is not much more to be said other since it is self-explanatory. If you do not have any testimonials on file, then do not fake any. It’s better to not have any testimonial than to fabricate one.
Specifics: Being Precise
Being specific is very important. When you request your testimonials from your customers, ask them to be as specific as possible concerning the benefits that they have received. You do not want someone who said, “You really did a good job!” “Good” doesn’t tell us anything in particular. They must be very specific on how the product has helped them.
When writing your copy, provide exact figures. If you are offering a moneymaking report, people will tend to believe you if you input the exact figure you’ve made instead of providing a flat number. For example, if you’ve earn $2,342.46 per month utilizing the techniques outlined in the product you’re offering, then by all means input that exact number instead of rounding it down to $2,300. If you input exact figures, it seems more believable than rounded figures. If you have a statistic to offer, instead of stating 65% of people are shown to do… you can instead say 65.7%. Always use the exact figure; it’s very important in building credibility.
Use of Sub-Headings
This can be overlooked but the format of your copy is also very important. It’s always wise to have your copy divided into sub-headings for easier reading, with the most important words or benefits being the title of the testimonial. Not only will this make it easier to read, but it will also allow you to highlight important points that you want to stress upon.
Location
You need to put testimonials at certain strategic points within the body of your copy when you are making a certain point in your copy that goes along with something from a testimonial.
You need to use a testimonial that has something in it that directly overcomes a particular buyer’s objection or skepticism. For example, if you think that customers might be doubtful if your product can produce results within 10 days as you have stated, include a testimonial of a customer that has experienced such results within 10 days or less.