The 4 levels of testimonials
Not all social proof is worth the same
Everyone knows that testimonials are a great thing to have on any website or sales page.
Unfortunately, many people think that all testimonials are worth the same.
They're not.
Let's rank them from worst to best:
Short text quotes with the name of the person who said it but no photo. These are close to useless. Readers know you can easily make these up, and they might scroll right by them.
Text quotes with a photo. These are better because they're more personable and trustworthy.
Organic quotes over text and social media. These look kind of ugly, but they're very effective. The organic feel of a screenshot tends to work better than the less organic quote + photo strategy. I use these on all my sales pages.
Best of all is detailed video testimonials. These create the most trust, and they're the most engaging.
Last note: the best testimonials are like little pieces of copywriting. They highlight transformations, squash objections, etc. That's why you should guide your customers before having them create their testimonials. You probably don't want to write them a script, but you should suggest that they talk about those things.
Combine those with a powerful testimonial format, and you'll sell more than ever.
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