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Testimonial Request Email Clients Answer
Describe the client and the project. Get an email that makes saying yes easy, with tailored prompts, a draft-for-approval offer and a follow-up.
River's testimonial request email writes the message that gets a past client to say yes. Describe who you are asking and what you did for them. River writes a short, warm email that reminds them of the specific work, asks three easy questions tied to that project, and offers to draft something from their own words for approval. It also says exactly where the testimonial will appear and how they will be credited. A polite follow-up comes with it, for clients who mean to reply and forget.
Most templates for this search ask clients to write a testimonial from nothing, which is a homework assignment busy people put off indefinitely. Others suggest offering a reward for a glowing review, which in the United States can breach the FTC's rule on reviews and testimonials. This email makes the task small and specific, asks for an honest view rather than praise, and gets clear permission for how the words and name will be used, so you never publish something the client did not approve.
It is for freelancers, consultants and small agencies building proof for a website, a LinkedIn profile or proposals, and the website content checklist shows how to rewrite your site in clients' own words. Send it at a natural high point, such as a successful launch or a client's thank-you message, while the result is still fresh in their mind. A strong testimonial also makes a good starting point for a case study, and it gives your next ghostwriting proposal the kind of proof that new clients look for.
What makes a testimonial worth asking for
Useful testimonials are specific. A line saying the writer was great to work with tells a prospect nothing. One saying the new service pages finally got the phones ringing on Mondays tells them what changed and why it mattered. You get that kind of answer by asking about the situation before, the work itself and what is different now, rather than asking for a testimonial in general. Clients find specific questions easier to answer, too, because they are remembering rather than composing from scratch.
Offering to draft it is often what turns a maybe into a yes. Many clients would happily endorse you but dread writing. Offer to turn their answers, or something they already said in an email, into a short quote they can edit or approve. Use their words, not yours, and never publish a version they have not seen. Ask too how they want to be credited: full name, job title and company, or something more discreet, such as a first name and industry.
Keep incentives out of it. The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials, published in August 2024, bans offering anything in return for reviews that express a particular sentiment, positive or negative, and bans fake or misattributed testimonials. Review sites set their own rules about asking for reviews as well. The safest request asks for an honest view, offers nothing that depends on what it says, and records the client's permission to publish it.
How it works
Describe the client
Who they are, what you did for them, and anything kind they have already said.
Choose where it goes
Your website, LinkedIn, a review site or proposals, since each needs a slightly different ask.
Get the emails
The request and a follow-up, each with a subject line, written in your voice.
Turn answers into quotes
Paste the client's reply into chat and River shapes it into short quotes for approval.
What you get
- A short request that names the specific project and result, so the client remembers instantly
- Three easy questions about before, during and after that draw out a specific testimonial
- An offer to draft from the client's own words for their approval, which removes the homework
- Clear wording on where it will appear and how the client will be credited
- A polite follow-up email for clients who mean to reply and forget
- No incentives tied to positive reviews, keeping the request within the FTC's rule
Common questions
When is the best time to ask for a testimonial?
Right after a visible win: a launch, a strong result, or a message where the client thanks you. Their satisfaction is fresh and the details are easy to recall. Waiting months means they remember less and say something vaguer. If the project is long, ask at a milestone rather than at the end, then ask again later if the results grow.
Can I write the testimonial for the client?
You can offer to draft it from their own words, such as their answers or a past email, as long as they review and approve the final wording before you publish it. Never publish words they did not say or approve. River's email includes this offer, and River can shape their reply into short quotes for them to check.
Can I offer a discount in exchange for a testimonial?
Not one that depends on it being positive. The FTC's 2024 rule bans incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment, and many review sites restrict incentives of any kind. A neutral thank-you that does not depend on what the client says is a different matter, but the simplest approach is to ask without offering anything.
How is a LinkedIn recommendation request different?
A LinkedIn recommendation is written in the client's own profile, so the request should point them to it and suggest what to mention, such as the project and the result. Keep it brief and offer a few prompts rather than a full draft. River adjusts the email when you choose LinkedIn, including a short version suited to a direct message.
What if the client does not reply?
Send the follow-up once, about a week later, with a smaller ask, such as replying with one sentence or approving a short quote drawn from something they already said. Then let it go. Clients who do not answer two polite requests usually have nothing against you; they are busy, and a third request costs more goodwill than it gains.
Sources
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.
Testimonial Request Email Clients Answer
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.