What Makes A Testimonial Stand Out?
An outstanding 92% of online buyers say they read online reviews before making up their mind. Therefore, it's imperative that you make your reviews and testimonials stand out from the noise. If you take a close look at successful testimonial examples, you'll notice that they have various similarities, starting with length and clarity. Decision-makers don't have time to waste, so testimonials that are about one paragraph long and go straight to the point are ideal. This means that you should focus on one of the many benefits your solution offers. Start with a customer's challenge and how your software helped them overcome it.
Customer testimonials should also be logical and emotional, so include statistics and data that support your claims and try to engage people emotionally. Above everything, be authentic and don't exaggerate your claims. Lastly, make your trust-building testimonials visually compelling by keeping the structure clear and simple. Decision-makers should find a reason to read your review while skimming through pages.
And remember, gaining triumphant reviews can get you featured on the People's Choice LMS Awards list, which increases your visibility even further.
In This Guide, You Will Find...
- The Advantages Of Testimonials In Marketing
- 6 Written Testimonial Examples That Build Credibility
- 6 Video Testimonial Examples That Drive Trust
- How Should You Direct Your Clients To Write Testimonials?
- How eLearning Industry Supports Vendors
The Advantages Of Testimonials In Marketing
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Deeper Audience Connections
The best testimonial examples are proof that honest customer feedback strikes a chord with people's emotions. Why? Because your buyers don't use complex corporate language but instead speak from the heart. So, when you ask your clients for their reviews, encourage them to use simple, emotional language, explaining how you helped them overcome their struggles. Social proof in marketing doesn't have to sound corporate at all. Over time, you will reduce customer churn and earn people's trust and loyalty.
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Brand Reputation
There is no better shoutout than business testimonials that highlight your company's value and product benefits. Imagine someone writing a review on Google, and you repost it on all your social media platforms and other niche directories. Potential buyers read it and get a clear picture of your solution's performance. But an online reputation management strategy is necessary to keep track of and reply to new reviews.
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Credibility
Statistics show that 54% of buyers trust reviews and testimonials more than family members or their peers. And since there is a lot of skepticism regarding the authenticity of online reviews, it's in your hands to create trustworthy testimonials. Video testimonials, as we'll explain later, are engaging and convincing. However, if clients don't feel confident speaking in front of the camera, you can ask them to sign off on your testimonial so others can easily contact them to confirm their experience.
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Loyalty
You've probably seen various testimonial examples online. You might've also seen how companies utilize them by putting them up on landing pages or creating social media posts highlighting them. Imagine being the customer that a business contacts, asking them to use your review. Wouldn't it feel great to be recognized for your kind words? Brand monitoring helps you identify these wonderful company testimonials and cultivate loyalty.
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SEO
Improving your Google rankings takes a lot of work, and a business testimonial and review can go a long way, as Google takes into consideration a company's reputation. It's not only the reviews people leave directly on your Google profile but also the ones you include on your website pages and third-party review sites. For example, eLearning Industry's PPC directories are an excellent place for niche businesses to list themselves and encourage users to leave reviews. This way, you also gain a valuable backlink.
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Free Promotion
Why are reviews important to increase your clientele? Marketers spend so much time and resources creating campaigns that attract leads. Product testimonials are the marketing assistance you've always wanted since they act as natural and compelling copy you can use to include in your ads, landing pages, social media profiles, and campaigns. And all that without spending a penny.
6 Written Testimonial Examples That Build Credibility
1. Customer Quotes
One of the best B2B testimonial practices is to pull short quotes from larger reviews or simply ask clients for them specifically. Most businesses add such quotes on product pages and their main landing page or create a review library. These customer review examples are easy to get and increase your credibility significantly, as visitors can see who provided them and what their role in the company is. They are not distracting and take only seconds to read. If you want to enrich this format, you can ask your customers to give you an out-of-five rating so you can include stars next to their quotes.
2. Case Study Testimonials
Among the most used testimonial examples are case studies. To convert business opportunity leads into buyers, you need to showcase how your brand has helped other companies solve similar problems. During the conversion stage, prospects seek to read as many case study articles as possible. So, pick a list of successful projects and ask your clients if they would be willing to provide you with detailed information. Craft comprehensive case studies highlighting the problem at hand, your course of action, the problems you encountered, and the steps you took to overcome them.
Take a look at this long-form case study to see how businesses create such testimonials on eLearning Industry.
3. Social Media Testimonials
When people enjoy a service, they sometimes go on social media and either leave a review on the company's page or post about their experience, often tagging businesses. Monitoring your mentions helps you pick out the best reviews and create user-generated content testimonials. You may even find a picture attached to the review. Contact the user and ask them for permission to use the review and the image if needed. A key benefit of this customer review example is its credibility, as people can easily double-check that it's authentic.
Additionally, such client testimonials offer you the opportunity to engage with your customers and show everyone else watching that you are active on social media. Therefore, you stay on top of things and reply to negative or problematic comments before they cause a crisis.
4. Influencer Testimonials
Social media influencer marketing is becoming overly popular and necessary in the B2B landscape. Getting an established and highly respected figure in your niche to talk about your business and your product's benefits is monumental. This way, you add an extra layer of trust and credibility. However, you should be very careful when you choose your influencers. Avoid generic figures who work with all sorts of businesses. Start engaging with industry-specific people on social media by liking and commenting. Once you've established a connection, you can ask them to try out your software and write their honest feedback.
5. Interview Testimonials
Another wonderful testimonial example that can be delivered in written and video form is an interview. Videos may be harder to create, and some clients may not want to appear in front of the camera. So, prepare a list of questions to direct the conversation and highlight all important aspects of your collaboration. Here's some questions you may ask:
- Did you have any objections before working with us?
- Which features impressed you the most?
- How did our services help your business?
- What are the top benefits?
- Would you recommend us to someone else?
6. Peer Reviews
If you want to find a good restaurant, you probably seek reviews on Yelp or TripAdvisor. For SaaS testimonial quotes, you need a niche and industry-specific third-party site that features real and honest reviews. Platforms like eLearning Industry have strict checking protocols to ensure all reviews are genuine and not submitted by bots. In some instances, customers might submit their reviews on their own. However, you can also encourage them to visit these types of directories instead of generic spaces like Google where testimonials aren't carefully reviewed before publishing.
Usually, clients mention both positives and negatives under review software listings, which is a great sign for future buyers. Would you trust a business that only has positive comments but nothing negative?
6 Video Testimonial Examples That Drive Trust
1. Amazon Web Services
This video testimonial explains clearly the problem Amazon Web Services helped Dropbox solve. The video starts with the problem at hand before moving on to the solution and finally the impact it had on the company. The video is only one minute long and is divided into three clear sections, so it's very engaging to watch.
Why It Works
- Text-only screens break the monotony of having one person speaking.
- Light, happy music creates a very pleasant environment.
- Text on creative backgrounds helps you divide your testimonial into sections.
2. Google Ads
Google Ads continuously uses the top testimonial examples to promote its services. In the video shared below, a fashion retailer startup explains its mission and why it chose paid ads alongside its SEO strategy to increase sales. Showing the company's growth in numbers, Google promotes its PPC model effectively. PPC lead generation is a tried and tested method that allows businesses to grow quickly.
Why It Works
- You get direct feedback and praise from your collaborators.
- You start your video with a dramatic statement that appears later on.
- Customers highlight specific product features they love.
3. Slack
In this video testimonial, Virtual Dining Concepts explains how Slack helps their complex business run its communication smoothly. As the CEO of the company says, communication is key so not everything breaks down. By showing how it can organize even the largest teams, Slack generates targeted leads.
Why It Works
- It shows real videos and pictures of the company in action to create an emotional connection.
- Music once again increases engagement.
- It explains what the company does. This works well when the client isn't well-known.
4. Dove
Now that's a product review example rooted in emotion. Dove contacted a blind woman to try out its new shower foam and give an honest review. The woman starts by explaining her story and how she learned to experience everything in life through touch, meaning she is very sensitive to how things feel on her skin.
Why It Works
- It features a powerful personal story that captivates audiences immediately.
- It features clips from the woman's daily life while we hear her speaking.
- It is really emotional, which keeps people engaged and drives them from the beginning to the end.
5. HP
Elanders is a print and packaging company that uses HP's services to successfully fulfill all orders without delay and faster than its competitors. HR used this testimonial example to show why its systems are the best on the market and how they help clients be more efficient.
Why It Works
- It features a large company and well-known name in the industry, so it's easier to prove HP's worth.
- It's not only the CEO of Elanders who talks, but also HP's creative manager. The more voices you can fit, the better.
6. Salesforce
This video testimonial starts with Humana's mission to build loyal and trusting patient relationships. Then, the company's leaders tell us how they managed to improve client relationships using Salesforce's data. And we all know why having the right data is essential to generating high-quality business leads.
Why It Works
- It doesn't just explain the problem and the solution. It shows us an actual example.
- The testimonial example shows us real people interacting with Humana's service in real scenarios.
How Should You Direct Your Clients To Write Testimonial Examples?
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Explain Their Unique Situation
Great testimonials usually start with a business's problems and unique circumstances before deciding to purchase a product. This is important to lay the foundation and potentially appeal to other companies that resonate and might be in the same tough spot. Maybe other businesses in the same industry are looking to overcome the same struggles.
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Specify The Problem They Encountered
The testimonial examples we shared earlier help explain the specific problem at hand after laying the foundation. Maybe your client faced a combination of issues before buying your solution. Ask them to state the issues and how they impacted their daily workflow. You can mention these in just two sentences.
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Pinpoint The Exact Benefits You Offer
Online reviews usually focus on features and benefits. With your testimonials, you want to concentrate more on the latter. All types of testimonials have the same goal: to highlight the value of a product. And to do that, you must show its benefits. Features are often so tech-demanding that people lose interest if they are not tech-savvy.
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Highlight How Their Business Improved
Whatever testimonial example you choose to utilize in your marketing strategy, it's crucial you talk about the way or ways your collaborator improved its practices. If available, use data to support your claims. It's important to disclose the effectiveness of your services and the specific pain points they solve. Other businesses may have the same challenges but not be aware that a solution is out there.
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Use Industry Language
There is always a right and wrong way to communicate. It's the same when you learn how to ask for reviews. Every industry has its own terminology that pros use daily to communicate. So, lean on these terms and include them as you see fit, excluding jargon that might confuse some viewers.
How eLearning Industry Supports Vendors
eLearning Industry is a platform that features a plethora of HR and eLearning tech testimonials. Any business can join our PPC directories and choose the software category that suits them. Once your listing is up and running, you can invite your customers to leave their reviews and talk about their experience working with you.
However, some directories feature quite a lot of businesses, meaning it's hard to stand out. There is one way to achieve this: upgrade your free listing so that you appear at the top of the page. This way, visitors can see not only your brand but also your overall rating. Not only that, but a clear CTA button is placed next to your listing so users can visit your domain.
Key Takeaway
A testimonial stands out when it's short, clear, and resonates with the reader. The strongest testimonial examples usually focus on a customer's main challenge and highlight how the solution helped them overcome it, mixing both logic and emotion. A concise story paired with concrete results, like increased productivity or reduced costs, adds credibility and makes the feedback more persuasive. Keeping the language authentic and relatable is essential, since readers can spot exaggeration right away. This mix of honesty and measurable impact ensures your testimonials carry weight and leave a lasting impression.
Equally important is where and how you showcase these testimonials. Featuring them on software review platforms builds trust with buyers who rely on third-party validation, while smart website testimonial placement, such as on landing pages or near call-to-action buttons, can directly influence conversions. By combining powerful, authentic stories with strategic visibility, testimonials become more than words; they become one of your most effective tools for building trust and driving decisions.
Keep it short and clear, about one paragraph. Decision-makers skim. Hit one big benefit, start with the customer's challenge, and show how your software helped them overcome it.
Use a simple flow: problem → solution → outcome. Lead with the customer's unique situation, name the specific pain points, explain what they used, and close with the measurable result (time saved, costs reduced, conversions up).
Blend data with story. Add a stat or two (e.g., "cut payroll time by 43%") to prove impact, and pair it with a short, human line about relief, confidence, or ease. Be authentic, meaning no exaggeration.
Both work. Written quotes and peer reviews are fast to read and easy to place on landing pages. Video testimonials drive trust because they feel personal, so use them when clients are comfortable on camera and you want to show real people and real scenarios. Interviews and case study testimonials are great when you need more depth.
Place them near CTAs on landing pages, product pages, and niche directories where buyers compare tools. Repurpose them for social posts and ads. Keep the layout visually simple (headshot/logo, name, role, one punchy paragraph, optional star rating). Strong, verified reviews can even help you get noticed for People's Choice LMS Awards and similar lists.
