Getting Reviews and Testimonials for Your Launch


If you haven't launched a product yet, how can you get testimonials for it? As most copywriters can attest, testimonials are a crucial part of any high-converting sales letter, especially on the web. If you can get written, audio or video testimonials, your conversion rates will be multitudes higher.

But if you don't have actual customers yet, how do you get those all-important testimonials? Here's how.

=> Start with Friends and Family

If you're running your own business, chances are you have your own cheerleaders and champions who want you to succeed. They can be anyone from your mom to your running buddy, from your best friend to your former co-workers.

If they have any interest at all in your product(s), ask them to do a review. For example, if you're selling a dating product for men, just ask any men you know, even if they're not explicitly interested in the product.

If they think the content is good, ask them for a testimonial. It won't be as good as having a real customer whose life you've changed, but it's a start.

=> Give It Away for Free to "Super Customers"

If you've been in business for a few months and you're producing original, useful content, then you'll probably have a few "super customers."

A "super customers" is basically someone who deeply and passionately loves your work. They love what you're about, they love your style and they want to help in any way they can. If they have the means, they'll probably buy every product you sell. If they don't, they'll be advocates of your business, helping you both on the web and offline through word of mouth.

Identify these customers. Build a relationship with them. Anytime you create a new product, ship it out to them. Ask them for a review, preferably on video. Tell them you'll give them products for free, an $X dollar value, in exchange for a short five-minute video. They don't need to exaggerate, just tell their true and honest opinion.

=> Host an Event

Let's say you're launching a product that teaches people how to teach their parrot to talk. One way to get a lot of testimonials is to host an event.

Host a free event in your local area and announce it to your list. Send private emails to people you know would be interested, inviting them as well.

At the event, demonstrate that you know what you're talking about and can genuinely help others achieve the same success. For example, show the birds that you've already taught to talk, and teach a bird how to talk, live.

At the end of the event, ask for volunteers to give a testimonial about you or your techniques. People who give a testimonial will get a free copy of the product when it's released.

These are effective ways to get testimonials for a product before it's even launched. You don't need to have a hundred testimonials to launch a product; usually anywhere between three and ten will suffice. Use one of these three methods to get the testimonials you need to launch, then add testimonials as real customers get real results.