Founders & Small BusinessFree tool
Testimonial Request Email for Past Clients
An email asking a past client for an honest testimonial: three easy questions, an offer to draft it for their approval, and a follow-up.
Free to start · Opens in your River workspace, ready to edit and share
How to write a testimonial request email
A testimonial request email asks a client you've worked with for a few honest sentences you can publish. A good one is short and personal. It names the project and the result, asks three easy questions, and offers to turn the answers into a quote the client approves. It also says where the words will appear and asks how the client wants to be credited. Send it soon after a clear win, while the details are fresh.
The aim is to make yes the easy answer. Plenty of clients who would gladly vouch for you still put off writing from a blank page. Three questions and a draft to approve take that blank page away.
Ask at the right moment
Ask right after a visible win: the site goes live, the numbers move, or the client thanks you in writing. They still have the details in mind then, and the result still feels new. On a long retainer, ask at a milestone instead of waiting for the end.
Start with clients whose results are specific and whose business looks like the ones you want next. If one has already praised you in an email, that's your cue, and the start of a quote.
It also helps to mention at kickoff that you'll ask for feedback when the work is done. A line in your client onboarding process makes the later request feel routine.
Licensed fields have extra rules
If you work in therapy, law, financial advice or another licensed field, your professional rules may limit testimonials or forbid asking some clients. Check them before you send anything.
Decide where it will appear
Where the words will live changes what you can ask for, so decide that first. A quote for your own site can start as a draft the client approves. A public review has to be written by the client, on the platform, under its rules.
What to ask for, by destination
| Destination | What to ask for | Rules to know |
|---|---|---|
| Your website or proposals | Answers to three questions, then approval of a short quote | Publish only the wording and credit line the client approved |
| A recommendation they write for your profile | Requests go only to 1st-degree connections, and you can ask for a revision1 | |
| An honest review, through your Google review link | Google's policy rules out incentives, asking only happy customers and requesting specific content2 | |
| Yelp | Nothing at all | Yelp's guidelines say businesses should never ask customers to write reviews3 |
When a review site allows requests, ask every recent client, not just the happy ones. The FTC warns that asking for reviews only from customers you think are happy4 could violate the FTC Act.
Offer nothing in return
In the US, the FTC's rule on reviews bans giving incentives in exchange for reviews that express a particular sentiment5, positive or negative. A no-strings incentive should still be disclosed4, the FTC says. Thank clients in words instead.
Ask three questions, not for a testimonial
"Could you write me a testimonial?" hands a busy client a blank page. Questions are quicker to answer and draw out specifics. Sean D'Souza, who teaches marketing through his company Psychotactics, builds strong testimonials from three elements: the client's hesitation before buying, what they discovered afterward, and their emotional response6.
Before
What was going on before you started, and what made them hesitate to hire you? Their doubt is often the one your next client has.
During
What was working together like? To draw out the emotion, D'Souza suggests asking how the experience made them feel.
After
What's different now? Ask for a number if they have one: more calls, hours saved, a sold-out launch.
Keep each question answerable in a sentence or two, and the whole email under about 150 words.
Offer to draft it, then get approval
Offer to turn their answers, or something they've already written to you, into a short quote they can edit or approve. Their job shrinks from writing to a quick yes or no. Draft only from what they actually said, and publish only the version they approve.
In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides allow an ad to paraphrase an endorser. Quotation marks, though, tell readers they're seeing the endorser's exact words7, and no edit may distort the person's opinion or experience. The FTC also says a business shouldn't provide the text for a testimonial4 without a reasonable basis to think it's true to the person's experience. Their own answers give you that basis.
Then ask how they'd like to be credited: full name, title and company, a photo or logo, or something more discreet, such as a first name and industry. Keep their approval of the final wording and credit in writing.
Subject: Three quick questions about the new booking pages
Hi Priya, I've loved seeing the new booking pages fill your Monday appointments. Would you share a few honest words about the project for my website?
A line or two on each is plenty: What was going on before we started? What was working together like? What's different now?
If it's easier, I can turn your answers into a short quote for you to edit. It would sit on my services page, and nothing goes up without your OK. How would you like to be credited: name, title and clinic, or just your first name and field?
Thanks either way, Sam
- Names the work. The first line reminds Priya of the project and its result.
- Small questions. Each one takes a sentence or two to answer.
- Offers a draft. She can approve a draft instead of writing one, and nothing goes up without her.
- Says where and how. She knows where the quote will appear and picks her own credit.
Follow up once, then put it to work
If a week passes without a reply, send one short follow-up with a smaller ask: a single sentence, or a yes to a quote drawn from something they already wrote. If that goes unanswered too, let it go. A quiet client is usually a busy one, and a third nudge costs more goodwill than it earns.
Put each quote beside the claim it backs up, on your services page, in a proposal or on a sales page. Once it's live, send the client the link and your thanks. Long, detailed answers can grow into a full case study.
Before you send the request
- It names the project and the result
- It asks for an honest view, not praise
- It asks three questions, each answerable in a line or two
- It offers to draft a quote for their approval
- It says where the words will appear and asks how to credit them
- It offers nothing in return and follows the platform's rules
Short on time? Describe the client and the work in the box at the top of this page, and River drafts the request and the follow-up for you to edit.
How it works
Start with the client's name, the work you did and the result, plus anything kind they've already said. River writes the request in your voice. It names the project, asks three short questions and offers to draft a quote for the client's approval, then asks how they'd like to be credited.
You also get a follow-up with a smaller ask, to send about a week later. River never invents a result or praise the client didn't give: details to check are marked for you, and any suggested quote uses only their words. Pick LinkedIn, and River adds a short direct message asking for a recommendation. Pick a review site, and River asks for an honest review without drafting it.
Describe the client
Who they are, what you did for them, the result, and anything kind they've already said.
River writes the request
A short email in your voice: three easy questions, an offer to draft and a question about credit.
Get both emails
The request with a subject line and a follow-up for a week later, ready to edit in your workspace.
Turn replies into quotes
Send it yourself. Paste the client's reply into chat, and River shapes it into quotes for their approval.
What you get
- A short request email with a subject line, naming the project and the result you delivered
- Three easy questions about before, during and after that draw out specific, quotable answers
- An offer to draft a short quote from their answers, or from something they already wrote, for approval
- A line saying where the testimonial will appear, and a question about how they'd like to be credited
- A follow-up for about a week later with a smaller ask, for clients who mean to reply
- A suggested quote built only from their own words, marked for approval, if they've said something quotable
Common questions
What should a testimonial request email include?
A testimonial request email should include a one-line reminder of the project and its result, a plain ask for an honest view, and three short questions. It should also offer to draft a quote for the client's approval, say where the words will be published and ask how the client wants to be named. Keep it under about 150 words.
When is the best time to ask for a testimonial?
The best time to ask for a testimonial is right after a visible win: a launch, a result the client can see, or a message thanking you. Their memory of the work is sharp, so answers come faster and with more detail. If the project ended months ago, you can still ask. Open with a line that reminds them of the work and its result.
Can I write the testimonial for my client?
You can draft it, as long as it's built from what they actually told you and they approve the final wording before it appears anywhere. In the US, the FTC says a business shouldn't supply testimonial text without a reasonable basis to believe it's true to the person's experience. Public reviews, such as on Google, should be written by the client in their own words.
Can I offer a discount in exchange for a testimonial?
Not one that depends on what the client says. In the US, the FTC's reviews rule bans incentives for reviews that express a particular sentiment, and Google bans incentives for any review. Any perk you do give should be disclosed beside the testimonial, which weakens it, so the cleanest request offers nothing but thanks.
How do I ask for a LinkedIn recommendation?
Open the client's profile, click More, choose Request a recommendation, and fill in your relationship and your position at the time. Replace the default message with a note naming the project and one result worth mentioning. You can only ask 1st-degree connections, and you can accept, dismiss or ask for a revision of what they write.
How do I write a testimonial request email with River?
Type the client's name, what you did for them and the result into the box at the top of this page, plus anything kind they've said. Then choose where the testimonial will appear. River writes the request and a follow-up into your free River workspace, where you can edit both before sending them yourself.
Is the testimonial request email tool free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your request and follow-up open in a River workspace, where you can edit them, share them or ask River to change them before you send. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
Sources
LinkedIn Help. “Recommendations on LinkedIn.” linkedin.com (opens in a new tab)
Google Maps User Generated Content Policy Help. “Prohibited & restricted content.” support.google.com (opens in a new tab)
Yelp. “Content Guidelines.” yelp.com (opens in a new tab)
FTC. “The Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers.” ftc.gov (opens in a new tab)
eCFR. “16 CFR 465.4: Buying positive or negative consumer reviews.” ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)
Psychotactics. “Three Core Elements of Testimonials.” psychotactics.com (opens in a new tab)
eCFR. “16 CFR 255.1: General considerations.” ecfr.gov (opens in a new tab)
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.