So you're ready to write a testimonial but stuck on how to structure it? Let me help!
Writing a testimonial for the small business that had the pleasure of working with you is a huge way to continue to support their business growth and the best way to say thank you to them! But I get it that writing reviews can be challenging at times and hard to find the right words. To break it down simply, a testimonial consists of three parts: an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion. That's basically just three sentences at the minimum! Let's get started...
Introduction:
The introduction usually includes information about you and your relation to the business.
For instance, you and your husband or wife had your wedding photos captured by {Photographer/Photography business}, or you are writing a review on your engagement session experience with {Photographer/Photography business}. Including the service you experienced at the start of the review is helpful for others to understand the background of your testimonial.
Example:
My husband and I had the pleasure of hiring Carol with Hern Photography for our Wedding Day photos.
This lets the reader understand that they are reading about the actual wedding day experience from your review, and not necessarily about a different type of session experience like a Boudoir or Engagement session. Readers are looking for specific experiences that benefit their interests when they are reading reviews, so if they are looking specifically for a Wedding Photographer, they are going to skim and look for the reviews that talk on the Wedding Photography experience offered by the business. If you know that the business you are reviewing offers different experiences within their services, make sure to clarify your experience that you are reviewing in this intro portion.
Main Body:
The main body of the testimonial is where you provide details about your personal experience with the person or business.
Think of one or two aspects of your experience that stood out for you. This may include specific examples of how the business helped you, the quality of their work, or any other details that they helped make your experience special and unique. Be honest and genuine in this section of your testimonial. This is the part of the review to focus on sharing your authentic experience and how it has benefited you that you feel stands out from other competitors to that business.
Example:
Besides delivering stunning photos of us on our wedding day that we will forever cherish, we were very impressed with her professionalism and adaptability to the last-minute timeline change!
Readers get a deeper dive on your experience with this statement and are able to analyze if that relates to what they want in their experience with this business or lets them consider an aspect that they never thought they would desire of the service.
Conclusion:
Finally, the conclusion of the testimonial should summarize the writer's overall opinion of the person or business and provide a recommendation for others who may be considering their services.
Did you love working with this business and would you refer them to your friends and family? If so, shout it from the rooftops in this last sentence!
Example:
Her calm demeanor and exceptional customer service skills made us feel comfortable and at ease during our wedding day. If you're looking for a Wedding Photographer you can have confidence in and a great experience with, look no further because Carol with Hern Photography is the one for you!
Easy as 1, 2, 3, right?! Now let's take a look at what all three of those pieces together looks like in a review that someone might read:
Example:
My husband and I had the pleasure of hiring Carol with Hern Photography for our Wedding Day photos. Besides delivering stunning photos of us on our wedding day that we will forever cherish, we were very impressed with her professionalism and adaptability to the last-minute timeline change! Her calm demeanor and exceptional customer service skills made us feel comfortable and at ease during our wedding day. If you're looking for a Wedding Photographer you can have confidence in and a great experience with, look no further because Carol with Hern Photography is the one for you!
With these simple steps, you too can write a review just as smooth and one that gets others excited to work with the same business - which is the biggest compliment for any small business owner!
Thank you for taking the time to read this article on testimonial tips. I hope it helps clear that writers block for you and inspires you to shout out all your favorite small businesses!
If you are one of my clients ready to write your review, please use the button below to navigate to the form. I really appreciate you taking the time to consider documenting your experience and I CANNOT wait to hear what you have to say!
