As I mentioned on this post, one element that virtually any sales page should have is a list of testimonials. That is, people who bought/used the product in the past and liked it.
Getting those testimonials is not always straight forward, so here are some strategies you can use for this purpose:
1. Don’t Use Fake Testimonials
I’ve seen people around the web encouraging you to create fake testimonials while you don’t have any. I don’t agree with this approach. First and foremost for the ethical aspect. Second because often it will be possible to identify your fake testimonials, and the result could backfire.
2. Ask Beta Testers
On the sub-title of your testimonial section you could say something like “Check what some people who already used our product had to say about it…”. Notice the “used” instead of “bought”. In other words, this means you could invite beta testers to try your product for free and ask them for a testimonial, and since you are not claiming the testimonials are only from people who actually bought your product it would be fine. If you want to be 100% transparent you could even mention that the testimonial is coming from a beta tester.
3. Explicitly Ask Users
Rarely customers will come to you with an spontaneous testimonial. In other words, you need to explicitly ask them if you want some. You could email them 30 days after the purchase, for instance, or include a paragraph on the page where they will be redirected after the purchase.
4. Give Them an Incentive
Writing a testimonial takes a bit of time, and most people are lazy. If you give them a small incentive, therefore, the number of testimonials you’ll get could skyrocket. The incentive could be an ebook or a mention on the blog of your company, for instance. Just make it clear that the incentive is a “thank you” gesture for the time the client will take to write and send the testimonial, and not a bribe to get him to write only positive things about your product.
