Congratulations on creating your first collection form with our testimonial software Senja! Now you're one stop closer to growing your business with better quality video and text social proof. Next up? Collect your first customer testimonial

To collect your first testimonial, you'll need to share your form. If you're not sure how or when to do this, this guide will make it crystal clear.

Here are 14 times and places our awesome users share their Senja form to collect more testimonials. For clarity, I've broken this down into 4 different types of collection: campaign-based, automatic, passive and conversation-based.

TL:DR

Here's a visual summarising the best places and times to share your form:

Campaign-based or one-off collection

Some of Senja's customers run campaign-based testimonial collection 3 or 4 times a year. This usually involves a one-off series of requests across different platforms and places, as follows:

1. Over email

Email your form to existing and new happy customers and request a testimonial.

Not sure how to ask? Here some examples of the copy you can use to request a testimonial.

https://twitter.com/dr/status/1537055995985207296

2. In your community

Do you have a community for your customers? Post the link to your Senja collection form in the community and request testimonials.

3. On your social channels

On your social channels like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram. You can link to your collection form in your bios, a DM, or as a post.

https://twitter.com/JessTelford/status/1537028827226198016

4. On the phone or text message

Yes, people still do this, and it's effective. Just phone your customers and ask them to send you a testimonial over email, or dictate one to you right then and there. Simple and effective. Thanks to Elliot for the tip.

https://twitter.com/ehawk90/status/1537000626810499072?s=20

5. In person

Alternatively, if you're a freelancer or consultant running an in-person workshop or event, make sure you finish your session by asking for referrals. Private chef Chris recommends reminding people that referrals are critical to your business, before giving them a card to complete. Add your Senja link to your own card.

https://twitter.com/Aintitdelicious/status/1537033500431470592

Automatic collection

Our recommendation is to automate testimonial collection into your existing work flows. That way you can collect testimonials without hard work and while you sleep.

To automate, you want to trigger an email requesting a testimonial with a link to your form. Here's some triggers your business already has. Use them to collect more testimonials.

6. After your customer hits a milestone

For SaaS: do you send emails congratulating your customers on hitting milestones in your product, or activating a feature? Include a link to your form in these emails.

For course creators: 10 days after your student completes the course, automate an email requesting a testimonial.

https://twitter.com/BenjaminHouy/status/1537128724910551040

7. After reporting

For freelancers: do you send your clients a report or update with results? If so, share your form when you have positive news.

https://twitter.com/Bronwyntagg/status/1537358995853303808

8. After your customer upgrades or renews

For SaaS: Do you send emails congratulating your customers on upgrading? If so, include your collection form link in the email.

For freelancers: Did your client extend their work with you? Now's a great time to ask for a testimonial.

9. After a purchase

Ecommerce and creators: Automate a testimonial request after someone buys your product. This should be sent 10 days after the product is received so that your customers has enough time to form an opinion.

If you are already collecting reviews, you can redirect positive reviews (4 or 5 stars) to your testimonial form.

10 . After your send an invoice

For freelancers: include a testimonial request when you send an invoice for your recent work. Here's how freelancer writer Sakshi does it.

https://twitter.com/myselfsakshi/status/1537096309034737664

Passive collection

Places you can add your collection form link once, and collect testimonials constantly.

11. In your website footer

Add a leave a testimonial link in your website footer. In your website footer, just like we do on Senja. You can also embed the form on your website and link to the relevant page.

12. In your email signature

Both me and Wilson have a link to leave a testimonial in our email signatures, which generates the occasional testimonial without any ongoing work.

13. In your marketing email footer

Sending a marketing or promotional email? Add a link to your email's footers so it's always available to the reader once they've finished reading.

Conversation-based collection

This is probably the most-effective way to collect testimonials as it's extremely targeted.

14. Everywhere you talk to your customers

Whether it's your chatbot, social DMs, phone call or over email, you should always request a testimonial after a good interaction or positive feedback from a customer.

!!A good tip is to keep your form collection link to hand so you can share it when you need it.

https://twitter.com/d__raptis/status/1537493836154683392

As an example, Senja's chatbot often leads to good customer interactions. Once the customer says thank you for the support, we point them to our testimonial collection form and ask them to left a testimonial.

https://twitter.com/rich186/status/1537002561395376131

Tips to collect more testimonials

Sometimes, sharing your testimonial form isn't enough to get people to respond. Here are a few tips you can use to improve your response rates.

Tip #1: Engage first

Cold emailing customers to request a testimonial can feel transactional. Instead, follow this tip by Dagobert from Logology and you'll see better quality conversations that lead to more testimonials.

https://twitter.com/dagorenouf/status/1504457053514915845

Tip #2: Use an incentive

Struggling to collect testimonials. Consider using a testimonial incentive.

Speak to your sales and marketing team. Who are your best customers? Send them your collection link with an offer in return for a testimonial. This could be $20 voucher, product discount, a box of chocolates or other gift.