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What is the best format for displaying testimonials?

3 min to read

Each testimonial format has its advantages, and what you choose will depend on your audience’s preferences. Here’s a quick overview of each format:

  • • Text: The lowest barrier to entry can help highlight outcomes and key points; use text testimonials on your homepage, as well as on specific pages.
  • • Video: Works for complex products or in-depth stories but can be harder to implement on websites than text, depending on your developers and the tools you use. You can also use video testimonials on social media (e.g. Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook).
  • • Carousel: Used on social media and website areas with less space. The carousel rotates through several testimonials, adding a visual element.

 

To determine which formats you should use, you should experiment with each and test how your users engage. For example, B2B companies can explain complex software and topics in video testimonials. But for a food company, text could be enough.

Tip:
Use more than one format to ensure variety and that you don't put off some parts of your audience.
Key Takeaways:
  • Variety enhances effectiveness
    • Engage different audiences by presenting your testimonials as carousels, text, video, and audio.
  • Consolidated proof builds trust
    • Make a testimonials page on your website so that you can put everything in one place. Include a clear menu item on your site so that customers can navigate to this page.
  • Impact lies in specificity
    • Highlight specific outcomes based on your customers' initial goals and encourage these people to share any initial pains they had elsewhere.
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What is the best format for displaying testimonials?

Should I have a dedicated testimonials page?

A dedicated testimonial page that links clearly from your main navigation pages is recommended. Testimonial pages are a hub of social proof and allow customers to assess whether they want to spend their money with you.

Testimonials should also feature on your website’s homepage and landing pages. Place them close to your offering so that customers can determine whether they’re ready to make a purchase. 

If you don’t have a specific page for your testimonials, you should at the very least set up your business on review platforms like Google Reviews. 

How long should testimonials be?

Aim for brevity and impact. There isn’t a hard and fast rule about how long testimonials should be. Be as direct as possible without diluting your message; ideally, you’ll only need a few sentences to get your points across (especially if you use text).

Long testimonials can work in some situations, but you need to have a compelling enough story to justify these. Consider including a TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) summary at the top or adding subtitles for these to keep users engaged and motivate them to make a purchase.

Can I edit testimonials for clarity?

You can edit grammatical and spelling errors, along with some minor adjustments for clarity — but you cannot change the entire meaning. Keep a neutral tone and stay transparent.

Other core factors to consider when displaying testimonials include:

  • Quantity: More testimonials means that you have more to choose from and increase credibility, but having the same testimonials as when you began can be a red flag to some buyers.
  • Specificity: Focusing on results will make customers more likely to believe that you’ll solve their problems, but vague praise can look like self-indulgence.
  • Source: Prominent people or companies giving testimonials have much more prestige.

Conclusion

Not having customer testimonials is detrimental to building trust and can result in a loss of business, but showcasing these on your website builds credibility. Focus on formats, visibility, and highlighting the results you delivered for customers instead of being too promotional. Carefully selecting your layouts and what you show on your site can turn testimonials into a potent marketing asset, whereas ignoring these will result in having to try harder to convince customers.

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