How to Ask For Testimonials

While social media might get you in front of new strangers, it may not increase your visibility with those you want to engage with. That is, your smallest viable audience (i.e., the core audience of people who will pay for your workshops or services). Your visibility can increase if your smallest viable audience tells others about you. If this happens organically, that's great. Sometimes, however, you must invite students to share their reflections about your service, which means asking for testimonials.

In Testimonials are Evidence of Proof, Bray-Mueller explains how testimonials answer the unspoken questions of prospective students, especially the question about you being worth the investment. Bray-Mueller empowers freelance teachers to ask for testimonials during the different stages of the teacher-student relationship. She helps teachers reframe their questions and explains what testimonials can do for them and their practice.

How can teachers help students recognize their successes and the teacher's contributions to their progress?

Bray-Mueller answers this question by looking at the types of testimonials teachers can request. She even gives teachers a long list of questions to help them establish a strategy for collecting testimonials. Her suggestions cover both teachers leading in-person courses and online courses.

Some of the topics Bray-Mueller addresses in her book are:

• How to ask for testimonials in advance.

• How to deal with unexpected critical testimonials

• How testimonials make price unimportant.

If you've thought about asking for testimonials and have hesitated to ask for them, consider adding Testimonials to your library. You can purchase this print-on-demand title here* at Bookshop.org or your favorite bookseller.

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