How to actually use your testimonials (without losing them in the screenshot abyss)

A question came up recently in my mastermind.
The copywriter shared an all-too-common scenario:

“I collect testimonials but I’m sure I’m not using them as well as I could be.”

Ah yes. The testimonial tangle.

It’s right when you’ve done the work, your clients are thrilled, and you’ve got the receipts — glowing emails, survey responses, Slack messages with fire emojis and screenshots galore — but when you need one? You’re ten folders deep in digital chaos.

I know that feeling… scrolling through screenshots all named Screen Shot 2020-06-04 at 1.27.46 PM.png, swearing I saved that one perfect quote somewhere.

So, how do we fix it? Let’s dig in.

Step 1: Make sure you’re collecting juicy testimonials

Usable testimonials give you more than a “Belinda was great!” ego boost. They give you the before, during and after of the work.

So when you ask for testimonials, prompt for:

• The before: What was happening before they worked with you (that led them to look for a copywriter)?
• The objections: What were they worried about before saying yes?
• The after: What changed? What results did they see?
• The feels: What did they like most about the copy?
• The surprises: Was there anything that surprised them?
• Three words: How would they describe the experience in three words? (This gives you a sense of your USP and the language clients naturally use.)

These questions mean you’re more likely to get more indepth stories and proof, not to mention some juicy VOC!

Step 2: Get organised (so you can actually use them)

Confident Copywriters get access to my testimonial tracker — a simple Google Sheet that makes sense of the madness.

You can recreate it easily with columns for:

• The quote
• The story tags as categories (for example, did they mention a price objection? Being a first-time hirer? The project workflow? ROI? Voice alignment?)
• How the quote came in (Google review, email, DMs, FB post, survey etc)
• The client name
• The date
• The source link (Google review, email, DMs, link to screenshot, etc.)

A little snippet of my testimonial tracker looks like:

My storty tag/categories: The quote

By organising (storing and tagging) my reviews, when I’m writing about my mastermind’s ROI, the coaching experience in The Inkubator, or the community vibe in Confident Copywriting, I can filter for exactly what I need — faster than you can say “Ctrl + F.”

Want something a bit flashier than Google Sheets? Airtable or Notion can make it fancy.
Feeling overwhelmed to get your digital chaos in? Hire a VA for a few hours to wrangle your backlog. Worth every cent.

Then, as new testimonials roll in, pop them straight into your tracker.

Step 3: Actually use them (yes, everywhere)

And now we’re at the heart of the question. Testimonials don’t belong in a dusty “praise” page no one visits (except you when you need a pick me up).

Sprinkle them everywhere:

On your website

Add one near every major point you make — results, process, experience, transformation.
And skip the carousel. Nobody scrolls through them, promise. A wall of love is far more convincing.

In your social media

Turn quotes into graphics. Share them with context — the kind of project, the transformation, the story. (Show the work you want more of!)

In your content

Use testimonials as jumping-off points for longer stories in blogs or emails. You don’t even need to share the quote — just tell the story behind it.

In your business assets.

• Proposals
• Portfolios
• Booking and confirmation pages
• Invoices
• Email signatures and OOO replies

Basically, drop a testimonial at every touchpoint before, during, and after someone books you — to build trust and remind clients that they’re in good hands.

The end of blog roundup

Testimonials are more than “nice words.” They’re proof, story, and sales tool all in one.

But they only work when they’re easy to find and used strategically.

So, pour yourself a cuppa (or a pineapple margarita if it’s that kind of day), set up your tracker, and start showing off your happy clients.

Because if you’ve done the bloody work. You get to show it off.