---
title: "How to write a good customer testimonial: examples and a template"
url: https://reviewnudge.app/guides/how-to-write-a-testimonial/
published: 2026-09-30
updated: 2026-09-30
author: "Jack Stovell"
author_profile: https://i.hilyt.it/jack
publisher: "Adapt Progress Evolve Limited"
summary: "Three or four sentences in the customer's own words: what was wrong before, what the business did, what changed, plus one specific detail. Credit it the way the customer agreed."
language: en-GB
---

# How to write a good customer testimonial: examples and a template

> Three or four sentences in the customer's own words: what was wrong before, what the business did, what changed, plus one specific detail. Credit it the way the customer agreed.

A good testimonial is three or four sentences in the customer's own words: what the problem was before, what the business actually did, and what changed as a result, with one specific detail thrown in. Credit it the way the customer agreed, so first name and town is usually plenty.

## A simple structure: before, what happened, result

If someone has asked you "could you write us a testimonial?" and you've been staring at a blank message for ten minutes, I get it. The word sounds bigger than it is. All you're doing is telling the next person what it was like.

So keep it to three beats. Before: what was going wrong, or what you were worried about. What happened: what they actually did, in plain terms. Result: what's different now.

Then add one detail that only you would know. A time, a number you were given, the thing you noticed. That detail is the bit that makes people believe it.

Don't try to sound professional. Write like you'd talk to a neighbour who asked who you used. Actually, that's a decent test: would you say it out loud? If not, change it.

## A template you can fill in

Here's a fill-in version. Swap the brackets for your own words, and feel free to rip the whole shape up if it doesn't fit.

> Before I found [business name], [the problem, in your words]. [One sentence on what they did, and anything that stood out]. Now [what's changed], and [one specific detail: how long it took, what it cost if you're happy to say, what you noticed]. [Your first name, town]

And a looser one for people who hate templates:

> I needed [thing]. [Business] [did what]. [How it turned out, and how I feel about it now.]

You can leave out anything you aren't comfortable sharing. Nobody needs your full name, your street or what you paid. If you want to include a small reservation, like "it took a bit longer than I'd hoped", that's absolutely fine, and it tends to make the rest more believable.

If you're the one doing the asking, there's a separate piece on [how to ask for a testimonial](/guides/how-to-ask-for-a-testimonial/) that covers the awkward bit before any of this.

## Testimonial examples from UK small businesses

Here are eight, all made up, across different trades. Notice the lengths jump around. Real ones do.

**Plumber**

> Fictional example: Our boiler had been losing pressure for weeks and I'd given up guessing why. He found a slow leak on a pipe behind the airing cupboard, fixed it the same afternoon and explained what he'd done. Haven't had to top it up since. Dana R., Leeds

**Hairdresser**

> Fictional example: I'd been nervous about going shorter, honestly. She talked me through it first, and I left feeling like myself, only tidier. Priya S., Bristol

**Dog groomer**

> Fictional example: Our terrier hates being handled and usually comes home sulking. Not this time. The groomer took it slowly, sent a photo halfway through, and he trotted out wagging. Tom and Bex, Norwich

**Bookkeeper**

> Fictional example: My receipts lived in a carrier bag for most of a year. She sorted the lot, set up something simple I could keep up with, and my self-assessment wasn't a panic for the first time ever. It's pricey, sure, but I'd pay it again. Marcus L., Cardiff

**Café**

> Fictional example: We booked them for a small leaving do in the back room. The food came out hot and on time, they'd remembered the vegan guest without being reminded, and nobody had to chase anything. Helen W., Stirling

**Electrician**

> Fictional example: Two sockets in the kitchen kept tripping the whole house. He tested everything, told me which bit was actually faulty and which bit was fine, and didn't try to sell me a full rewire. Sorted in one visit. Andrew K., Ipswich

**Cleaner**

> Fictional example: Moving out of a rented flat, I expected to lose some of my deposit. The oven alone looked hopeless. They got it back to something I was proud of, and the landlord's check was painless. Chloe M., Nottingham

**Driving instructor**

> Fictional example: I failed once before, with someone else, and I'd stopped believing I'd pass. Jas was calm, never raised his voice, and we spent two lessons on roundabouts until they stopped scaring me. Passed first time with him. Nia T., Swansea

A few of those carry a small reservation or an honest aside, and that's on purpose. One mentions the price. One admits to a previous failure. Neither is a problem.

## What makes a testimonial believable

This bit is advice rather than law, but it's pretty consistent. Specific beats vague every time. "What, when, and a number the customer gave" is a good rule of thumb: a same-afternoon fix, two lessons on roundabouts, a year of receipts in a bag.

Use the customer's own phrasing, including the plain words. If someone says "sorted" or "absolutely fine", leave it. Polishing it into marketing language is the quickest way to make it read as fake.

Credit it with a real name, or whatever the customer agreed to: first name and town, initials, whatever they're comfortable with. One honest reservation is fine too. And it should relate to the actual service the business sells, not something adjacent.

There's a legal side as well, and it's worth knowing even if you're only the customer. Under the CAP Code, marketers must hold documentary evidence that a testimonial is genuine, and hold contact details for the person who gave it (rule 3.47). Genuine means two things: it comes from a real person, and it reflects what they actually said. They also shouldn't feature one without your permission (3.50).

## What not to do

Customers have very little to get wrong, but for everyone handling these, the list is short and firm.

Don't invent one. Don't write it for the customer and pass it off as theirs. Don't stitch sentences from different customers, or from different messages, into one quote.

Don't change the meaning. Cutting "not the cheapest, but worth it" down to "worth it" is editing the truth. Trimming a mixed comment so it reads as glowing is the same thing. Don't add stars that weren't there in the original either.

And don't hide who's speaking. If the person works for the business, owns a share of it, supplies it, or was given something for writing it, say so. The CMA's guidance says leaving out that kind of connection can mislead, and concealed incentivised reviews are banned.

The rules behind this are pretty direct. CAP 3.44 says marketing must not contain fake consumer reviews, meaning a review that purports to be, but isn't, based on a person's genuine experience. The CMA's guidance (CMA208, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024) bans fake reviews on the same basis. It also warns that selecting only favourable reviews, or highlighting positive ones that don't reflect reviewers' experience overall, can be misleading. More on that in the guide to [fake reviews and UK law](/guides/fake-reviews-uk-law/).

## If you are the business shaping the quote

So you've got a message from a happy customer and it's a bit rambling. Fair enough. You're allowed to tidy, but only lightly, and only in ways the customer would recognise as what they said.

Trim for length if you must, but never so the meaning shifts. The ASA's advice is that testimonials shouldn't be taken out of context or edited in a misleading way, and they must relate to the product being advertised (3.48). In one ruling, altering customer testimonials so they related to a newer version of the company was a problem. Factual-sounding claims inside a testimonial also must not mislead (3.49).

Get permission before you use it. Keep the original message and the customer's contact details on file. Credit it the way they agreed.

When you're ready to put it somewhere visible, the [testimonial card maker](/tools/testimonial-generator/) formats a real testimonial into a square or landscape PNG. You paste the quote exactly as given and credit the name as the customer agreed. Stars are off by default, so add them only if they were part of the original. It's drawn in the browser, with no watermark, and it never writes endorsements for you.

Which brings it back to the start: three or four sentences, their words, one real detail.

## Questions people ask

### How long should a testimonial be?

Three or four sentences is plenty for most small businesses. Cover what the problem was, what the business did and what changed, and add one detail only you would know, like how long it took. A short testimonial that is specific does more than a long one full of general praise, and it fits on a card or a social post.

### Can the business write the testimonial for me to approve?

It should be your words. A testimonial is meant to reflect what you actually said about your own experience, and CAP Code rule 3.47 asks businesses to hold evidence that it does. If a business drafts wording for you, rewrite it in your own words, or just send them a few sentences of your own instead. Plain language is fine.

### Do I have to give my full name?

No. You can agree to be credited however you are comfortable with, such as first name and town, or initials. The business needs your permission to use the testimonial and should hold your contact details on file, but those details are for their records and do not have to appear next to your quote.

### Can a business add star ratings to my testimonial?

Only if stars were part of what you originally gave, such as a rating you left with a review. Adding stars that were never there changes what you said. Our testimonial card maker keeps stars off by default for that reason, so a business only adds them when the original feedback included a rating.

## Sources

- [ASA/CAP: Testimonials and endorsements (AdviceOnline)](https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/testimonials-and-endorsements.html)
- [CAP Code section 3: Misleading advertising (rules 3.44 to 3.50)](https://www.asa.org.uk/type/non_broadcast/code_section/03.html)
- [CMA: Fake reviews guidance (CMA208), GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fake-reviews)