How to Get Testimonials When Your Product Is Brand New

There's a frustrating paradox at the start of every product business: you need testimonials to get sales, and you need sales to get testimonials.

Most people get stuck here and either launch with nothing, fake the social proof (please don't), or wait indefinitely for organic reviews that may never come.

None of those options work well. Here's what does.

Why Testimonials Matter So Much Early

Testimonials do one thing: they reduce risk in the buyer's mind.

When someone is considering buying from a brand they've never heard of, a product they've never seen before, they're making a leap of faith. Testimonials are evidence from other people that the leap was worth it.

Without them, your conversion rate suffers — even if the product is excellent. With even 2–3 strong testimonials, you've dramatically changed the buyer's psychology.

Getting your first few testimonials fast is one of the highest-leverage things you can do early on.

Method 1: The Beta Reader / Early Access Program

Before you launch publicly, give your product to 5–10 people for free in exchange for honest feedback.

Choose people who:

• Match your target buyer profile
• Will actually use the product (not just skim it)
• Are willing to give you a written response

Send them the product with a short note: "I'd love your honest feedback — what was most useful, what could be improved, and would you recommend this? Happy to quote you if you say something you're comfortable sharing."

Most people will respond. And their responses — even if they're just one or two sentences — are your first testimonials.

The key: make it a genuine exchange. You want honest feedback, not flattery. The best testimonials come from people who were actually helped.

Method 2: Beta Pricing / Founding Member Offer

Launch at a significantly discounted "founding member" price — say 50–70% off — in exchange for feedback and a testimonial.

This serves two purposes: it lowers the barrier enough that early buyers take the plunge, and it sets a clear expectation that feedback is part of the deal.

Frame it honestly: "This is a founding member launch. I'm pricing this lower than it will sell at eventually in exchange for honest feedback from early buyers. If it helped you, I'd love to use your words."

People who got a good deal at a fair price are often happy to say so.

Method 3: Use People You've Already Helped

You don't need to sell the product to get testimonials about your expertise.

If you've ever helped someone — a colleague, a client, a friend, a community member — with the problem your product solves, you have potential testimonials you haven't collected yet.

Reach out to those people. Tell them you've packaged the advice you gave them into a product, and ask if they'd be willing to share a few words about how the help you gave them made a difference.

"You mentioned last year that the system I walked you through saved you a ton of time — would you be comfortable if I quoted that in my product description?"

These testimonials are often the most genuine and compelling.

Method 4: Community Beta Groups

If you're active in online communities (Facebook groups, Reddit, Slack groups, Discord servers) relevant to your topic, you have a built-in audience to pull from.

Post an honest offer: "I've built [X product] to solve [problem]. Looking for 5–10 people to test it for free in exchange for honest feedback. Anyone interested?"

You'll get takers. Most people are happy to get something valuable for free, and many will leave thoughtful feedback if you ask for it specifically.

How to Ask for a Good Testimonial

The biggest mistake: asking "what did you think?" and getting vague responses like "it was helpful!"

Helpful is not a testimonial. "I cut my client onboarding time from 3 hours to 45 minutes" is a testimonial.

Instead, ask specific questions:

1. What was your biggest frustration or challenge before using this?
2. What specific result, change, or improvement did you notice?
3. Who would you recommend this to?

When you give people a structure to respond to, you get specific, compelling quotes — not vague pleasantries.

What Makes a Testimonial Compelling

The strongest testimonials:

• Describe a specific before/after (the transformation)
• Include concrete details or numbers
• Come from someone who sounds like the target buyer
• Have a full name (and photo if possible) — anonymity reduces trust

"This was great!" → weak "I was spending 4 hours a week on client reports. After using this template, it takes me 45 minutes. Worth every cent." — Sarah K., freelance designer → strong

Even two testimonials of that quality will meaningfully improve your conversion rate.

Display Them Strategically

Once you have testimonials, put them where buyers need them most:

• On the product page itself, near the buy button
• In the description (quoted inline)
• On your homepage if you have one

On platforms like MadeThis.com, you can include testimonials directly in your product descriptions. I format them as blockquotes with the person's name and role — it looks professional and reads naturally.

Keep Collecting

Your goal isn't to get 3 testimonials and stop. Make collecting feedback a permanent habit.

Every purchase is an opportunity. Two weeks after someone buys, send a brief email: "Hope [product] has been useful — I'd love to hear how it's gone for you. Feel free to reply with anything."

Many buyers will respond. Some of those responses will be gold.

If you're ready to build, I'd start at MadeThis.com.