7 types of testimonials: a guide for self-publishers

1. False testimony

I strongly recommend against doing this. Readers are highly sophisticated and highly attuned to what is real or fake. If there is even the slightest hint that you are being made up, you will lose your audience and not come back. Don’t forget, it’s extremely easy to get legitimate testimonials. Therefore, there is no practical reason to create fakes. You must be very careful not to do things like this because it will make you and your book lose credibility with your audience. And, as a self-publisher, credibility with your audience is essential if you hope to have any kind of success. Building credibility with your audience can take years to build. Don’t waste all your hard work by being too lazy to get legitimate testimonials.

2. Real testimony, without name, position and company of the person

For example: “Jones’s book was really good.” Zachary s.

This testimony is a total waste of time and insulting to your audience. Your audience will automatically assume that these are fake. And if by any chance they don’t come across as fake, your audience will wonder why none of your readers would give their full name and title. You will lose sales either way. There are plenty of people who are willing to use your full name and title, and your buying public knows it. Your job as a self-publisher is to find them.

3. Real testimony, with the name of the person, title and company, talking about your book in general

For example: “Jones’s book was a lot of fun to read.” Dr Zachary Smith, associate professor of physics at MIB University.

This one is also too vague to be of any value to your buying audience. But at least this one has a real person with a fancy title attached to it. You will need to contact this person and ask for a more specific testimonial. Mention some things in your book that they might have noticed or been interested in. Tell them more about what you were trying to accomplish with your book.

4. Real testimony, with name, position and company of the person, speaking of you the author

For example: “Jones is an amazing author and teacher. His writing is so clear and concise.” Dr Zachary Smith, associate professor of physics at MIB University.

This is a nice statement about you, the author, but says nothing about the book itself. Some of your buying public might be convinced to buy your book because it says good things about you. But most consumers want to know more about the book itself.

5. Real testimonial, with the name of the person, the position and the company, talking about themselves and how they benefited from your book

For example: “Jones’s book finally helped me understand Einstein’s theory of relativity. His book made it so clear and easy to understand. Thanks to this book, I was no longer falling behind in my studies and I was finally able to pass my final exam “. Dr Zachary Smith, associate professor of physics at MIB University.

Well, here we finally get to that. This is a much better testimonial because it tells your buying audience how they can benefit from reading your book. This “third person testimony” is extremely strong to come by. It is much more believable than the others. It’s speaking directly to your audience’s need and telling them how they will specifically and directly benefit from buying and reading your book. They’re looking for books like yours because they have a need they need to fill, a need they’re willing to pay their hard-earned money for. Your testimonials should show them how they will benefit from purchasing your book. Don’t forget to get a variety of testimonials like this from a variety of people: celebrities, experts with fancy titles, minor celebrities, industry gurus, other authors, and average readers. A variety of testimonials like this add up to become a very powerful way to increase your credibility and your book sales.

6. Real testimonial, with the name of the person, the position and the company, and a photograph of the head, talking about themselves and how they benefited from your book.

In addition to “Real Testimony #5,” try getting the testimonial writer to give you a small headshot. This won’t be easy to come by, but you should ask anyway. This will be especially great to use on your website.

7. Real testimonial, with the person’s name, title and company, and a video, talking about themselves and how they benefited from your book.

This is like hitting the jackpot. This is the last testimony. Keep the video testimonial to about 60 seconds. Place it on your website. If possible, have them create the video testimonial for use on Amazon, such as a customer video testimonial.