How to Ask and Receive Course Testimonials | 6 Ways + Examples

You know students love your course, but asking for testimonials? That feels like pulling teeth.

I know you do not want to sound awkward or pushy.  In this guide, we will discuss real strategies and examples by other course creators so that you can naturally receive testimonials that highlight your course’s impact. 

Read to find out

• How can you find your happiest students and reach out to them?
• Where shall you show your testimonials for better conversion?
• What should you exactly say when asking for a testimonial for the course?
• What channels can you use to receive feedback and reviews?

Let’s do this. 

How testimonials influence your online course reputation 

I do not know when we all agreed to trust each other's reviews and want the same positive experience, but here we are. 

You probably noticed for yourself that when you browse a digital product or service on the internet, the ones with reviews feel like a safer bet. And when it comes to your online courses, students feel the same. 

There are a number of reasons why potential students trust the recommendations of other people. For one thing, your online course testimonials highlight the course outcomes. Lots of research in psychology showed that humans have a need for social connection. And in marketing, we use that need to highlight the shared experiences. So what happens is when people browsing your course see other people succeed with the help of your course, they instinctively want to become a part of that community.  

As a result, the testimonials make your school or academy brand feel more human. Testimonials become another way of communicating how you care about the results you promise to provide any student who takes that course. 

Also, testimonials help you stand out in a crowded market. There are a lot of online courses out there, and chances are, someone else is teaching a similar topic. What makes your course different? The way people talk about it. The way they describe their experience. The way they felt before and after taking your course. That is what makes you unique.

Now, how can you get quality testimonials and use them in your marketing and sales strategy? Let us find out together. 

How can you receive course testimonials without pushing? 

The number one thing that keeps you away from actually receiving testimonials is that you never really ask. You feel like asking directly is too blunt and straightforward. Here are six ways you can get student testimonials and not be pushy at all. 

#1 Create a celebrating wins culture 

One of the simplest ways you can get your students to share their experiences is by creating a celebrating culture from day one. For that, you first need to create an active community of learners. 

How can you use that community?

“You need to make it easy for them to provide feedback, testimonials, and case studies.” 

 

Andrew Hubbard

Course Creator, Digital Marketer

In your community, you can have a post on “Celebrating weekly wins. Drop your biggest win of the week in this thread.” This is one of the strategies Andrew Hubbard, a course creator and marketer, suggests using to collect testimonials. 

And your job is to encourage them to share their success, celebrate each other’s victories, and become a source of motivation for each other. You can choose a specific day in a week to do this and make it a community culture. 

As they progress through the course, another way would be to share a challenge YOU faced on the same journey as your students. And you elaborate on how you overcame that challenge or a common problem your students now face. Then, you ask students to share their own stories and how the course helped so far with that. 

A more advanced version of this winning culture is when you give students rewards for achieving a specific milestone. Remember I mentioned earlier that humans need social connection, and they like the idea of belonging somewhere? You can use that to your own advantage. For example, creators on YouTube who hit milestones like 100K, 1M, or 10M subscribers receive physical Play Buttons. 

For you, that can be a course certificate the students share on social media and share about their wins. 

#2 Ask in a post-course survey 

Another way to get testimonials without making it awkward? Attach a post-course survey and ask students to fill it out as soon as they finish the course. 

Jan Keck, a virtual facilitator and a course creator, often experiments with different ways of getting student feedback and testimonials. One of the things he does is send detailed forms.

“I still send out the more detailed form afterward, which usually also includes me asking for testimonials that then I can use to put on the page for the next for the next cohort. Especially if there are some stories that get shared where somebody has a big transformation. I often use those in my emails, in my marketing”. 

 

Jan Keck

Course creator, virtual facilitator 

Why send it right after completing the course? Because they still remember the aha! moments, the parts they loved, and the challenges they overcame. But the most important thing is to keep it short and easy. 

Here are examples of guided questions you can ask in your survey:

• What was the biggest takeaway from this course?
• How did this course help you with [specific goal related to the course]?
• Can you share one result you achieved because of this course?
• What would you say to someone considering taking this course?
• How would you describe your experience in three words? 
• What would you change to make this course better?

These questions do two things. One, they help students reflect on what they learned. Two, they naturally shape responses into usable testimonials. 

But how do you get students to actually fill out the survey?

In an interview with me, Jan also shared that this kind of survey does not always work. Because the completion rate can be low. So, he developed two ways to get his students to finish the survey:

• A little incentive to complete the survey by a specific date (maybe a bonus resource, a discount for another course)
• Get them to answer a few simple questions live

“One of the things was anybody who fills out the feedback form gets another bonus. Or you can win something like trying to incentivize them to fill it out by a certain date. I've also done it in the last session; we're actually filling it out at the same time”.

 

Jan Keck

Course creator, virtual facilitator 

#3 Send email requests to specific students 

Sending a mass email to every single student is not the best move. Most students ignore such emails because they feel impersonal. That is why you want to reach out to the students who you managed to build deeper relationships with. They are usually the ones who would spread the word about your course and their results without you even asking. 

Here is an email template you can use:

Subject: A Quick Favor? 😊

Hi [Student’s Name],

First of all, congratulations on completing [Course Name]! I hope you feel more confident about [Pain Point] and have been able to put what you learned into action.

I wanted to ask for a small favor. Your experience matters, and I would love to share your story with others who are struggling with the same challenge. Would you be open to sharing how this course helped you? It would mean a lot, and it could help someone else make the leap and start their journey.

You can answer these quick questions to make it easy:

• What was your biggest struggle before taking [Course Name]?
• How did the course help you overcome it?
• What is one specific result you have achieved?
• Would you recommend this course to others? Why?
• What would you do to make this course better?

Just hit reply and let me know! No pressure, of course, but I would really appreciate it. 

Thanks so much,

[Your Name]

Here is an actual email example from Dr. Kim Foster asking for feedback. 

#4 Use social media shoutouts 

No one said asking for testimonials should always be formal. At the end of the day, we got social media to make this natural and more fun. This next strategy is similar to what we did in step 1 on using your private community. The only difference is that with social media, you get more exposure. 

Especially if you run live courses, you have the start and end dates for your program, right? So once the program finishes, you can make an exciting post on what journey you had with another group of students. And then turn it into a challenge. 

The idea is that they share what they liked about the program or the before and after results and tag you. Why would they want to participate, you ask? Because they get incentives.

You can create a Student Spotlight section on your website, highlighting their success and making them feel like a big deal (because they are!). 

Once you manage to build that momentum, other graduates will happily follow. 

Plus, if the students follow you on socials and are in touch, there is no way they do not send you private messages and express their excitement. You can use those screenshots as well (with their permission, of course). 

The ones on social media are so much better because they are more authentic and less formal. 

For example, Kelsey Wells, who is a trainer and offers fitness courses, often runs challenges to promote her new program. And even if she does not specifically ask people to share their experiences, those who get the promised results happily share their feedback in the comments. 

#5 Host live Q&A or feedback sessions 

No matter how good your program and course are, not everyone is excited to share their feedback, are they? That is why you want to create an environment where you can facilitate such discussions. 

And if you are having feedback sessions from time to time, that is an excellent chance to get the students to share their experiences naturally. How? What works for Jan Keck is that he makes this whole process more interactive. 

In his live sessions, he asks the students to fill out an interactive survey with a few simple questions and see the overall results on the screen in real time. 

“I'll try to reduce my questions then to just a few and we'll fill it out. Usually, using a tool like Mentimeter, where they can scan a QR code or click a link, and they'll answer the question, we can actually go through them and show the results as they're answering”.

 

Jan Keck

Course creator, virtual facilitator 

Jan mentioned he prefers this method better because more people participate, and at least he has some feedback and reviews he can use. Here is what it can look like with a tool called Mentimeter. 

#6 Enable reviews for your online course 

If you feel like you are not someone who can ask for testimonials, you should make sure to at least have a platform with review functionality. So, once a student is enrolled in the course, they can share their genuine feedback in the comments section of your course and leave their rating. 

For example, on Uteach, you can enable and disable your course reviews and manage them in one click. After you collect some reviews, you can add them to your website using Uteach’s drag-and-drop website builder. 

FAQ on how to ask for student testimonials

Let’s summarize what we discussed so far with some frequently asked questions. 

• Why are testimonials important for your online course business?

In marketing, we like to believe that customer testimonials have more influence on sales than any ad and copy. Why? According to statistics, 75% of people trust online reviews, and more than 90% read them before purchasing something. 

Testimonials are important for your online course business because they serve as social proof that your course works. 

So, when potential students see detailed experiences from people who have achieved results, they are more inclined to trust your course and believe that they, too, can succeed. Real feedback from past students also shows that your course is not just another online product. Because you can agree, there are also people out there selling courses that do not deliver results. 

And if a potential student wants to understand if you are legit, a genuine testimonial is what they need. 

• When should you ask for testimonials for your online course? 

You can ask for testimonials when your students are still excited, and the transformation is fresh. Which usually happens in two cases. First, when a student completes the course. And second, when they achieve a specific milestone. 

Now, there are people who say asking for feedback right after completing the course is a bad idea. But as a student, I always provide more genuine feedback when the achievement I have is still at the top of my mind. 

• How can I ask for testimonials without sounding pushy? 

First thing first, if you do not want to sound like you “ask” for a testimonial, you should make sure you have an online course that speaks for itself. Something your students would naturally feel they like to share their feedback on. 

And then, when you talk to your students, highlight that their experience can motivate other students in the same way. So, using their testimonial, you would be able to help more people and achieve your shared mission. 

Also, when you request testimonials via email, surveys, or other communication channels, ask them guided questions. Make sure they have options on how and when they can share it. You can have it in text, video, or even a quick voice note, whatever feels more comfortable for them. 

• Where should you use the student testimonials?

Generally speaking, you should use student testimonials everywhere potential students are making a decision about your course. Quite literally. 

The most obvious place is your course sales page. This is where visitors decide whether to enroll or not, so seeing real success stories is the final nudge they need. Also, place testimonials near key sections, like next to the course curriculum or pricing. Video testimonials work especially well here because they feel more personal and authentic.

Plus, you can share them on your social media (it is a great social media content idea). You can even use them in free content like blog posts or webinars. 

• What to consider when asking for testimonials? 

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you ask for student testimonials. 

• Ask permission to use it, or at least make sure they know you are about to publish what they share.
• Make it easy for them to leave feedback. Do not just ask to share their experience. You can gather a few simple questions to guide them. 
• Encourage honesty. When you ask for feedback, make sure to emphasize you are not asking for glowing praise. Because what matters is their genuine response, not the perfect words they use. 

• Can I edit student testimonials?

Yes, you can edit student testimonials unless

• You just fix grammar
• Shorten the response
• Your student approved a significant edit you made. 

Technically, you could change “I improved my skills” to “This course doubled my income!”. But then again, what was the purpose of asking a student? So, the more genuine and conversational you can keep, the better. We recognize fake feedback when we see it. 

• What platform can I use to showcase my course testimonials? 

You can showcase your course testimonials right on your Uteach website. Uteach is an all-in-one course platform where you can create and sell online courses, live courses, coaching, digital downloads, and so much more. 

Uteach has a drag-and-drop website builder where you can create a dedicated testimonial section on your course sales page, add student success stories to your homepage, or even embed video testimonials to make them more engaging.

It helps you automate the feedback process, too. You can set up post-course surveys, gather reviews, and display them strategically to boost conversions. Start your free trial today and grow your online course business with Uteach.