by Patrice Rhoades-Baum

Have you heard this advice: “Never edit or change your testimonials.” Not true! You SHOULD edit them so they’re professional and add value using a light touch. Just be careful not to change the meaning.

Use this checklist:

• PROOF – It’s vital to fix typos and punctuation issues. This helps to ensure your website and other marketing tools are polished and professional.
• SHORTEN – Brief testimonials get to the point and are easy to read. Trim long testimonials to 3-5 sentences. Yes, this means sacrificing content. But that’s better than loooong testimonials, which cause readers’ eyes to glaze over.
• REWORK (IF IT’S CONFUSING)– If a testimonial contains good content but is confusing or poorly written, consider rewording key sentences. Be careful not to change the meaning or the person’s intent. Then email the revised testimonial to your client for approval.
• ORGANIZE – I like to place testimonials with the most impact at the top of the website’s “Testimonials” page. When you organize testimonials, alternate those that address similar challenges.
• INCLUDE FULL NAME & MORE – Make every testimonial work hard for you! Include the person’s full name, title, organization, and books written.
• ADD SEO KEYWORDS – When you edit client testimonials, sprinkle in organic SEO keywords. For example, if your name is Jane Doe and you’re a business coach, you can do this:
  • Replace this statement: “Jane guided me to…”
  • With this statement: “As my business coach, Jane Doe guided me to…”
• MAKE A BOLD STATEMENT – Your website visitors (your prospects) don’t read every word on your website. They skim. That’s why I select one sentence in every testimonial and make it bold.

Always take time to edit or change testimonials you use in your book marketing. This adds professionalism to your marketing efforts – and adds value for your book.

Please share your opinion on this topic in Comments below.

This article is from my colleague Patrice Rhoades-Baum. As a marketing consultant and branding expert, she guides solopreneurs – professional speakers, corporate consultants, and business coaches – to create a clear brand, strategic website, and polished one-sheet brochure. Patrice  specializes in branding for small businesses and writing strategic, hardworking one sheet and website copy.