Choosing a channel
Best Way to Ask for Testimonials
Email, a face to face moment, a chat thread, the bottom of an invoice, a printed code at an event: each works for some customers and falls flat for others. The right one is usually the channel the customer already answers you on. Five questions point you to it, and each answer links to a full guide for that channel.
- Matches the ask to how you already talk
- Routes you to a guide for that channel
- Flags when email alone is enough
Decision helper
Which channel should this request go through?
Answer for one customer, or one type of customer. Different groups can get different answers.
Answers are processed in your browser and are not saved.
The problem, solved
Why the chosen channel still fails, and what StoryProof does about it
Whichever channel wins, the same link sits behind it.
- Problem 1
Every channel needs a different form
One form for email, another for the event, a third for the chat thread, and answers scattered across all three.
How StoryProof solves it
One collection link works everywhere: send it by email, paste it into a message, or print it as a QR code. Every answer lands in the same place.
- Problem 2
They said yes, then never did it
The in person ask went well, but the link got buried and nobody remembered to chase it.
How StoryProof solves it
From Pro, emailed requests get two reminders spaced over the following week, and the reminders stop as soon as the customer responds.
- Problem 3
Too many customers to ask one by one
Forty finished projects this quarter, and each personal email takes ten minutes to write.
How StoryProof solves it
Add them as contacts and send the request to the list by email. Contacts and smart lists are on every plan.
- Problem 4
They will talk but will not type
A tradesperson who will gladly say three sentences will not write a paragraph on a phone keyboard.
How StoryProof solves it
The link lets them record a video, leave an audio note or write, with no app to install.
- Problem 5
Half our customers do not read English
A request they understand but a form they do not ends in an abandoned page.
How StoryProof solves it
Collection forms come in several languages on every plan, so the form matches the language of the ask.
Picking a channel by habit versus by customer
By habit
- Everyone gets the same email, whatever channel they use
- Event guests are told to “check their inbox later”
- Chat clients get a formal letter they never open
- Nobody knows which channel produced replies
By customer
- Each group is asked where it already talks to you
- The room answers on the spot through a printed code
- Chat clients get a two line message with the link
- All replies arrive in one library, whichever channel sent them
In StoryProof
Run one request across several channels
- 1
Create the collection link once
The same link carries video, audio and written answers, whichever channel delivers it.
- 2
Email the groups who live in their inbox
Add them as contacts and send the request from StoryProof.
- 3
Share it by hand everywhere else
Paste it into chats, put it on invoices, or print it as a QR code for events.
- 4
Let reminders handle the email group
On Pro or above, follow-ups go out automatically and stop once someone answers.
What happens next: After a month, look at where your new testimonials came from and move more customers to the channel that is working.
Before you start
What to know before you choose
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
StoryProof only sends email
It does not send text messages or chat messages. For those channels you paste the link yourself.
- 02
Reminders only follow emailed requests
A link shared in person, in a chat or on paper gets no automatic follow up. Chase those yourself.
- 03
The channel does not fix a bad ask
A vague request fails on every channel. Name what you would like them to talk about.
- 04
Customers can still prefer another route
If someone replies to a chat with a long email, take it. The helper is a starting point, not a rule they must follow.
- 05
Email requests have a monthly allowance
Each plan includes a set number of request emails per month; check pricing before a large send.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Is email or in person better for asking?
In person gets the yes; email gets the testimonial written. Many businesses do both: ask face to face, then send the link the same day.
Should I send the same request on several channels?
Not to the same person at once. Pick their main channel, and use a second only as a later reminder if the first gets no answer.
Does the channel change what I should ask?
The question stays the same; the length changes. A chat or a printed card needs one line and the link. An email can explain more.
What if I do not know how a customer prefers to be contacted?
Use the channel they last replied to you on. That is the best evidence you have.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
One link for every way you ask
Email it, paste it or print it. Every answer comes back to one library.
Last updated 2026-11-06.