After the campaign, before the shop
Collect Testimonials From Crowdfunding Backers
Pledges are hope. A backer’s opinion only counts as proof once the reward is in their hands and has been used for a while. Most creators ask too early, in the excitement of the campaign, or too late, when backers have moved on. Time the ask to fulfilment, and the people who funded you become the first proof on your own store.
- Dated from the day rewards ship
- Asks after use, not after unboxing
- Ready before the retail launch
The problem, solved
Why backer praise rarely becomes usable proof
Situation 1 of 5
All the praise is in campaign comments
Comments on the platform are scattered, written before anyone held the product, and not yours to republish.
How StoryProof solves it
Ask backers again, on your own link, once they have the reward. Share it in a backer update or print it as a QR code in the box.
Situation 2 of 5
Rewards arrive in waves over months
One request to everyone lands before half the backers have anything, and they reply with delivery complaints.
How StoryProof solves it
Add backers to contacts in groups by shipping wave, and email each group its request once that wave has arrived.
Situation 3 of 5
Backers post videos everywhere but our site
The best reactions sit on social accounts you cannot embed or keep.
How StoryProof solves it
One link lets a backer record a video, leave an audio note or write, so the clip comes to you with their permission.
Situation 4 of 5
Late backers are angry, not glowing
A backer who waited a year may use your request to vent about the delay.
How StoryProof solves it
Nothing goes public until you approve it. Read delay complaints as support tickets, reply to them, and approve the testimonials that describe the product.
Situation 5 of 5
We launch in stores with no proof
Retail shoppers never saw the campaign, so "fully funded" means nothing to them.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag backer testimonials by reward tier and wave, and gather the best on a Wall of Love page to link from your store.
Fulfilment planner
Plan backer requests from the first shipment
Enter the date the first wave of rewards ships. Repeat the middle steps for each later wave.
Day 0
Shipping update, no ask
Tell backers what is shipping and when. Asking for testimonials in the same update mixes good news with homework.
Day +7
First arrivals
Watch comments and support for arrival problems. Fix those before anyone is asked for an opinion.
Day +21
Ask the first wave
Email backers whose rewards arrived about three weeks ago. Ask what they have done with it, not what they think of the box.
Day +24
Public link in a backer update
Share the same collection link in an update, for backers whose emails you do not hold. Say it is optional and for those who have used it.
Day +45
Video from engaged backers
Invite backers who wrote detailed replies to record a short clip of the product in use.
Day +75
Before the store opens
Approve, tag and place the best testimonials on your store pages, ahead of the first sale to someone who never backed you.
Dates are calculated in your browser. Nothing is saved.
In StoryProof
Set up backer collection in StoryProof
- 1
Add backers to contacts by wave
One smart list per shipping wave, so each group is asked after its rewards arrive.
- 2
Email each wave its request
Send the request by email three weeks after arrival. From Pro, follow ups remind once, then once more, and stop when a backer replies.
- 3
Post the link for everyone else
Share the same link in a campaign update, or as a QR code on a card in the box for later waves.
- 4
Approve and tag
Approve testimonials that describe the product, tag them by tier and wave, and handle delivery complaints separately.
- 5
Give retail shoppers one page of backer proof
Collect the strongest on a Wall of Love page with its own link for your store and press kit.
What happens next: Keep backer testimonials tagged as such. If the product changes for retail, you will want to know which quotes describe the campaign edition.
One campaign, three waves
Illustrative sample, not a real campaign
A small desk accessory campaign ships to early bird backers first, the main tier a month later, and international backers last.
Each wave gets its own contact list and its request three weeks after its delivery date, so nobody is asked before they have the reward.
A collection link in the final shipping update reaches backers who opted out of email. The store opens with testimonials from all three waves already approved.
- Wave 1
- Early bird tier, asked three weeks after arrival
- Wave 2
- Main tier, a month later
- Wave 3
- International, last
- Tags
- Tier, wave, campaign edition
Before you start
What this will not do
No copying campaign comments
Comments on a crowdfunding platform were written there, under its terms. Ask the backer to say it again on your link.
Only backers who agreed to email
Use the emails your pledge manager collected for updates only in line with what backers agreed to. Use the public link for the rest.
Delays colour the answers
A backer who waited long will mention it. That is honest feedback, and editing it out of a testimonial misrepresents them.
Backers are not typical buyers
Early supporters are more forgiving than retail shoppers. Replace backer quotes with buyer quotes as the store matures.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Should I ask backers for testimonials during the campaign?
Not for product testimonials, because nobody has used it yet. Quotes about why they backed you are fine for the campaign page, but they are not proof the product works.
What if a backer’s reward never arrived?
Leave them out of the request until it does. Asking someone still waiting for their reward reads as tone deaf.
Can I offer backers something for a testimonial?
A small thank you for replying at all is safer than a reward for praise, and any incentive should be disclosed next to the quote.
Do backer quotes work for a second campaign?
Very well. Proof that you delivered last time answers the biggest doubt a new backer has. Show it on the new campaign page with the backer’s consent.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Turn backers into your first proof
Ask each shipping wave once their rewards arrive, approve what they send, and open your store with testimonials you own.
Last updated 2026-11-06.