Selling to agencies, councils and schools
Government Customer Testimonials and Approvals
A happy agency contact is not the same as a published endorsement. Public employees usually work under ethics rules that limit what they can say about a vendor in their official role. Run the checklist below before you ask, so the request goes to the right office and the wording is something they are allowed to give.
- Find out whether the contact may speak for the agency at all
- Route the request through the communications or ethics office
- Swap praise for factual statements about the project
The problem, solved
Where public sector testimonials usually stall
Most of these are not reluctance. The contact simply does not have the authority to say yes on their own.
Situation 1 of 5
My agency contact says they cannot endorse us
Many public bodies bar staff from using their title or position to promote a vendor. A contact who agrees anyway may be breaking a rule they did not know about.
How StoryProof solves it
Nothing they submit through StoryProof becomes public until you approve it, so a statement can sit in the queue while the agency confirms it is allowed.
Situation 2 of 5
Nobody knows which office signs off
Program staff, the press office, procurement and an ethics official can all have a say, and a request sent to the wrong one waits for weeks.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag each pending statement with the agency and the office reviewing it, so the queue shows what is waiting on whom.
Situation 3 of 5
They will only confirm facts, not praise
An agency may be willing to describe what was delivered, on what timeline, but not to say the vendor was excellent or recommend it to others.
How StoryProof solves it
The collection link accepts a short written statement as easily as a video, so a factual paragraph in the agency’s own words is a normal submission.
Situation 4 of 5
The person changed roles before approval
Public sector staff move between departments often, and approval can outlast the posting of the person who gave the statement.
How StoryProof solves it
Keep the reviewing office as a contact as well as the original author, and send the approval request to whoever now holds it, by email.
Situation 5 of 5
Approved for one page, not everywhere
An agency may agree to a statement on a public sector page but not on a general homepage carousel or in an advert.
How StoryProof solves it
You pick which approved testimonials each widget shows, so a statement cleared for the government page appears only there.
Before you ask
Public sector testimonial checklist
Tick each item for the agency you have in mind. Anything left open is a reason to pause before the request goes out.
Your ticks stay in this browser tab. Nothing is sent anywhere.
What an agency is more likely to approve
The further a statement moves from praise toward plain fact, the easier it tends to be for a public body to clear.
In StoryProof
Run the request through StoryProof
- 1
Add the author and the approving office
Add both as contacts, so the statement request and the approval request each have someone to go to.
- 2
Ask for a factual statement
Send the collection link by email with a request framed around what was delivered. They can write it, or record audio or video if their office permits.
- 3
Hold it until the office replies
The submission waits unpublished in your queue. Tag it with the agency and "awaiting approval" so it is not approved by mistake.
- 4
Publish only where it was cleared
Approve it once the agency confirms in writing, then add it only to the widget on the page they agreed to.
What happens next: Keep the agency’s written approval with your own records, and ask again if you later want to use the statement somewhere new.
Before you start
What this page cannot settle for you
It is not legal advice
The federal rule cited here covers US executive branch employees. States, cities, schools and other countries set their own rules. The agency’s ethics or legal office has the final word.
A no may be final
Some agencies will not allow any vendor statement. Accept it and use a neutral line about the relationship instead, if they permit even that.
StoryProof does not check permission
The approval queue holds a statement until you act. Deciding that the agency has truly cleared it is your job, not the software’s.
Logos and seals are separate
Permission for a quote does not cover an official seal or crest, which many public bodies restrict more tightly than words.
Statements age with staff
If the person quoted leaves the post, check whether the agency still wants the statement attributed to them.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Can government employees give testimonials at all?
It depends on the body. US federal executive branch employees may not use their position or title to endorse a product or service, with narrow exceptions. Other public bodies have their own rules. Ask the contact to check with their ethics or legal office before you send anything.
Can I name the agency as a customer without a quote?
Often a plain statement that an agency uses your product is easier to clear than a quote, but it still needs the agency’s permission, especially if you want to show its logo or seal.
Is a case study treated differently from a short quote?
Usually it gets more review, not less, because it describes the project in detail. Agree the facts and the attribution with the approving office before you write it.
Can I publish it anonymously if they cannot be named?
A description such as "a county transport department" may still identify the agency. Ask the approving office whether an unnamed version is acceptable rather than assuming it is.
Should I offer anything in return?
No. Gifts to public employees are tightly restricted in most places, and anything offered in exchange for a statement can make it look like an inducement.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Keep public sector statements unpublished until they are cleared
Collect the statement, hold it in the queue and publish it only where the agency agreed.
Sources
- 5 CFR 2635.702, Use of public office for private gain, paragraph (c) Endorsements, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked 2026-11-07.
Last updated 2026-11-07.