Customers who said yes, then went quiet
Get the testimonial a happy customer promised and never sent
Most promised testimonials are lost to a busy week, not to a change of heart. Write a polite three-email follow-up with the builder below, then have StoryProof send it and stop the moment the customer replies.
Why a promised testimonial stalls
None of these mean the customer has changed their mind. Each one has a different fix.
The ask sank in their inbox
They read it on a phone between meetings, meant to come back, and the email scrolled out of view by the afternoon.
They do not know what to say
A blank box asking for "a few words" is harder than it looks. Two specific questions are easier to answer than one open one.
Video felt like a production
They agreed to a video, then pictured lighting and retakes. Offering a written review or an audio note keeps the yes alive.
Nobody followed up
One request and silence. Most teams stop after the first email because a second one feels awkward to write.
Free tool
Build your follow-up sequence
Fill in the details and you get the reminder and the final email, written for the format the customer agreed to. Copy them into your own email client, or paste them into StoryProof later.
- Day 0 · The request
Subject: A quick favour, there?
Hi there, Thank you again for saying you would share a few words about working together. It means a lot to a small team like ours. Here is the link: [your StoryProof link]. It asks two questions and takes a short video, an audio note or a few written lines, whichever is easiest: 1. What was it like before working together? 2. What changed afterwards? No need to polish anything. Your own words are exactly what we are after. [your name] [your business]
- Day 3 · The reminder
Subject: Still happy to share a few words, there?
Hi there, I know inboxes get busy, so here is the link again in case it slipped past. [your StoryProof link] Even one sentence is genuinely useful. [your name]
- Day 7 · The last email
Subject: Last nudge from me, promise
Hi there, This is my last note about it. If you still have a moment this week, the link is here: [your StoryProof link] And if now is not a good time, no problem at all. Thank you for being a customer either way. [your name]
Everything is generated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Chasing by hand, and letting StoryProof do it
By hand
- A calendar reminder per customer to send the next email
- Checking whether they already submitted before you nudge
- A reminder sent at 11pm because that is when you remembered
- Losing track once more than a handful are outstanding
With the follow-up automation (Pro and up)
- Reminder three days after the request, last email four days later
- Stops on its own the moment the testimonial arrives
- Never contacts anyone who unsubscribed
- Sends only inside the quiet hours you set
In StoryProof
Set it up in StoryProof
Four steps. The first three work on every plan; the automated follow-up needs a plan with automations.
- 1
Create a collection form with two specific prompts
Use the questions from the builder above. The customer can answer with a video, an audio note or a few written lines from the same link, so a camera-shy customer still has an easy way to say yes.
- 2
Add the customer and send the request
StoryProof emails the request for you. Review request emails per month: Free 10, Starter 100, Pro unlimited.
- 3
Turn on the review request follow-ups template
On Pro and up, pick the template from Automations. It waits three days, sends a reminder, waits four more and sends a last email, and only within your quiet hours. On lower plans, send the builder’s emails yourself on the same days.
- 4
Approve what comes in
New testimonials wait in your inbox. Nothing is public until you approve it, so a rushed answer never lands on your homepage by accident.
What happens next: When the testimonial arrives the sequence stops, and you can add it to a widget or your Wall of Love from the same screen.
A sample sequence, start to finish
Illustrative scenario, not a StoryProof customer
A two-person bookkeeping firm finishes a year-end close for a client, who replies "happy to write something!" to the wrap-up email. Nothing arrives.
They send a request on Monday with two prompts: what the year-end used to feel like, and what changed this time. The client opens it, gets pulled into a meeting, and forgets.
Thursday’s reminder offers a written answer instead of a video. The client types three sentences from their phone that evening. The last email never sends, because the sequence stopped when the testimonial came in.
- Request
- Monday, 10:00
- Reminder
- Thursday (3 days later)
- Last email
- The following Monday (4 more days), skipped once they reply
- Quiet hours
- No sends between 18:00 and 08:00
Before you start
What to know before you start
Email only
StoryProof sends requests and reminders by email. If your customers live in WhatsApp or SMS, copy the collection link into those messages yourself.
Automatic follow-ups start on Pro
On Free and Starter you can still send requests from StoryProof and the reminders by hand, using the builder above.
Two reminders, then stop
More nudges after the last email tend to cost goodwill. If someone does not answer after three emails, leave it until your next natural touchpoint.
Do not pay for the words
If you offer a thank-you gift, offer it for an honest answer of any kind, and say so. A reward that depends on the review being positive is against the rules of the major review platforms, and consumer protection rules in many places.
Questions
How long should I wait before following up on a testimonial request?
What if the customer agreed to a video but keeps putting it off?
Will the reminders keep going after they submit?
Can I send the follow-ups myself instead?
Send the request, let StoryProof chase it
Start free, send your first request today, and turn on automatic follow-ups when you are ready.
Last updated 2026-11-04.