Testimonials and endorsements done properly

A testimonial is a client's words that you choose to publish, so you are responsible for what it says and what it implies. Learn how to collect specific, persuasive testimonials, get written permission, edit them honestly and disclose any connection behind an endorsement.

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Testimonials and endorsements done properly.

A review lives on someone else's platform, in the reviewer's own words, and you cannot change it.

A testimonial is different.

Reviews, testimonials and endorsements.

The three words are often used loosely, but they carry different responsibilities.

The previous lesson covered reviews.

What makes a testimonial persuade.

Most testimonials on event websites say the same thing: “Amazing!

Highly recommend!” A buyer reads twenty of those and remembers none.

Collecting them: a short interview script.

Do not ask “could you write us a testimonial?”.

People freeze and produce three adjectives.

Permission, in writing.

A client who said nice things on the phone has not agreed to see their name on your homepage or in a paid ad.

Ask, and keep a record.

Editing without changing the meaning.

Trimming a long answer is normal.

Changing what it means is not.

That is the lesson. The worksheet and the quiz are just below this video.

What you will be able to do

• Distinguish reviews, testimonials and endorsements and the responsibility each carries
• Collect specific testimonials with a short interview script and a written permission form
• Edit, label and disclose testimonials and endorsements so the general impression stays truthful

A review lives on someone else’s platform, in the reviewer’s own words, and you cannot change it. A testimonial is different. You asked for it, you chose it, you may have trimmed it, and you placed it beside your prices on your own website. That makes it your advertising. The words belong to the client, but the claim belongs to you.

Reviews, testimonials and endorsements

The three words are often used loosely, but they carry different responsibilities.

The previous lesson covered reviews. Here the focus is on the words you publish yourself and the people who speak for you.

What makes a testimonial persuade

Most testimonials on event websites say the same thing: “Amazing! Highly recommend!” A buyer reads twenty of those and remembers none. The ones that persuade have four qualities.

• Specific. They name a detail only a real client would know: the rain plan that moved 120 guests under the tent in fifteen minutes, the magician who remembered every child’s name.
• Situation-matched. They come from a client like the reader. A corporate buyer wants to hear from an HR manager, not a bride.
• Before and after. They describe the worry the client had and how it was resolved. That is the story the next buyer is living.
• Attributed. A full first name, an initial or surname, the type of event and the area. “Farah K., 40th birthday, Mississauga” is believable. “F.” is not.

Collecting them: a short interview script

Do not ask “could you write us a testimonial?”. People freeze and produce three adjectives. Instead, ask questions on a short call or by email within two weeks of the event, then build the testimonial from their answers. Copy this script.

1. What were you most worried about before you hired us?
2. Was there a moment on the day when you stopped worrying? What happened?
3. What did a guest, colleague or family member say to you afterwards?
4. What would you tell a friend who was thinking of hiring us?
5. Is there anything we could have done better?

The fifth question matters. It keeps the conversation honest, gives you useful feedback, and makes the rest of the answers more credible to you as well as the reader.

Permission, in writing

A client who said nice things on the phone has not agreed to see their name on your homepage or in a paid ad. Ask, and keep a record. Here is a permission template you can adapt and send by email for a reply or a signature.

Testimonial permission

• The exact wording you would like to use, shown in full, including any edits.
• How the client will be named: full name, first name and initial, or first name only.
• Whether you may use a photo, and which one, with the photographer’s credit.
• Where it may appear: website, proposals, social media, paid advertising. Let them tick each.
• A line saying they may withdraw permission at any time by emailing you, and that you will remove it from your website and future materials.
• The date and their confirmation.

File the reply with the original answers. If anyone ever questions a testimonial, you can show what the client said and what they approved.

Editing without changing the meaning

Trimming a long answer is normal. Changing what it means is not. The test is simple: would the client recognize the edited version as what they said and meant? Here is a worked example from Lantern & Lane.

Original answer: “Honestly I was terrified about the timeline because my parents and Sam’s parents had very different ideas. The catering was a bit slow at the start but Priya handled it. By the speeches I was actually enjoying myself, which I did not expect at all.”

Acceptable edit: “I was terrified about the timeline because our two families had very different ideas. By the speeches I was actually enjoying myself, which I did not expect at all.”

Misleading edit: “Everything ran perfectly from start to finish.” The client never said that, and it hides the slow catering they did mention.

Other rules of thumb: do not combine quotes from two clients into one, do not correct a client’s opinion into a stronger one, keep the original on file, and retire testimonials once they are old enough that they no longer describe how you work. Note the year of the event in your records so you can tell.

Endorsements and connections

An endorsement becomes a problem when the reader does not know why the endorser is speaking. In the event industry, connections are everywhere:

• A venue coordinator quoted on your site who receives a referral fee from you.
• A photographer friend who praises your florals and swaps referrals with you every month.
• A local creator who received a free photo booth for their birthday in exchange for posts.
• Your sister, your employee or your business partner’s spouse.

None of these voices is banned. Each one needs a short, clear disclosure close to the endorsement: “Dana’s venue is one of our referral partners”, “Gifted: we provided the photo booth for this event”, or a recognized label such as #ad in a social post. The rule of thumb is the same as with referral fees: if a reasonable client would weigh the praise differently knowing the connection, say so.

A testimonial checklist

1. It came from a real client, about a real event, in their words.
2. You have written permission covering where you plan to use it.
3. Edits are cuts, not rewrites, and the client approved the final wording.
4. It reflects how you work now, not five years ago.
5. Any connection between you and the speaker is disclosed beside it.
6. Any photo with it is one you have the right to use, with credit.
7. Results it implies, such as “we stayed under budget”, are typical or clearly labelled as one client’s experience.

In Canada and the GTA

Two sets of rules shape testimonials and endorsements in Canada: the Competition Act, which is law, and the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, which is industry self-regulation administered by Ad Standards. They point in the same direction.

The Competition Act. It is reviewable conduct to make “a representation to the public that is false or misleading in a material respect” to promote a product or business interest (section 74.01). A testimonial you publish is your representation, so an invented quote, a misleading edit or a stitched-together composite can fall within it. The Competition Bureau has said that an undisclosed material connection between a reviewer and an advertiser, “financial or otherwise”, is relevant “even if the person provides an honest and unbiased review”, and it has named fake testimonials made to look like the experiences of impartial consumers as a concern. For a corporation, the maximum civil penalty is the greater of $10,000,000 for a first order or three times the benefit derived; for an individual, the greater of $750,000 or three times the benefit.

The Ad Standards Code. Clause 7 says testimonials and endorsements must reflect the “genuine, reasonably current opinion” of the person giving them and be based on adequate experience with the product or service. That is why you retire old testimonials and do not quote someone who has not used you. Clause 1 adds that truthfulness is judged by the general impression an ad conveys, and that disclaimers and footnotes “must not contradict more prominent aspects of the message”. A banner reading “Every event, under budget” with a tiny note saying “results vary” fails that test. The full text is in the Code online.

Influencers, creators and partner posts

Ad Standards’ Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines (updated fall 2025) define a material connection broadly: money, free products or services with or without conditions, discounts, gifts, contest entries, employment, and personal or family relationships. Refer-a-friend and affiliate arrangements count when the person earns a benefit. For event businesses, the free service is the common case: a planner who comps a styled shoot, a venue that hosts a creator’s party, a cake designer who gifts a cake.

• Labels. #ad is described as the gold standard. #sponsored, #Gifted, #InvitedGuest and #[Brand]Partner are also recognized. #Collab, #PR, #Spon, #Partner on its own, a brand tag alone and a disclosure in the bio are not enough.
• Placement. Disclose upfront in the main caption, before any link and not buried among other hashtags. A disclosure only in the comments does not count. Each post needs its own.
• Video. Disclose within the first 30 seconds, in both audio and on-screen text, and repeat it in longer videos.
• Platform tools. Instagram’s branded content policies require the paid partnership label to tag the brand. Ad Standards treats such labels as sufficient only if they are prominent and visible on all devices; when in doubt, add your own words too.
• Shared responsibility. Brands, agencies and creators are all responsible. If you gift a service, ask the creator in writing to disclose it, and check that they did.

The guidelines also cover AI: AI-generated or heavily altered images that show a product’s benefits should be disclosed, and “a disclaimer cannot correct a misleading impression.” An AI-retouched photo that makes your centrepieces look twice as full is a misleading image, label or no label. Read the Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines.

Privacy and photos. A client’s name and photo are personal information under PIPEDA, and putting them in your advertising is a use the client may not expect, which is why written permission and a way to withdraw it matter. The photo beside the quote usually belongs to the photographer, because since November 7, 2012 the author of a photograph is its first owner by default even when a client commissioned it. Get the photographer’s permission for marketing use and credit them.

Local practice. In the GTA, many families prefer privacy, particularly for religious ceremonies and events with children, and some corporate clients forbid vendors from naming them at all. Offer first-name-and-area attribution as the default, and keep a list of clients who declined so a new staff member does not post them by mistake.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the source or a lawyer for your situation.

Worksheet

Download the worksheet and complete it for your own business, using Lantern & Lane as the model where it helps. Keep it with your marketing plan. It takes about 10 minutes.

Download the worksheet (PDF)