Why your testimonial matters so much to a freelancer
An employee moves jobs with a CV, familiar job titles and sometimes an internal network. A freelancer has to prove themselves again with every new client, to people who've never met them. What past clients say often makes the difference.
That gives your words more weight than you might think. A potential client choosing between several freelancers will read what you wrote to find out what working with this person is really like: are deadlines met, is the work good, is communication easy, can they make sense of a vague request?
What a good testimonial includes
A useful testimonial answers the questions a future client is asking:
- the context: who you are, your company or role, and what you hired them for;
- the result: what they delivered and what difference it made to you;
- how they work: clear communication, deadlines met, how much guidance they needed;
- what sets them apart: what they did better than other freelancers you've worked with;
- a clear ending: you'd hire them again, and you recommend them.
A simple structure
Open with the context in one sentence. Then describe the work and what it achieved, with one concrete example rather than a string of adjectives. Add a sentence about what it was like to work together. Finish with your recommendation, stated plainly.
Stick to the facts: don't credit them with a result they didn't deliver, and leave out anything confidential about your company. If you're not sure you can name a project, describe it without naming it.
Examples for a developer
Replace the parts in square brackets with the details of your project.
We hired [Name] to rebuild our website, and the result went beyond what we'd hoped. Clean code, deadlines met, and a real gift for explaining technical choices to a team that isn't technical. I recommend him without hesitation.
[Name] took over an app nobody dared touch any more. Within weeks, she'd made it stable and documented it properly. We'll be calling her for our next project.
What I valued most about [Name] was his honesty: when a feature we asked for would cause problems elsewhere, he said so and suggested something better. Reliable and full of good advice.
Quick to respond, thorough and patient, [Name] built our internal tool while talking to the people who'd actually use it. I'd recommend her to anyone.
Examples for a designer
For branding, layout or illustration work.
[Name] created our brand identity from a fairly vague starting point. She asked the right questions, offered very different routes and refined the chosen one until it was perfect. I'd recommend her without a second thought.
Working with [Name] is easy and enjoyable: clear proposals, deadlines met and real attention to our constraints. Our brochure has never looked better.
[Name] gets the spirit of a brand very quickly. His illustrations gave our campaign a personality our customers still mention. Hugely talented, and a pleasure to work with.
We needed our materials redesigned fast before a trade show. [Name] kept to a tight timetable without ever letting the quality slip. Highly recommended.
Examples for a writer or copywriter
For website copy, articles, marketing copy or translation.
[Name] wrote the copy for our new website. She caught our tone perfectly, and customers tell us they finally understand what we do. I recommend her warmly.
Clear, well-researched articles, delivered on time, job after job. [Name] has become a key part of how we communicate.
What sets [Name] apart is how he makes technical subjects simple without getting them wrong. Our experts actually enjoy reading his drafts, which says a lot.
[Name] rewrote all our product pages with method and great attention to detail. High-quality work, and always easy to deal with.
Examples for a consultant or project manager
For consulting, project management or coaching work.
[Name] helped us reorganise our customer service team. A sharp diagnosis, practical recommendations and real follow-up after the project ended. I recommend her without reservation.
As a freelance project manager, [Name] brought a project that was drifting back under control. He got teams who'd stopped talking working together again, with tact and a firm hand.
[Name] listens before giving advice, which is rarer than you'd think. Her suggestions fitted our size and our budget, rather than being copied from another company.
A consultant who delivers what she promises, explains her thinking and trains the team so they can carry on without her. I'd happily hire [Name] again.
Examples for marketing and social media
For social media, online advertising, PR or content strategy.
[Name] took over our social media with a clear vision. Within months our community had grown noticeably and, more importantly, it was talking to us. I highly recommend her.
Organised, creative and open about results, [Name] helped us understand what was really working in our campaigns. A valuable partner.
Thanks to [Name], our launch was picked up by several trade publications. She knows her field and her contacts, and it shows.
[Name] built our content strategy from scratch, with a realistic calendar the team still follows today. Solid work that lasts.
Short examples for any freelancer
For when you want to keep it short without being vague.
Great work, deadlines met, easy to deal with. I recommend [Name] without hesitation.
A model project from start to finish. I'll be hiring [Name] again.
[Name] understood what we needed better than we did. Highly recommended.
Reliable, quick and full of good ideas: [Name] is the freelancer everyone is looking for.
Where to post your testimonial
The most useful place is somewhere the freelancer can share with future clients. On Take Your Skills, you can write a recommendation that goes on their profile: you add their name and email address, describe how you worked together, then an assistant asks you a few questions and suggests a draft you can edit before publishing. You can also write it yourself, without the assistant. If they don't have a profile yet, they get an invitation to claim it, with your recommendation already on it. It's free.
You can reuse the same text on LinkedIn: our LinkedIn recommendation examples will help you adapt it. And if you're the freelancer, our guide to getting client testimonials has messages you can send to ask for them.