Creating Testimonial Collection Forms
Master the art of building effective testimonial collection forms that drive submissions
Forms are your primary tool for collecting testimonials in ProofLayer. A well-designed form makes it easy for customers to share their feedback while giving you control over what information you collect. This comprehensive guide covers everything from basic setup to advanced customization techniques.
Understanding Testimonial Forms
A ProofLayer form is a customizable web page where customers can submit testimonials. Each form lives within a workspace and has a unique URL you can share via email, social media, or embed on your website.
What Makes a Great Testimonial Form:
- ✓Clear Purpose: Customer knows exactly what you're asking for
- ✓Branded: Matches your company's look and feel
- ✓Simple: Doesn't ask for unnecessary information
- ✓Flexible: Offers multiple submission types
- ✓Mobile-Friendly: Works perfectly on all devices
- ✓Fast: Can be completed in under 2 minutes
Step-by-Step: Creating Your Form
Navigate to Form Creation
From your workspace dashboard, you have several ways to create a new form:
- Click the "Create Form" button on the workspace dashboard
- Select "Forms" from the sidebar, then click "New Form"
- Use the quick action menu (+ icon) in the top navigation
You'll be taken to the form creation wizard, which guides you through all customization options step by step.
Name Your Form
The form name is for internal organization and helps you identify the form in your dashboard. It's not shown to customers submitting testimonials.
Form Naming Strategies:
By Purpose:
- "General Customer Feedback"
- "Post-Purchase Testimonials"
- "Beta User Feedback"
- "Case Study Requests"
By Product/Feature:
- "CRM Platform Reviews"
- "Email Marketing Tool Feedback"
- "Mobile App Testimonials"
- "Integration Feature Reviews"
By Campaign:
- "Q1 2026 Testimonial Drive"
- "Product Launch Campaign"
- "Conference Attendee Feedback"
- "Webinar Participant Reviews"
Customize the Form Header
The form header is the first thing customers see. Make it welcoming and clear about what you're requesting.
Header Title
This is the main headline on your form page. Make it inviting and action-oriented.
Great Examples:
- "Share Your Experience"
- "Tell Us Your Story"
- "We'd Love Your Feedback"
- "How Are We Doing?"
Avoid:
- "Testimonial Form" (too corporate)
- "Submit Review" (sounds like work)
- "Feedback Request" (formal and cold)
Welcome Message
A brief description that explains why you're collecting testimonials and what will happen with them.
Example Welcome Message:
"Thank you for being a valued customer! We'd love to hear about your experience with [Product Name]. Your feedback helps us improve and helps other customers make informed decisions. This will only take 2 minutes."
Custom Questions (Optional)
Guide customers with specific questions rather than a blank text box:
- "What problem were you trying to solve?"
- "How has our product helped you achieve your goals?"
- "What would you tell someone considering our service?"
- "What's your favorite feature and why?"
Configure Collection Preferences
Choose what information to collect from customers. Balance getting useful data with keeping the form quick to complete.
Required Fields (Always Collected):
- ✓Name: Customer's full name for attribution
- ✓Testimonial Content: Text, video, or screenshot submission
Optional Fields (Toggle On/Off):
Email Address
Useful for follow-ups or requesting permission to use testimonials. Consider making this optional to reduce friction.
Company Name
Important for B2B testimonials. Shows credibility when displayed (e.g., "John Doe, CEO at Acme Corp").
Job Title/Role
Adds authority to testimonials (e.g., "Sarah Chen, Product Manager"). Great for B2B and professional services.
Website URL
Link to customer's company or personal site. Can be displayed alongside testimonial for added credibility.
Social Media Links
Twitter, LinkedIn, or other profiles. Useful for reaching out or giving credit when sharing testimonials.
Star Rating
1-5 star rating system. Great for quick sentiment analysis and filtering. Shows average ratings in widgets.
Choose Submission Types
ProofLayer supports three types of testimonials. You can enable one, two, or all three based on your needs.
Text Testimonials
Traditional written reviews. Quick and easy for customers, easy to moderate and display.
Best For:
- Quick feedback collection
- SEO-friendly content
- Easy moderation and editing
- Low barrier to entry for customers
Configuration Options:
- Minimum character count (prevents "Great!" type responses)
- Maximum character count (keeps testimonials concise)
- Placeholder text to guide responses
Video Testimonials
Authentic video recordings that capture emotion and personality. Studies show video testimonials convert 2-3x better than text.
Best For:
- High-impact social proof on landing pages
- Building emotional connection with prospects
- Case studies and success stories
- Premium products/services ($500+)
How It Works:
- Customer clicks "Record Video" button
- Browser requests camera/microphone permission
- Customer records video (or uploads existing file)
- Video is automatically uploaded and processed
- You receive notification to review in dashboard
Screenshot Testimonials
Upload screenshots of social media posts, reviews, or messages. Perfect for capturing organic social proof.
Best For:
- Twitter/LinkedIn testimonials
- Product Hunt reviews and comments
- App store reviews
- Email testimonials or Slack messages
- Reddit or forum posts
Supported Formats:
- PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP
- Maximum file size: 10 MB
- Recommended: High resolution screenshots for clarity
Recommended Approach:
Enable all three submission types and let customers choose their preferred method. This maximizes submission rates while giving you diverse testimonial content to work with.
Customize Brand Colors (Pro/Agency Plans)
Pro and Agency plan users can customize form colors to match their brand identity. This creates a cohesive experience from your website to the testimonial form.
Primary Color
Used for buttons, links, and accents
Background Color
Main form background
Text Color
Primary text throughout form
Set Language and Localization
ProofLayer supports multiple languages for form interface elements like buttons, labels, and validation messages.
Supported Languages:
Note: Language setting only affects form UI elements. You'll still write your custom header, welcome message, and questions in your preferred language.
Configure Form Status and Visibility
Control whether your form is live and accepting submissions or in draft mode for testing.
Active Status
Form is live and accepting submissions. Share the link with customers.
- Form URL is publicly accessible
- Submissions are received and appear in dashboard
- Form can be embedded via widgets
Draft Status
Form is saved but not accepting submissions. Use for testing and preview.
- Form URL shows "This form is not currently accepting submissions"
- No submissions will be recorded
- You can preview the form layout and test functionality
Save and Get Your Form Link
Click "Create Form" to save your configuration. ProofLayer will:
- 1Generate a unique URL slug for your form
- 2Create the form page with your custom branding
- 3Show you the shareable form link
Copy this link and share it with customers via email, social media, or embed it on your website.
Advanced Form Customization
Thank You Page Customization
Customize what customers see after submitting a testimonial:
- Custom Thank You Message: Personalize the confirmation message
- Redirect URL: Send customers to a specific page after submission (e.g., special offer)
- Social Sharing Prompts: Encourage customers to share their testimonial
Email Notifications
Get notified when new testimonials are submitted:
- Instant Notifications: Email alert for every submission
- Daily Digest: Summary of all submissions in the last 24 hours
- No Notifications: Check dashboard manually
Form Limits and Restrictions
Control submission behavior:
- Submission Cap: Automatically deactivate form after N submissions
- Time Window: Only accept submissions between specific dates
- Duplicate Prevention: Block multiple submissions from same email
Conditional Logic (Coming Soon)
Show/hide fields based on previous answers:
- Ask for company name only if role is "Business Owner"
- Show different questions based on star rating
- Request video testimonial from 5-star reviews
Best Practices for High Conversion Forms
Do's:
- ✓Ask at the right time: Send form when customers are happiest (after success, great support, etc.)
- ✓Make it personal: Use customer's name in email invitation
- ✓Provide examples: Show sample testimonials to guide responses
- ✓Keep it short: Aim for 2-minute completion time
- ✓Mobile optimize: 60%+ of testimonials come from mobile
Don'ts:
- ✗Don't overwhelm: Avoid asking for 10+ pieces of information
- ✗Don't be vague: "Tell us what you think" is too broad
- ✗Don't spam: One follow-up is OK, three is annoying
- ✗Don't hide purpose: Be upfront about using testimonials publicly
- ✗Don't forget incentives: Consider offering something for detailed testimonials
The 10/50/100 Rule
For every 100 form views, expect approximately:
Optimize your form to beat these averages!
Sharing Your Form
Once your form is created, here are effective ways to collect testimonials:
Email Campaigns
Send personalized requests to happy customers:
Subject: Would you share your experience with us?
Hi [Name],
We noticed you've been using [Product] for [Time Period] and wanted to reach out personally.
Would you be willing to share a quick testimonial about your experience? It only takes 2 minutes and helps other businesses discover us.
[Form Link]
Thanks so much!
[Your Name]Post-Purchase Automation
Trigger automatically after successful transaction:
- E-commerce: 7-14 days after delivery
- SaaS: After onboarding completion
- Services: Immediately after project completion
- Courses: After 50% completion or finish
Website Integration
Strategic placement on your site:
- Footer link: "Share Your Story"
- Thank you page after checkout
- Customer portal/dashboard
- Support ticket resolution page
Social Media
Leverage your social presence:
- Pin form link in Twitter bio
- Share in LinkedIn post
- Instagram story with link sticker
- Facebook group announcement
Ready to Create Your Form?
You now have everything you need to build a high-converting testimonial collection form. Start gathering social proof today!