Managing Testimonial Submissions
Complete guide to reviewing, approving, and organizing customer testimonials
Effective submission management is crucial for maintaining quality and authenticity in your testimonials. This comprehensive guide covers everything from your first submission review to advanced filtering, bulk actions, and data export. Learn how to build a curated library of powerful social proof.
Understanding the Submission Workflow
ProofLayer uses a three-stage workflow to ensure you maintain full control over what testimonials appear publicly:
Pending
New submissions start here. They're visible only to you in the dashboard.
- Not displayed publicly
- Not in widgets or Wall of Love
- Awaiting your review
Approved
Quality testimonials you've approved for public display.
- Visible on Wall of Love
- Shown in all widgets
- Can be featured/promoted
Rejected
Testimonials that didn't meet your quality standards.
- Never displayed publicly
- Archived for your records
- Can be re-approved later
Why This Workflow Matters:
Manual approval prevents spam, inappropriate content, or low-quality testimonials from appearing on your site. It also gives you time to verify testimonials are genuine and format them consistently.
Accessing Your Submissions Dashboard
Navigate to Submissions
From your ProofLayer dashboard:
- Select the workspace containing your forms
- Click "Submissions" in the sidebar navigation
- You'll see all submissions across all forms in this workspace
Alternatively, navigate to a specific form and click "View Submissions" to see only that form's responses.
Understanding the Submissions List
The submissions dashboard shows a card-based view of all testimonials:
Each Submission Card Displays:
- •Customer Name & Details: Name, company, role, email
- •Testimonial Content: Text, video thumbnail, or screenshot preview
- •Star Rating: If collected (1-5 stars)
- •Submission Type: Badge indicating Text, Video, or Screenshot
- •Status: Color-coded pending/approved/rejected indicator
- •Form Name: Which form this came from
- •Submission Date: When it was submitted
- •Action Buttons: Approve, Reject, Delete, Edit options
Dashboard Layout Customization
Customize how submissions are displayed:
View Options:
- Grid view (default) - cards in rows
- List view - compact table format
- Detailed view - expanded cards
Sort Options:
- Newest first (default)
- Oldest first
- Highest rated
- By customer name (A-Z)
Reviewing and Approving Testimonials
Review a Pending Submission
Click on any pending submission to open the detailed review modal:
What to Check During Review:
Content Quality:
- Is the testimonial specific and detailed?
- Does it provide real value to prospects?
- Is it free from spelling/grammar issues?
- Does it mention concrete results or benefits?
Authenticity:
- Does the customer name/email look legitimate?
- Is the company verifiable (if B2B)?
- Does the video show a real person (not AI)?
- Is the screenshot genuine and unedited?
Appropriateness:
- No offensive language or content
- No competitor mentions
- No personally identifiable info (if sensitive)
- Aligns with brand values
Relevance:
- Relevant to current product/service
- Not outdated (old features/pricing)
- Matches target audience
- Valuable for prospective customers
Approve High-Quality Testimonials
When a testimonial meets your standards:
- Click the green "Approve" button
- Optionally add internal notes for your team
- Choose whether to feature this testimonial (highlighted in widgets)
- Confirm the approval
What happens after approval: The testimonial immediately becomes visible on your Wall of Love and in all active widgets. Widgets update automatically - no code changes needed!
Edit Before Approving (Optional)
You can make minor edits to testimonials before approval:
What You Can Edit:
- Text content: Fix typos, improve grammar, or shorten for clarity
- Customer name: Format consistently (e.g., "John Smith" vs "john smith")
- Company name: Correct capitalization or official naming
- Star rating: Adjust if clearly misclicked
What You Should NOT Change:
- The core message or sentiment
- Specific claims or results mentioned
- Video or screenshot content (can't be edited)
Reject Low-Quality Submissions
When a testimonial doesn't meet your standards:
- Click the red "Reject" button
- Select a rejection reason (helps you track common issues):
Common Rejection Reasons:
Quality Issues:
- Too short / not detailed enough
- Poor grammar or unclear writing
- Generic (could apply to any product)
Authenticity Concerns:
- Suspected spam or fake review
- Email/company can't be verified
- Duplicate submission
Content Issues:
- Inappropriate language or tone
- Contains competitor mentions
- Violates terms of service
Other:
- Outdated (references old features)
- Not relevant to current offering
- Customer requested removal
Rejected testimonials are archived and not deleted. You can review them later or change status if needed.
Bulk Actions for Efficiency
When you have many submissions to review, use bulk actions:
- Check the boxes next to multiple submissions
- Click the "Bulk Actions" dropdown
- Select an action:
Available Bulk Actions:
- Approve Selected: Approve multiple testimonials at once
- Reject Selected: Reject multiple submissions
- Delete Selected: Permanently remove submissions
- Export Selected: Download data for selected items
- Change Form: Move to a different form
Filtering and Searching Submissions
Filter by Status
Use the status filter tabs at the top of the submissions page:
Numbers in parentheses show count for each status. Click a tab to filter instantly.
Filter by Submission Type
Toggle to show only specific types of testimonials:
Filter by Star Rating
Show only testimonials with specific ratings:
Filter by Form
If you have multiple forms, filter submissions by which form they came from:
Search by Keyword
Use the search bar to find specific testimonials:
Search Tips:
- Search by customer name: "John Smith"
- Search by company: "Acme Corp"
- Search testimonial content: "improved sales"
- Search by email domain: "@gmail.com"
Date Range Filtering
Filter submissions by when they were received:
Useful for monthly reviews, campaign analysis, or finding recent submissions.
Save Custom Filter Presets
Save frequently used filter combinations for quick access:
Example Saved Filters:
Exporting Submission Data
Export testimonials for backup, analysis, or use in other marketing materials.
Choose What to Export
You can export:
- All submissions in the current workspace
- Filtered results based on your current filters
- Selected items (using checkboxes and bulk export)
- Single form's submissions from the form detail page
Select Export Format
ProofLayer supports multiple export formats:
CSV
Spreadsheet format compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, and most tools.
Best for: Analysis, reporting, data manipulation
JSON
Structured data format for developers and integrations.
Best for: API integrations, custom development
Formatted document with testimonials beautifully laid out.
Best for: Presentations, proposals, printing
Configure Export Settings
Customize what data is included:
Export Options:
Download and Use Your Export
- Click "Export" button
- Choose your format (CSV, JSON, or PDF)
- Configure export options
- Click "Generate Export"
- Download the file when ready (usually instant, may take a minute for large exports)
Advanced Submission Management
Featuring Top Testimonials
Mark exceptional testimonials as "Featured" to highlight them in widgets:
- Featured testimonials appear first in all widgets
- Can be configured to always show in Spotlight widgets
- Useful for promoting testimonials from well-known customers or detailed case studies
Adding Tags and Categories
Organize testimonials with custom tags:
- Product tags: "CRM", "Email Tool", "Analytics"
- Feature tags: "Ease of Use", "Customer Support", "ROI"
- Industry tags: "SaaS", "E-commerce", "Healthcare"
- Campaign tags: "Q1 2026", "Product Launch", "Black Friday"
Use tags to create filtered widgets showing only testimonials about specific features or from certain industries.
Internal Notes and Collaboration
Add private notes to submissions for team coordination:
- Notes are only visible to your team, never to customers
- Use for verification status, follow-up reminders, or context
- Great for agencies managing client testimonials
Automated Approval Rules (Pro/Agency)
Set up rules to automatically approve testimonials meeting certain criteria:
- Auto-approve all 5-star text testimonials from verified emails
- Auto-approve testimonials from whitelisted email domains (e.g., @fortune500company.com)
- Auto-reject submissions with spam keywords or banned domains
Best Practices for Submission Management
Do's:
- ✓Review submissions within 24-48 hours of receipt
- ✓Maintain consistent quality standards
- ✓Verify authenticity before approving
- ✓Thank customers who submit testimonials
- ✓Regularly refresh displayed testimonials
Don'ts:
- ✗Don't approve obviously fake testimonials
- ✗Don't heavily edit testimonials (maintains authenticity)
- ✗Don't approve testimonials with competitor mentions
- ✗Don't let pending submissions pile up for weeks
- ✗Don't approve testimonials without verifying legitimacy
Master Your Testimonial Library
Effective submission management ensures you showcase only the best, most authentic testimonials that drive conversions and build trust with prospects.