Course Testimonial Request Template: 12 Questions

To get a usable course testimonial, ask a student twelve specific questions instead of "can you write a review?", because specific questions produce quotes with a before, an after and a detail. Below are the twelve questions, what each one extracts, three copy-ready request emails, and the four rules from the US Federal Trade Commission that decide whether you may publish what comes back.

A course testimonial is a student's own statement about what the course did for them, published with their permission. The examples below use invented students and invented quotes, labelled as such, to show the shape of a good answer. Do not copy them onto a sales page.

What 12 questions get a course testimonial you can actually use?

Ask them in this order, in one email or one short form. Students rarely answer more than five, so put the questions that matter most first and mark the rest optional.

Question | What it extracts

1. What were you trying to fix before you joined? | The starting problem, in the student's words

2. What had you already tried? | Proof that it was not a beginner's problem

3. What nearly stopped you buying? | The objection your next buyer has

4. What changed after you joined? | The outcome

5. What can you do now that you could not before? | A concrete new ability

6. Which lesson or assignment made the difference? | Which part of the course to lead with

7. How long did it take to notice a change? | A timeline without you promising one

8. What surprised you? | The line people quote

9. Who would you tell to join, and who should skip it? | Fit and honest limits

10. What would you say to someone deciding today? | A natural closing sentence

11. Can we use your name, photo and job title? | Permission and attribution

12. Did you receive anything for this, such as a discount or a bonus? | The disclosure you may need

Question 12 is the one most creators skip, and it is the one the regulator cares about. The reasons are in the rules section further down.

What does a good answer look like?

Here is an invented example, labelled as one, for a fictional bookkeeping course. Notice that it names a problem, an action and a change, and that nothing in it is a number the course owner would need to prove.

Weak: "Great course, really helpful, highly recommend!"

Usable: "I had been putting off my quarterly tax paperwork for a year. The template in week 2 let me finish it in one evening, and I stopped dreading it. I would tell anyone who freelances to join, but if you have an accountant who does everything, you will not need it." (Invented example.)

The second one answers questions 1, 6, 4 and 9 without the student knowing they were answering questions. That is the point of the list: each question is a prompt for one sentence, and you assemble the quote afterwards with the student's approval.

What should the request email say?

Three versions follow, for three moments. Keep whichever fits and fill the brackets.

Email 1: when a student finishes the course

Subject: A quick question about [course name]

"Hi [first name], you finished [course name], which most people do not, so congratulations. Would you answer three questions in a reply to this email? What were you trying to fix before you joined, what changed, and who would you tell to join or skip it? A few sentences is plenty. If you would rather not, no problem at all."

Email 2: after a student tells you about a result

Subject: Can I share what you told me?

"Hi [first name], what you wrote on [date or channel] made my day. With your permission I would like to use it on the [course name] page, with your [first name, first name and initial, or full name] and [job title]. Here is exactly what I would publish: [paste their words]. Tell me to change or remove anything, and tell me if you would rather stay private."

Sending the exact words back for approval is the safest habit in this post. It keeps you from trimming a sentence until it says something the student did not mean.

Email 3: for a cohort, at the final session

Subject: Two minutes for the next cohort

"Hi [first name], thank you for being part of this cohort. The people deciding on the next one will ask the same things you asked. Would you answer these four questions, in whatever order you like? [Insert questions 1, 3, 4 and 9.] If you have received a discount or bonus from us for doing this, please say so in your reply, and I will note it next to your words."

What do the FTC rules say about course testimonials?

Four points from the US Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials rule and its endorsement guidance, both checked on 30 September 2026. They apply to testimonials in advertising to US buyers. This is a summary of the regulator's own pages, not legal advice.

Rule | What it means for you

No fake testimonials | You cannot write, buy or invent a review or testimonial, including one generated by AI, that misrepresents a real student's experience

No conditioned incentives | You may thank students, but you cannot require or imply that the testimonial must be positive to earn the discount or bonus

Disclose connections | If a student received free access, a discount or payment, the connection may need to be clear and conspicuous where people will see it

Typical results | If a student describes an exceptional result, you may need to say what students generally achieve, and a bare "results not typical" line may not be enough

The rule took effect on 21 October 2024, and the FTC's announcement of the final rule also lists review suppression and undisclosed insider reviews among the banned practices. Its questions and answers for businesses says you may not use false accusations, threats or intimidation to force a review down or changed.

The practical translation is short. Ask open questions, never ask for "a five star review", approve the final words with the student, note any reward beside the quote, and do not lead with the single best result unless you can say what a typical student gets. Endorsement guidance on atypical results is covered in the FTC's endorsement questions and answers.

What if the course has no students yet?

Then you have no course testimonial to collect, and inventing one is exactly what the rule bans. Collect adjacent proof instead: a comment from a workshop you ran, a note from a one to one client who agrees to be named, or feedback on a free lesson. The pre-sell page structure in how to pre-sell a cohort before it exists says where to put that proof, and the launch email sequence template shows where a real student story sits in email three of the cart-open phase.

Where do the approved testimonials go?

Match the quote to the place it does the most work.

Question answered | Best place to use it

3. What nearly stopped you buying? | Directly above the buy button

4. What changed? | The top of the sales page

6. Which lesson made the difference? | The curriculum section, next to that lesson

9. Who should skip it? | The "is this for me" section and the cart-open email on fit

If the quotes are in hand but the page holding them is not built, the coaching website cost breakdown and the course launch agency pricing show what a proper sales page and launch cost in 2026.

Who is this for?

Coaches and course creators with at least a handful of finished students and no system for asking them what happened.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions should I ask for a course testimonial?

Send up to twelve but mark most as optional, and put the three that matter first: what was the problem, what changed, and who should join or skip. Students usually answer a few sentences, so assemble the quote from their replies and send it back for approval before publishing.

Can I offer a discount for a testimonial?

The FTC rule allows incentives but bans conditioning them on a positive or negative sentiment, expressed or implied. Offer a thank you for honest feedback, not for praise, and note the reward next to the quote where readers will see it. Ask a lawyer about your exact offer.

Do I need permission to use a student's name and photo?

Get it in writing, and make it easy to say no. Email question eleven asks for name, photo and job title separately, and a reply that says yes is a record you can keep. If a student declines, publish the words anonymously or not at all.

Can I edit a testimonial?

Fix spelling and trim obvious filler, then send the final words back for approval. Do not merge two statements or cut a qualification, because the published quote must reflect the student's honest opinion. The FTC says endorsements cannot misrepresent the endorser's actual experience.

Key takeaways

• Specific questions get specific testimonials: problem, change, detail, and who should skip it.
• Ask open questions and never for a five star review.
• Send the exact words back for approval before you publish them.
• Ask about rewards, and note any beside the quote.
• If a result is exceptional, say what students generally get.
• With no students yet, use adjacent proof you can stand behind, never an invented quote.

If you want the sales page built around real proof

EchoPulse Media builds course sales pages and launch emails for coaches, with a $299 Pilot over 14 days and a 48 hour standard turnaround per deliverable.