Are some testimonials fake?

Testimonials can actually make or break a sale. It's a form of social proof. It might seem fake to you but to a person that is desiring the product will believe it. Especially if they are too lazy to go out and do a Google search of the product... which most people are. Maybe not savvy people like us but most aren't like us.

There are definitely fakes out there. I banned a guy yesterday for the second time (new account, different name) for massive use of fake testimonials. A few hours later, the creep was over at another forum looking to buy an "aged WF account."

Pretending it doesn't happen would be foolish. What might help is applying a bit of common sense to which ones you give any credence.

As a rule, when you see testimonials from people with established reps here that cover more than a few months and a few hundred posts, those can be taken more seriously. That does NOT mean that comments from people with low post counts aren't real. It just means the person giving the testimonial has something at stake by putting their name behind the product.

Look at what's being said. The fakes will usually give themselves away to anyone who's paying attention. (The ones mentioned above were so obviously fake that I didn't even need to look at the IPs.)

I also suggest you avoid the opinion of anyone who makes comments like this without some sort of qualifier: That is the most absurdly over-the-top and totally unsupportable statement about testimonials I have ever seen here, and I've seen some doozies. If you see a video testimonial here from anyone who does any sort of video for hire on Fiverr, report it. Those are flat-out forbidden here. Yes, even if you maintain that the person paid for your product. Even if they prove they paid for it.

To be frank, though, I haven't seen any of those here in ages. That is not true. We have a LOT of people who opened accounts here to do business in the WSO section, asking questions and leaving comments on things they've ordered. Their opinions are every bit as valid as any other customer's.

Also, you should be aware that posts in the WSO section do not add to one's post count. A person could have 50 or 100 comments (or more) in various offer threads and still show a zero by their names.

I banned a guy yesterday for publicly accusing a seller of fraud based on this notion that low post count comments are somehow suspect. It is very unwise to make unfounded accusations like that in someone's sales thread, especially when it turns out you're wrong.

I don't know where folks got the idea that it's okay to run around casually making baseless allegations, but I strongly suggest re-thinking it if you believe such things are okay. They are not, and we take them every bit as seriously when we see them as we do the creeps who really do fake testimonials.

If you're suspicious, report the concern to the mods. Worst case, we find out there's no visible basis for the concern and we delete the report. No harm, no foul. And if there is a problem, we can do something about it.

If you accuse someone of fraud publicly, you'd better have some solid and publicly visible evidence, or you're stepping in it.


Paul

Yeah. I see them from time to time.

I should have prefaced my comments with a note: We only concern ourselves with keeping that crap out of this forum, to the extent we can.

As a matter of personal policy, I just never buy, promote, or knowingly let a friend buy or promote anything from a sales page that uses one of those.

Wow...this got me thinking. How embarrassing it would be for me to see my video testimonials all over the place promoting all different types of products. (That I didn't purchase, didn't use, etc.)

It's shocking to me, actually. I consider something like that giving my "word". The thought of selling that off at $5 a pop sounds absolutely horrible.

Plus - that video of me is going to be up for a long, long time. Ouch...

Very well put, Tim.

It should be mentioned that reviewers are required to mention it if they got a free review copy or are affiliates for the product.

From what I have seen in the forum recently with product launches.

Many people will put in the very beginning

"full disclosure I did receive a review copy"

So unetthical it may be for false reviews and paid reviews, etc., but you are going to see that. The good, the bad, the ugly.

Eric

So, if I give someone a testimonial, you're saying I'm a liar?

Ok, 99% of all testimonials/commercials are fake.

Based from experience, the best way to get testimonials is through sincere feedback from your clients/customers. It's organic and you get repeat customers. The power of referral increases your sales by 20%.

The harsh reality is that there will be people who will use money to promote their business interests. Some call it reputation management or a simple marketing campaign. The advancement in technology makes it more difficult to identify them (there are paid proxy servers being used, etc.).

There are people who engage in fake review sites. They contact site owners and guaranteeing them a no. 1 position on their list for a fixed price (ie. $1000/month). The highest bidder gets the top spot.

If you have a good product/service, then it's a matter of strategically promoting it to the appropriate target market. Let the product or service speaks for itself - its overall value and integrity.

There are still people who work for the light. People who know the real worth of a good product or service. A happy and satisfied customer will definitely make time - writing a simple Thank You message

One of my customers provides a small ticket to the customer - printed on demand - with a unique password upw.

Customer provides feedback on yelp and a few other sites.

Customers gets a "small bonus" regardless if review is good or bad.

The upw provides us a backtrack method to attempt to correct any issues... And also to provide the small bonus.

Some people would say the small bonus is an incentive. In a way it is... But it's not an incentive to provide good reviews. It's an incentive to ANY review.

Dont say that, you're liable to get jumped on

Oh I can hear Mr Myers revving up his engine

Dori, PM me the specifics, please. If that's an accurate summary, the "coach" needs some special attention from the mods.

travlinguy, Like most such "all or nothing" claims, the people spreading them are up to something else entirely. By denying that there's any real range which includes genuine positive comments or quality products, they avoid the need to apply critical thinking and use their own judgement. No matter what happens, they can't be held responsible.

When you see people who only believe the negatives, that's usually the game.

Plus, they get to bash other people, which is a bonus.


Paul

If you have anything to back that up, please do so. PM me links to the ones you think were purchased (whether through Fiverr or any other channel), along with your reasons for forming this opinion.

We take those very seriously. Another mod nuked Yet Another Seller today for using fake testimonials. If they're out there, and we get wind of them, they "go away."

Show me there's more supporting your belief than gossip-fueled cynicism.


Paul

Same question for you as for the rest of the folks tossing around numbers like they were fictional entities...

Got anything to back that up, aside from a bad attitude?