Pictures of People for Testimonals

You mean fake testimonials...?

Most warriors will tell you that's not a great idea.

There also were some threads about the regulatory bodies going after those that use fake testimonials. You may want to re-think that strategy.

FTC is after blogs/affiliates using fake testimonials for products and other deceptive marketing practices.

You're better off having a real testimonial without a photo than a fake testimonial and photo! Follow John's advice and contact some big names in the industry...you never know until you try!

When I promote stuff as an affiliate, I generally don't use too many testimonials from other people. I find I get much better results just talking about how I've gone with it and I let the merchant do the rest of the selling.

As an affiliate there's no need for a huge amount of selling. Think of how you'd recommend a product to a friend. You probably wouldn't pull out the sales pitch, you'd probably just talk about your experience and recommend it.

Sean

I'm a newbie too but the thought of making up testimonials seems illegal to me. Am I wrong? If asked by law enforcement don't you have to be able to show where your testimonials came from?

It's important to draw a distinction between actual images and representative images, and testimonials.

Let's say John gets on the weight loss program and loses 100 pounds. He also has before and after pictures of himself. So, if John agrees to provide his photos and a testimonial, you have actual before and after photos and a real testimonial.

But, let's say that John doesn't have photos or doesn't want them used, but he is still willing to give a testimonial. You have a real testimonial, but no actual photos to be used.

Jack comes along and has before and after pictures of himself, and he also lost 100 pounds. But, he did so using a different system. In this case, you don't have actual photos of results attained through the use of the product you are promoting. But, you have representative images. The images represent the loss of 100 pounds which is something that (through John's testimonial or through averages/studies/composite testimonials/etc.) is attainable through the use of the product.

So, you can use real testimonials. You can also use representative images. You can't take Jack's images and claim them as John's, though. You have to identify that the images are representative if they are not actual.

You may also encounter a situation where John will provide a testimonial and images, but not want his real name to be used. In this case, you might identify him as John B., concealing his last name. Or, you might call him Tom. In either case, you'll indicate that it is not his real name, typically with a notice that his real name is on file.

You can also use fictional representations of people, such as a fictional composite person. Say, for example, that you have letters or studies or something on file establishing that numbers of people have lost 100 pounds using the product. You could develop a fictional person that is a composite of those results. Let's call him Mike. Mike is not a real person, but he is representative of the results that can be obtained. An example would be a lot of television ads, where the person claims the advertised product cured their ailment. Most of the time, that person is an actor, not an actual user. But, that's okay, because the actor is used as a representative of actual results. You'll see that such ads have a lot of fine print.

You might also have a case where "Mike" (the actor) represents an actual individual, who may not have wanted to appear on camera or whatnot. So, the story is real, but Mike is not really Mike.

The issue is that representative images are used to be illustrative and not deceptive. If you can lose 100 pounds with a product and you have representative images to show the loss of 100 pounds, then that's probably going to be okay (so long as you indicate them as representative). Lots of people are visually oriented. Showing the loss of 100 pounds has more impact than telling about it.

But, if you grab a before and after picture of someone who lost 100 pounds through something other than the use of your product and try to pass them off as an actual user of your product, then you are being deceptive. And, if you don't have documentation that someone could lose 100 pounds using your product, then you're not just being deceptive but dishonest as well--and you could be hurting people, especially if they need to lose 100 pounds and they waste their time trying it with your product instead of one that might have actually worked.

Of course, for the typical Internet marketer, it is best to stick with real testimonials and images. You could use representative testimonials and images but, if you do so, you should consult with an attorney to make sure you are providing the necessary disclosures and disclaimers and that you are doing things properly. Big companies, such as those advertising on TV, have legal departments that review all that stuff. Most Internet marketers don't.

The bottom line is that there is a big difference between representative and fake testimonials or images. Something that is representative is backed up by actual testimonials, facts, studies, data, etc. Something that is fake is just, well, fake. It's totally made-up.

thanks dan that was a great post. That explained everything i wanted to know