Testimonials & Reviews Glossary

Case Study

A case study is an in-depth, structured account of a specific customer's challenge, the solution they applied, and the measurable results they achieved using a product or service. It is the most detailed and evidence-rich form of social proof available to a business.

Customer Review

A customer review is feedback, ratings, and opinions shared publicly by customers about their experience with a product or service. Reviews exist on third-party platforms, e-commerce sites, and brand-owned pages, collectively forming one of the most trusted signals in the modern buyer journey.

Fake Review

A fake review is a fraudulent, fabricated, or incentivized review that does not reflect a genuine customer experience, used to artificially inflate or deflate ratings. Fake reviews can be written by brand insiders, paid services, bots, or competitors, and represent a growing threat to the integrity of online trust systems.

Product Review

A product review is a detailed evaluation of a specific product by a customer or reviewer, describing features, performance, pros, and cons based on actual use. Unlike a general testimonial, a product review is anchored to a particular item and often includes granular detail that helps prospective buyers evaluate fit.

Quote Card

A quote card is a visually designed graphic or UI element that highlights a specific customer quote, making testimonials more shareable and eye-catching on websites and social media. It transforms a plain text [[testimonial]] into a designed asset that can serve simultaneously as social proof and branded content.

Review Gating

Review gating is the practice of filtering customers before soliciting reviews — asking only those likely to leave positive feedback while suppressing, redirecting, or discouraging negative reviews before they reach public platforms. It is considered unethical and is explicitly prohibited by the terms of service of major review platforms including Google, Yelp, and Trustpilot.

Review Request

A review request is a deliberate, personalized outreach to a customer asking them to share their experience through a review, rating, or testimonial. It is the primary mechanism businesses use to convert satisfied but silent customers into visible social proof.

Star Rating

A star rating is a 1–5 star numerical rating system used by customers to quickly indicate the quality of a product, service, or experience. It provides an instantly scannable quality signal that influences click-through rates, purchase decisions, and search visibility.

Testimonial

A testimonial is a statement from a satisfied customer that endorses a product, service, or brand based on their personal experience. It serves as first-person social proof that reduces buyer uncertainty and builds trust with prospective customers.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) is any form of content — text, reviews, photos, videos, or social media posts — created and shared by unpaid users or customers rather than the brand itself. It represents the most authentic form of social proof because it originates outside of the brand's marketing apparatus.

Video Testimonial

A video testimonial is a recorded video in which a real customer describes their experience with and endorsement of a product or service, adding authenticity through face, voice, tone, and emotion. It is widely considered the highest-trust format of social proof available to a brand.

Written Testimonial

A written testimonial is a text-based quote from a real customer sharing their positive experience with a brand, product, or service. It is the most versatile and widely used format of social proof, appearing on landing pages, email campaigns, product pages, and social media.