UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging

Chapter 39. Testimonials

YOU CAN GO to any bookstore, any sales page on a web site, and almost all sales material in general and see glowing testimonials from popular or celebrity-level people.

What many people do not know is that many of the testimonials that are floating around out there were written by people who have never actually tried or read or experienced the product they are talking about. Some testimonials are prewritten by the product owner and then signed off by the person. And I think that the worst offense is that the person has been paid to write a testimonial.

It's like a little club, especially in business book writing where people can whip off testimonials faster than they can read a book. There are some authors out there, well-known, best-selling ones, who have given so many testimonials they would have to average three books an hour to have read the actual books for which they are singing praise.

What most people don't know is that it is actually a profit center for some people. Sure, they say, I'll give you a testimonial for your crappy book, it'll cost you $500, and you have to write the copy for it. Now the FTC does have endorsement guidelines out there, but the FTC is so understaffed and overworked that 99 percent of the time it never catches violations. You're supposed to disclose the fact that you receive your product for free or have been paid to endorse something whether it's on a web site, a TV commercial, or even potentially a book cover.

There is nothing ...