# Testimonial post design: reviews people believe [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/testimonial-post-design) A testimonial only works if people believe it. That comes down to a few choices: which words you pull, whose name sits under them, and how much design you put around them. ## The short version - A believable testimonial post leads with one short, specific quote in the customer's own words. - A real name, with the customer's permission, makes a testimonial far more credible than an anonymous one. - Show a star rating only when it is the rating the customer actually gave, on the platform where they gave it. - Keep the design quiet so the words carry the post: large quote, small attribution, consistent brand background. - Build one testimonial template and reuse it, so a run of reviews reads as a recognisable series. Strong **testimonial post design** is mostly restraint. Pick one short, specific line from a real review, set it large, put the customer's real name underneath with their permission, and add a star rating only if it is the one they gave. Everything else, the background, the brand, the layout, should stay calm enough that the words do the persuading. Readers have seen a thousand glossy five star graphics; what they believe is detail that sounds like a person. ## Choose a quote that sounds like a person The quote is the post. Generic praise ("Amazing service, highly recommend") could have been written about anyone, so it persuades no one. Specific praise names a moment, a result or a feeling, and that specificity is what makes it believable. ### Weak - "Great product, five stars." - "Best bakery ever, love it." - "Really professional and friendly." - Three reviews stitched into one quote ### Strong - "The zip still works after two winters of school runs." - "I drive past four bakeries to get here on Saturdays." - "She replied to my email at 7am the day of the move." - One honest sentence, cut cleanly from one review You may shorten a review, but never change its meaning or join sentences from different places. If the original says "slow to arrive, but worth the wait", quoting only "worth the wait" is misleading. Pull the line that stands on its own. > **Fix nothing but the length** Keep the customer's spelling of their own experience. Light tidying of an obvious typo is fine; rewriting their words into marketing copy is not, and readers can usually tell. ## Real names, with consent An attribution turns a quote into a testimonial. "Priya, Leeds" or "@marco.runs" tells the reader a real person said this. "A happy customer" tells them nothing, and invites the suspicion that you wrote it yourself. - Ask the customer before you post, even if the review is already public. - Use the form of name they choose: full name, first name and town, or handle. - Add a useful detail where it helps: "bought the walking boots", "client since 2023". - Never invent a name or a role, and never use stock portraits as if they were the customer. - If someone asks later to be removed, take the post down or remove their name promptly. A small photo of the customer adds trust when they offer one. Crop it into a circle at a consistent size so it reads as an attribution, not a second focal point. If you are reposting a customer's own photo rather than their words, the guide to [UGC style graphics](https://gradiently.design/guide/ugc-style-graphics) covers the frames and permissions. ## Star ratings without the doubt Stars are shorthand people trust because they come from somewhere: Google, Trustpilot, an app store, your own shop. On a testimonial post they should carry the same rating the customer actually left, and it helps to name where it came from. A square testimonial post with five stars, labelled Google review, and a short quote from a named customer Stars from a named source, with the quote and name directly underneath. A portrait testimonial post with a large quote about driving past four bakeries, attributed to a regular customer No stars needed when the quote is this specific. The words are the proof. If your average is 4.8, don't round it to five stars on a graphic. A slightly imperfect rating often reads as more honest than a perfect one, and it is the true one. ## The testimonial layout, step by step 1. **Set the canvas** Use 1080×1350 on Instagram for the most feed space, 1080×1080 for a square grid, or 1200×1200 for LinkedIn and Facebook. 2. **Make the quote the largest thing** Size it so a phone user can read it without tapping. On a 1080 wide post that usually means a cap height around 50 to 70 pixels for a one sentence quote. 3. **Use real quotation marks** Curly quotes, large and in an accent colour, signal "someone said this" before a word is read. Straight typewriter quotes look unfinished. 4. **Keep the attribution close** Name directly beneath the quote, smaller and lighter, with the star rating or source above or beside it. 5. **Put the logo somewhere quiet** A small mark in a corner is enough. The background already tells people whose post it is. Type matters more than decoration here. A serif for the quote often feels like something spoken or written; a clean sans for the name keeps it factual. [Quote post design](https://gradiently.design/guide/quote-post-design) and [visual hierarchy](https://gradiently.design/guide/visual-hierarchy) go further on sizing and order. ## Sizes for testimonial posts - Instagram post 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 - Square 1080×1080: 1080 × 1080 - Story 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920 - LinkedIn post 1200×1200: 1200 × 1200 The four sizes most testimonials need. The story version needs the quote in the middle band, clear of the interface. Design the post once and render it at each size rather than cropping. A quote that fits a square comfortably will feel lost in a story unless it is scaled up and moved to the centre. With Pro, Gradiently resizes one design to every size in a single step, and the Mark behind it is redrawn for each frame, so the calmest part of the background lands behind the quote every time. ## Turn reviews into a series One testimonial is nice. Twelve that look the same are a body of evidence. Keep the background, type and layout fixed, and change only the words, name and source. Followers start to recognise the format, and a carousel of three to five reviews, each on its own page, makes a strong pinned post. [Instagram carousel design](https://gradiently.design/guide/instagram-carousel-design) covers the page flow. - Midnight ground: #14213d - Cream quote: #fef3e2 - Star amber: #f59e0b - Slate credit: #94a3b8 A testimonial palette that works: dark ground, warm light type, amber for stars and quotation marks, a quieter tone for names. The [Designer](https://gradiently.design/guide/designer-ai-guide) can help with the volume: paste a handful of reviews and it lays each one out in your Mark, using your brand kit's fonts and colours. You still choose the lines and confirm every name has agreed. ## FAQ ### How do you design a testimonial post? Lead with one short, specific quote set large, place the customer's name directly underneath, and keep the background and logo quiet so the words carry the post. ### Should testimonial posts include star ratings? Only when the stars match the rating the customer actually left. Naming the source, such as Google, makes them more credible. ### Can I post a review without the customer's permission? Even public reviews deserve a quick ask before you turn them into marketing. Use the name format the customer chooses, and remove it if they later ask. ### Can I shorten a customer review? Yes, as long as the shortened line keeps the original meaning. Never join sentences from different parts or reviews. ### What size is a testimonial post on Instagram? 1080×1350 gives the most feed space; 1080×1080 suits a square grid; 1080×1920 works for stories.