Essays, playbooks and field reports on collecting customer stories that actually convert — written for founders, indie SaaS teams, and anyone who'd rather show than tell.
Recent dispatches
“How to collect video testimonials in 2026 (without chasing anyone)”
Playbooks · 7 min read
Most founders treat video testimonials like a side quest — something to figure out after launch. Here's the system that actually works: who to ask, when to ask, how to make it easy enough that people actually do it.
“The best way to get customer reviews in 2026 (and why most requests fail)”
Playbooks · 8 min read
Star ratings are easy to fake and hard to trust. Written quotes are easy to ignore. Here's a ranked breakdown of every review format, what each one actually does for conversion, and the exact ask that gets customers to say yes.
“Free video testimonial tools for your website in 2026 — honestly compared”
Playbooks · 8 min read
Six tools with genuine free plans, what each one actually lets you do before charging you, and which one makes sense depending on how many videos you need and how much friction you're willing to put in your customers' way.
“How to use social proof for sales in 2026 — not just on your homepage”
Playbooks · 8 min read
Most teams treat social proof as a landing page decoration. The founders closing deals faster are using it in outbound emails, sales decks, and live calls — in formats their buyers actually trust. Here's the full playbook.
“The best way to record testimonials in the browser in 2026”
Playbooks · 7 min read
Native browser recording has been good enough for production-quality testimonials for a while now. Here's what makes it work, what breaks it on mobile, and why it outperforms every app-download or screen-share alternative for customer completion rates.
“Top social proof tools for founders in 2026 — and the difference that actually matters”
Playbooks · 9 min read
Most tool roundups lump testimonial platforms and FOMO notification widgets into the same list, which is like comparing a billboard to a pop-up ad. They do different things. Here's how to tell which category you need and which tools are worth your time in each.
“The SaaS founder's guide to collecting video testimonials that actually convert”
Playbooks · 6 min read
Most founders ask for testimonials wrong — an email asking for 'a quick quote' gets a polite non-answer. This is the playbook we built from watching 500+ testimonial requests go out and seeing which ones customers actually completed.
“Testimonial software for indie hackers in 2026 — what actually fits your constraints”
Playbooks · 10 min read
Indie hackers have different requirements than funded teams: tighter budgets, no ops overhead to configure complex tools, and a narrower window between 'this customer loves me' and 'they've moved on.' Here's a grounded comparison of what's available and which constraints each tool respects.
“The best customer success story tools in 2026 — and why most search results get the category wrong”
Playbooks · 9 min read
Search for 'customer success story tools' and you'll mostly get CS management platforms — Gainsight, ChurnZero, health scoring software. That's a different category. This article covers the tools that help you actually capture, build, and publish customer stories as marketing assets.