How to get an influencer to write your foreword

How to get influencers to endorse your book (aka: getting forewords and testimonials)

Have you ever noticed how successful books always seem to have quotes on the front cover? They’re usually written by someone influential and rave about how great the book is, how knowledgeable the author is, and how everyone and their cat should get a copy.

Wouldn’t you love to have the influencers in your industry saying those types of things about your book?


But how do you ask someone to write a foreword or testimonial, especially if you don’t have an existing relationship with the influencer? And what do you ask for once you’ve made the connection?


Never fear – in this post I’ll be answering all of the common questions I get about asking for forewords and testimonials.

Foreword and testimonial FAQs

What are forewords and testimonials?

As I shared in an earlier post on front and back matter, a testimonial is a quote from a reader or industry influencer endorsing your book. These quotes usually range from one sentence to one paragraph, though if someone has something truly outstanding to say it might be a bit longer.

A foreword is a longer passage written by an industry influencer that also endorses you and your book. Forewords are usually between one and three pages long and go into more depth about your relationship with the influencer and why you are the best person to be writing this book.


How many forewords and testimonials do you need?

You can have several testimonials. Many books will have one on the front cover, between one and three on the back cover, and potentially a couple of pages of testimonials at the beginning and/or end of the book.

You only have one foreword, so it’s best to ask someone who has a lot of clout in your industry or with your audience, as their credibility will rub off on you, making you see more credible as an author.


What goes into a foreword?

A foreword is usually between one and three pages, so anywhere from 300 to 1,000 words (occasionally they might be longer).


The key elements to cover include:

  • The influencer’s background (1-2 paragraphs): An optional paragraph on the influencer’s experience/thoughts on your area.
  • Your relationship (1-3 paragraphs): How did they meet you? Have you worked together? Have you helped them achieve a goal/solve a problem?
  • An introduction to you as the author (1-2 paragraphs): What do you and your business do? What do you help your clients achieve?
  • An introduction to the book (1-3 paragraphs): This doesn’t need to be a detailed outline, as you’ll cover this in your own introduction, but could be a short summary of how the book will help readers achieve similar results to what your clients achieve in your business. This might refer to the fact that you have a seven-step framework, the value of the exercises and examples you share, how your case studies demonstrate that your advice works, etc.
  • A personal endorsement (1-2 paragraphs): Why does the influencer think you are the perfect person to be writing this book?
  • Final note (1 paragraph): In a single paragraph, how will the book help readers achieve what they want?

What goes into a testimonial?

As your testimonials will be much shorter than your foreword, there is far less to include. Any positive message about you and your book’s awesomeness is a good starting point, but the most powerful testimonials are those that share a before-and-after story – where your readers were before reading your book, and where they now that they’ve read your book.

To create this story, you can ask the following questions:

  • Where were they before they read your book? What were they struggling with?
  • Where are they now after reading the book? What changes have they seen? What benefits are they experiencing as a result?
  • Who else do they think would benefit from reading your book?

If no one has read your book, another approach is simply getting testimonials for your work and including them in your book. While these won’t be as on point, they will demonstrate that you are an expert in your area and your advice is reliable, which is what you want.

How to ask for a foreword or testimonial: 4 steps to get endorsements for your book

Now that we’re all on the same page, how can you actually get some of these magical endorsements for your book?


Just follow these four steps:

  1. 1
    Find your ideal endorsers
  2. 2
    Make your approach
  3. 3
    Make it EASY
  4. 4
    Follow up

Step 1: Find your ideal endorsers

When it comes to endorsers, you’re looking for one of two things: credibility and empathy.

By credibility, I mean people who are credible in your industry – they may have been working in the field for several years, they may have worked with hundreds (or thousands) of clients, they may have written a book themselves, they may have a popular blog or website with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, they may have been featured in the media and more. All of these credibility markers tell us that they know their stuff and should be taken seriously.


The great thing about this is that, if they endorse you, all of those credibility markers rub off on you. Suddenly, you are seen as being like that person – you are seen as having the same years of experience, working with the same number of clients, being worthy of media coverage and more. This can be a game changer – whether you are new in business or whether you are trying to reach higher-value clients.


The second element is empathy – endorsements that make your readers empathise with the endorser. These endorsements are more likely to focus on the endorser’s personal journey with your book, and they give your readers insight into the results they might have if they read your book and implement your advice. Rather than being industry leaders, these people are likely to be your target readers.


So now you know what you’re looking for – credibility and empathy – where can you find the right endorsers?


For credibility, you probably already know the big players in your industry. Who are the people in your field who are:

  • Published authors
  • Highly paid speakers
  • Regularly featured in the media?

Make a list of 5-10 people who fit these criteria, starting with people you already have a personal connection with, followed by people who are connected to someone you know, followed by people you aren’t connected with.


When it comes to empathy, the best place to start is with your past clients. Of your past clients, which ones are madly in love with you and would love to endorse your book?


Then, if you can’t think of enough clients (or none of them are available to read your book before it goes to print), the next step is to think of people like them.

  • Who’s your target market?
  • Are they male or female, married or single or a certain age?
  • Do they live in a certain area?
  • Do they work in a certain field, and are they employees or business owners?
  • What are they interested in?

Using these questions, create a profile of the people you think would get the most benefit from your book. For bonus points, write a list of specific people who meet these criteria.


Step 2: Make your approach

Now that you have your lis