What to do when your first product has no testimonials

You have finished your first product, opened the sales page and reached the section headed “What customers say”. It is empty. You have no testimonials, no review screenshots and no impressive results to quote. That does not mean the product is impossible to sell. It means you need to replace borrowed trust with evidence people can inspect before they buy.

Start with the problem, not the missing praise

Testimonials usually do one job: they help a potential buyer believe that the product addresses a real problem. Without them, your page needs to do that job directly. Name the situation the buyer recognises, what is getting in the way and what they will be able to do after using your product.

“A guide for better newsletters” is difficult to judge. “A 12-page planning guide for freelancers who have ideas but cannot choose a weekly newsletter topic” gives someone more to compare with their own situation. It also gives the wrong person a reason not to buy, which is useful. Specificity is not a substitute for proof of results, but it makes the promise easier to assess.

1. 1Describe the moment that causes the problem: staring at a blank document, repeating the same onboarding explanation or losing track of client follow-ups.
2. 2State the practical change your product supports, using an action rather than a vague feeling.
3. 3List what is included, including the number or type of files, lessons, calls, templates or prompts where that information is genuinely fixed.
4. 4Say who should not buy, such as someone looking for done-for-you work, advanced theory or a different tool.

Let people inspect the product

When a customer cannot inspect a product, they have to trust your description of it. A preview gives them something more solid. For a digital download, show the contents page, one completed example and one blank page. For a course, show the lesson titles and a short extract from one lesson. For coaching, explain the call structure, preparation and what happens afterwards.

The preview should answer questions rather than reveal every useful part. You might show a template with the instructions visible but a worked example removed, or a course clip that demonstrates your teaching style without publishing the whole lesson. If the product is sold through digital downloads, make the file format and delivery clear. If it is a course, explain whether the material is video, text, or both.

Use credible evidence that is not a testimonial

You may not have customer results yet, but you can still show why the product is useful. Explain the method behind it. Show the decisions you made, the order of the steps and the mistake each step is designed to prevent. A spreadsheet can show its formulas. A lesson can show its exercise. A prompt pack can show the difference between a weak prompt and a more precise one.

Your own experience can be evidence of process, not proof that every buyer will get the same outcome. Say what you used the method for and what it helped you produce. Avoid turning one personal result into a universal promise. “This is the checklist I use to prepare a launch” is supportable. “This checklist will double your launch revenue” requires evidence you do not have.

You can also make the buying decision easier by giving the product a small, useful entry point. A free checklist or short sample lets someone experience the structure before paying. On store.fan, a lead magnet can collect permission to stay in touch while giving you a way to learn which problem attracts the most interest. The free item should solve one narrow part of the problem, not serve as a disguised replacement for the paid product.

Reduce the risk without making a promise you cannot keep

A straightforward guarantee can help when the buyer is unsure whether the product will be useful. State the conditions plainly: what the guarantee covers, how the buyer requests it and whether there is a time limit. Keep the language consistent with what you can administer. A complicated promise creates another uncertainty instead of removing one.

You can reduce risk in other ways too. Make the format visible, show the expected time commitment and explain what tools the buyer needs. If the product depends on personal feedback, say how much feedback is included. If it is self-serve, do not imply that you will provide individual support unless you intend to do so.

Make the first sales a learning loop

Your first buyers need not be treated as a publicity exercise. Give them a clear way to report confusion, missing material or a useful result. Ask questions that produce detail: which part did you use first, what did you do with it, where did you hesitate and what changed afterwards? Do not ask for praise before you know whether the product worked for them.

If someone volunteers a positive result, ask permission before publishing it. Keep the wording accurate and include context where it matters. A short comment such as “I used the worksheet to plan three weeks of topics” is more credible than a dramatic sentence with no explanation. If nobody has a result yet, use buyer questions as evidence of what needs clarifying on the page.

A storefront can help you collect the practical signals around those early sales. With store.fan, money goes directly to your Stripe account and store.fan takes 0% of sales, while Stripe's own processing fee still applies. On a paid plan, you can use features such as email marketing or discount codes to follow up with early buyers, but these tools do not replace a sound product or honest communication.

Build a sales page that stands without reviews

Put the strongest evidence near the buying decision. Start with the problem and fit, then show the contents, preview the experience, explain the method, answer practical questions and state the price. A reader should not need to message you to discover what they receive. You can use store.fan as the home for that offer, with a storefront at store.fan/username; its store designer helps you present the product and the information around it in one place.

• A specific headline that names the buyer and situation.
• A short description of the change the product supports.
• A contents or delivery list with concrete detail.
• A preview that shows the quality and format.
• A section called “This is for you if” and another called “Not for you if”.
• A clear explanation of support, access, refunds and next steps.

Do not hide the lack of testimonials with inflated claims. You can say that the product is new. That sets an accurate expectation and gives early buyers a reason to contribute to its next version. Over time, replace general reassurance with specific evidence: a buyer's words, an anonymised before-and-after, or a description of how someone used a particular part.