You're new to freelancing in Nigeria. You've got skills—maybe web design, copywriting, social media management, or virtual assistance. But you're stuck on the same problem every newcomer faces: nobody wants to hire you because you have no testimonials, and you can't get testimonials without clients.
This is the chicken-and-egg problem, and it's real. But here's what most new Nigerian freelancers don't understand: getting your first testimonials doesn't require waiting months on Upwork or Fiverr where you'll compete against 50 other people for a ₦5,000 job.
In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to get testimonials as a new freelancer in Nigeria—without the platform fees, without the low rates, and without the wait. You'll learn strategies that work in the Nigerian market, with realistic timelines and actual numbers.
Let's be honest: testimonials are social proof. They tell a potential client that real people have paid you real money and been happy about it. In Nigeria, where trust is everything, a single strong testimonial can be worth ₦200,000+ in additional income.
Here's what research shows about testimonials:
But here's the catch: you need to be strategic about which clients you target for testimonials. Not every early project is worth pursuing just for the social proof.
Before we solve it, let's name the real obstacles:
Most new freelancers start on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr because they think that's the only way to find work. But these platforms are flooded. You'll spend weeks applying to jobs, undercutting your rates, and still not landing projects. Even if you do, the clients are often price-conscious and won't write detailed testimonials.
On Upwork, a Nigerian freelancer with no portfolio gets buried. A client sees 20 proposals at ₦3,000–₦10,000 and picks the cheapest. There's no room to build a relationship, and cheap clients rarely leave testimonials.
A testimonial from someone's side hustle or hobby project doesn't carry weight. When you land your first few clients through traditional freelance platforms, they're often personal projects, not businesses. A business owner's testimonial is worth 10x more because it shows you can deliver results that impact revenue.
Asking for a testimonial feels awkward when you're new. Most freelancers either don't ask at all or ask in a way that makes clients uncomfortable.
The solution? Stop relying on platforms and start targeting real businesses directly. This is where Freelance LeadsHub changes everything.
Key insight: The fastest path to testimonials isn't Upwork or Fiverr—it's finding small-to-medium businesses in Nigeria that actually need your services right now, at prices they can afford, and with clear outcomes you can measure and showcase.
Not all clients are equal when it comes to testimonials. You want businesses that:
The best places to find these clients in Nigeria are:
Search for business owners and decision-makers in your niche. Small business owners, marketing managers, and e-commerce store owners are on LinkedIn. You can connect with 50 people per week for free. Expect 1–2 warm conversations per 50 outreaches, but these tend to be higher-quality clients.
Instead of guessing who to contact, use Freelance LeadsHub to download ready-made lead lists of businesses by niche and location. For example, if you do SEO services, you can download a list of 500+ Nigerian businesses in a specific industry—all with email addresses and phone numbers ready to contact.
Pricing:
Instead of spending 2 weeks trying to find 50 prospects, you download a list in 5 minutes and start emailing. This cuts your time-to-first-testimonial from 8 weeks to 2–3 weeks. The math is simple: one extra client at ₦60,000 pays for the lead list forever.
Join groups where Nigerian business owners hang out—e-commerce groups, digital marketing communities, real estate forums. You'll find warm leads here, and referrals from group members convert better. But this method takes longer and requires relationship-building.
Once you have a list of prospects, cold email is the fastest way to get meetings. Once you have your lead list, load it into Zaram Web Mailer — it handles bulk sending, follow-ups, and avoids spam filters. You can send personalized emails to 100+ prospects in minutes and track replies automatically.
Realistic expectation: With a good cold email, you'll get 5–15% reply rate from Nigerian businesses. That means 50 emails = 2–7 conversations = 1–2 paid projects within 2 weeks.
Once you start getting inquiries, be selective. Not every client is worth your time as a new freelancer trying to build testimonials. Focus on projects where:
Good projects for testimonials:
Avoid these for now:
Here's a hard truth: broke clients don't pay on time, and they definitely don't leave testimonials. Target businesses that:
A single testimonial from a successful business owner is worth more than 5 from people running side hustles.
Here's where most freelancers mess up: they either price too low (₦10,000–₦20,000) or too high (₦300,000+) for their first clients.
The sweet spot for landing testimonial projects: ₦40,000–₦100,000
Here's why:
Real example: A freelancer doing social media management at ₦15,000/month gets low-value clients. A freelancer charging ₦60,000 for a 30-day social media overhaul attracts business owners who care about results. That client sees 200+ new followers and 50+ qualified inquiries in 30 days, and they happily give a testimonial. Next time, you charge ₦120,000 because you have proof.
You can't ask for a testimonial if you didn't blow the client away. Here's what I mean:
Spend 120% of the hours you promised. Find extra value. If you're redesigning a website, also optimize the contact form. If you're doing copywriting, also create a simple email sequence. Clients remember you for going above and beyond, and they tell others about it.
Send progress updates without being asked. Weekly check-ins. Photos, screenshots, video walkthroughs. This sounds like extra work, but Nigerian clients especially appreciate constant communication—it shows respect and professionalism.
Don't just deliver the work. Deliver a short report showing the impact:
Measurable results = powerful testimonials later.
Deliver early, communicate in clean English or Pidgin (depending on the client), meet every deadline, and handle complaints gracefully. Nigerian business culture values reliability and respect. Being the freelancer who actually does what they say is rare enough to be memorable.
Download a targeted list of businesses with real emails and phone numbers — by niche and country — in seconds. Sign up free, pay once, pitch immediately.
Get My Lead List →Timing is everything. Ask when the client is happiest—usually 3–7 days after you've delivered and they've had time to see the results or use the product.
Via email or WhatsApp:
"Hi [Client Name], I'm really proud of the work we did on [project name]. Your feedback has been invaluable. As I continue helping more businesses in [industry], I'd love to include a brief testimonial from you—just a sentence or two about your experience and the results you've seen so far. Feel free to share via email, voice note, or even a quick 30-second video if you're comfortable. No pressure at all. Thanks!"
Why this works:
Video testimonials are 5x more powerful than written ones. A 30-second video of a client saying "This freelancer helped me get 50 new customers in 60 days, and I'm hiring them again" beats any written testimonial. But if they're not comfortable, written works fine.
What to ask them to include:
Example strong testimonial:
"Before working with Chioma, my e-commerce store was getting 20 visitors per day with 0 sales. She redesigned my product pages and set up Google Shopping ads. Now I'm getting 300+ visitors daily and averaging 5–8 sales per day. She's professional, communicative, and delivers results. If you need e-commerce help, hire her."—Tunde O., Owner of TechHub Nigeria
Compare that to: "Good work, would recommend." One is usable, the other is not.
Testimonials don't matter if nobody sees them. Here's where to put them:
If you don't have a website yet, build one immediately. Testimonials should be prominent—on the homepage, in a dedicated "Results" section, and on service pages. A simple portfolio website for Nigerian freelancers doesn't need to be fancy. Use Wix, Webflow, or even WordPress. Cost: ₦0–₦30,000/year.
Ask clients to write recommendations on your LinkedIn profile. This is huge for credibility. Every time someone views your profile, they see 3–5 testimonials from real businesses.
When you're reaching out to new clients, include a small testimonial in your email signature: "Trusted by 15+ Nigerian businesses to manage their online presence."
Save 2–3 strong testimonials. When a prospect asks "Can you prove you can do the work?", reply with the testimonials immediately. Having them saved and ready cuts your response time and shows professionalism.
Pro tip: Once you have 3–5 solid testimonials, you can start raising your rates by 50–100%. Clients with proof of past results will pay ₦100,000+ for services they'd previously pay ₦40,000 for.
Once you have 2–3 testimonials, you have proof. Now you can:
Go from ₦50,000 to ₦100,000+ per project. Your first testimonials give you permission to charge more, and clients will happily pay for proven results.
With testimonials and a portfolio, your cold email conversion rate jumps from 1–2% to 5–15%. If you're sending 100 cold emails per week using Zaram Web Mailer, that's 5–15 replies, meaning 2–5 new clients per month at ₦100,000+ each. That's ₦200,000–₦500,000 in monthly income from cold email alone—without relying on Upwork or Fiverr.
A satisfied client is your best salesman. After you've delivered and gotten their testimonial, ask: "Do you know anyone else in [industry] who could use help with [service]?" Referral clients convert at 30–50% and often lead to long-term retainers.
Here's what's realistic in Nigeria:
Week 1–2: Build a basic portfolio/LinkedIn profile. Download leads from Freelance LeadsHub (₦20,000–₦40,000). Write and send 50–100 cold emails using Zaram Web Mailer.
Week 2–3: Get 5–10 replies. Have 2–3 initial meetings/calls. Close 1–2 clients at ₦50,000–₦100,000 each.
Week 3–4: Deliver the work. Over-deliver. Send progress updates.
Week 4–5: Client sees results and is happy. You request testimonial.
Week 5–6: You have your first 1–2 testimonials. Update your portfolio and LinkedIn.
Week 7+: Start your next round of cold emails with testimonials now in your pitch. Your close rate doubles. Rinse and repeat.
Total timeline: 6–8 weeks from zero to your first testimonial. That's realistic. Not months.
A: No. Absolutely not. Free work teaches clients that you're cheap and desperate. It also means they won't value the results, and they won't give you strong testimonials because they didn't invest in you. Instead, charge ₦30,000–₦50,000 for your first testimonial project. That's low enough to be approachable but high enough to be taken seriously. If a client won't pay ₦30,000 for work that will help their business, they're not worth your time.
A: Yes, for a while. One powerful testimonial is better than no testimonials. Use it on your website, in emails, and in cold pitches. But aim to get 3–5 within your first 3 months so you can show variety (different industries, different results). This shows you're not a one-trick pony.
A: Don't push. Instead, ask why. Sometimes they're just shy or don't know what to say. Offer to write a draft testimonial and let them edit it. Other times, they're hesitant because they're worried about getting too many inquiries themselves. Respect that. Move on to the next client. One in three happy clients will give a testimonial if asked properly—that's normal.
A: Small business owners' testimonials are often MORE powerful in Nigeria because they're relatable. A testimonial from a fellow entrepreneur saying "This freelancer helped me scale to ₦500,000/month" resonates more than a corporate testimonial. However, if you can get both, even better. Quality matters more than company size.
Here's what you need to do right now:
The freelancers in Nigeria earning ₦500,000+ per month didn't start on Upwork. They started by finding real businesses with real budgets, delivering results, collecting testimonials, and using those testimonials to scale. You can do the exact same thing—and you can start this week.
Testimonials aren't something that "happen to you" after 6 months on a platform. They're something you strategically build by choosing the right clients, delivering exceptional work, and asking at the right moment. Six weeks from now, you could have 2–3 testimonials and be charging double what you planned.
The question isn't "How long will it take?" It's "Are you willing to stop waiting and start reaching out to real businesses today?"
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