# Add a testimonial by hand

Type in a testimonial a customer sent you, with a rating, a photo and images, and find it in Pending once it's saved.

When a customer sends you kind words by email, in a chat or in person, you can type them into your project yourself. The workspace owner and the project's **Admins** and **Members** can add testimonials. **Viewers** can't.

1. **Open the dialog**

   In your project's sidebar, open **Pending** or **Approved**. Click **Options** above the list and, under **Add Testimonial**, choose **Add a text**. The **Add a text testimonial** dialog opens.

   ![The inbox's Options menu, with the four choices under Add Testimonial outlined: Add a video, Add a text, Extract from screenshot and Bulk import](https://assets.retestimonial.com/app-statics/help/shots/inbox-options-add-testimonial.3d8a9b52.webp)

2. **Set the rating**

   The dialog starts with five stars. Click a star to change the rating. If the customer didn't give one, turn off the switch beside the stars, and the testimonial is saved without a rating.

   Set the stars before you save: a testimonial's **Edit** window has no rating.

3. **Enter the testimonial**

   Under **Testimonial content**, type or paste the customer's words: at least 10 characters. The toolbar above the box highlights, bolds, italicizes, underlines or links the text you select.

   Under **Attach an Image**, click **Choose images** to add up to three images (JPEG, PNG, WebP or GIF). You can also paste an image from your clipboard, or switch **File** to **URL**, paste an image's address and click **Add**.

   To save a picture with no words, such as a photo of a handwritten card, turn on **Image only?** at the top of the dialog. The text box is hidden, and at least one image is required.

4. **Say who it's from**

   - **Name**: the customer's name. It's required.
   - **Upload your user's photo**: click **Choose** to upload a picture, or switch to **URL** to add one from a link.
   - **Job Title (optional)** and **Company (optional)**.
   - **Date**: the date shown with the testimonial. It starts as today, so change it if the customer wrote to you earlier.
   - **Custom Fields**, when your project has any and your plan includes them (Pro, Premium and Business). A field marked with \* must be filled in.

5. **Save it**

   Click **Create**. To add several in a row, click **Create & Add Another** instead: it saves the testimonial and empties the dialog for the next one.

   You see "Testimonial added to Pending.", and the testimonial is saved in **Pending**, with a **Manual** badge on its card. That's true even when you add it from **Approved**. The list there doesn't change, so click **Open Pending** in the message, or open **Pending** in the sidebar, to find it.

## If it isn't saved

A message tells you why:

- **"Author name is required"**: fill in **Name**.
- **"Testimonial content must be at least 10 characters"**: write more, or turn on **Image only?** and attach an image.
- **A message that starts "Your plan allows"**: your workspace has reached its plan's limit. On Free, a workspace can hold 10 written, audio and linked media testimonials across all its projects. Pending and approved testimonials count. Rejected, archived and spam ones don't, so archive some you don't use, or upgrade. See [Plan limits](/help/account/plan-limits#written-audio-and-linked-media-testimonials).

## Other ways to add one yourself

The **Add Testimonial** group has three more options. A video or a screenshot you add this way is saved in **Pending** too.

- **Add a video**: upload a video file a customer sent you (WebM, MP4 or MOV), with a rating, the customer's name and your custom fields. The file has to fit your plan's video limits. See [Collect video testimonials](/help/collect/video-testimonials#limits-by-plan).
- **Extract from screenshot**: upload or paste a screenshot of a testimonial (JPEG, PNG or WebP). Its text, author, rating and date are read from the image, and you check and correct them before you click **Create**. This doesn't use AI credits.
- **Bulk import**: opens the **Import** page, for many testimonials at once. Only the workspace owner and Admins see it. See [Import testimonials from CSV, Excel or JSON](/help/import/import-from-csv-excel-or-json).

## What happens next

- **Approve it to show it.** Widgets and Wall of Love pages show only approved testimonials, so click **Approve** on its card in **Pending**. See [Approve, reject and archive testimonials](/help/manage/approve-reject-and-archive).
- **Add more details with Edit.** A headline, a company logo, a company link, social profiles and a read more link aren't in this dialog. Click **Show more** on the card, then **Edit**. See [Edit a testimonial](/help/manage/edit-a-testimonial).
- **Let customers send the next one themselves.** A form collects testimonials without any retyping. See [Build a collection form](/help/collect/build-a-collection-form).