Using Instagram Testimonials in Partnership Ads to Build Trust and Drive Sales

Instagram’s latest update to Partnership Ads introduces a Testimonials feature, giving brands a new way to leverage creator endorsements for increased engagement and conversions. 

This feature allows short, text-based testimonials from creators to appear as pinned, sponsored comments on Partnership Ads in Feed and Reels, seamlessly integrating influencer validation into paid promotions.

Unlike traditional influencer marketing, which typically involves full-fledged posts, Reels, or Stories, testimonials are concise, text-based endorsements (limited to 125 characters).

With 40% of Instagram users relying on creator recommendations when making purchasing decisions, brands that incorporate authentic endorsements into their ads can build trust faster, drive more clicks, and increase conversions. 

By providing social proof directly within the ad experience, Testimonials offer a low-effort, high-impact way for brands to reinforce their messaging and enhance ad performance.

In this article, we’ll break down how the feature works, why it matters for brands and influencers, and best practices for maximizing its potential. 

Whether you’re looking to improve the effectiveness of your paid campaigns or expand your influencer marketing strategy, this guide will help you understand, implement, and optimize Instagram’s new Testimonials feature for measurable results.

How It Differs from Traditional Influencer Marketing

• Bite-Sized Endorsements: Unlike long-form influencer collaborations, testimonials are quick text-based comments, making them a low-effort option for creators.
• Integrated Into Ads: Instead of appearing as standalone influencer content, testimonials are embedded within paid Partnership Ads, reinforcing brand messaging in a natural way.
• Direct Creator Payments: Brands negotiate payments directly with creators for these endorsements, offering an additional revenue stream without requiring extensive content production.

Why Instagram Introduced It

• More Monetization Opportunities: Instagram aims to give creators more ways to earn from brand partnerships without the time commitment of creating full posts or videos.
• Stronger Social Proof for Brands: By integrating trusted creator recommendations into ads, brands gain built-in credibility, making their ads feel more authentic and persuasive.
• Optimized Ad Performance: Testimonials provide a seamless way to influence purchasing decisions within the ad environment.

This feature bridges the gap between influencer marketing and paid advertising, making it easier for brands to leverage creator endorsements at scale while giving influencers a low-lift way to participate in brand promotions.

How Partnership Ad Testimonials Work

1. Creators Write a Testimonial
   • The creator writes a short endorsement (125 characters or less) about the brand or product.
   • The testimonial is designed to be quick, concise, and persuasive, making it easy for creators to participate.
2. Brands Approve & Attach the Testimonial
   • The brand reviews the creator’s testimonial before attaching it to their Partnership Ad as a pinned, sponsored comment.
   • The testimonial is positioned at the top of the ad’s comment section, maximizing visibility.
3. Users See the Testimonial While Engaging with the Ad
   • As users engage with the ad, the pinned testimonial provides an authentic endorsement, reinforcing credibility.

Two Ways to Set Up a Testimonial

Brands can choose between two methods to integrate testimonials into their Partnership Ads:

1. With an Ad Code
   • The creator’s handle appears first, making the testimonial look like an organic comment from the influencer.
   • The caption for the ad comes from the creator’s profile, giving it a more personal and influencer-driven feel.
2. Without an Ad Code (Recommended)
   • The brand’s handle appears first, maintaining control over the overall ad messaging.
   • The testimonial comes from the creator’s handle, appearing as an endorsement in the comments.
   • This setup is recommended as it ensures the brand’s messaging is prioritized while still leveraging influencer credibility.

By offering a streamlined and low-effort approach to influencer marketing, Instagram Testimonials provide brands with a cost-effective way to enhance ad performance while giving creators another avenue for monetization.

Why Testimonials Matter for Instagram Ads & Influencer Marketing

Boosts Trust & Social Proof

People are naturally influenced by peer recommendations and trusted voices when making purchasing decisions. 

When potential customers see authentic testimonials from creators they follow, they feel more confident about trying the product themselves.

Enhances Ad Performance

Testimonials help Partnership Ads stand out in crowded feeds by adding an authentic endorsement directly within the comments. This kind of influencer validation can lead to:

• Higher engagement rates – Users are more likely to like, comment, or share when they see a trusted creator involved.
• Increased click-through rates (CTR) – A positive creator endorsement can nudge hesitant shoppers to click and explore further.
• More conversions – Social proof removes doubts and reassures consumers that the product is worth buying.

Provides a Low-Effort Influencer Collaboration

Unlike traditional influencer marketing campaigns, which require high-quality content production, video editing, and lengthy negotiations, testimonials offer a quick, easy, and cost-effective alternative.

• Simple for creators – They just need to write a 125-character endorsement, rather than producing an entire sponsored post or video.
• Efficient for brands – Brands can work with multiple creators without high production costs, making influencer partnerships more scalable.

Brands get the benefits of influencer credibility without the logistical challenges of full-scale influencer collaborations.

Increases Visibility for Partnership Ads

Even if a user doesn’t engage with the ad itself, they may scroll through the comments and see a testimonial from a trusted creator. This keeps the brand top-of-mind, even for those who aren’t actively engaging with the ad.

• More chances for discovery – Users often check comments before engaging with an ad, making pinned testimonials a key visibility driver.
• Longer-lasting impact – Unlike disappearing Stories or short-lived Reels, a testimonial remains pinned in the comments, keeping the creator’s endorsement visible.

Not all engagement happens through likes and clicks—sometimes, a well-placed testimonial in the comments plants a seed that leads to future conversions.

By combining influencer credibility with ad visibility, Instagram’s Testimonials feature helps brands and creators enhance their marketing impact without additional content production costs.

Best Practices for Using Testimonials in Partnership Ads

Instagram’s Testimonials feature in Partnership Ads is a valuable tool, but its effectiveness depends on how testimonials are crafted and integrated into ad campaigns. Here’s how brands can maximize impact:

Choose the Right Creators

Selecting the right influencer is key to making testimonials feel authentic and persuasive.

• Align with the Target Audience – Partner with creators whose followers match your ideal customer profile. A strong audience fit leads to higher trust and conversion rates.
• Prioritize Authenticity – Consumers can detect insincere endorsements. Work with creators who genuinely use and appreciate your product.
• Look Beyond Follower Count – A creator with a highly engaged, niche audience often has more influence than one with a broad but less invested following.

Craft Impactful Testimonials

Since testimonials are limited to 125 characters, they need to be clear, persuasive, and value-driven.

• Keep It Concise – The best testimonials are direct and highlight a key product benefit.
  • Weak: Great product!
  • Strong: This serum completely transformed my skin—best skincare investment I’ve made!
• Use Emotional or Urgency Triggers – Testimonials that express excitement or urgency can increase engagement.
  • Weak: This shampoo is good.
  • Strong: I’ve never had softer hair—results after just one wash!
• Highlight a Key Selling Point – Focus on what makes the product unique or valuable.
  • Weak: Love this planner.
  • Strong: This planner keeps me organized and on track every day.

Use Testimonials Alongside Other Ad Formats

Testimonials work best when they complement other ad content, rather than serving as the sole marketing message.

• Pair with Influencer Reels or Feed Posts – A testimonial in the comments reinforces the creator’s full-length product endorsement.
• Combine with Branded Content – A strong written endorsement can add credibility to a static ad or carousel post.
• Use as Social Proof – Running an influencer-led ad? Pin a testimonial from another creator in the comments to strengthen the message.

Experiment & A/B Test Testimonials

Testing different testimonial styles helps brands identify the most effective messaging.

• Compare Different Messaging Approaches – Some audiences respond better to product benefits, while others prefer emotional storytelling. Test both to see what drives the best engagement.
• Test Multiple Creators – Try testimonials from different influencers to see which resonates most with your audience.
• Refine Based on Performance – Track engagement and conversion data to improve future testimonials and optimize ad impact.

By using testimonials strategically, brands can enhance trust, increase engagement, and drive conversions—turning Instagram’s newest ad feature into a high-impact marketing tool.

Challenges & Limitations of Partnership Ad Testimonials

While Instagram’s Testimonials feature in Partnership Ads offers a new way to enhance credibility and trust, it also comes with certain limitations that brands and creators need to consider.

Lower Visibility than Full Influencer Content

One major drawback of testimonials is that they appear in the comments section rather than as a main post or Reel.

• Users who scroll past the ad without engaging with the comments may never see the testimonial.
• Unlike influencer-created posts or Reels, testimonials lack a dedicated spotlight and rely on users actively reading comments.

Character Limit Restriction (125 Characters)

Testimonials are text-only endorsements with a strict 125-character limit, making it difficult to deliver a compelling and detailed recommendation.

• Influencers must condense their messaging, potentially limiting storytelling and emotional connection.
• More complex products or services may struggle to communicate their unique value propositions within the given space.

Only One Testimonial Per Ad

Currently, only one testimonial can be attached to each Partnership Ad, which limits the amount of social proof a brand can showcase.

• Brands that have multiple influencer endorsements can’t leverage them all in a single ad campaign.
• Unlike traditional product reviews, where potential buyers can read multiple perspectives, testimonials provide just one viewpoint per ad.

While testimonials can add authenticity and social proof, brands should not rely on them as a standalone strategy. 

Instead, they should be used in combination with other ad formats, such as influencer-created content, video ads, and branded posts, to maximize visibility and impact.

The Future of Instagram Testimonials and What It Means for Brands

Instagram’s new Testimonials feature is a clear signal that the platform is doubling down on influencer marketing and brand collaborations. 

By allowing brands to integrate creator endorsements directly into ads, Instagram is strengthening social proof and making influencer partnerships more accessible. While this feature is still in its early stages, it’s likely that Instagram will continue refining it to improve visibility and effectiveness. 

Future updates could bring enhancements like multiple testimonials per ad, more engaging formats like video or audio endorsements, or deeper AI-driven placement to ensure testimonials reach the right audiences.

For now, the real value of testimonials lies in how brands and creators use them strategically. 

While they may not replace full-scale influencer campaigns, they provide an additional layer of credibility that can make a difference in engagement and conversions. The key is integrating testimonials into a broader marketing strategy—selecting the right creators, crafting compelling endorsements, and pairing them with strong ad creatives.

As Instagram continues to evolve its advertising ecosystem, brands that embrace and experiment with this feature early on will be best positioned to drive results in the increasingly competitive world of influencer marketing.

About the Author: As the Director, Marketing at adQuadrant, Nick Grant leverages more than 20 years of experience working across a variety of tech verticals. Nick grew up in California and earned his BS in Business with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. After college, he relocated to Seattle to pursue his passion for startups, where he worked at various dot-coms before co-founding a successful visual strategy agency in 2010. Now back in California, Nick spends his time hiking around San Luis Obispo County with his wife and son, honing his talent as a concert photographer, and perfecting his handstand skills.