Let me guess. You’ve got client wins sitting in your camera roll, testimonials saved in a folder somewhere, and screenshots of DMs that made you tear up a little… but you haven’t shared any of them because you don’t want to seem “braggy.”
That mindset is costing you clients!
Social proof isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s literally how the human brain shortcuts decision-making. Your dream clients are out there right now, scrolling around and silently asking, “Does this really work?” And if your content doesn’t answer that with proof, they’ll find someone else who does.
In this episode, I’m breaking down why hiding your wins is doing your audience a disservice, how to share proof without feeling gross about it, and exactly what types of social proof you should be rotating into your content mix.
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Social Proof is How Humans Make Decisions
Humans are wired to look for evidence before making choices. We want to see what worked for others so we can avoid risk and make the best possible decision.
Think about the last time you bought something on Amazon. You didn’t click on the product with two reviews (or God forbid, zero reviews). You went straight for the one with 2,000 reviews. Even if you didn’t read them all, you skimmed. You looked for patterns. You read the one-star reviews to see if people were complaining about things that mattered to you. You read the five-star reviews to see if the qualities they praised aligned with what you were looking for.
And you didn’t even open the product page unless it had good reviews in the first place.
Your dream clients are doing the exact same thing with you right now.
They’re out there scrolling, silently asking: Does this really work? Will this actually help me? Has anyone like me worked with this person before?
And if your content doesn’t answer those questions with proof, they will find someone else who does.
Proof is Service, Not Bragging
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “But Marissa, I don’t want to seem salesy. I don’t want to look like I’m patting myself on the back.”
Cool. Don’t.
You don’t have to make yourself the hero in the story. In fact, you actually shouldn’t be making yourself the hero.
Your client is the hero. You’re just the supporting character who helped them on their transformation.
There’s a massive difference between saying “My client hit their highest income month yet, all because of me” and saying “My client was stuck spinning her wheels trying to DIY her content. We worked together on her strategy, and within two months, she went from frozen to confidently creating weekly content that actually lands clients. She’s the one who did the work; I just gave her the framework.”
See the difference?
One feels gross and braggy. The other feels empowering and real. It gives your prospect a window to see themselves in that story and think, “Wait, if it worked for them and they’re feeling kind of how I’m feeling, maybe it’ll work for me too.”
That’s what social proof is supposed to do. It’s not about flexing. It’s about opening a window for someone to self-select and say, “Oh, that could be me.”
Your Results Don’t Have to Be “Big Enough”
The other thing that might be holding you back is the belief that your results aren’t impressive enough to share.
You might be thinking, “Well, I only helped them sign two new clients” or “I only helped them lose 20 pounds when their goal was 50.”
Girl. If you helped them do anything, that’s impressive.
Because that “small” win you’re downplaying might be somebody else’s huge win!
And just hearing the reality of what you’re able to help your people achieve is enough.
You don’t need a 20-page PDF case study for someone to believe you. Sometimes, all you really need is a screenshot of somebody saying, “I finally raised my rates and booked a new client,” with a little context around what you worked on together.
When you’re not sharing these things, you’re basically leaving money on the table.
6 Types of Social Proof You Can Start Using Today
So let’s talk about how to actually do this. Here are six types of social proof you can rotate into your content mix:
1. Direct quotes and testimonials
This is the most straightforward version. Someone wrote you an email, sent you a text, filled out your testimonial form… screenshot it, and share it. Add a little context so people understand what you’re talking about, and just say something like, “I can’t believe these incredible words someone just said about working together,” and give some backstory on how they got there.
2. Before and after story arcs
One of my clients, Kate, didn’t have any social followers. She quite literally started at zero on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok because she’d been hacked before and was terrified to start again. We built it from the ground up, and in six months, we had 30,000 followers.
That story works because it shows where she started, what she was afraid of, and where she ended up. People can put themselves in her shoes and think, “Oh wow, I also have a really small following,” or “I also had my account hacked,” and suddenly they see that it doesn’t have to stay that way.
3. Data and numbers
Tell stories with data. Share the metrics that matter to your audience.
One of my clients booked out a show months in advance with zero ad dollars, just organic content that was hyper-local and optimized. That in itself is a win!
Or if you’re a personal trainer, share the weight loss, the strength gains, the before-and-after photos. Just make sure the data you’re sharing is actually relevant to what your dream clients care about.
4. Behind-the-scenes process
A lot of people are wondering, “Okay, but what’s it actually like to work with this person?” Show them.
Walk them through what happens on a content shoot. Show how you map out a client’s strategy in real time. Give them a peek at what’s needed from them and what you handle.
This isn’t just proof in data; it’s proof in process. And it helps people see themselves working with you before they ever hit “inquire.”
5. Client snapshots (the emotional proof)
This is where you capture the feeling, not just the numbers. Because not everyone is a data-driven buyer. Some people thrive on emotions.
Share things like: “When my client came to me, they were terrified to show up on video. But, after we worked together, they finally felt confident enough to go live, and within a month, they booked three new clients directly from those videos.”
The best proof isn’t always the numbers. It’s often the relief, the confidence, the way your clients finally get to exhale because they’re no longer doing it alone.
6. Micro proof (the casual wins)
You don’t need formal case studies for everything. Sometimes a simple text that says “Oh my god, content feels easy for the first time ever” is powerful enough.
Share the offhand comments. Share the DMs. Share the quick wins. Because those micro moments of proof help your audience think, “Wait, if it worked for them and they’re feeling how I’m feeling, maybe it’ll work for me too.”
Weave It All Together
The most effective way to use proof is to weave it all together. Tell the story with the data. Share the before-and-after arc and then follow it up with a direct testimonial quote. Mix the emotional wins with the hard numbers.
If you check out my portfolio page, you’ll see this in action. I’ll have a case study that tells the full story with data woven in, and then underneath it, I’ll include a direct quote from the client. That way, no matter who’s reading (whether they’re a data-driven buyer or an emotional buyer), they get something that makes them go, “Oh cool, okay, that’s exactly what I wanted to know.”
Proof isn’t pushy. It’s what actually helps bridge the gap between someone silently wondering if they can trust you and confidently hitting “inquire.”
So stop hiding your wins. Stop feeling like you’re being braggy. Stop worrying that you’ll come across as too salesy.
You’re running a damn business. You’re supposed to be selling. That’s literally what you’re here to do.
Share the testimonials. Share the data. Share the behind-the-scenes. Share the casual DMs that made you smile.
If you keep those testimonials and social proof to yourself, you’re quite literally hiding the information your best-fit clients need to make confident decisions.
So do yourself (and them) a favor: start sharing your receipts.
🎧 Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
