> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kudoswall.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding testimonials in KudosWall

> Testimonials move from pending to approved before they appear publicly. Learn what data is captured, how statuses work, and how to organize your responses.

A testimonial is the core unit of data in KudosWall. Every submission a customer makes on your collection page becomes a testimonial in your dashboard — sitting in a queue for you to review before anything appears publicly. This gives you full control over what social proof you display.

## Testimonial statuses

Every testimonial passes through a simple lifecycle:

* **Pending** — the customer has submitted, but you haven't reviewed it yet. Nothing is shown publicly.
* **Approved** — you've reviewed and accepted it. It now qualifies to appear in your widgets.
* **Rejected** — you've declined it. It stays in your dashboard for reference but never appears in widgets.

<Note>
  Only approved testimonials are ever shown in widgets. Rejecting a testimonial doesn't delete it — it stays in your dashboard in case you change your mind later.
</Note>

## What data is captured

Each testimonial stores the following fields. Some are collected from the customer's form submission; others you add yourself in the dashboard.

| Field            | Source          | Notes                                 |
| ---------------- | --------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Author name      | Customer form   | Required by default                   |
| Email            | Customer form   | Optional; not displayed publicly      |
| Company          | Customer form   | Optional                              |
| Job title        | Customer form   | Optional                              |
| LinkedIn URL     | Customer form   | Optional; off by default              |
| Testimonial text | Customer form   | Required                              |
| Star rating      | Customer form   | 1–5 stars; can be disabled            |
| Tags             | You (dashboard) | For organization and widget filtering |

## Plan limits on approved testimonials

<Warning>
  The Free plan allows a maximum of 5 approved testimonials. Once you reach that limit, you'll need to upgrade to Pro, Agency, or Lifetime — all of which include unlimited testimonials.
</Warning>

## Organizing with tags

You can attach one or more tags to any testimonial directly from the dashboard. Tags serve two purposes:

1. **Organization** — group testimonials by product, campaign, customer type, or any label that makes sense for your workflow.
2. **Widget filtering** — when you configure a widget, you can tell it to show only testimonials with a specific tag. This lets you display targeted social proof on different pages of your site.

## Pinning testimonials

Pinning a testimonial tells your widgets to always display it first, regardless of the normal sort order. Use this for your strongest reviews — the ones you want every visitor to see.

## Soft deletion

Deleting a testimonial in KudosWall is non-destructive. The testimonial is hidden from display and removed from all widgets, but it's not permanently erased. This means you can recover it if needed.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Review and approve" icon="circle-check" href="/managing/review-approve">
    Step-by-step guide to reviewing submissions and approving testimonials.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tags and organization" icon="tag" href="/managing/tags-organization">
    How to create tags and use them to filter widget content.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>