One sentence from a customer often does more than ten from the company. But a testimonial that obviously reads from a script does the opposite. This page covers how to prepare, what to ask and how to edit, so the testimonial looks real, because it should be.
Who to ask
Not the most famous customer; the one who can give concrete details. "Great to work with" carries no information; "we used to spend two days a month on this, now half a day" gives viewers a picture. Ask privately first whether they're willing, then book a time.
Designing the interview questions
Don't hand over a script. Give them a list of questions and let them answer in their own words. Keep the questions open:
- Before you started, what was the biggest difficulty?
- Why did you choose us in the end? What alternatives did you compare?
- What actually changed afterwards? Can you give an example?
- If a friend asked, how would you describe us?
- Is there anything you think could be better?
That last question matters. A small honest reservation makes the praise before it more credible.
Filming tips
- Have the interviewee look at the interviewer, not the camera; it's more natural.
- A quiet room, with a lapel mic or a phone close to the speaker.
- Ask them to fold the question into the answer: for "why did you choose us", start with "we chose them because", so the question doesn't need to stay in the edit.
- Film plenty of the customer actually using the product or service, to lay over the interview. See what B-roll is and what to shoot.
Editing structure
Sixty to ninety seconds is usually enough:
- First 5 seconds: the interviewee's strongest line, right up front.
- The problem: what they struggled with before.
- The choice and the process: why they chose you, how it went.
- The change: the concrete result.
- The close: their name, title, company, and your contact details.
Always add subtitles; many people watch social video on mute.
Consent and authenticity
Before filming, have the interviewee sign a simple release stating where the video will be used (website, social, ads) and for how long. The content must be what the customer really said and what really happened; don't strengthen or rewrite it in the subtitles afterwards. The value of these videos is their truth, and that protects both sides.
Frequently asked questions
What if the customer doesn't want to show their face?
Use their voice over footage of the product in use, or a written testimonial with the company name. Real matters more than on-camera.
Can screenshots of text messages be used as testimonials?
Yes, with the sender's consent and unrelated personal details masked.
The interview footage is long. How long does editing take?
It depends on the length and the number of videos; we give an estimate after assessing.
