As most business owners and marketers will tell you, the best way to get new clients or customers isn’t through commercials, Facebook ads, or promotional giveaways: It’s through word-of-mouth recommendations. However, getting referrals from friends and colleagues is often circumstantial and difficult to consistently recreate.
That’s where client and customer testimonial videos come in. Long part of digital and print advertising, testimonials have reached a new dawn in the age of online video.
Done correctly, they’ll give your potential customers the sense that they’re getting a word-of-mouth recommendation from a trusted friend, or at the very least, a real human they can relate to.
Today, we’re sharing tips for making really great customer testimonial videos — including examples to help you get started. Ready to begin?
Tip 1: Use real clients to tell real stories
One of the most important ways to make impactful testimonial videos is to use real clients and real stories. Not only are real clients going to appear more genuine (and much different from the paid actors on late night TV infomercials), they’re also going to be able to speak from first-hand experience using your product.
For example, check out the above video, where interior designer Emily Henderson raves about using VELUX skylights. “Adding the skylights, it instantly came alive,” Emily says enthusiastically. The testimonial is warm, beautiful, and compelling — and it’s quickly followed up by a brand logo that acts as a call to action for anyone in the market for natural light (via skylight, of course).
Tip 2: Highlight clear value propositions
Once you’ve found camera-ready clients and selected the stories you want to share, it’s important to tune into the why and highlight the true value propositions contained in their experiences.
Always try to think back to the word-of-mouth perspective. If a potential customer or client could speak directly to one of your current or past ones, what would they ask? What would they want to know?
In the customer testimonial above from cookware company Made In, Chef Stephanie Izard quickly addresses these types of questions — including what she uses her wok for and why she recommends paying more for a sturdy piece of equipment. Add in the shots of her preparing a delicious-looking meal, and this testimonial is peak compelling for aspiring at-home chefs.
Tip 3: Keep the customer testimonial video interesting
Finally, while testimonial videos come in many different styles and formats — and can be produced for a range of budgets — at the heart of any good one is watchability. Yes, you want to include info that will help drive sales, but the video can only do so much if people stop watching halfway through. (Or even worse, just a few seconds in.)
By nature, testimonials usually start with a base static shot of a client or customer talking (aka a talking head). These shots can get boring quickly, so having quality B-roll to cut to will keep your video engaging. For inspiration, check out the nice use of shots in the testimonial for co-working company Mindspace, above.
Tip 4: Think mobile
When making any video content these days, it’s worth noting that almost 75% of all digital content will be viewed on mobile. This means you need to deliver information quickly in order to keep people’s attention. Did you notice that all three of the examples above are around one-minute long? That’s because they’re thinking mobile — and you can too. Not only will it keep your message clear and concise, but it might just help you attract new customers, too.
Tip 5: Aim for conversational, not scripted
Customer testimonials are meant to be a dialogue and sound like real human beings stating their opinions — not a PR team’s pitch deck for your company. In fact, writing a script for your customer testimonial should aim for as little scripted dialogue as possible.
It’s okay to have a working script that helps you figure out where you should prioritize including your customer testimonials, or provide narrative that weaves the video together. You can use an AI script generator and teleprompter to help your customers prepare a talk track and get more confidence on screen. Just remember your approach for customer testimonial videos should be as organic as possible.
Take, for instance, this origin story video featuring Jaime Schmidt and Chris Cantino of Supermaker. Their talking heads and responses to questions feel completely organic while maintaining a cool, effortless polish. You can strive for this vibe almost any type of video featuring interviews.
Tip 6: Make the customer look good
In a customer testimonial video, it’s really the customer who is making your brand or company shine. That’s special, and deserves your respect as a creator. So, you should always pay it forward by making your customer look good in return.
That could be as simple as sending your client a ring light or special gear in the days leading up to their testimonial — especially in a rapidly virtual-first, remote world. Or, it could look like making sure your client has the right lighting and feels comfortable every moment they’re on set. Some people are camera-shy, and you won’t know until they get in front of the lens.
The worst thing you could do in a customer testimonial video is publish footage where the customer is stumbling over their words, has stressed-out body language, or that the customer isn’t proud of. That being said, highlighting the wrong quote in your testimonial can squash your dreams of a raving testimonial.
In short, treat your customer well and they’ll return the favor.
Tip 7: Imagine your target customer
The customer testimonial is an opportunity to speak to new people while honoring the folks who got you where you are.
Think about the customer you’ve always wanted to speak to. Maybe they’re a different demographic than most of the people who interact with your service or purchase your products. Perhaps they represent an important corner of your market that you want to stake your claim in.
Whoever they are, the customer testimonial video is one of the best ways to increase your reach, putting your target buyer person-to-person with someone who can vouch for your goods or services.
Tip 8: Distribute your testimonial content wisely
Once you have a winning customer testimonial video, one question remains: how do you get it out there to more eyeballs? A strong content distribution strategy doesn’t just mean you publish your testimonial video on your company blog.
Before you hit “upload” on your customer testimonial video, make a plan for all the channels your content will live on. Here are a few examples of where you can distribute your testimonials:
- Embed your customer testimonial video on your website, whether that’s a dedicated product landing page, a reviews page where other buyers are leaving their rave ratings, or fold into your “About Us” page while telling the story of your business
- Make your video in different aspect ratios and lengths for social media. Use as social proof on Instagram Stories, or include a clip in your next batch of Facebook ads
- Use in advertising materials, like your next 30-second ad spot
- Leverage as “behind-the-scenes” content on your company Linkedin page or as an in-feed Instagram post
- Incorporate in your email marketing as part of your next customer nurture campaign
- Repurpose the quotes from your customer testimonial video into written material that you can share across a wide content ecosystem, like on your blog, in case studies, or ebook
Customer testimonial video examples to get you started
Think of these testimonial video examples as your blank canvas. Our testimonial and review templates are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making videos with Vimeo Create. Simply click on a template to customize its look and feel, add in your own branding, logo, or color schemes, and splice together your customer testimonial in minutes.
Here are a few of our fave templates you can steal for your next customer testimonial video.
For beauty brands
These easy-to-customize testimonials are perfect for makeup and skincare brands looking to set themselves apart from the competition with clean, simplistic styles.
Leverage strong quotes from your customers in writing or in the footage you include for max impact.
Testimonial videos are a great opportunity for beauty brands to include product photos of your best-sellers, how to apply your products, and beautiful close-ups, like the template below (which makes for a stunning IG story).
Testimonial examples for B2B
For agencies and companies of all industries and sizes, it’s never been more important to show off your personality and company culture. These templates present your agency in a positive light and demonstrate how you drive results.
Or, use customer testimonial videos as a powerful recruiting tool, allowing potential hires to imagine themselves at your company. You can also simply use these videos to start conversations with your community.
Testimonial examples for a service
Finally, testimonial videos are a form of valuable social proof, especially if you work in a people-centric or quality-centric industry. And doesn’t quality always matter, no matter who you are or what you sell?
Take, for example, this template for a landscaping service.
Reviews and testimonials are also a valuable way to show how much you care about your clients and their lives, especially for big moments the way a wedding planner would.
No matter what kind of testimonial video suits your business needs, the power of positive social proof is undeniable. Whether you’re simply quoting your customer in text or showcasing an interview with them, the customer testimonial is a must-have in any business’ repertoire of marketing videos.
Create your first customer testimonial video today.
Editorial note: This piece was originally written by Jourdan Aldredge in 2019. Updated 2021.
