A client video testimonial has to be authentic. Yes, I know the term “authentic” is vague and overused so let me explain: by “authentic” I mean believable, engaging, spontaneous – as opposed to rehearsed, “baked” and mechanical. So, the question is, what is the best way to get an “authentic” testimonial: interviewing your client or asking them to do it themselves?
Let’s start with the DIY option. You simply ask your client to grab their phone, turn on the camera on themselves and talk about how wonderful it is working with you. Here are the pluses and the minuses of this option:
Pluses
- Easy for your client. It is simple. Your client can do it whenever and wherever they want, it depends entirely on them.
- Easy for you. No scheduling, no filming. Just getting the footage from your client, editing (recommended) and posting it.
Minuses
- Video Quality: Depending on the technical savviness of your client, the video may look pretty bad. Let’s say they shoot it handheld and not with a tripod, so it’s shaky, or their background is very bright and they look like a silhouette.
- Audio Quality: There may be a lot of background noise, or the microphone of their phone is not good. Remember, audio quality represents more than 50% of a video’s success.
- Content: You know your client is going to say good things about you, but whatever they say, it may not be relevant to a prospect. And it may be difficult to edit, because they will be speaking with no specific order. In short, the content may be unusable.
- Authenticity: If your client is very diligent and decides to write the testimonial down and read it, or memorize it, the result may sound mechanical and not authentic.
- Headache for your Client: They need to come up with something to say.
Now let’s look at the Interview option:
Pluses
- Video Quality: Either if you’re doing it remotely or on location, you can make sure your client is well framed, has good lighting, good background, etc.
- Audio Quality: You can make sure a good microphone is being used, and that your client is in a quiet enough space.
- Content: You have full control of the content, because you are asking questions that were crafted with the intention of getting answers that will be relevant to potential clients. The questions also make it much easier to edit and shorten. Remember, a testimonial doesn’t need to be longer than 2 minutes.
- Authenticity: Your client will be speaking freely, answering your questions. It doesn’t get any more authentic than that.
- No Headache for your Client: There’s nothing they need to prepare, just answer your questions candidly.
Minuses
- More Work for You: You need to schedule, prepare questions, shoot it, remotely or on location and then edit it.
- Some work for your client: In case you’re doing it on location, your client will need to invest a significant amount of time for the interview. They also may need to go somewhere to do it, in case you’re not filming at their location
It is safe to say that the interview option will yield much better results. And if you decide to do it remotely, even the minuses in this option go away: it will be less work for you, and for your client, it will be no more trouble than getting into a short video call.
I hope this was helpful. If you have questions about this, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at info@leibproductions.com.
I promise to answer!