Testimonial videos: how to get customers to say yes

By James Jones, founder of Granary Digital · Updated 5 November 2026

A customer says yes to a testimonial video when the request is specific, short and easy, and when they know where the film will appear. The best moment to ask is soon after a good result, the best person to ask is whoever they deal with day to day, and the best setting is somewhere they feel at home. This page covers the ask, the questions, the filming and the paperwork.

Who to ask, and when

Choose customers in this order:

1. Someone who has just had a clear win. They are happy now and the story is fresh.
2. Someone whose case matches the customer you want more of. A testimonial works by helping a similar buyer picture themselves in the story.
3. Someone comfortable talking. You can usually tell from how they write to you and how they sound on the phone.

Ask within a week or two of the good result, not at the end of the contract. Avoid asking in the middle of a difficult project, even if the customer is happy overall.

How to ask

The ask works best from the person the customer knows, by a personal message or a phone call. A mass email from the marketing team gets fewer replies. Keep the ask short and cover four things:

• What you are asking: a short filmed conversation, about 20 minutes, to become a 60 to 90 second video.
• Why them: a sentence that is true and specific, such as "the way you handled the move was exactly what other customers worry about".
• How easy you will make it: "We will come to you", or "You choose the time and we can film in your office".
• Where it will be used: your website, your LinkedIn page and sales emails. Say if it will be used in paid ads, because that is a bigger yes.

Offer a clear way to decline. People say yes more readily when saying no costs nothing. Do not offer a discount in exchange unless you are happy to say so in the video's description. The ASA has ruled that failing to disclose an endorser's financial stake in a brand, such as an investment or directorship, was misleading. A reward is a different case, but the safe course is the same: say so, and take advice if your sector is regulated.

Make it easy to do

Choose the setting. Filming at the customer's premises keeps them relaxed and shows their world. Filming at a studio gives you control of light and sound and works well when you are filming several customers in a day. Offer both and let them choose.

Send the questions in advance. Nobody enjoys being surprised on camera. Five questions, sent two days before, produce better answers than a cold start. They should say what they think, in their own words.

Keep the film short. Tell them what the finished piece will be, and that they will see it before it goes out. That promise removes the main fear, which is looking foolish.

Help them relax. Our advice for relaxing a nervous boss on camera applies to customers as well: start with an easy question, let them redo any answer, and tell them nothing is live.

Five questions that get a useful answer

1. What was the problem before you came to us? (This is the scene-setter.)
2. Why did you choose us over the other options you looked at?
3. What was it like to work with us, and what surprised you?
4. What changed for you afterwards? If you have a number, what is it?
5. What would you say to someone thinking about doing the same?

Ask them to answer in full sentences that include the question, for example "Before we called them, we were...". This makes the edit easier because each answer stands alone. Our CEO question bank uses the same technique.

Take care with numbers. If a customer says "it doubled our sales", that figure becomes a claim in your marketing. Check it with them in writing afterwards. The CAP Code says claims within a testimonial must not mislead, and the ASA's advice says a testimonial must relate to what is being advertised.

What to get signed

Send a consent form before filming or on the day. The CAP Code says you need permission to use a testimonial, and you must hold documentary evidence that it is genuine plus contact details for the person who gave it. The ASA does not insist on a signed form: it has accepted other records, such as emails and order history, but not emails from unverifiable addresses on their own. A signed and dated form is the clearest evidence. A good form is one page and covers:

• The person's name, job title and company, spelled as they want them shown.
• What was filmed: video, audio, stills and a transcript.
• Where it may be used: website, social, email, presentations, paid ads.
• How long the permission lasts, or that it runs until the customer asks you to stop using it.
• That you may edit for length and clarity, and that you will not change the meaning.
• That they can ask you to stop using it, and how to ask, with a named contact.
• The date and a signature.

If the customer is an employee of a larger organisation, check that their employer allows it. Many companies need a communications team to approve a quote that uses the company name. Where a person under 18 appears, or the film shows other people, you need further releases. Our guide to releases for talent, locations, property and minors covers those. This is general guidance and not legal advice. If you work in a regulated sector such as financial services or healthcare, there are extra advertising rules, and you should take advice.

After the film

Send the customer the finished film before it goes live and thank them. Tell them when it is published, with the link. Keep the signed form with the project files. Put a note in the diary to check with the customer yearly that they are still happy for it to run, because their circumstances change.

Common mistakes

• Asking too late. The goodwill after a good result fades within weeks.
• A script. Read-out praise sounds read out. Use questions, not lines.
• Filming without consent. If a customer later asks you to stop, you need the paperwork to show what they agreed.
• Editing the meaning. Cutting for length is fine, but joining two answers so that the customer appears to say something they did not is not. The ASA's advice says a testimonial must not be taken out of context or edited in a misleading way.
• Hiding the film. Put it on the page where a buyer makes the decision, not only on social.

Sources

• ASA, Testimonials and endorsements, read 5 November 2026

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• All guides and tools

The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.