• Cutting Content Team

How To Make A Video Testimonial: Format and Examples

Stellar customer testimonial videos can be a powerful secret weapon in your video-marketing arsenal.

But the key is to land the sentiment right - emotional enough to resonate with the viewer, but informative enough to generate curiosity about what's on offer.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, we feel you! This one is trickier than your standard piece of promotional video content.

In our earlier post on video testimonials, we mentioned that the first step was to find some inspiration from your industry. But if you're still feeling stuck, we've broken it down by putting together some of our favourite effective video testimonials below and telling you what they did right.

By the end of this article, you will have all of our best tips for creating testimonial videos that win hearts and sales. Put aside that creative block and keep reading!

Example 1: B2B Testimonial Video by Mindspace

For our first case study, we'll be looking at this B2B customer testimonial made by Mindspace, a chain of co-working spaces spread across the US and Europe.

Though the format of talking head + B-roll is quite standard as far as video testimonials go, this is an excellent one thanks to its video production quality and how seamlessly it weaves the services offered with the needs of the client.

Though this video is quite short at only 1:13, it packs in a bunch of best practices on how to get video testimonials from customers.

Let's break it down:

Keep it short

Though a testimonial video could go up to two minutes, this one is shorter than 90 seconds, which helps to retain the viewer and ensures you're packing in a lot of valuable content throughout the runtime. It also makes it easier to share on social media.

Use an impactful title

Though it may seem like a small detail, opting for 'Meet Adam' as the title versus 'Adam Customer Testimonial' makes the business feel much more personable and the video much more inviting. It also reiterates the sense of community that seems to be one of the brand's core values. It subtly emphasizes that Adam is seen not just as a client, but a member of the Mindspace community.

Add B-Roll to enrich your customer testimonial video

One of the rules we're always going on about at DailyCutting is show, not tell. You'll notice it features plenty of rich cutaways that showcase the co-working space and the services offered - from the conference rooms to posters on the wall and the coffee station. He mentions ambience, community, and fast troubleshooting - all are highlighted through the visuals. Instead of boring corporate shots, it gives an evocative feel of the space and the kinds of people you may bump into, so much so that you can picture yourself there. Featuring shots of real people interacting with the space, it is highlighted as a hub for community and productivity. You could always take the help of video production companies for your customer testimonials if your budget allows it.

Craft unique video testimonial questions

One of the questions Adam presumably answers in this testimonial video is the most unexpected part about joining Mindspace. Questions like these invite deeper reflection beyond the standard stuff. Here, he explains how Mindspace helped him realize how he was saving on smaller expenses that he hadn't even factored in as part of his transition to co-working. Remember to work in some more creative questions that unpack deeper nuggets from your client's experience, or ask for specific examples, like "Tell me about a specific time our business helped you be/do XYZ". You can even flip the script here and ask viewers their specific reservations about your business, which leads onto our next tip.

Choose clients that represent your users

This is another tip that follows from from our earlier blog post. What makes Adam a great customer and this example a winning testimonial video is that it it assuages how Mindspace solves some very specific reservations that potential customers considering a switch to a co-working space may have. In addition to saving money for a business looking to scale, other examples include overcrowding, and issues with the facilities like printers or the internet. If you take a look at their other testimonial videos, they highlight pretty much the same value adds - a sense of community, hospitality, and the money saved. However, they have a carefully chosen set of diverse clientele, each with their unique journey for choosing a co-working space.

End with a strong call-to-action

The video end screen has all the key info the viewer needs to act on their curiosity, including a specific call to action (book a tour), and the company's contact info.

When we come away from the video, we know more about Adam and his needs - and through him, more about Mindspace. We know that he is an enterprising CEO looking to scale quickly and cut down his input costs. In the grand scheme of things, Mindspace is helping Adam scale more easily because he no longer has to shell out the added costs of having a dedicated office.

And that's the goal with a great video testimonial. Even though it's the hero, your product or service is only part of the story. Your client is your protagonist, and your job is to highlight how you helped them achieve a certain goal, solve a problem, or eliminate a pain point.

Example 2: Grammarly's B2C Customer Testimonial Video

Here's a more avant-garde example of a customer testimonial from Grammarly. It scores points for its rich narrative, excellent storytelling, and laser focus on the customer's story.

When you think of Grammarly, you're probably picturing its customer base as students or working professionals using it to polish essays or emails. Social proof doesn't always have to be cookie-cutter--this video is pretty much a testimonial video disguised as a vlog-style motivational video.

And the company could have easily gone that route for their testimonial video. But instead, the company spotlights how an entrepreneurial creative like Welmis (well within their target demographic) uses effective communication (made possible by Grammarly) to inspire others and build her business.

Allow user-generated content to do the talking

Though this tip may not apply to all of you out there, it's still an important one. You'll notice that about 50% of the video uses montages made from clips taken by Welmis during her travels. This helps cut through the video testimonial confines, and lets this function as a standalone piece of social media content with a clear narrative arc. It also makes your life much easier from a production and video shoot standpoint. So make sure to ask your customer if they have any self-shot videos that can be incorporated in the customer testimonial video to bring their journey to life.

Add music to emphasize the storyline

You'll notice the music swells and builds from the 0:55 mark onwards as we're shown a montage of Welmis' travels. This is the bit that really seals the deal and highlight the epic proportions of all that she has achieved. Don't forget to add music tracks to subtly cue the viewer and emphasize the talking points. Check out DailyCutting's fine audio library, sorted out by mood so it becomes easy to pick the right track for your story.

Come up with new ways to do product placement

Here, Grammarly shows off its correction and suggestion tools using phrases that inspire which Welmis herself would likely use in her blog posts. So come up with creative ways to visually incorporate your product or service, especially if it's something non-tangible like a software product.

She identifies herself first and foremost as a world traveler and a Grammarly user last. And that captures exactly what you want to aim for while crafting your own video testimonial!

Wrapping Things Up

Now that we've dished out all our best tips for a great testimonial video, it's time to get cracking and start rounding up your clientele.

PS If you're feeling intimidated by the production value in these customer testimonial videos, remember that you're just starting out, and there are a ton of resources out there for a DIY set-up using your phone.

Check out DailyCutting

And you don't need to know video editing either. Once you're done filming, head to DailyCutting's super intuitive online editing tool for a fuss-free editing experience, even if you're a complete newbie.

4 views0 comments