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In today’s marketing landscape, a brand’s ‘trust me’ line is no longer valid to many customers.
Even if you claim your product can work miracles, clients will take one look and say…
But get another customer to say the same thing and they’ll be rushing to check your page.
Why?
People trust their fellow customers more than they trust brands. So if you want to build trust with them or get them to listen, you need to go through other customers.
That's the whole idea behind a testimonial video: an existing customer sharing their real experience on camera, so others can hear the brand's "good news" straight from someone who isn't on payroll.
The hard part isn't understanding why testimonial videos work. It's knowing what a great one actually looks like.
What story does it tell? How does it open? What's the difference between a testimonial that feels like proof and one that feels like an ad wearing a costume?
That's what this guide is for.
We pulled together 5 real testimonial video examples across different industries, styles, and budgets, and broke down the specific technique behind each one, so you can borrow it for your own campaign.
(Looking for the step-by-step on how to actually ask customers, film, and edit a testimonial? We've got a full walkthrough for that here.)
What Is a Testimonial Video?
A video testimonial is a short video where customers share personal stories of how your product has transformed their work, lives, or processes.
It’s like written customer reviews, yeah? The kind you see on G2 or Capterra.
But in this case, your customers agree to go on video and provide more detailed testimonies of their experience with your product or service.
A good example is this testimony for Slack from Adam of the Sandwich Video team.
Adam and his team went on to say how they weren’t interested in using Slack at first.
Then, they tried it.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Testimonial videos give potential customers a different perspective on your product. They get to see it as effective and valuable.
A “this brand knows what they’re doing” kinda vibe.
Now it’s way different from unboxing videos, explainer videos, before-and-after visuals, and product demos.
All those types of videos are great.
But their main goal?
It’s about highlighting the main features of a product, the transformation experienced because of it, and what it can do.
Testimonials, on the other hand, focus on personal experiences of what the product has done.
They are also different from review videos too, and here’s how…
Testimonial video vs. review video
Review videos are like an evaluation of your product or services. Here, the reviewer is trying to assess your product’s quality or features.
Does it truly have everything you claim it has?
It’s basically putting your product through the wringer. And the aim is to provide the audience with an unbiased opinion of your product.
If you think about it, review videos are like music reaction videos where a creator shares their unfiltered opinion while listening to music.
How about testimonial videos?
They’re stories, literally.
A story about how a customer stumbled on your product.
What they were facing before they came across your brand.
Their experience afterward.
How transformative the product has been.
In testimonial videos, a customer has seen firsthand what your product has to offer and is willing to share that experience in detail with others.
Why Customer Testimonial Videos Matter
Three words: Human connection. Trust.
Customer testimonials have an effect on customers that reviews don’t. Sure, reviews are objective and you do need them.
But in some cases, they’re kinda vague. Or they’re written by people who use the product for purposes other than what it’s designed for.
Prospects read it but don’t get the clarity they need.
Client testimonials, on the other hand, take prospects on a journey using real-life stories.
And you know what those stories do?
Help prospects trust and develop a connection with your brand. They hear customers like them talk about you and just feel they’re in the right place.
Then before you know it, conversion rates begin to go through the roof.
According to a Wyzowl report, 2 out of every 3 people in their survey said they’re more likely to buy a product after watching a testimonial video.
Another 77% said watching testimonials have convinced them to buy a brand’s product.
That’s just a report on the consumer’s side.
On the marketer’s side, here’s what we found.
Seventy-two percent of marketers in a survey said they got a return on investment (RO) of between 50% and 500% when using video testimonials in their marketing campaigns.
More than half of marketers surveyed said they’ve witnessed an increase in conversions of more than 25% in campaigns with testimonials.
Here’s one of those marketers after checking their return on ad spend (ROAS)...
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Sounds like something you’ll wanna invest in too, right?
Well if you’re gonna pull that off, you need to have willing customers ready to go on camera.
Let’s show you how to get them involved in your video magic.
Best Practices for Authentic Video Testimonials
A testimonial can help you develop an emotional connection with your audience.
It provides social proof that’ll get them to trust you.
However, achieving that is beyond just asking customers to come in and hitting the record button on your camera.
Here are some tips that can help in producing a great testimonial video:
Record subjects in their natural environment
Wanna get the best version of the customer’s experience on video?
Meet them in an environment they’re comfortable in.
Their happy place if they’ve got one — their own office, home, or favorite park.
Doing this kinda reaffirms the positive experience they have with your brand. As such, they’ll be more than willing to do all they can to ensure you’ve got a high-quality video.
It’s a case of happy customers, amazing customer testimonial videos.
Capture genuine emotions
Do you know why stories and movies are always such a delight?
Because people can express their emotions through them.
They see a character that resonates with them and just like that, they form a connection.
If you want the video to have that kinda impact on prospective customers, you need to apply a similar strategy.
What does that mean?
Shooting the video in a way that appropriately conveys the customer's emotions.
It also means taking shots from different angles so you have quality B-rolls that’ll make the video engaging.
Zoom in at intervals so viewers can find that connection.
Clients are the heroes in this product/service film. Make it easy for people to relate to them.
Collaborate with creators and influencers
If you don’t have the resources to record a video or hire a production company, go for this next great thing.
Okay, truth be told, it’s perhaps ‘the great thing’.
Working with influencers or creators is a very straightforward process. They’re experienced in recording videos on their own so you won’t have to go through the stress of giving instructions on how to record or things like that.
All you gotta do is:
- Find influencers to work with.
- Provide guidelines you want them to follow (creative brief).
- Hire them.
- Send products so they have first-hand experience.
- Get videos.
Easy-peasy…and guess what?
With Insense, you can get all of that done in just three steps after you log in.
- Create a brief.
- We match you with creators who are aligned with your target audience.
- Get your content.
All without leaving the platform. It’s much easier to get customer stories this way.
Recommended Tools & Platforms for Testimonial Videos
Creating magical video testimonials requires the right tools in your tech stack.
Whether you want customers to produce the videos themselves, invite them in to be recorded, or outsource the production process, there are tools for any option.
Here are some of them.
Insense: Thinking of outsourcing the video production process? Insense is your best bet. With this tool, you get to find professional creators who can produce content for you at scale. You’ll be getting an unlimited supply of videos to use for your digital marketing strategies.
Boast.io: This is a platform designed specifically to help brands collect video testimonials from their real customers. With Boast.io, you can send requests to clients. They, in turn, can record videos and submit them with ease.
Vocal Video: Another platform to consider if you want clients to produce the videos themselves. On Vocal Video, you create a video collector interface that will guide clients through the process. You just provide guiding questions for them to follow and Vocal Video will take it from there.
Davinci Resolve: If you decide to handle the recording yourself, you’ll need a video editing tool when you’re done. Davinci Resolve is one software tool you can trust. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, this tool comes with everything you need to create a masterpiece. From audio mastering to color grading; the whole process.
It’s both a content creation and marketing tool. Plus, all of the creators you’ll find here are more than willing to post the video on their social media profiles. And if you want, you can promote it as a branded content ad on Instagram or Facebook.
Customer Testimonial Video Examples & Ideas
Sometimes, looking at examples of what brands like yours have done can be all the spark you need to get started.
In this section, we curated a couple of examples from DTC businesses to hopefully give you ideas for streamlining the customer’s journey as you go on.
1. Aliver Beauty: Lead With a Relatable Problem
This testimonial video for Aliver Beauty was done in partnership with health enthusiast creator, Inside-out Beauty.
She began the video by telling a story of what she’d experienced in the past (bloating and constipation) and then proceeded to share her results with Aliver Beauty’s product.
In the video, she said she’s been using the product for six months. So you can imagine that anyone viewing will probably wanna listen well, especially if they’re in a similar situation.
Key takeaways from this example:
- Leveraging customers or creators whose story resonates with the audience is key.
- Personal storytelling will always catch people’s attention.
- Posting the content on the customers' or creators’ page will give you more reach.
2. Hairburst: Show the Transformation Visually
For this testimonial, Hairburst asked one of their customers Asher Mary-Lou to create a video of her experience with its products.
Her focus here involved sharing the routine with the brand’s product that helped her achieve transformation.
Key takeaways from this example:
- Storytelling can take different forms. In this video, it was streamlined to what resulted in a transformation without her uttering a word.
- Testimonials should answer your audience’s pain points. If you claim your product can give them a specific result, let the testimonial video answer how it can do that.
- Include a strong call to action (CTA). If there’s no time to say it in the video, add it to the caption or description. That’s how people can take action.
3. SupergaUK: Let the Customer Speak in Their Own Words
Trishna is a content creator on social media who created a testimonial for SupergaUK– an Italian footwear brand.
A quick look at the caption and you can see the pronouns were used in the first person.
This tells you she used SupergaUK’s product which is the authenticity we spoke about earlier on.
4. Insense Case Studies: Show the Full Customer Journey
Remember case studies are an in-depth analysis of the customer’s experience with your brand. We believe in the power of testimonials and that’s why we prepare detailed case studies.
In every case study, there are three details on display to demonstrate how each brand can truly benefit potential customers.
They include the following:
- Challenge
- Solution
- Outcome
That summarizes a customer story for a potential lead.
5. Ahrefs: Pair a Specific Quote With a Real Face
Short, detailed, and precise is how this Ahrefs quote testimonial is displayed. A short quote with a happy client’s face makes it very authentic, right?
Have a look:
It’s just an excerpt of what your customer has said in a graphical setting.
6. Glossier: Repost Organic Customer Advocacy
Satisfied customers share testimonials on social media. Most times, it isn’t because it was requested but because they loved your services or product.
Glossier is known for using fabulous user-generated content from happy customers.
It makes you wanna try out the products she’s using, right?
7. Chanel: Use Short-Form Video for Social Proof
You would think a popular brand like Chanel wouldn’t care for a testimonial.
Well, that’s not close to the truth.
Whether your business is popular or just starting out, brands continuously need sales. This is another testimonial in video format.
If you look closely, you can observe how many impressions the video testimonial has had.
And that’s what you want:
Loyal customers have a subtle influence on potential leads by getting your services or products out in the open.
8. L’Oréal: Let a Simple Product Recommendation Do the Selling
Not all testimonials need to be long and they don’t have to be directly shared by the company either.
The important thing is that the product or service is getting an honest positive review.
That’s what this Instagram post is all about – sharing a positive experience a customer has with the company. You may not always be able to get loyal customers to share their testimonials.
It’s their choice.
But whenever they do, ensure you interact with their post.
9. Sephora: Show the Product in Use
Influencer testimonials are seen here again with the creator showing how the product can be used.
As long as your testimonial answers the question, “How can this product or service benefit me?” you’re good to go.
Scale Up Your Testimonial Video Production
If you’re going to make the most testimonial videos, recording just one or two is a drop in the ocean of content marketing.
How would you be able to test which content is performing well or what platform is giving you more engagements?
Bottom line is you need a variety to create the right impact.
Now you’re probably thinking “That feels like a lot of work.”
Well, not really.
Not if you use Insense for testimonial video production.
We can help you handle the whole process so you just receive content as soon as it’s ready.
And it’s something you can experience in a few moments.
Just book a demo with Insense and we’ll take it up from there.
