How Do You Make a Customer Testimonial Video

No marketing campaign, ad copy, or sales pitch can match the power of a real person sharing their genuine experience. Customer testimonial videos are one of the most effective tools you can have in your marketing toolkit. But making one that actually works? That takes a little more thought than just asking someone to “say something nice.”

Let’s walk through how to do it right.

Start With the Right Customer

Everything starts here. You need someone who’s actually thrilled with what you did for them. Don’t try to squeeze a testimonial out of a lukewarm client—it’ll show. You want that person who can’t stop talking about how smooth the process was or how you solved their problem.

And make sure it’s a project you want more of. I once filmed a testimonial for a client we loved working with… but it was for a one-off service we didn’t even plan to offer again. The video turned out great, but it brought in leads for the wrong kind of work. Lesson learned: always showcase the type of project or service you want to replicate.

So, rule number one—pick a client who’s both happy and represents the kind of business you want more of.

Guide, Don’t Script

Here’s where most testimonial videos fall apart.

Your clients aren’t actors. They’re not comfortable performing for the camera, and that’s perfectly fine. If you hand them a script or tell them to “act natural,” you’ll end up with something stiff and lifeless.

What you can do is guide them. Ask simple, open-ended questions like:

• “What was it like before you started working with us?”

• “What made you choose us over others?”

• “What’s changed since we started working together?”

These kinds of questions get people talking naturally, in their own voice.

I’ve seen this play out hundreds of times. One of our happiest clients—a local trades company—froze up the second the camera turned on. We spent five minutes just chatting off-camera, and then slowly eased into the interview. By the end, they forgot the camera was even there. The final video was authentic, funny, and way more powerful than any scripted version could have been.

That’s the magic of good interviewing—it’s not about feeding lines, it’s about helping someone tell their story comfortably.

Invest in the Process (Seriously)

Look, I get it. You could grab your phone, shoot a quick clip, and call it a day. But if you’re serious about using this video to grow your business, take it seriously.

A strong testimonial video can literally change your bottom line. It can generate new leads, help close deals faster, and even boost client retention. So don’t cut corners. Whether you work with a professional video team or handle it yourself, put care into lighting, sound, and story.

And if you’re doing it on your own, spend a little time learning how to interview someone who isn’t used to being on camera. There’s an art to drawing out genuine emotion without making it feel like an interrogation.

Use It Everywhere

Once you’ve got a great testimonial video, don’t just stick it on your website and forget it. Share it on social media. Send it in follow-up emails. Embed it in proposals. Use it in ads.

We even create testimonial videos for our own company—and yes, they help us close more projects. If that doesn’t tell you something, I don’t know what will!

The Takeaway

Making a customer testimonial video isn’t about fancy equipment or perfect delivery—it’s about capturing real people telling real stories.

Find a happy customer. Make sure they represent the work you want to attract. Guide them through the process with care. And put enough effort into the production that it reflects the quality of your brand.

When done right, a testimonial video doesn’t just say you’re good at what you do—it shows it. And that’s what makes all the difference.