How to get more natural client testimonials

When you're planning a client testimonial, it seems helpful to send the person all your questions before the interview.

You want them to feel prepared. They want to make sure they say the right thing. Nobody wants to sit in front of a camera without knowing what the conversation will be about.

The problem is that once someone knows exactly what you're going to ask, they usually start preparing the perfect answers in their head.

Then the camera turns on and their performance face comes up.

Prepared answers usually sound prepared

When someone has practised an answer, they're no longer thinking about the experience you asked them to describe. They're trying to remember the words they planned to say.

You can often hear it in the way they speak.

They use words they wouldn't normally use in a conversation. They try to fit too much into one answer. Sometimes they lose their place halfway through because they're thinking about what comes next.

They also become more aware of the camera. They start wondering whether they sound professional, whether they included everything and whether their answer was good enough.

The information might still be accurate. It just doesn't feel as natural as it could.

A good testimonial doesn't need to sound perfect. It needs to sound like a real person talking honestly about what happened.

Tell them the topic, not every question

This doesn't mean surprising your client or leaving them completely unprepared.

Before the interview, tell them what the video is about and what you're hoping to capture. Give them a general idea of the parts of their experience you'd like to discuss.

For example, you might tell them that you want to talk about:

• The problem they had before working with the business
• What made them decide to reach out
• What the experience was like
• What changed afterward
• What they would tell someone considering the same service

That gives the client enough context to feel comfortable. They can think about their experience without writing a speech in their head.

There are situations where someone needs more preparation. The subject might be sensitive, the person might need an accommodation or the business might have legal or compliance requirements. In those cases, share the information they genuinely need.

For most client testimonials, though, a clear topic and a comfortable conversation will get you further than a complete list of questions.

The interviewer needs to listen

Getting a natural testimonial also depends on the person conducting the interview.

You can't just read through a list of questions and wait for each answer to finish. You need to listen to what the client is saying and ask the next question based on their response.

If they mention something interesting, stay with it.

Ask what they mean. Ask how that problem affected them. Ask when they first noticed a change. Ask them to give you an example.

Those follow-up questions are usually where the useful details come from. They help the client stop thinking about the camera and start thinking about the experience they're describing.

You should still prepare your questions. You need to understand the story you're trying to capture and make sure the interview covers what the final video needs.

The difference is that the questions are there to guide the interviewer. They aren't there for the client to memorize.

This is the same reason a strong testimonial video works better when it feels like a conversation. There can still be structure behind the scenes, but the person on camera should have room to speak in their own words.

If you were about to send your client every question and ask them to prepare their answers, throw that idea in the trash.

Tell them the topic, help them feel comfortable and listen closely when they start talking.