How Do You Ask a Customer to Be in a Testimonial Video Without Making It Weird?
Alright, so you heard that these "docu-monial" style films - testimonial videos done in documentary format - are really effective.
But the actual idea of calling a customer or client and saying, "Hey, can you use some of your valuable time to help me make a video?" That feels awkward at best and gross at worst.
Totally. Get it.
But you know you have customers who love what you do. They’ve told you so. Maybe they sent a generous email, gave a five star Google review, you know that they recommended you to somebody else or complemented you in front of someone else.
The point of a testimonial video is that their story could help another customer understand your business.
But then you have to ask them to tell that story on camera, and that feels weird, so you stop, and that is a very costly decision.
There are so many reasons that we make films for families, companies, and communities, but for companies, often the goal of the film is to help generate business.
We have never made any film that has outperformed docu-monials in terms of ROI. They are phenomenally effective.
Here’s the good news: asking someone to be in a film for your company doesn’t need to feel awkward.
The best testimonial films aren’t performances. They’re conversations, and people genuinely like to help - plus they can get something out of it, too.
Ask at the moment the story becomes visible
Timing is everything; a good time to ask is when a customer has just experienced something worth talking about. Be ready when the moment comes.
Right when a client or customer gives you positive feedback, that moment gives you a natural way to begin:
That's so kind of you to say. Would you be open to sharing that story in a short film we want to make?
That feels different from sending a mass email asking customers to “submit a testimonial.” You’re not fishing for praise. You’re inviting one person to talk about a real experience you already know mattered to them, because they literally just told you.
Make the request specific
Let's say you need to create the moment. You want to make a docu-monial film and no customer called today to say, "Hey, you're awesome."
People are more likely to feel uneasy when a request is vague.
What does “being in a video” mean? Will it take ten minutes or an entire day? Do they have to memorize something? Where will the film appear? Will they get ambushed with questions they aren’t prepared to answer?
Answer the practical questions when you make the invitation:
Why you thought of this particular customer
What part of their experience interests you
Approximately how much of their time you’re requesting
Where the filming would happen
How the finished film is intended to be used
Whether they’ll receive topics or questions beforehand
What review or approval process, if any, you’re offering
You could say:
You described the difference this project made for your team, and I think other businesses would recognize themselves in that story. Would you be willing to talk about it in a professionally filmed interview? It would be a relaxed conversation, not a script or an acting job, and we’d explain the process and how the film would be used before you commit.
Then make it easy for them to decline. A customer who says no has not damaged the relationship. They may love your company and simply hate being on camera.
When you work with Fascination Film studio, in most cases:
We are going to want 1 hour of their time, not more
We probably want another hour or two to film B-roll
We're generally happy to share footage with them for their purposes
In B-2-B scenarios, they're going to get a chance to highlight their business for additional exposure, too
Often we like to film at their location, so no travel or inconvenience to them
We can send questions in advance
This is ultra chill, no pressure, not live television, it gets edited - laid back and actually pretty fun
Give them topics, not lines
People often ask whether customers should receive the questions in advance.
Generally, I think they should know what the conversation will cover. That helps them feel prepared and prevents surprises.
But we never give them sentences to memorize.
The instant someone tries to remember the “right” wording, you can see it. Their eyes change. Their voice changes. The person disappears, and the spokesperson takes over.
Instead, tell them that you want to discuss, and broadly it might be something like:
What was happening before they contacted you
What problem they needed to solve
What concerns they had
What the experience of working together was like
What changed afterward
What they would tell somebody facing the same decision
That gives them a path without deciding their answers for them.
Ask for moments, not adjectives
If I ask, “Were you happy with the service?” I have created a very small doorway. The customer can say yes, and we’re finished.
A better interview question opens a scene:
“Can you take me back to the moment you realized you needed help?”
“What were you worried might happen?”
“Was there a point when you knew this was working?”
“What did your employees or customers notice?”
“What can you do now that you couldn’t do before?”
“What surprised you about the experience?”
Open-ended questions and requests for specific moments tend to produce fuller, more natural answers than yes-or-no questions or scripts.
Specificity is what makes a testimonial believable. “They were great” is pleasant. A customer describing the problem, the turning point and the change gives the next buyer something they can recognize.
We film more than the interview
A documentary-style testimonial never consists only of a person in a chair talking about your company. This gives people a lot of relief, too.
They're only onscreen for a short time, then we start showing the thing they're telling us about.
They're the authority
A real customer story works because the customer gets to just say what happened in their own words. That's the whole nature of documentary.
My job as a documentary filmmaker isn’t to place the company’s words in somebody else’s mouth. It’s to create the conditions for a good conversation, listen carefully and recognize the moments that show what actually changed.
Let us ask for you
Another avenue is for you to give us contact information for some customers and clients and let us reach out on your behalf.
"We're working with [Company] on a little documentary campaign and we'd like to talk to some customers. [Person at company] shared your contact info and said you might be willing to be highlighted in this piece. Would that be interesting to you?"
We're happy to serve you in that way.
If you'd like to work on "docu-monial" film or series, let’s have a conversation.
SEO title: How to Ask a Customer for a Testimonial Video Without Making It Awkward
Meta description: Learn how to invite a customer into a testimonial video, prepare them without scripting them, and capture an authentic documentary-style story.
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