How do you make a client testimonial video that is honest?

For a consultant, a written testimonial is useful. A client testimonial video is stronger. Prospects watch a real person talking in their own words, which is hard to fake and easy to believe. If you’d like the filming planned and shot for you, have a look at our videography for consultants service.

It’s also easy to get wrong. The film can feel staged. The client can look uncomfortable. A claim can stretch further than the facts allow. This guide takes you from the first email to the final edit, and it’s written for UK consultants and advisers.

Which clients should you ask to appear?

Go for clients who got a clear result and can talk about it well. Don’t rule out the quieter ones, though, because a short, honest account often lands better than a slick one. A few questions will help you choose.

Did the work go well? Only ask people who’d say yes without a flicker of doubt. Do they look like the clients you want more of? A prospect watching should be able to think “that’s exactly my situation”.

Are they free to speak? Check any confidentiality terms, and whether their employer has to sign off on them appearing. And can they describe the result? A concrete change gives the film something to stand on, whether that’s a sharper plan, a smoother project or a team that now works better together.

Ask in person or in a personal email. A group message won’t do. Explain what’s involved and how long it’ll take, tell them where the film will be used, and make it plain they can say no without any awkwardness.

How do you plan the shoot?

Keep it light. Most testimonial interviews take under an hour on site, setup included. Offer to film at their office or in a quiet room nearby, whichever suits them better, and find a time that doesn’t land in their busiest weeks.

Send a short outline in advance so nothing comes as a surprise. Don’t ask them to learn answers. The best material tends to come from people who’ve had a think about the topics and then just talk. A professional crew will look after the sound and lighting, plus where the cameras go, so all your client has to do is speak.

Plan some extra footage for the edit. A few shots of your client at work, or of the two of you chatting, give the editor something to cut away to. Check the background too. Screens and documents in shot can give away confidential information.

What questions should you ask in a testimonial interview?

Open questions work best. The interviewer’s voice is usually cut out, so each answer has to stand on its own. Ask every question in a way that lets the answer start with a full sentence, for example by asking the client to fold the question into their reply.

1. What was happening in your business when you decided to look for help?
2. What had you tried before, and why had it not worked?
3. Why did you choose to work with this consultant?
4. What was it like to work together day to day?
5. What changed as a result? Please be as specific as you can.
6. What would you say to someone who is thinking about working with them?

Leave a pause after each answer. People often add the most useful detail when the silence runs a beat longer than feels comfortable. Steer clear of leading questions that put praise in their mouth. You want their words, and yours have no place in it.

What consent and approvals do you need?

Get permission in writing before you film, and spell out exactly what you’re asking for. Say where the film will appear and for how long, and whether you can cut it into shorter clips. Share the finished edit before it goes public and let the client either confirm they’re happy or ask for changes.

If you’re relying on consent to use someone’s image and voice, the ICO says that under UK GDPR it must be freely given, specific, informed, unambiguous and easy to withdraw, and that you have to be able to show you got it. In real terms that means a simple release form and a record of what they agreed to, plus an obvious way for them to change their mind. If you’re unsure about your own situation, get professional advice.

How do you keep testimonial claims honest?

The Advertising Standards Authority’s guidance says you need documentary evidence that a testimonial is genuine. It has to come from a real person, and it has to accurately reflect what that person said without misleading editing. Claims made in it mustn’t mislead, and any material commercial connection has to be disclosed.

On incentives, GOV.UK explains that fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews are banned under UK consumer law from April 2025, and that any payment or benefit linked to a review or endorsement must be disclosed. If you were planning to give a client a gift or a discount for appearing, the safest thing is not to, or to take advice on how to disclose it.

A few habits keep you on the right side of these rules:

• Hang on to the signed approval and the original, unedited footage.
• Don’t script claims, and don’t cut the film so the client seems to say something they didn’t mean.
• Don’t promise results in your own captions beyond what the client actually described.
• Take the film down or update it if it stops being accurate.

How should a testimonial video be edited?

Aim for one to three minutes. Open with the strongest line, which is usually the result or the problem, and then tell the story in order, moving from the situation through the work to the change it made. Cut the hesitations and repeated phrases. Keep the pauses and the personality, because they’re what make it feel real.

Add captions so the film works with the sound off. Put the client’s name and job title on screen with their company, if they’re happy with that. Keep music quiet, or leave it out. Where you can, cut a 20 to 30 second version for social media as well, with the same approvals.

Where should you use a client testimonial video?

• On the relevant service page, next to the offer it backs up.
• In proposals, as a link close to your fee and scope.
• On LinkedIn, as a short clip with the client tagged if they’re happy to be.
• In follow-up emails to prospects who are weighing up their options.

For the wider picture, see our guide to marketing for consultants and where testimonials fit into it.

How we can help

We can film and edit client testimonial videos for consultants and advisers. There’s more detail on our videography for consultants page. We agree a clear brief, scope and fee with you before any work begins.

Sources

• ASA and CAP: Testimonials and endorsements
• GOV.UK: Online reviews and endorsements, information for businesses
• ICO: What is valid consent?