Customers, Not Actors
One of the most common questions that we get is, “how do you script a testimonial video?”. The answer is, we don’t script those videos at all! The reason behind this is, you want to draw out the most authentic, sincere dialogue from the customer. When we get scripts involved, it causes the subject to feel pressured into giving a good ‘performance’ in front of the camera. This forced authenticity is exactly the opposite of what we want from the subject. The subject or Client of yours that is giving the testimonial is a person and probably isn’t used to being in front of a camera. They are a customer not an actor. Fake authenticity is very easy for an audience to pick up and can damage the effectiveness of the video. The subject needs to feel relaxed and comfortable in order to draw out the most natural testimony. It is this raw and authentic content that will impact the audience and create an emotional connection.
What Do We Use Instead Of A Script?
How do we ensure a great story without the use of a script? Its all in the planning phase. With every client, big or small, we go through a Story Development Session. This is a session that we have designed to extract the story from the client. We dive deep into what is most inspiring about the business and why they started it in the first place. We discuss who your audience is and what you want them to feel and the action you want them to take. Based on this information we craft carefully designed questions that we ask the subject to draw out the best possible, most natural and authentic response. The questions we ask are crafted in a way that creates a story from the journey of the subject. It follows the structure of Desire, Conflict, Journey, Solution, End Result. This shows the audience the journey that your client went on to find and use your services. It shows how your product has helped them and improved their lives in a dramatic way. It is this story that will cause the audience to feel what talked about in the Story Development Session.
If you need help with your story give us a shout and we will give you all the information you need.
