Make participation voluntary and clear
Prepare the customer with topics, not lines, then ask open questions in order: the situation before, the decision, the experience and what changed. Follow each answer with a factual question you can check later, and verify every claim before you publish. Flag connections and factual claims for review before the final edit; the interview worksheet helps record what needs checking.
A testimonial only works if the person wants to give it. Ask in a way that makes "no" easy.
When you invite a customer, tell them:
- what the video is for and where it will appear: website, social media, paid ads;
- how long filming takes, and where;
- that they'll sign an on-camera release before filming;
- that they can skip any question, pause or ask to answer again.
For Lonestarring projects, participation is voluntary and customers speak from their actual experience. Do not coach a person into praise or imply that favorable comments are required. Settle any invitation, benefit or disclosure questions with the business's advertising adviser before filming.
Choose people with a specific story, not just enthusiasm. A customer who can describe a problem, a decision and what happened next gives the edit more to work with than one who says "they're great" five ways.
Prepare with topics, never a script
Hold a short call a few days before filming. Go over the topics, not the questions word for word. Ask the customer to think about specifics: when they first got in touch, what they had already tried, one moment that stood out.
Tell them three things that make the interview easier:
- Answer with enough context that a listener can understand the topic without hearing the question. A reply consisting only of a yes or no gives the editor little context.
- Use your own words, flag uncertain facts and memorize nothing.
- It is fine to flag an uncertain fact or decline a question.
Share topic prompts rather than advertising lines to recite. If an answer is unclear, ask a neutral follow-up; do not substitute a statement the customer did not make. Lonestarring testimonial projects use real customers only. That is our production policy, not a claim that every disclosed performance is prohibited by law.
The interview arc: open prompts and factual follow-ups
Use this order. Each stage has an open prompt to start and a factual follow-up to anchor the answer.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Stage | Open prompt | Factual follow-up | What it gives the edit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Context | Tell us a little about yourself and what you do. | How long have you been doing that? | A reason for viewers to relate |
| 2. Before | What was going on before you got in touch with us? | When was that? What had you already tried? | The problem, in their words |
| 3. Decision | What made you decide to reach out? | What else were you considering? What almost stopped you? | Answers to doubts other buyers share |
| 4. Experience | Walk us through what happened. | Who did you work with? What happened next? | Specifics that make it believable |
| 5. A moment | Is there a moment that stands out? | Where were you? What did you see or hear? | A scene the edit can show |
| 6. After | What's different now? | How do you know? Is that something you measured, or how it feels? | The result, flagged for checking |
| 7. Advice | What would you tell someone in the situation you were in? | Anything you'd want them to know before they start? | A natural closing line |
| 8. Open floor | Is there anything we didn't ask that you'd like to say? | None needed | Room for something nobody planned |
A few habits keep answers natural:
- Ask one question at a time. A combined question can leave one part unanswered.
- Wait after they finish. Give the customer room to add a thought without prompting praise.
- Re-ask, don't correct. If an answer is vague, ask the same thing a different way.
- Keep questions open. Leading questions put your words in their mouth.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Leading (avoid) | Open (use) |
|---|---|
| Wasn't the team amazing? | What do you remember about the team? |
| Did it save you a lot of time? | What changed in your week afterward? |
| You'd recommend us, right? | What would you tell a friend who asked about us? |
Keep the opinion and its context intact
As of this October 2026 review, the FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ calls for honest opinions, supported advertising claims and clear disclosure of unexpected material connections. Its fake-reviews rule announcement addresses fabricated or misrepresented experiences and incentives conditioned on a review's sentiment. These summaries do not decide whether a particular clip or disclosure is lawful.
Give your adviser the actual statement, its intended placement, the customer's relationship to the business and any benefit they were offered. If an answer describes a result, ask what evidence and context are required before selecting it for advertising. An interviewer's impression is not substantiation.
Keep the full answer available during review. Compare each excerpt with the question and surrounding sentences. A qualification should not disappear merely because the shorter line sounds stronger. If an excerpt needs missing context, add a neutral follow-up during filming or leave it out rather than rewriting the customer's experience.
This is general information, not legal advice. The business and its adviser decide which claims, context and disclosures its advertising needs.
Make the plan practical.
Keep your answers and unresolved questions together before the project conversation.
Use the worksheetClaim-verification worksheet
After the interview, list every statement that makes a claim. Copy this table into a spreadsheet or document and complete it before the final edit.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| # | Timestamp | What the customer said (short) | Claim type | Evidence or context needed | Checked by (role) | Decision | Disclosure needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep / Keep with context / Cut | ||||||
| 2 | |||||||
| 3 |
Claim types to flag for different kinds of review:
- Opinion or feeling (feeling looked after): check that the excerpt preserves what the customer meant.
- Personal experience (how the appointment went): compare the statement with the relevant records.
- Fact about your business (current opening hours): confirm it is accurate for the period and location described.
- Result or number: hold it for evidence and context review; do not treat a customer's recollection as a published result.
- Comparison: ask what the comparison actually covers and whether evidence supports that meaning.
- Health, safety or money: extra review before anything is published.
Example (hypothetical): review-log topics for an interview. These entries illustrate how to classify a topic; they are not sample testimonials or words for a customer to say.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| # | Timestamp | Topic flagged for checking | Claim type | Evidence or context needed | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01:12 | Timing of the service visit | Personal experience | Service record and actual interview wording | Hold until facts match |
| 2 | 02:40 | Mention of a cost comparison | Possible result | Relevant records, other factors and advertising adviser's review | Hold for evidence and context review |
| 3 | 03:05 | Description of the booking experience | Opinion | Actual full answer and surrounding context | Preserve the opinion's meaning |
Permission and review
- Release first. For a Lonestarring shoot, featured customers sign an on-camera release before filming. Confirm the proposed uses with the business and its adviser, including any paid placements.
- Sensitive settings. Do not collect or film private information for the worksheet. Have the business's appropriate adviser approve the participant and material before production.
- Agree who reviews the excerpt. Ask whether the customer will review meaning and context, who collects that feedback and how it fits the project schedule.
- Keep records private. Store releases and supporting evidence away from shared marketing folders.
When the draft arrives, review it with the video review guide and keep this worksheet open beside it.
Shoot preparation checklist
- Signed release ready before the camera starts
- A quiet room, away from phones, music and air-conditioning noise
- Clothing in solid colors, with no other companies' logos
- Screens, files and whiteboards with private information out of frame
- Supporting shots planned: the customer arriving, working, using what you provided
- The customer knows the total time: interview plus supporting shots
- One contact at your business for the day
- Water and a chair that doesn't squeak or swivel
- Disclosure wording decided before the edit, if a connection exists
If your own staff will also appear, read preparing staff on camera. For the planning document behind the shoot, see how to write a business video brief, one of our brand and ad video guides.
How we can help
We make testimonial videos, single or as a set of three, with real customers only. Everyone featured signs an on-camera release, and we use licensed music. Participant permissions and claim review are part of the planning discussion.