Keys to a Great Testimonial Ad
Great ads tell stories, and testimonials can be a powerful way to tell a bite-sized story in an impactful way that motivates listeners to act. Recently, SMI has produced numerous testimonial ads that have exceeded KPIs for our clients. What’s the secret to creating an effective testimonial ad? Here are our top five tips.
1. Make it Sound Natural
SMI has produced an array of testimonial ads for multiple clients, and we’ve found through testing that the ones that sound the most genuine work best.
“We’ve done testimonials where we’ve brought someone to a studio to do a testimonial, but it’s scripted–or they practice what they’re going to say,” says SMI’s Audio Producer Lewis Gillies, “and the key we’ve found is to keep it as natural as possible, as real as possible.”
2. Don’t Over-prepare
When interviewing a customer for a testimonial, prepare a list of questions in advance. Give the interviewee an idea of what you will ask them about, but don’t send them the questions in advance. This will prevent the interviewee from scripting and memorizing canned answers and will enable them to respond in a way that is authentic during the recording.
3. Be a Good Listener
While it’s best to prepare a list of questions for your interviewee, don’t feel obligated to stick to the script. Ask follow up questions as they arise. Listen closely to their responses and seize the moment if a comment opens the door to a potential topic you hadn’t anticipated. Have a conversation!
4. It Doesn’t Need to Be Studio Quality
Several of our top-performing testimonial ads were created from interviews conducted over Zoom. “It’s a real low-fi audio quality, but it feels real,” says Lewis. “It makes it sound not produced. It sounds like you’re talking to someone on the phone; it sounds like you’re talking to somebody who’s a human, who’s not AI, who’s not in a million-dollar recording studio sounding perfect. I think that’s a big part of it–keeping the natural, lo-fi feel that makes people feel they have something they can connect to, both sonically and from a story perspective.”
Kristy Martino, SMI’s Head of Creative Development, agrees. “The kinds of things that sound effortless actually take a lot of work and intention behind them,” she says.
5. Mention the Brand Name
Before starting the interview, tell the interviewee to mention the brand name in their responses whenever possible, and include the brand name in your questions as a cue to remind them to work it in. This way, even if you have to edit their testimonial to create a 60-second spot, you will likely be able to select clips containing brand mentions, which aids in memorability and recall. However, if the most compelling interview clips don’t mention the brand, intercut testimonial lines with scripted announcer lines to get those brand mentions in.
Final Thoughts
Though they often sound effortless, there is definite skill involved in crafting effective testimonial ads. The interviewing process requires listening skills and empathy. The interviewee should be passionate about their story, and–as in other types of audio ads–the brand name should be mentioned as frequently as possible. Bearing in mind that, you can create an audio ad that will be compelling, memorable, and emotionally resonant, helping to build a company’s brand while driving direct response.