How to Gather Effective Testimonials from Your Members
August 10, 2019 
We’ve all been there. You’re facing a large purchase. You want to know who your peers have chosen to buy from, and how their experience was, so you go looking for reviews and testimonials.
It turns out that you’re in good company. More than 60% of consumers check out a business’s reviews before contacting them.
The same principle holds true for associations. Gathering effective testimonials is a key part of gaining new members. But how do you do that, exactly? How do you turn your members into effective advocates?
Get the right content. Ask the right questions.
Put yourself in the shoes of your potential members.
What were you nervous about when you first approached your association? What did you want to know? Is there anything you were afraid to ask about? Often, these are the talking points that potential members have in their minds when they click on your testimonial video.
This might be their first interaction with your association—maybe with any association. Consider asking:
- What was it like before you joined the association?
- Why did you look into joining?
- Were there any obstacles that almost kept you from contacting or joining us?
- What have you enjoyed the most about being a member of the association?
- What would you tell a friend or business associate about us?
- What about our association surprised you the most?
Plan your footage before you shoot it.
While it’s important to gather testimonials that are authentic and informative, it’s equally important to present them well. You want your subjects to have the confidence that comes from putting one’s best face forward.
This comes in two parts:
Invest in high-quality equipment, and use it right.
Consider investing in a camcorder for the best video. Even if you’re just shooting video with your smartphone, remember to clean your lens, keep your hands steady, and ensure you’ve got good audio-recording equipment. You might want to consider investing in a tripod.
Beyond that, there’s also lighting and framing to consider. Make sure your subjects aren’t squinting into the light—and aren’t silhouetted against it, which is just as bad. Position them against a background that won’t distract the audience when they watch your video.
Put your subjects at ease.
Help your subjects feel comfortable so that their testimonial comes across as authentic and relatable. Help them prepare for their video by answering any questions they have about what to wear (whether clothing or make-up) and the format of the footage.
When shooting video, direct people on video so that they know what to do and where to look. You don’t want your subjects to be distracted. If they know what to expect and are prepared for it, they can focus on talking about your association.
It’s worth the effort to gather effective testimonials.
These days, you should expect your potential members to research you. They’ll ask around.
They want to know what to expect before they contact you. They want to hear how contacting you went for people like themselves.
Ask the questions they want to ask—and that your subjects want to answer. This will enable you to gather the most effective testimonials that you can.
For more articles on interviewing people, check out these:
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