In some cases our customers choose to use an internal interviewer for the testimonials in their video. If you are considering doing the same, follow this short guide to knock that interview out of the park: 

Keep the questions short and open

Make it easy for the interviewee to deliver a usable answer by making your questions open-ended and short; you want the interviewee to explain and elaborate, not answer with a simple yes/no or get confused in the questioning process.

Make the interviewee feel comfortable

Unless your interviewee is a trained professional or a rare natural, being placed in front of a camera and expected to answer questions will make them feel uncomfortable. Since shaky answers and nervous twitching is not something that can be fixed in post-production, it is your job as an interviewer to make them feel at ease and relaxed. Introduce yourself, crack a joke, let the interviewee know that you are here to help them look and sound their best.

Instruct the interviewee

Tell your interviewee what you expect from them. In the editing process, all of your (short, open and brilliant) questions will be edited out. Therefore, it is important to ask your interviewee to speak in full sentences and implement your questions in their answers. For example, instead of saying “it is great” instruct them in saying “the event/product/service is great”. And don’t be afraid of retakes!

Mute yourself

This is an interview, not a conversation! So, once the camera is rolling and after you have delivered the question do your best to be mute. This means restraining yourself from sounds of encouragement and laughter: they are often impossible to edit out in post-production and are very distracting for the viewer to hear, taking the focus away from the golden point that the interviewee is making.

Lastly, remember to have fun with it!