Guide
Employee testimonial videos: ask a better question, keep the first answer
Updated
Hand an employee a script and you get an actor. Ask a real question, film the first answer, and you get a story candidates believe.
In short
- An employee testimonial video is one employee answering one real question on camera, with no script.
- The best questions are specific, like what almost made you turn the offer down.
- Keep it to 60 to 90 seconds, vertical, filmed on a phone at their desk.
- Get written consent before filming, with an agreed way to take the video down.
- One story costs about 120 credits on Cutroom, and your first video is free.
- Questions in this guide that get usable answers
- 8
- The longest clip you can upload, more than a story needs
- 3 min
- Until the finished edit is back, once software edits it
- ~1 min
Why employee testimonials work
A careers page makes claims. An employee saying it out loud is proof, because the employee has less reason to sell.
- Candidates check your employees the way you check a candidate's references.
- If a candidate cannot find a single one of your employees online, they have nothing to go on but your careers page.
- One video works in four places, on the careers page, in the vacancy, in outreach messages and in the feed.
8 questions to ask
Do not ask people to talk about the company. Ask a sharp question and the company shows up in the answer.
- Ask one question, film one answer, and keep the first one.
- The bold questions work because a calm answer to a hard question persuades more than a list of perks.
- If the answer wanders, keep it and cut the wandering out in the edit.
- If they name a client or say something that contradicts the vacancy, film that answer again, because Cutroom keeps the lines you say.
- If the whole answer misses, ask a different question and film once more. Do not coach them towards a better version.
From easy to bold
| # | Question | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What surprised you in your first month here? | Easy |
| 2 | Describe yesterday, hour by hour. | Easy |
| 3 | Who helped you last week, and with what? | Easy |
| 4 | What do you tell friends who ask what it is like here? | Easy |
| 5 | What almost made you turn the offer down? | Harder |
| 6 | What is the hardest part of your job right now? | Harder |
| 7 | Why are you still here? | Bold |
| 8 | What would make you leave? | Bold |
#: 1
- Question
- What surprised you in your first month here?
- Level
- Easy
#: 2
- Question
- Describe yesterday, hour by hour.
- Level
- Easy
#: 3
- Question
- Who helped you last week, and with what?
- Level
- Easy
#: 4
- Question
- What do you tell friends who ask what it is like here?
- Level
- Easy
#: 5
- Question
- What almost made you turn the offer down?
- Level
- Harder
#: 6
- Question
- What is the hardest part of your job right now?
- Level
- Harder
#: 7
- Question
- Why are you still here?
- Level
- Bold
#: 8
- Question
- What would make you leave?
- Level
- Bold
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to film it
One person, one phone, at their own desk.
The setup
| Setting | What to do |
|---|---|
| Length | 60 to 90 seconds finished. The clip can run to 3 minutes. |
| Shape | Vertical 9:16. One file posts to LinkedIn, Reels, TikTok and Shorts. |
| Place | Their own desk and their own light. It shows nobody staged it. |
| Watched on mute | Show the question on screen, or have them repeat it in their first sentence |
| Captions | Always on. Most people in the feed watch without sound. |
Setting: Length
- What to do
- 60 to 90 seconds finished. The clip can run to 3 minutes.
Setting: Shape
- What to do
- Vertical 9:16. One file posts to LinkedIn, Reels, TikTok and Shorts.
Setting: Place
- What to do
- Their own desk and their own light. It shows nobody staged it.
Setting: Watched on mute
- What to do
- Show the question on screen, or have them repeat it in their first sentence
Setting: Captions
- What to do
- Always on. Most people in the feed watch without sound.
What ruins a testimonial
Anything that makes it look like an ad.
- A script turns the employee into an actor, and it persuades nobody.
- Filming it four times makes each answer smoother and emptier. Cut the wandering instead.
- A legal rewrite ruins it. Check for confidential details, but do not rewrite what they said.
- A studio, a lapel mic or a colour grade makes it look like advertising.
Do this, not that
Words
- Do
- Their own answer
- Don't
- A script
Attempts
- Do
- Their first answer, trimmed
- Don't
- The fourth attempt and beyond
Review
- Do
- Check for confidential details
- Don't
- Rewrite what they said
Look
- Do
- Their desk and their light
- Don't
- Studio and colour grade
| Do | Don't | |
|---|---|---|
| Words | Their own answer | A script |
| Attempts | Their first answer, trimmed | The fourth attempt and beyond |
| Review | Check for confidential details | Rewrite what they said |
| Look | Their desk and their light | Studio and colour grade |
Consent rules
Get written consent before anything is filmed.
- Write down where the video may appear, from the careers page and job boards to social feeds and ads.
- Agree that the video comes down on request when someone leaves. People speak more freely with a way out.
- Never film someone who is reluctant, because it shows on camera.
- Let the person approve the finished video before it posts. On a transcript edit that takes minutes.
The consent steps
Written consent
Lists where it will appear
Agree the exit rule
Down on request when they leave
Film
Only people who want to
They approve the video
Before it posts
How to make one a week
One story a week for a quarter gives you 13 stories, enough to cover most teams once.
- Cutroom writes out every word, drafts an opening headline and burns in captions. On Punch and Native it also shortens the dead air and removes the ums and uhs that show up in your transcript.
- If a sentence named a client, film the answer again without it, because Cutroom keeps the lines you say.
- The finished 9:16 video is back in about a minute.
One question becomes a story in four places
About 120 credits per finished one-minute story, edit plus export.
Ask one question
From the list above, easy ones first
Film their first answer
Their desk, their light, up to 3 minutes
Edit on the text
Fix misheard words, keep the voice
Post it four places
Careers page, vacancy, outreach, feed
What it costs
You pay credits for the edit and the export.
- Posting a raw clip to LinkedIn costs nothing, which is fine for a story that only needs to live a day.
- An avatar suits vacancy explainers, not testimonials. It is on Basic, $39.99 a month, at 350 credits a minute of render.
Cutroom costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Edit | 100 credits |
| Export | 20 credits per finished minute |
| One-minute story | About 120 credits |
| First video | Free within 7 days, 600 credits, no card, Cutroom mark across the middle |
| Lite plan | $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 stories, cancel any time under Settings |
Item: Edit
- Cost
- 100 credits
Item: Export
- Cost
- 20 credits per finished minute
Item: One-minute story
- Cost
- About 120 credits
Item: First video
- Cost
- Free within 7 days, 600 credits, no card, Cutroom mark across the middle
Item: Lite plan
- Cost
- $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 stories, cancel any time under Settings
Questions people ask
- What questions should I ask in an employee testimonial video?
- Specific ones, not questions about the company. What surprised you in month one? What is the hardest part right now? Why are you still here? The company shows up in the answers.
- Should the employee use a script?
- No. A script makes them an actor, and candidates notice in one sentence. Share the question a day ahead if they want it, then film the first answer and fix rambling in the edit.
- How long should an employee testimonial video be?
- 60 to 90 seconds finished. The clip you upload can be up to 3 minutes, and export costs 20 credits per finished minute, so shorter is also cheaper.
- What happens to the video when the employee leaves?
- Whatever you agreed before filming. The rule that works: it comes down on request, no discussion. Most leavers never ask.
- Can we use an AI avatar instead of a real employee?
- Not for a testimonial. A testimonial only works because the person is real. Avatars exist on Basic, $39.99 a month, at 350 credits a minute of render, and suit vacancy explainers.
- What does one testimonial cost to make?
- About 120 credits for a one-minute story: 100 for the edit plus 20 per finished minute to export. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 10 stories. Posting the raw clip is free.
Ask one employee one question and keep their first answer. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it