Guide
Real estate testimonial video: ask at closing and text three questions
Updated
Many agents have happy clients who would speak on camera but are never asked. Ask in the week of closing, text three questions, and let clients film on their own phone.
In short
- To get a real estate testimonial video, ask at closing, text three questions within a day, and let clients film themselves.
- The three questions are why you moved, what worried you about agents, and what actually happened.
- A client's own phone clip often feels more believable than a polished shoot, because it looks unstaged.
- Some clips will only contain polite, general praise, so ask every client, not just a few.
- You need written permission, the client's okay before showing the price or address, and nothing about who lives in the area.
When and how to ask for a testimonial
Ask in the week of closing. Six weeks later, clients are busy with the new home and your request feels like a chore.
- Ask at the closing table first, with a simple question like "Would you be willing to say a few words on video about how this went?"
- Then send the request by text within 24 hours, because a text arrives on the phone they will film with.
- Say how small the favor is: under a minute, in one go, wherever they are, with no need to tidy up.
- Tell them why you want it, for example that their story helps the next buyer or seller decide whether to hire you.
From closing table to posted clip
Ask twice: a spoken yes first, then the real request by text.
Ask at the closing table
Face to face, on the day
Text within 24 hours
With the three questions
They film on their phone
Under a minute, in one go
Get it in writing
A "yes, you can post this" that you keep
Trim to the strong part
Often the middle 20 seconds
Three questions to send
"Tell us what you thought" gets polite filler like "great to work with". Put three questions in the text, so clients can read them while filming.
- The second question matters most, because an admitted doubt like "I thought all agents were the same" is more believable than praise.
- If the answer is only polite, send one follow-up: "What was the moment you stopped worrying?"
- Another good follow-up is: "Was there anything you expected to go wrong that did not?"
- Never send a script. Viewers can hear a testimonial that is read out, and then they doubt all of it.
The three questions, and what each one gets you
| Question | What it gets you |
|---|---|
| What was going on that made you decide to move? | Their situation before, in their own words. Viewers in the same spot recognize it. |
| What were you worried about with the agent part? | The doubt. This is what makes the clip believable. |
| What actually happened? | One event, one number or one moment, not a summary of the whole sale |
Question: What was going on that made you decide to move?
- What it gets you
- Their situation before, in their own words. Viewers in the same spot recognize it.
Question: What were you worried about with the agent part?
- What it gets you
- The doubt. This is what makes the clip believable.
Question: What actually happened?
- What it gets you
- One event, one number or one moment, not a summary of the whole sale
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
A text message you can copy
Send this within a day of asking at the closing table. Change the name and keep the three questions.
- "Hi [name], thanks again for letting me help with your move. Would you film a short video on your phone about how it went?"
- "It helps the next buyer or seller decide whether to hire me. Under a minute is perfect, in one go, wherever you are."
- "Here are three questions you could answer. What made you decide to move? What worried you about the agent part? What actually happened?"
- "Just send it back here when you are done. I will only post it with your okay."
Phone clip or videographer?
Usually the phone clip. It often feels more believable than a polished shoot, because it looks unstaged.
- A real room and a restarted sentence show viewers that nothing was staged.
- A polished shoot can make the client look like an actor.
- Phone clips have downsides: thin sound, awkward framing, and often a bright window behind the client.
- Some clips will only contain polite, general praise, so ask more clients rather than directing each one more.
If a client agrees but will not film
Some happy clients do not want to be on camera. You can still use their words.
- Ask for a written review instead, and show it as text on screen in a short video, with their permission.
- Offer a short call and ask the three questions, recording it only with their permission, then use the audio.
- Never write the words for them, even if they say you can.
Permission and what to leave out
Watch each clip once before posting and ask: what does this claim, and am I able to stand behind it?
- Get the release on closing day, when clients are far more willing than three months later.
- In the US, Fair Housing Act Section 3604(c) covers housing statements however they were made.
- A client saying it does not protect you, because you are the one who published it.
- Cut the one problem sentence, not the whole clip.
Four checks before you post
| Check | What to do |
|---|---|
| Permission | Get it in writing, even a text saying "yes, you can post this", and keep it. Use your brokerage's release form if it has one. |
| Private details | Leave out the sale price, the address and money details unless the client agrees. Keep why they moved only as far as they chose to share it. |
| Result claims | "He got us sixty thousand over asking" is now your claim. Keep it only if you can prove it. |
| Fair housing | Cut any sentence that describes who lives in the neighborhood. |
Check: Permission
- What to do
- Get it in writing, even a text saying "yes, you can post this", and keep it. Use your brokerage's release form if it has one.
Check: Private details
- What to do
- Leave out the sale price, the address and money details unless the client agrees. Keep why they moved only as far as they chose to share it.
Check: Result claims
- What to do
- "He got us sixty thousand over asking" is now your claim. Keep it only if you can prove it.
Check: Fair housing
- What to do
- Cut any sentence that describes who lives in the neighborhood.
Where to use testimonial videos
Put them where people decide whether to hire you, not only in your feed.
- Keep them in a testimonial highlight on your profile.
- Send one to a seller before a listing appointment, not after it.
- Add them to the reviews page of your website.
- Include one in your first text to a referred seller.
- Post them one at a time, because several in a row looks like an ad campaign. Pair each one with a useful post that week.
Where Cutroom fits
Even when you ask for under a minute, clients often film longer, with one strong part in the middle. Cut the clip down to that part first, and Cutroom finishes it.
- You upload the client's clip, up to 3 minutes long, and get a finished 9:16 video back in about a minute.
- Cutroom keeps every line of the clip you upload, so trim the warm-up off in your phone's photo app before you upload it.
- You can select the best line and give just those words their own caption style.
- Captions are timed to each word, in one of 40 caption styles.
- A 30-second video costs 110 credits: 100 to edit, plus 20 per minute of export.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
Questions people ask
- How do I ask a client for a video testimonial without it being awkward?
- Ask twice. Get a spoken yes at the closing table, then send the real request by text within a day. In the text, say how small the favor is: under a minute, in one go, wherever they are, with no need to tidy up.
- What questions should I ask for a real estate testimonial?
- Three: what made you decide to move, what worried you about the agent part, and what actually happened. The middle one matters most, because a client admitting a doubt is the part viewers believe you did not write.
- How long should a real estate testimonial video be?
- Usually 20 to 30 seconds. Clients often film longer than you asked, but the strong part is usually a short passage in the middle. Trim it down to that.
- Should I hire a videographer to film testimonials?
- Usually not. A client's own phone clip often feels more believable, because it looks unstaged. Spend the effort on asking more clients instead.
- Do I need written permission to post a client testimonial?
- Yes. Get it in writing, even a text saying "yes, you can post this", and keep it. Check whether your brokerage has a release form, and agree separately about showing the price and the address.
- How many testimonial videos do I need?
- A few strong ones are enough, if you send them before listing appointments and to referred sellers. Ask every client, because some clips will only contain polite, general praise.
Trim your client's clip to the strong part, upload it and get the finished testimonial back in about a minute. Your first video is free.