Run the six-point testimonial script

1. Where the script is used

The same script turns up across the proof streams:

• Professional testimonials at your event. Walk each person through the same six-point script (SOP 124 — Produce proof capture at an owned event, section 4).
• Man in the street. The six core questions asked one at a time, or all six rapid-fire (section 4 here).
• Bonus unlocks and testimonial competitions. Customers send in videos made on the script (section 5 here).

On the one-page checklist of proof streams, it is named for the testimonial competition and for the professional testimonials at events (SOP 123, section 10).

2. The six points

Walk them through the same script, in this order. Each point has its label and its questions.

1. Internal struggle. What was your rock bottom before this? What did you have to do that you hated? What did you want to do but couldn't?
2. External struggle. What did your objective metrics show back then?
3. Skepticism. Before you bought, clicked or joined, what worried you most?
4. Overcome. What made you do it anyway?
5. External victory. What do your objective metrics show now?
6. Internal victory. What has been the best moment since? What can you do now that you couldn't before? What did you hate doing that you no longer have to?

The skepticism and overcome points are the third and fourth of the six.

3. Recording notes

In the list for professional testimonials, these come right after the six points, at the same level.

• The hook matters most in a testimonial. Be explicit about it. Before they tell their story, you can have them try a few different hooks to find which works better.
• Get them to say their name as their video starts. Camera crews often do not know who they are filming, and this helps match names to videos later.
• Then save, upload, add music and run.

Writing a hook is SOP 121 — Write a hook.

4. Short versions for quick interviews

At an event, the man-in-the-street interviews can use the script in two ways. Both sit under preparing the core questions (SOP 124, section 5).

• Ask the six core questions piecemeal, one at a time. Then you can make one large testimonial that has fast-hitting answers to each point from 5+ people. That is said to make it even more compelling.
  • For example: the rock-bottom moment; revenue and profit back then; and so on.
  • If you do the six-point script this way, ask all six questions of each person, rapid-fire. These interviews can take less than 2 minutes, and you can hit all six points and weave the same people through the testimonial reel.

5. Videos customers send in

• For a bonus unlock, their video runs under 5 minutes and hits the six points. It goes to the address you set up for proof, and is posted in the group with the customer's stats (SOP 123, section 8).
• For a competition entry, the script is attached to the instructions, beside a results template (you can come up with your own) and last time's winner, or your best one to date (SOP 126).

6. What this page does not decide for you

• Why the points run in this order. Not established on this page.
• How to follow up when an answer is thin, on skepticism or any other point. Not established on this page.
• How long a professional testimonial runs. This page gives no figure for the length of a recorded professional testimonial. The figures above are for a sent-in bonus-unlock video (under 5 minutes) and a rapid-fire interview (which can take less than 2 minutes).

7. The checklist

Point	Label	What you ask
1	Internal struggle	Rock bottom before; what they had to do and hated; what they wanted to do and couldn't
2	External struggle	What their objective metrics showed back then
3	Skepticism	What worried them most before buying, clicking or joining
4	Overcome	What made them do it anyway
5	External victory	Their objective metrics now
6	Internal victory	The best moment since; what they can do now that they couldn't; what they hated doing and no longer have to
Before the story	The hook	The most important part; be explicit; try a few hooks first
At the start	Their name	Said first, so videos can be matched to names
Short form	Piecemeal	One point at a time across 5+ people, cut into one testimonial
Short form	Rapid-fire	All six to each person, which can take less than 2 minutes, if you do the six-point script this way

8. What this page does not cover

Setting up the room, the crew and the hit list for professional testimonials is SOP 124 — Produce proof capture at an owned event. The streams that collect the videos are SOP 123 — Run the standing proof streams. SOP 109 is for making each piece of proof more persuasive. Entrants to a competition use this script on SOP 126 — Run a testimonial competition judged as an ad.

The law on testimonials and on incentives for them is not covered on this page.