Bringing Advocacy to Life on Camera

According to Forbes, 45% of businesses rank video as their top-performing content format. And it’s no surprise why. Video grabs the attention, taps into emotions and tells stories in a way that other formats simply cannot match.

One of the most engaging types of video is customer advocacy. These case study-style stories highlight real customers, demonstrating how your product or service helped them overcome challenges, unlock value and achieve success.

But creating such videos isn’t just about telling a story – it’s also about authenticity, building trust and delivering insights that stick with your audience.

Here’s our top tips on getting it right…

Intent Beats Production Gloss

You can have the best cameras and slickest editing tools in the world, but none of it matters if you haven’t nailed the purpose behind your customer advocacy video.

Before you press record, you should define:

• Your goal: are you aiming to drive awareness, demonstrate value or support sales enablement?

• Target audience: who are you trying to reach? How will you shape the story around their interests, challenges and motivations?

• Key messages: what insights do you want viewers to walk away with?

Answering these questions builds a strong foundation for success, helping you shape your story and build a persuasive message that’ll resonate with audiences.

Structure Drives Storytelling

You know how your favourite films have a beginning, middle and end? Well, the same is true for customer advocacy videos. Whether you’re filming a CEO, technical expert or end user, a strong structure and flow will guide viewers through their journey.

This is the standard structure to follow for customer stories:

• Background: set the scene by introducing the customer and context.

• Challenge: outline the pain point that prompted them to seek a solution.

• Solution: show how your product or service solved the problem.

• Benefits: finish off with key benefits and future potential, ending with aspiration and an uplifting takeaway for your viewers.

Remember to keep it linear, logical and easy to follow. This’ll help you tell a meaningful, impactful story that connects with your audience emotionally.

Keep It Natural, Not Rehearsed

Some of the most legendary films of all time have improvised scenes. From Casablanca to The Godfather, some of the best lines are unscripted - and you should follow a similar approach with your customer advocacy video.

When dialogue feels rehearsed or polished, it risks coming across as stiff and contrived, losing the authenticity and emotion that truly connects with audiences.

Instead, follow these tips for a more natural style:

• Don’t over-script: whilst it’s good to have an idea of what your customer should say, the best approach is to simply ask them questions and let their voice lead. This allows you to capture their enthusiasm on camera, without it coming off as a sales pitch.

• Focus on the customer: remember that your customer is the hero – not your brand – and your questions should reflect this. It’s about focusing on their success and innovation – your product is just an enabler, supporting their journey.

• Be conversational: keep questions simple - as though you’re chatting over coffee. Avoid corporate jargon and use natural, everyday language. But don’t go off-topic – stick to the narrative structure (i.e. background, challenge, solution and benefits) to maintain focus.

This approach allows your customer to take centre stage, letting them speak openly about their experiences, and ensuring your story delivers a powerful, authentic message.

Build Comfort On Camera

Unless you’re a Hollywood star, being on camera rarely feels comfortable. Even the most confident amongst us can find it stressful, leading to a stiff, unnatural delivery - which you definitely want to avoid in trust-led videos.

Here’s a few tips to help reduce their nerves:

• Keep the film crew small and friendly: don’t allow unnecessary people on set who might disturb the shoot and heighten anxiety.

• Choose a comfortable location: this can be tricky as these videos are usually shot at the customer’s office, but try to find a quiet spot with relaxed seating.

• Use soft lighting and a simple setup: too much equipment and lighting can feel threatening, so strip it back to the essentials to ensure comfort.

• Chat casually beforehand: some friendly conversation usually helps lighten the mood and put people at ease.

• Reassure them that retakes are OK: remind them its not a live shoot and retakes are perfectly acceptable.

• Offer positive reinforcement: build confidence with a “that was great!”

• Take breaks: let them take a pause and gather their thoughts whenever needed.

Helping your customer to relax enables you to capture their real thoughts, emotions and expressions, leading to a more authentic customer advocacy video.

Create Trust with Framing, Tone and Pace

So, you’ve defined your intent, structure and questions, and you know how to bring out the best of your customer on camera. But what about the actual filming and editing? What techniques can you leverage to build trust with the viewer?

Here’s a few pointers:

• Framing: in the film world, framing is what you include in the camera’s viewfinder and how you position your subject. This is crucial in customer advocacy, as you can use it to draw attention to key moments and support storytelling. For example, close-ups are great for building intimacy, whilst wide shots feel more calm or visionary, leaving space in the frame to add metrics and graphics in post-production.

  
  

• Pace: another essential is pacing, which keeps your audience hooked on the story. For example, a fast pace sparks excitement, whilst slow pacing builds suspense and provides time to absorb the facts. Pacing can be achieved using camera movement, editing rhythm and sound design.

  
  

• Tone: striking the right tone is key, aligning dialogue with emotion and subject matter. For advocacy videos, it should feel positive and sincere, whilst paying attention to the customer’s specific brand or sector. Tone can be established on-set using lighting, colour and camera angles, with editing and sound methods in post-production to really set the mood.

These techniques are crucial for advocacy storytelling, propelling your video from a simple talking head piece to an engaging, compelling story that viewers can relate to.

How digiio can help

At digiio, our mission is to amplify your brand, bringing customer advocacy to life through professional, authentic videos that build trust and confidence.

With over a decade of experience, we’re well-positioned to bring your vision to life. Our fully equipped team will work with you from concept to final cut, ensuring your story leaves a lasting impression.

Ready to elevate your brand? Contact us to discuss your needs.