A great customer story won’t do your team much good if the recording is too dark to use, too hard to hear, or the answers don’t make sense without the interviewer’s questions.
In this walkthrough, Aman Adlakha, who runs video at Peerbound, covers lighting, camera placement, audio, and a few final checks, all in a short set of instructions you can send your customer before the interview.
Aman brings 5+ years of experience as a multimedia producer and video editor, working with companies including NBC, American Express, and Amazon Prime. His advice helps you turn a great customer story into usable footage for customer marketers.
What Setup Does Your Customer Need?
Aman’s recommendations use equipment your customer may already have: a laptop, earbuds with a microphone, and a couple of books to raise the camera.
Ask Them to Face a Window
Aman demonstrates how sitting with a window behind you makes your face look dark on camera. He then turns around to face the window, showing how the light makes his face easier to see.
In your pre-call email, ask your customer to do the same and sit facing a window for the recording.
Bring the Camera Up to Eye Level
Ask your customer to check the height of their laptop camera. If it’s below eye level, a couple of books underneath the laptop can raise it.
As Aman jokingly says: “Nobody needs the up-the-nose angle.”
Have Earbuds Ready
Aman recommends earbuds with a built-in microphone over the laptop’s mic to keep the focus on your customer’s voice, rather than the sounds around the room. Ask your customer to have a pair ready before the call.
Where Should You Ask Your Customer to Look?
During the interview, encourage your customer to look toward the camera rather than at your image on the screen.
Aman acknowledges that this can feel unusual: “I know it feels weird, but it looks like eye contact.” Use the same line when you start the recording, so your customer knows what to do and why.
How should customers prepare their space and laptop?
Ask your customer to take a quick look behind them. Aman suggests a tidy wall or bookshelf and recommends turning off virtual backgrounds when possible, since they can sometimes be glitchy.
His final preparation steps are straightforward:
Plug in the laptop and make sure it’s charged.
Close other apps.
Silence the phone.
Keep these instructions together in the invitation so your customer can work through them before joining.
How Should Customers Phrase Their Answers?
The walkthrough includes two responses to “What’s it like to be a customer marketer?”
The first is brief: “It’s really amazing. Yeah, I like it a lot.”
The second names the subject in the answer: “Being a customer marketer is really fulfilling, and I’m super excited to talk to you about it.”
This subtle difference is important because if you want to turn the interview into short-form content, each answer needs enough context to make sense on its own. Ask your customer to work the question into their response so you can use the clip without including the interviewer’s voice.
Aman closes with a simpler instruction for participants: “Just be yourself and remember that real beats polished every time.”
A Pre-Call Checklist to Send Your Customer
Copy this into your scheduling email or calendar invite:
Before our call, please take about five minutes to check your setup:
Sit facing a window, rather than with one behind you.
Raise your laptop so the camera is at eye level. A couple of books underneath can help.
Use earbuds with a microphone if you have them.
Check what’s behind you. A tidy wall or bookshelf works well.
Turn off your virtual background if possible.
Plug in your laptop and make sure it’s charged.
Close other apps and silence your phone.
During the conversation, try to look at the camera rather than at the interviewer on screen.
Lastly, just be yourself and have fun.
Share the Walkthrough Before the Call
Send Aman’s video alongside the checklist so your customer can see the lighting and camera adjustments demonstrated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a customer need professional equipment to record a video testimonial?
No. A laptop webcam, light from a window and earbuds with a built-in microphone are enough for a remote video testimonial.
Should customers use a virtual background?
Turn it off if possible. Virtual backgrounds tend to glitch around the speaker, and a tidy wall or bookshelf looks better on camera.
How long does it take a customer to set up for a remote interview?
About five minutes. Facing a window, raising the laptop, finding earbuds and closing other apps are all quick changes.
Where should a customer look during a video interview?
At the camera, not at the interviewer on screen. It feels unnatural to the customer, but on the recording it looks like eye contact.
Should customers rehearse their answers?
Not word for word. Share the topics ahead of time and let customers answer in their own words, ideally naming the subject in each answer so the clip makes sense on its own.
Help customers record a clear remote video testimonial with a laptop, a window and earbuds. Get Peerbound’s setup tips and a pre-call checklist to send.
