Should You Make a Brand Film or a Testimonial First?

What do your customers still need to understand?

My starting point isn’t which video looks more impressive. It’s who we’re trying to speak to and what they need from us.

You might have a business that does good work, but the website doesn’t really show the people behind it. Someone can see the services, yet they still don’t get why you do things the way you do. That’s a different problem from someone understanding the offer and asking what it’s actually like to be your customer.

I’d speak to the people having those conversations before deciding what to film. Your staff and sales team know the questions that keep coming up. They know whether they’re repeatedly explaining the business or helping someone feel comfortable choosing it.

That distinction is more useful than deciding that every business needs the same first video.

What’s the difference between a brand film and a testimonial?

A brand film lets you explain the business from the inside: who you are, why it exists and what matters to the people doing the work. For an owner-led business, I’d normally want to hear from the person who started it, rather than turn a list of services into a rehearsed speech.

That focus is consistent with Wistia’s definition of a brand video, which centres on the company’s values, mission and personality. My emphasis for SMEs is the person and reason behind the business.

A customer testimonial gives someone else space to describe their experience of your work. It isn’t the owner making the same promises through a different speaker. The customer should be able to say what mattered to them, in their own words.

Here’s how I’d make the first choice:

What the buyer is asking	What I’d consider first	What the film needs to show
Who are these people, and why do they work this way?	A brand film	The owner, the reason behind the business and real details of its work
What’s it like to work with them?	A customer testimonial	A relevant customer’s own account of the experience
What does this particular service involve?	A service explanation	What happens, who it’s for and what the customer needs to know

These aren’t fixed stages that everyone passes through in order. A new visitor might want to hear from a customer immediately. Someone who’s known your business for years might still not understand why you take a particular approach.

When would I put the brand film first?

I’d start here when the reason behind the business is missing from what people see.

Imagine a North East building company whose website shows finished rooms but very little of the people or planning behind them. If the owner cares about making the process less confusing for homeowners, there’s a story to explain and work to show: how the team plans, communicates and deals with the job.

That’s a planning example, not a DS Media client result. The actual story needs to come from that business, not from assumptions about what every building company should say.

For me, the useful part is connecting the owner’s reason with something visible. If the film says the business cares about customers, what can we see that makes that statement mean something?

The answer shouldn’t become a tour through every service. Our guide to why one brand film can’t explain every service covers giving those separate explanations their own space.

When would I put the customer testimonial first?

I’d consider the testimonial when people already understand the business, but keep asking about the experience of choosing it.

For example, a prospective customer might know exactly what they’re buying but worry about communication once the work starts. A willing customer who can describe how they were kept informed could address that concern more directly than another introduction from the owner.

Again, that’s an example of how to choose a topic, not a claim about a completed project or a promised booking.

Choose the customer for their relevant experience, not just because they’ll say something enthusiastic. Someone saying the team explained a decision clearly gives the viewer something to understand. Broad praise on its own leaves more unanswered.

But don’t make the customer responsible for explaining your entire offer. Their experience is one part of the picture, not a replacement for accurate service information.

What if neither video answers the real question?

Then I wouldn’t force the choice.

If people don’t understand what happens after they book, show them the process. If they don’t understand which service is for them, explain that service. A story about why the owner started the business won’t necessarily answer either question, and neither will a customer saying they were happy.

This comes back to audience fit. A good-looking video can still be the wrong video for the person watching it.

Write down the question you want to answer before choosing the format. If you can’t explain how the planned film answers it, change the brief rather than add more messages to the edit.

Can you plan both without making one overcrowded film?

Yes. You can plan connected films while keeping their purposes separate. Depending on locations and availability, some of the filming may happen together. That needs agreeing before the shoot; two finished films aren’t automatically included because the cameras are already there.

For a testimonial, confirm the customer is willing to take part before building the day around them. Agree the intended use, what they can discuss and who checks factual details. Keep their meaning intact when editing.

For marketing covered by the CAP Code, ASA/CAP’s testimonial guidance explains the need for evidence that testimonials are genuine, relevant permission and claims that don’t mislead. A customer’s praise doesn’t remove the need to check what the film says. Sensitive or regulated offers may need specialist advice too.

Our testimonial video cost and planning guide covers the practical scope to agree when comparing quotes.

Before commissioning either film, finish this sentence:

This is for ______, who needs to understand ______, and afterwards they can ______.

Then check you have the right person and real footage to support that answer. That’s the brief I’d start with, rather than asking one video to do everything.

For smaller independent businesses in Newcastle and the North East needing a connected first set of films, our one-off Business Content Starter includes both a business story and a customer interview. It’s a set, not a standalone testimonial offer or monthly retainer. Larger organisations commissioning a bespoke brand campaign or customer story can explore our corporate video production service.