Finding the right patient testimonial questions to ask your patients for a testimonial video can be difficult, especially when you want their responses to be aligned with the overall objective of your video.
Preparing testimonial questions in advance can be very useful to your patients especially when they have no idea what to say or where to begin. This is why I'm going to share 10 patient testimonial questions and examples with you along with a free template with you so that you get the response that you're looking for.
It's no secret that video is the most effective form of online marketing content.
Videos are a great tool for growing online engagement, attracting new patients to your business, increasing your rank on search engines, and boosting your online conversion rate.
Let's face it, written patient testimonials are effective but patient testimonial videos are 3 times more effective because videos are 3X more engaging. Patient testimonial videos are far more effective because of how real and authentic they are compared to a text-based review. So what are some examples of patient testimonial questions that you can ask to get the response that you're looking for?
First, let's break down the story arc of your video, so that you're not just randomly asking patient testimonial questions but instead you're using an outline to navigate the patient to make specific responses that keep them on track with the overall direction of your video.
Storytelling Framework for your Patient Testimonial Questions:
Ask about the patient's initial problem
Ask them why they chose you
Ask them how you solved their problem
Ask them how it has improved their lifestyle
Ask them why they'd recommend you to others
The purpose of creating a story arc is not just because expert filmmakers do it, but because it actually works!
Just think of any show or movie you watched straight through until the end. They all have a story arc, and by having a story arc as the backbone of your patient testimonial questions, you'll captivate your audience, and bring strategy to your process and structure to your video.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 1.
"What was your initial (_____) problem?"
This first patient testimonial question follows our story arc structure by literally asking the patient what their initial problem was before choosing to come to you. This patient testimonial question also serves as a hook used to grab someone's attention especially if it's another potential patient who is currently experiencing a similar problem.
The patient may respond to that question with something like this, "For the last 5 years I have experienced terrible pain in my pelvic area and had trouble with urine leakage. After searching online for hours I stumbled upon (your company's) website, where a pelvic floor therapy specialist reached out to me and ......"
You get the idea.
Your patient's response to this question will set the tone for what is to come... also known as the part in the patient testimonial video where your practice swoops in and saves the day with an awesome patient outcome that totally transforms their life and eliminates their problem.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 2.
"What did this 'problem' prevent you from doing?"
One purpose for asking this patient testimonial question is to add extra fluff content, which will help you later on if you decide to have a long and short version of the patient testimonial video.
The second reason we ask this question is to make the patient's outcome more jarring by repeating the problem response in a different way, we are emphasizing the transformation even more.
Typically we'd recommend asking the patient to use an example here or a mini-story. Here's an example of what a patient could say here, "I use to be able to go on stage and perform or act out my scenes on camera quite comfortably, but my severe acne has made me feel so self-conscience of my face... I even considered a different career path because of it ."
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 3.
"What procedure did you do?"
Here's where we get into the 'why they chose you part of our story arc. The goal here is to get your patient to expand on the procedure that they booked with you so that your viewers know what to request in the event that they decide to call in and get the same procedure done for themselves. This patient testimonial question should also be used to let your viewers know why your patient chose you specifically.
A good follow-up question could be: "Why did you come to (your practice name) to have this done?"
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 4.
"Why did you decide to get it done here?"
This response usually contains all of the best soundbites. This is where your patient states all the reasons she decided to purchase these services from you, despite them being available elsewhere. They might say things like, "They were very responsive to my concerns when I called, and I felt like the Doctor really understood my challenges and was very knowledgeable about the procedure."
Now, you can't tell your patients what to say of course, but this patient testimonial question does have a way of organically getting a nice response to roll off their tongues anyway.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 5.
"What was your main concern about getting it done? And how was that concern addressed?"
If you'd like to add a bit more content to lengthen your video, I'd recommend using this patient testimonial question to expand on the patient's initial problem and transition into answering how those concerns were addressed specifically when they came to you.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 6.
"How did you feel about yourself afterwards?"
The moment we've all been waiting for... the transformation and outcome. How does the patient feel now that you've helped them? What has changed? How have you improved their lifestyle?
Feel free to record multiple takes of this response so that you have plenty of soundbites to work with. The goal here is to leave with a solid patient transformation story.
I personally like to recommend that my clients use all of these responses as a personal critique of their work and patient experience. The answers to these patient testimonial questions can help you improve your technique, customer service and so much more.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 7.
"What has this treatment/procedure allowed you to do now?"
This patient testimonial question pretty much expands on how you've helped the patient overcome their initial problem. I'd recommend adding this response to the final cut of your video because you want to emphasize the transformation by using more soundbites that address it.
Pro Tip: Your patient's transformation and positive experience should hold more weight than their initial problem in your final video edit. If you need help with professional video editing you can hire one of our video experts here.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 8.
"What advice would you give to others who have a similar problem"
The goal here is to direct your patients towards telling others why they should reach out to you if they want to experience similar results. If your patient's story seems relatable to your audience, they will want to know the answer to this question even though your patient is not an expert at what you do; they want to hear your patient's opinion because they can relate to them and what they're going through.
In a perfect situation, your patient may respond here by saying something like, "if you're like me, just call Dr. _____, she's the best and knows how to break down complex procedures in a very simplified way."
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 9.
"Would you recommend us to your friends?
If so, why?"
I love this patient testimonial question, even though it's very similar to the previous one but it also gives you insight into which patients in your database would be willing to give you a referral. After all word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective form of marketing in our industry.
There is nothing more valuable than a happy patient who's willing to tell others about their experience with you. This question gets them started with a prerecorded referral and also shows you what a patient referral might look like if they actually did it.
Patient Testimonial Question - Example 10.
"Is there anything else you’d like to add?" Or "If *provider name here* was watching this right now, what would you like to say to him/her directly?"
The final patient testimonial question, as you'd imagine is to follow up with a response of their own. We ask this question last because most patients show up to the video shoot without any idea of what they'd like to say, but by asking this towards the end, they've already been talking for some time and feel more inclined to share something of their own at this point.
As a medical video director, I love asking patients this unexpected patient testimonial question because you can never predict what they will say and sometimes their response ends up being so good that it outweighs the rest!
People love sharing their opinions, and this final question gives your patients a chance to speak freely from the heart. Which is the perfect way to close out the patient testimonial story arc.
Do you need help putting these tips into action?
Our team of strategic video production and marketing experts would love to help with your patient testimonial video shoot. Book your free virtual consultation with us at any time to see how we can help.
