Video Testimonials vs Text Testimonials: Which Converts Better?

The Short Answer

Video testimonials convert significantly better than text testimonials. Studies show video testimonials can increase conversion rates by 80% or more compared to written reviews.

But that doesn't mean text testimonials are useless. Each format has specific use cases where it performs best.

Video Testimonials: The Advantages

Video testimonials outperform text in several key areas:

• Authenticity: Viewers can see real people, facial expressions, and genuine emotion
• Trust: Video is harder to fake, making it more credible
• Engagement: Video captures attention and holds it longer
• Emotional connection: Viewers connect with real voices and stories
• Information density: Video communicates more in less time
• Shareability: Video testimonials are more likely to be shared on social media

The Numbers Don't Lie

Research shows clear benefits of video testimonials:

• Landing pages with video convert 80% better than those without
• 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
• Video testimonials increase trust by 57%
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when watching video vs 10% when reading text
• Social media posts with video generate 1200% more shares than text and image combined

Text Testimonials: When They Still Win

Despite video's advantages, text testimonials have their place:

• SEO value: Search engines can crawl and index text content
• Scannable: Readers can quickly scan for relevant information
• Accessibility: Easy to translate and accessible to all users
• Lower barrier: Easier and faster for customers to submit
• Email-friendly: Text works better in email marketing
• No bandwidth required: Load instantly on any connection

Side-by-Side Comparison

Here's how video and text testimonials stack up:

Trust & Credibility
Video: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐⭐

Conversion Impact
Video: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐⭐

Engagement
Video: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐

SEO Value
Video: ⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Easy to Collect
Video: ⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Social Sharing
Video: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Text: ⭐⭐

When to Use Video Testimonials

Video testimonials work best when:

• You need to build strong emotional connections
• Your product/service requires trust (high-ticket, B2B, coaching)
• You're targeting social media marketing
• The transformation story is compelling
• Your customers are comfortable on camera
• You need to stand out from competitors

When to Use Text Testimonials

Text testimonials work best when:

• You need quick, easy-to-scan social proof
• You're optimizing for SEO
• You're sending email campaigns
• Your customers prefer written feedback
• You need volume over depth
• Bandwidth or loading speed is a concern

The Best Strategy: Use Both

Don't choose one over the other—use both strategically:

• Homepage hero: Video testimonial for maximum impact
• Product pages: Mix of video and text for different learning styles
• Testimonial page: Video testimonials with text transcripts
• Email marketing: Short text quotes with links to full videos
• Social media: Video clips with text captions
• Sales materials: Video testimonials in presentations, text in proposals

How to Get Both Formats Efficiently

Smart approach: Start with video, extract text from it:

• Collect video testimonials first
• Transcribe video automatically
• Pull key quotes for text testimonials
• Use video for high-impact pages
• Use text quotes throughout your site
• Repurpose both for different channels

This gives you the best of both worlds without extra work from customers.

Real-World Example

A SaaS company tested video vs text testimonials on their pricing page:

• Text testimonials only: 2.3% conversion rate
• Video testimonials only: 4.1% conversion rate (78% increase)
• Both video and text: 4.8% conversion rate (109% increase)

The winning combination used video testimonials above the fold with text testimonials throughout the page for SEO and scannability.

Common Objections to Video Testimonials

"Video testimonials are too hard to collect."

Not anymore. Modern tools like Reelit make it as easy as clicking a link and recording in the browser.

"Customers won't want to appear on camera."

Most happy customers are willing when you make it easy and explain how it helps others. Response rates of 30-40% are common.

"Video testimonials are expensive to produce."

Only if you're hiring production companies. Customer-recorded testimonials are authentic, free, and often more effective.

Conclusion

Video testimonials convert better, build more trust, and create stronger emotional connections than text testimonials. But text still has value for SEO, scannability, and accessibility.

The winning strategy? Use both. Start with video for maximum impact, then extract text quotes for supporting content throughout your site.

With modern tools removing the friction from video collection, there's no reason not to prioritize video testimonials in your marketing strategy.