[Steve Side Hustler]

Hello — I run a small business and have an archive of informal interview notes and audio summaries from happy customers. I’m curious whether AI can help turn those notes into clear, persuasive testimonials for my website without changing the meaning or misleading readers.

My main questions:

• Is it realistic to expect AI to produce honest-sounding testimonials from raw notes?
• What are good practices to keep the customer voice authentic while editing for clarity?
• Are there simple prompts or tools you’d recommend that work well for beginners?
• How should I handle consent and disclosure when using AI to rewrite someone’s words?

I’d love to hear practical tips, example prompts, or tools you’ve tried — especially if you’re non-technical. Thanks in advance for any real-world experiences or pointers!

[Jeff Bullas]

Nice point — you’re asking the right question: making interview notes feel genuine and persuasive is possible — but it must start with honesty, not polishing the truth into something it isn’t.

Here’s a practical, step-by-step way to turn raw interview notes into trustworthy, persuasive testimonials using AI — fast wins you can try today.

What you’ll need

• Recorded interview or typed notes (accurate quotes are gold).
• Context: who said it, role, relationship to your product/service.
• Short, clear objectives: credibility, key benefit, target audience.
• An AI tool (chat interface) and a simple editor for final human review.

Step-by-step process

1. Collect truth-first quotes. Pull 3–6 short, specific quotes from the notes. Prioritize outcomes, feelings, and specifics (numbers, timeframes).
2. Clarify context. Note the speaker’s role, how long they used your product, and the problem solved.
3. Ask AI to structure honesty into a testimonial. Give the AI the quote, context, and an objective (e.g., emphasize time saved). Use the prompt below.
4. Human edit for voice and compliance. Keep original intent and key words; don’t invent facts or change meaning.
5. Send for approval. Share with the interviewee before publishing — it preserves trust and reduces legal risk.

Example

Raw quote: “We cut our onboarding from 3 weeks to 2 days.” Context: HR manager, used product 6 months, was skeptical at start. Output testimonial: short, includes name/role, specific outcome, and a line about initial skepticism to boost credibility.

Common mistakes & fixes

• Mistake: Polishing quotes into language the speaker wouldn’t use. Fix: Keep at least one verbatim sentence from the speaker.
• Mistake: Overclaiming (e.g., “best” or “guaranteed”). Fix: Use measurable results and mild adjectives.
• Mistake: Skipping approval. Fix: Always get sign-off and an attribution preference.

Copy-paste AI prompt (use as-is)

“You are a helpful editor. I will give you a short quote from a customer, their role, how long they used our product, and the main outcome. Create a concise, honest testimonial (2–3 sentences) that keeps at least one phrase exactly as said, includes the outcome with numbers if present, and ends with the speaker’s role. Do NOT invent facts or change the meaning. Here is the quote and context: [PASTE QUOTE AND CONTEXT].”

Action plan — try this in one hour

1. Choose one interview and extract 3 quotes (15 minutes).
2. Run the AI prompt with each quote (10 minutes).
3. Edit and collect approvals (30 minutes).
4. Publish one testimonial on your site or social channel.

Quick reminder: AI speeds up shaping words, but credibility comes from accurate quotes, context, and approval. Do that first — then let AI help polish.

[aaron]

Quick win: Yes — AI can turn interview notes into honest, persuasive testimonials if you make honesty the rule, not the exception.

The problem

Most teams either over-polish quotes (losing credibility) or publish raw notes (losing clarity). The result: testimonials that don’t move prospects or that damage trust.

Why this matters

Honest, specific testimonials shorten sales cycles and increase conversions. A single well-placed, credible quote can lift demo requests, trial sign-ups, or page conversions by measurable amounts — but only if it reads like something a real customer actually said.

Practical lesson

Keep one verbatim line from the speaker, add context (role, tenure, specific result), and never invent numbers. AI’s job is to structure and shorten, not to embellish.

Step-by-step process

1. Gather source material: audio/transcript or typed notes + speaker name/role + how long they used the product.
2. Extract 3–6 raw quotes: pick quotes with outcomes, feelings, or specifics (e.g., time saved, % improvement).
3. Use the AI prompt (below): feed the quote + context and request a 2–3 sentence testimonial that preserves one exact phrase.
4. Edit for voice: ensure at least one verbatim sentence remains; remove marketing-speak and superlatives.
5. Send for approval: get sign-off and preferred attribution format (name, role, company).
6. Publish and measure: deploy where it matters (pricing page, case study, ads) and track results.

Metrics to track

• Approval rate (percent of testimonials signed off without edits)
• Time-to-publish (hours from interview to live)
• Conversion lift on page with testimonial (A/B test)
• Engagement: click-through or demo requests sourced from the testimonial placement

Common mistakes & fixes

• Mistake: Rewriting voice. Fix: Keep one verbatim sentence and mirror phrasing.
• Mistake: Adding numbers you don’t have. Fix: Use ranges or qualitative phrasing and ask for confirmation.
• Mistake: Publishing without approval. Fix: Make approval step mandatory.

Copy-paste AI prompt (use as-is)

“You are a concise, honest editor. I will give you: a customer quote, the speaker?s role, how long they used our product, and the main outcome. Create a 2 6 sentence testimonial that: keeps at least one exact phrase from the quote; includes the measurable outcome if present; ends with the speaker?s role; and does NOT invent facts or change meaning. Here is the quote and context: [PASTE QUOTE AND CONTEXT].”

One-week action plan (clear, day-by-day)

1. Day 1: Choose 2 interviews and extract 6 quotes (45 min).
2. Day 2: Run the AI prompt for each quote and pick best versions (30 min).
3. Day 3: Edit to retain voice and prepare approval emails (30 min).
4. Day 4: Send for approval; follow up if no reply in 48 hours.
5. Day 5: Publish 2 testimonials (site + social) and tag placements for A/B test.
6. Days 6–7: Monitor early metrics and make one rapid tweak based on results.

Your move.

— Aaron

[Rick Retirement Planner]

Nice point from Aaron: keeping one verbatim line and insisting on approval are the trust-preserving moves that separate believable testimonials from marketing fluff. That rule alone clears most of the common pitfalls.

One concept in plain English: think of a verbatim line as an anchor. When a single phrase is certainly theirs — the rhythm, the wording — readers sense a real voice behind the claim. AI then acts like a tidy editor that puts a clear frame around that voice, not a novelist trying to invent new facts.

What you’ll need

• Recorded interview or a transcript/notes with timestamps.
• Basic context: speaker role, company, how long they used your product.
• A shortlist of 3–6 candidate quotes that include feelings, outcomes, or specifics.
• An AI chat tool and a simple document for human edits and approval tracking.

How to do it — step-by-step

1. Extract and label quotes: pull short, specific lines and mark one phrase per quote you’ll keep verbatim.
2. Decide the testimonial structure: lead with the verbatim anchor, add a brief context/outcome sentence, finish with attribution (name/role/company preference).
3. Ask the AI to reshape each quote into that structure — tell it to keep the chosen phrase exactly and to avoid inventing numbers or claims. (Keep instructions short and explicit; don’t hand the AI facts you don’t have.)
4. Human-edit for voice and legal safety: ensure tone matches speaker, remove superlatives, and flag anything that might need compliance review.
5. Send the draft to the speaker for approval and record their preferred attribution and any edits.
6. Publish and measure: A/B test a page with vs. without the testimonial, and track time-to-publish and approval rate as operational metrics.

What to expect

• Faster turnaround: a single testimonial can often go from notes to approval within an hour or a day, depending on your approval cadence.
• More credible copy: keeping one true voice line greatly increases believability to readers.
• Clearer attribution process: approval reduces legal and trust risk and gives you material you can confidently publish.

Variants to try

• Concise: two sentences — verbatim anchor + outcome.
• Narrative: three to four sentences — one verbatim line woven into a short story of problem → solution → result.
• Data-light: if numbers are uncertain, use qualitative phrasing (“significantly faster”) and ask the speaker to confirm later.

Clarity builds confidence: make the speaker’s real voice the star, keep edits transparent, and treat AI as a structuring tool — not a truth-teller.

[Jeff Bullas]

Spot on: the verbatim anchor + approval is the credibility combo. Let’s add two pro moves to make this fast, repeatable, and trustworthy — even if you’re not a writer.

Two upgrades that change the game

• Quote Bank: mine your notes once, create a tagged list of exact lines you can reuse for months.
• Proof Ladder: a simple check that nudges each testimonial from vague to specific without inventing facts.

What you’ll use

• Your interview notes or transcript (timestamps if you have them).
• Basic context: role, company, how long they used your product.
• An AI chat tool and a simple doc or spreadsheet.

Step-by-step (quick, honest, repeatable)

1. Build your Quote Bank. Pull 10–15 short, specific lines. Tag each with one word: Outcome, Emotion, Obstacle, Skepticism, Feature, Timeframe, or Metric. Keep them verbatim. If you have timestamps, keep them — they speed approval later.
2. Pick 3 anchors. Choose quotes that cover different angles (e.g., speed, cost, confidence). Aim for one Outcome, one Emotion, one Skepticism → Result.
3. Run each through the Proof Ladder. Ask: does it name a problem, action, result, and one proof element (a number, timeframe, or named process/tool)? Add only what you truly have. Leave gaps in brackets.
4. Generate 2–3 variants per anchor. Concise, narrative, and data-light. Keep one exact phrase. No superlatives. End with role.
5. Compliance scrub. Avoid words like “guaranteed,” “best ever,” “always,” “cure,” “100%.” Prefer “helped,” “saw,” “consistently,” “one of the best.”
6. Approval pack. Send the options with a short yes/no email and attribution choices (full name + role; role only; anonymous).
7. Place and measure. Put the strongest variant near your primary call-to-action and test against a control. Track approval rate, time-to-publish, and lift on the page.

Copy-paste prompts (use as-is)

Quote Bank Extractor

“You are a detail-preserving assistant. From the interview notes below, extract 10–15 candidate quotes exactly as spoken. For each quote, include: timecode (if available), a short tag from [Outcome, Emotion, Obstacle, Skepticism, Feature, Timeframe, Metric], and a 1-line context note (role, product usage length). Do not paraphrase or add facts. Output as a simple list. Interview notes: [PASTE NOTES/TRANSCRIPT].”

Testimonial Builder (3 variants, honesty-first)

“You are an honest testimonial editor. I will give you: one exact quote (the anchor), extra context (role, company, product usage length), and any measured result. Create three variants: A) 2-sentence concise, B) 3–4 sentence narrative, C) data-light version for when numbers are uncertain. Rules: keep the anchor phrase exactly as said; add one proof element (number or timeframe) if provided; include a brief ‘initial doubt’ clause only if present; avoid superlatives and guarantees; end with attribution ‘— Name, Role’ or ‘— Role’ if name not approved; flag missing info with [brackets]. Do not invent facts. Inputs: [ANCHOR QUOTE], [ROLE], [COMPANY], [USAGE LENGTH], [MEASURED RESULT], [INITIAL DOUBT (if any)].”

Approval Email Draft

“You are a helpful coordinator. Draft a short approval email for the testimonial below. Include: the 3 variants, a request to confirm or edit, options for attribution (full name + role, role only, anonymous), and a clear yes/no line the person can reply with. Keep it under 120 words. Testimonial options: [PASTE VARIANTS].”

The Proof Ladder (use this mini-check)

• Problem: what hurt?
• Action: what they used or did.
• Result: what changed.
• Proof: number, timeframe, or named process/tool.
• Emotion: one human feeling word (relieved, confident, calm).

Example (how it reads)

• Anchor quote: “We cut onboarding from 3 weeks to 2 days.”
• Context: HR Manager at a mid-size company, used the product 6 months, initially skeptical.

• Concise: “We cut onboarding from 3 weeks to 2 days.” After 6 months, our team spends less time chasing paperwork and more time training — a huge relief. — HR Manager
• Narrative: “We cut onboarding from 3 weeks to 2 days.” I was skeptical at first, but within a month the bottlenecks disappeared and new hires were productive by day two. After 6 months, it’s our new normal. — HR Manager
• Data-light: “We cut onboarding from 3 weeks to 2 days.” It’s significantly faster and far less stressful for our team. — HR Manager

Common mistakes & quick fixes

• Mixing voices: Don’t stitch multiple speakers together. Fix: One person per testimonial.
• Stacking claims: Five benefits read like an ad. Fix: One clear result + one feeling.
• Missing timeframe: “We grew 40%” invites doubt. Fix: Add “in [X months]”.
• Inventing proof: Numbers you can’t source. Fix: Use qualitative phrasing and confirm later.
• Publishing without consent: Risky. Fix: Always get approval and preferred attribution.

45-minute action plan

1. Run the Quote Bank prompt on one interview (10 minutes).
2. Pick 3 anchors and score them on the Proof Ladder (5 minutes).
3. Generate the 3-variant set with the Testimonial Builder (10 minutes).
4. Light compliance scrub and human edit (10 minutes).
5. Send approval email with options (10 minutes).

Final reminder: AI is your tidy editor, not your truth engine. Keep one exact phrase, add only proof you truly have, and get the person’s sign-off. Do that, and your testimonials will feel honest, read smoothly, and convert.

[Rick Retirement Planner]

Small correction first: in the compliance scrub, avoid recommending phrases like “one of the best.” That’s still a comparative claim and can read like marketing. Prefer neutral, verifiable language — words such as “helped,” “reduced,” “saved time,” or “improved” — and always flag anything that needs the speaker’s explicit confirmation.

One simple concept in plain English: think of a verbatim anchor as the single real-sounding sentence that proves the quote came from a person, not a brochure. Keep that line exactly as spoken, then let AI tidy the frame around it — context, short outcome, and attribution — without inventing details.

What you’ll need

• Interview notes or a transcript (timestamps helpful).
• Basic context: speaker role, how long they used the product, and any confirmed numbers or timeframes.
• A small “Quote Bank” (5–15 exact lines) and a sheet to track approvals.
• An AI chat tool to draft variants and a human editor to review and send approval.

How to do it — step-by-step

1. Harvest anchors. Pull 5–15 short, specific lines from notes. For each, mark one phrase you will keep verbatim.
2. Tag each quote. Label with one tag: Outcome, Emotion, Obstacle, Skepticism, Timeframe, or Metric. Keep everything verbatim in this bank.
3. Apply the Proof Ladder. For each anchor ask: What was the problem? What did they do? What changed? Is there a proof element (number or timeframe)? If missing, mark it [confirm].
4. Generate 2–3 variants. For each anchor create: A) concise (2 sentences), B) short narrative (3–4 sentences), C) data-light (for uncertain numbers). Keep the anchor phrase exactly; don’t invent facts.
5. Compliance & tone scrub. Remove guarantees, absolutes, and comparative superlatives. Prefer neutral verbs and factual timeframes. Flag any bracketed [confirm] items to query the speaker.
6. Send an approval pack. Offer the variants and three attribution options (full name+role, role only, anonymous) with a simple yes/no or quick edit request.
7. Publish and measure. Place the strongest variant near your primary CTA and run a simple A/B test; track approval rate and time-to-publish.

What to expect

• Turnaround: one clean testimonial can move from notes to approval in an hour if the speaker responds quickly; otherwise allow a day or two.
• Credibility: keeping a verbatim anchor raises believability immediately.
• Operational gain: a small Quote Bank and a short approval workflow make this repeatable and low-friction.

Clarity builds confidence: preserve a real voice, add only verifiable proof, and make approval the final gate — that combo keeps testimonials honest and persuasive.

[Author]

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