Every tech business wants more customer stories. They’re the kind of content – especially customer advocacy video – that turns prospects into customers. But turning that ambition into something customers willingly take part in – and even enjoy! – is not easy.
At Austin Tech Week last month, we joined our client Postman – a global tech brand whose customer advocacy programme features names like Meta, PayPal and HubSpot – to share our blueprint for making advocacy videos work in the real world.
Postman’s Senior Program Manager for Customer Advocacy, Hilary Crane, joined Big Button Client Services Director, Simon Crofts, to unpack what makes customer storytelling succeed — and what often gets in the way.
Here are the key takeaways from their conversation.
- Success starts long before you press record. Thorough planning and care for the details pays dividends in the long run.
- Get the written story agreed first. It keeps legal happy, the customer relaxed, and the edit smoother. Involving your video team in the story draft – whether they’re in-house, agency or a combination of the two – from the start helps ensure context is understood, builds rapport, reduces duplication, and makes for a smoother process.
- Skip the script. Structure is essential, but the best moments come when people talk naturally about what they care about.
- A big brand helps, but a strong story matters more. Make it a fair exchange: show customers what’s in it for them, whether that’s visibility for a launch, attracting new talent, or sharing something they’re proud of.
- Keep legal close and make their life easy. Be flexible, share early cuts, and honour takedown promises. And don’t forget the internal side — your own teams need to see advocacy as a benefit for the customer, not another ask.
- Shape stories for every audience and channel. Each version should have its own focus. And when it’s live, measure what matters — not just views.
Postman’s global customer advocacy video programme has grown from an idea into a structured, scalable video initiative that builds trust, boosts engagement, and directly supports revenue. It’s proof that success isn’t about production value alone; it’s about the care taken before and after you press record.
You can listen to Hilary and Simon discussing customer advocacy video on the On the Button podcast (Apple,Spotify). And check out these examples of Postman’s advocacy content: WhatsApp, PayPal,Autodesk.
If you’re planning to build or scale your customer story video programme next year, we’d love to help. You can get in touch with us here.
