At New Media Summit, organizer J. Matthew McGarry collected 137 video testimonials in 48 hours. That's 27% of everyone in the room. Most businesses are happy if 2% of customers respond to a testimonial request email.

McGarry shared his full system in Newsletter Operator. This guide breaks down why it works so well and how to run the same playbook at your own conference, summit, workshop or retreat.

The short version

• Set up a one-click collection form before the event starts

• Ask from the stage, more than once, while the energy is high

• Offer an incentive that costs you little but feels generous

• Give people a 24 to 48 hour deadline

• Ask for video and give prompt questions to answer

• Tell attendees why their testimonial helps the whole community

Why events are the best place to collect video testimonials

McGarry's rule is to ask "at the PEAK of the experience". An event is the one time all your happiest customers are in the same room, at the same time, feeling great about what they bought. Three weeks later, back at their desks, that feeling has faded and your follow-up email lands between two invoices.

Events also solve the hardest part of video: getting people to actually record one. Everyone has a phone in their pocket, everyone is dressed for the occasion, and everyone around them is doing it too. Recording a video alone at your kitchen table feels awkward. Recording one in a buzzing conference hallway feels normal.

The event testimonial playbook

1. Make submitting effortless

Every extra step costs you submissions. Attendees should be able to scan a QR code on the screen, tap record and submit in under two minutes, with no app to download and no account to create. A Senja collection form takes about 30 seconds to set up, works on any phone, and accepts video and text.

2. Ask on stage, at the peak

One announcement is not enough. McGarry asks from the stage several times across the event, always right after a high point, and follows up with seven to eight emails and texts during the deadline window. The ask is part of the show, not a footnote in the goodbye email.

3. Offer an incentive that costs you little

New Media Summit gives everyone who submits a video the full event recordings, which normally sell for $499. It costs the organizers nothing extra and feels like a big thank you. Bonus coaching sessions and random gift card draws work the same way. If you want the draw to feel like a game, Spin the Wheel lets people win a reward the moment they submit.

4. Set a 24 to 48 hour deadline

"Send us a video whenever" means never. A firm deadline while the event glow is still fresh is what turns good intentions into submissions. McGarry closes the window 48 hours after the event ends, and the deadline does a lot of the work.

5. Ask for video, and give prompts

McGarry only accepts video, because video carries the emotion that text flattens. Blank-page syndrome is real though, so give people two or three specific questions to answer. What were you struggling with before? What surprised you? Who should come next year? If you want help writing yours, we keep a list of testimonial questions that work.

6. Tell people why it matters

Attendees are far more willing to help when they understand what their testimonial does: it helps people like them decide to come, which makes next year's room even better. Frame it as a favor to the community, because it is one.

What results to expect

McGarry's benchmark is 27% of attendees submitting a video within the deadline. Across two years of summits he has collected 218+ video testimonials from roughly 800 attendees, plus 379+ from his course. Even at half that rate, a 300-person event would hand you 40 video testimonials in a weekend.

What to do with 100+ video testimonials

Collecting is half the job. The testimonials should then sell next year's tickets for you:

• Add testimonial widgets to your event landing page, with unlimited ad-free video hosting built in

• Link a Wall of Love in your follow-up emails, speaker outreach and social bios

• Turn the best clips into social videos and images for your launch posts

If you run events regularly, we built a home for all of this: Senja for events.

Collect testimonials at your next event

Set up your form before the doors open and put the QR code on every screen. Your first testimonial can land before the first coffee break. Start collecting for free.