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Actors, stock footage and dramatizations

Can You Use Actors in Testimonials

Hiring an actor to read a customer’s words, or buying a stock clip of someone smiling at a laptop, is quicker than filming a real customer. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say an ad that presents people as actual consumers should use actual consumers, or clearly disclose that they are not. Run any actor or stock video through the checklist before it is published.

  • Separates a disclosed dramatization from a fake
  • Checks that a real customer stands behind the words
  • Cites the FTC text it relies on
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Actor and stock footage check
2 of 10 done20%
  • The video clearly says the person shown is an actor or a model, where a viewer will see or hear it
  • If a real customer’s voice is paired with an actor’s face (or the reverse), that is disclosed too
  • No on screen name, label or job title suggests the actor is the customer
  • The script repeats words a real, named customer actually gave you
  • That customer agreed in writing to an actor reading their words
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Free checklist

Before a video with an actor or stock model goes out

Run this for each video. If the first group is not fully ticked, do not publish the video as a testimonial.

Is it presented as a real customer?
Whose words are they?
Stock footage and b-roll

Your ticks stay in this browser tab. Nothing is recorded.

The problem, solved

Why teams hire actors, and how to get real customers on video instead

  • Problem 1

    Our customers will not go on camera

    The obvious fix is to hire someone who will. The honest fix is to ask for a format the customer is comfortable with.

  • Problem 2

    Real customer videos look amateur

    A shaky phone clip feels less polished than a studio actor, so the actor wins the meeting.

  • Problem 3

    We need a video this week

    Booking an actor takes a day. Getting customers to record feels slower.

  • Problem 4

    Nobody remembers which videos were dramatized

    A year later, a disclosed actor video gets cut into a short clip and the disclosure falls off.

Common uses of actors, from fine to fake

A plain reading of the sources listed below. It is not legal advice.

What you doWhere it sitsWhy
An actor reads a real customer’s words, clearly labelled as a dramatizationLower risk with consentThe words are real and the viewer knows who is speaking
An actor reads a real customer’s words with the customer’s name on screen and no labelHigh riskPresented as an actual consumer when it is not
An actor delivers praise nobody gaveFabricatedNo real person or experience behind it
A stock clip appears beside a real quoteMisleading unless labelledImplies the person in the clip said it
A paid spokesperson speaks as themselves about the productA different caseThey are not posing as a customer, but a paid connection may need disclosing

In StoryProof

Replace actor videos with customer videos

  1. 1

    Ask the people who already praised you

    Add them as contacts and send the collection link, suggesting a short video but accepting audio or text.

  2. 2

    Bring in properly filmed footage

    If you hold a shoot with real customers, upload the finished files to the same library.

  3. 3

    Approve and label

    Approve only real customers’ submissions, and tag any remaining dramatized video so its disclosure travels with it.

What happens next: Review every video on your site and ads. Remove or label any actor or stock clip shown as a customer.

Before you start

Read before relying on this page

What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.

  1. 01

    This is not legal advice

    It summarises the FTC texts listed below as read on the date shown. Other countries have their own rules, and a lawyer should review any dramatization before it runs.

  2. 02

    Disclosure has to be noticed

    A tiny line at the end of the video, or in a description nobody opens, may not count as clear and conspicuous. Put it where viewers see it.

  3. 03

    StoryProof cannot tell who is on camera

    It stores what is submitted or uploaded and what you approve. Whether the person in a video is the customer is something only you know.

  4. 04

    A disclosure does not fix invented words

    Labelling an actor does not make praise nobody gave into a testimonial. Start from a real customer’s words.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Short answers to what usually comes up next.

Is it legal to use actors in testimonial videos?

In the United States, the FTC Endorsement Guides say an ad presenting people as actual consumers should use actual consumers, or clearly disclose that they are not. Inventing the praise itself is a separate problem under the FTC’s 2024 rule. Check with a lawyer where you sell.

What should the disclosure say?

Plain words where the viewer will notice them, such as “Dramatization. Actor portraying a customer.” A note hidden in small print may not be enough.

Can I use stock footage in a testimonial video?

As illustration, yes, provided it does not suggest the stock model is the customer quoted. Keep stock faces away from names and quotes.

Can an actor read a real customer’s review word for word?

It is lower risk if the customer agreed, the words are unchanged and the video clearly says an actor is reading them. A real customer recording it themselves avoids the question.

Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.

Put real customers on camera

Collect video, audio or written testimonials from the people who actually used your product.

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Sources

  1. 16 CFR § 255.2 Consumer endorsements, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked 2026-11-11.
  2. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Rule Banning Fake Reviews and Testimonials, Federal Trade Commission. Checked 2026-11-11.

Last updated 2026-11-11.