Make the first invitation specific enough to assess. Explain the topic, likely effort, intended use and review process without presenting publication as already agreed.
Choose the topic before asking
Use something you actually know about the relationship: a completed implementation, a changed process or a particular decision the customer made. Check it with the account owner.
Avoid “your amazing results” if the results have not been established. A customer can discuss a useful implementation experience without providing a dramatic percentage.
A completed fictional invitation
Subject: A short interview about your onboarding rollout
Hi Casey, would you be open to a 30-minute interview about how your team introduced the new onboarding process? We’d like to explain the decisions and practical lessons for other operations teams considering similar work. The intended output is a written customer story for our website; we would send the draft and proposed attribution for your review before publication. You would not need to prepare slides. If the timing or public format does not suit you, please feel free to decline.
This is a fictional example, not a message to a real customer. Adapt the time, format and review process to what you can actually offer.
If video, photography or a logo is part of the project, say so. Do not add those requests after the person has agreed to a written interview.
Give a real choice
The person may agree, suggest a colleague, ask to discuss the format, or decline. Treat those as different responses.
An agreement to speak is not automatically permission to publish every quote, image and future derivative. Use the appropriate approval process for the actual material and channels.
The FTC’s endorsement guidance stresses honest, non-misleading endorsements. Keep that in mind when choosing a topic and asking for participation; do not script praise as a condition of joining.
Explain what happens next
After agreement, send a short brief: interview purpose, broad topics, participants, recording arrangements and who will review the output. Let the interviewee flag confidential topics in advance.
For approval responsibilities, use a customer-story approval map. The person in the interview may not be the person who can approve company attribution or publication.
Keep the request proportionate
One clear invitation is more respectful than repeated vague nudges. Follow the relationship’s agreed contact arrangements and stop when the customer declines.
A good invitation reduces uncertainty. It helps the right customer say yes to a defined contribution, while making it easy to say that the project does not suit them.