How to Extract Google Ads Gold from Customer Interview Transcripts: Your Questions Answered

Testimonials improve Google Ads click-through rates by making your claims believable. But most marketers don't realize their customer interview transcripts are packed with testimonial-quality quotes just waiting to be extracted using AI prompt techniques.

Here are the questions we hear most often about transforming interview transcripts into Google Ads that convert—and the practical answers that actually work.

Getting Started

Q: Why use customer interviews for Google Ads instead of traditional testimonials?

A: Because interviews reveal what customers say when they're not performing for a testimonial.

Traditional testimonials often sound rehearsed: "This product exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend it to colleagues." Nobody talks like that naturally.

Interview transcripts capture authentic moments: "Honestly, this saved my team probably 20 hours a week. I don't know how we survived before." That's Google Ads gold—specific, believable, and instantly relatable.

Plus, you get context. You understand why they said it, what problem they had before, and what specific feature delivered the result. That context helps you write ads that resonate with prospects facing the same challenges. The same interview transcription methods work across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and other platforms.

Q: How many customer interviews do I need before creating ads?

A: Start with three. That's enough to identify patterns.

If all three customers mention the same pain point using similar language, you've found a winner. If each interview reveals completely different priorities, you might need to segment your campaigns by customer type.

Three interviews typically give you:

5-10 quotable testimonial moments
2-3 repeating pain points
1-2 compelling outcome metrics
Clear language patterns for your audience

You can always refine with more interviews, but three gets you started with confidence.

Q: What if my customers didn't give me permission to quote them in ads?

A: You're not quoting them directly—you're using their language patterns.

There's a difference between:

Direct quote: "John Smith from Acme Corp says: 'This saved us $50,000'"
Language-informed ad: "Finance teams save an average of $50,000 annually"

Interview transcripts show you what resonates. You extract the insight, verify it's accurate for your broader customer base, then write ads using that validated language without attribution.

If you want to use direct quotes with names, get written permission. But you don't need permission to learn how your customers think and talk about their problems.

Finding Testimonial-Worthy Moments

Q: What makes a good testimonial quote for Google Ads?

A: Three elements: specific outcome, timeframe, and authentic language.

Weak: "I really like this software." Strong: "We went from 3-day report turnaround to same-day in the first week."

Search your transcripts for moments when customers:

Quantify results ("cut it in half," "doubled our output," "30 minutes instead of 3 hours")
Express surprise ("I didn't think it was possible," "way faster than expected")
Compare to alternatives ("nothing else came close," "tried 4 other solutions first")
Use vivid language ("game-changer," "night and day difference," "can't imagine going back")

These moments translate directly into compelling ad copy.

Q: How do I find these moments in a 45-minute transcript?

A: Use the search function strategically.

Search for these high-value phrases:

"saved us" / "saved me"
"before and after"
"used to take" / "now takes"
"tried" / "compared to"
"honestly"
"surprised"
"didn't expect"
Numbers (%, $, hours, days, etc.)

Each hit is potentially a testimonial moment. Read 30 seconds before and after each mention to get context.

For example, searching "honestly" might surface: "Honestly, I was skeptical at first, but after seeing it handle our Q4 spike without breaking a sweat, I became a believer."

Perfect for a Google Ad: "Handle Traffic Spikes Without Breaking a Sweat"

Q: What if my product doesn't have dramatic before/after stories?

A: Look for relief, not just results.

Not every product saves companies millions or cuts workload by 80%. Sometimes the win is "finally, something that just works" or "I can sleep at night knowing this is handled."

Search transcripts for:

"don't have to worry about"
"finally"
"at least"
"peace of mind"
"one less thing"

Example from a transcript: "I mean, it's not flashy, but I don't have to think about backups anymore. They just happen. That alone is worth it."

Google Ad headline: "Backups That Just Happen. Never Think About It Again."

Relief is a legitimate benefit, especially for unsexy-but-essential products.

Turning Insights Into Google Ads

Q: How do I turn a long customer story into a short Google Ad?

A: Extract the core transformation, then compress. For more content transformation prompts, see our AI-powered repurposing guide.

Original transcript excerpt (127 words): "So before we implemented this, our sales team was spending probably 2-3 hours every Monday morning just trying to figure out their pipeline status. They'd have to go into Salesforce, pull reports, cross-reference with the finance system, check what contracts were actually signed versus what was still pending. It was this whole manual process. Now, they just open one dashboard and everything's there. All the data syncs automatically overnight. Monday morning meetings went from this dreaded 2-hour slog to a quick 20-minute standup. The team's actually excited about Mondays now—or at least less miserable about them."

Step 1 - Identify core transformation: 2-3 hours → 20 minutes, Monday meetings, manual → automatic

Step 2 - Extract emotional element: "dreaded slog" → "actually excited" (or "less miserable")

Step 3 - Create Google Ad variations:

Option A (metric-focused): Headline: "Monday Pipeline Meetings: 2 Hours → 20 Minutes" Description: "Automatic overnight syncs end the manual data slog. Sales teams actually look forward to Mondays."

Option B (pain-focused): Headline: "Stop Dreading Monday Pipeline Meetings" Description: "One dashboard replaces hours of manual Salesforce + finance reconciliation. See your entire pipeline at a glance."

Option C (outcome-focused): Headline: "Your Sales Team, Excited About Mondays" Description: "Automated pipeline dashboard cuts meeting prep from 3 hours to 20 minutes. Everything syncs overnight."

Same customer story, three different ad angles. Test all three.

Q: Should I use exact customer words or polish them for ads?

A: Keep the memorable phrases, fix the filler.

Customer speak includes "um," "like," "you know," and run-on sentences. Your transcripts capture that authentically, which is great for understanding—but you need to clean it up for ads.

Raw transcript: "Yeah, so like, the thing I really appreciate is, um, you know, I can just, like, log in from anywhere and it's all there, you know what I mean?"

Preserved essence: "Log in from anywhere. Everything's there."

You kept the core benefit and the casual tone ("everything's there" vs. "comprehensive data access"), but removed the verbal clutter.

Exception: When a customer phrase is so perfect it needs no editing. "This tool saved us 20 hours a week" requires zero polish. Use it exactly as spoken.

Q: What about customers who are technical vs. those who aren't?

A: Match ads to search intent, not customer sophistication.

You might interview a highly technical CTO who talks about "API latency reduction" and a non-technical operations manager who says "everything just loads faster now."

Both describe the same benefit. Your Google Ads should match the search query:

Technical search ("reduce API latency software"): Use CTO language: "Cut API Response Time 65%"

Non-technical search ("faster software for my team"): Use operations manager language: "Finally. Software That Loads Instantly."

Your transcripts give you both vocabularies. Create separate ad groups targeting each audience with their preferred language.

A: Look for patterns across interviews.

When 7 out of 10 customers mention the same benefit, that's statistical social proof:

"9 out of 10 customers report faster onboarding"
"Most teams see results in the first week"
"The #1 reason customers switch to us"

Search all your transcripts for:

Common outcomes (make a tally)
Repeated pain points they left behind
Features they mention most
Objections they had that proved unfounded

Example pattern: Interview 1: "Setup was way easier than I expected" Interview 3: "I thought implementation would take weeks, but we were live in 2 days" Interview 5: "Seriously the simplest onboarding I've ever done" Interview 7: "My team was up and running same afternoon"

Google Ad leveraging this pattern: "Most Teams Go Live Same Day. Setup Is Surprisingly Simple."

Q: What trust signals show up in customer interviews?

A: Watch for comparison moments and risk reduction.

Customers naturally mention what convinced them to trust you:

"We evaluated 6 solutions before choosing this one"
"The security certification was crucial for us"
"Seeing the case study from [similar company] sealed it"
"The free trial let us test everything risk-free"
"Their support team answered questions in minutes, not days"

Each mention is a trust signal to emphasize in ads.

Example from transcript: "Honestly, the SOC 2 compliance was make-or-break. We can't touch anything that's not certified."

Google Ad with trust signal: "SOC 2 Certified. Enterprise-Grade Security From Day One."

Q: Can I combine multiple customer insights into one ad?

A: Yes, but keep it cohesive.

Works well (complementary insights): Headline: "Customers Save 15 Hours Weekly" Description: "Simple setup. Enterprise security. Support responds in minutes." [Time savings + ease + trust all support the same decision]

Doesn't work (conflicting focuses): Headline: "Advanced Customization + Simple Setup" Description: "Power users love our API. Beginners love our templates." [Confused message trying to be everything to everyone]

If your interviews reveal distinct customer segments with different priorities, create separate campaigns, not Frankenstein ads.

AI-Assisted Analysis

Q: Can I use AI to analyze my interview transcripts for ad copy?

A: Absolutely. Here's the prompt that works best:

📋 Copy & Paste This Prompt

Please analyze this customer interview transcript and extract content suitable for Google Ads:

1. Find 5 specific outcome quotes (with numbers/timeframes if mentioned)
2. Identify 3 pain points the customer described having before our solution
3. Note any comparisons to competitors or alternative solutions
4. Extract phrases that show strong emotion (positive or negative)
5. List any trust signals or proof points mentioned
6. Suggest 3 Google Ad headlines based on the strongest insights

Format each finding with the exact customer quote and the ad copy suggestion.

[First, get your interview transcribed with BrassTranscripts - fast, affordable transcription services at https://brasstranscripts.com]

Transcript: [paste transcript here]

📖 View Markdown Version | ⚙️ Download YAML Format

This prompt gives you structured output ready for ad creation.

Q: What's the best way to organize insights from multiple interviews?

A: Create a swipe file spreadsheet.

Columns:

Customer Type (role, company size, industry)
Pain Point (what problem did they have)
Exact Quote (verbatim from transcript)
Outcome Achieved (specific result)
Emotional Language (how they described it)
Ad Headline Idea (your interpretation)

After 10 interviews, you'll have 50+ rows of insights. Sort by pain point to find patterns. Sort by emotional language to match tone. Sort by customer type to segment campaigns.

Testing and Optimization

Q: How do I know which transcript insights will perform best?

A: You don't. Test everything.

Your hypothesis might be that "saves time" resonates most, but testing reveals "reduces errors" converts 40% better. Customer interviews give you the raw material—A/B testing shows what actually works.

Start by testing:

Pain-focused vs. outcome-focused headlines
Specific numbers vs. general claims
Emotional language vs. functional benefits
Customer-quote style vs. polished copy

Let Google's algorithm tell you what your audience responds to.

Q: How often should I refresh ads with new interview insights?

A: Every quarter minimum, monthly if you're running 10+ interviews monthly.

Customer language evolves. New competitors enter the market. Pain points shift with industry changes. Your transcripts from 2 years ago might not reflect how customers talk today.

Schedule regular interview sessions, extract insights, rotate in new ad variations. Keep the winners, retire the losers, always be testing fresh language.

Q: What metrics tell me my transcript-based ads are working?

A: Compare against your previous baseline.

Key metrics:

CTR improvement: Authentic language typically lifts CTR 20-50%
Conversion rate: Better message-market fit means more conversions
Quality Score: Google rewards relevance; customer language = relevance
Cost per conversion: Better targeting + better copy = lower CAC

If your transcript-based ads aren't outperforming generic ads within 2 weeks, you're either:

Using the wrong insights
Targeting the wrong audience
Not testing enough variations

Common Pitfalls

Q: What mistakes do people make when using interview insights for ads?

A: The biggest one: cherry-picking outlier quotes that sound impressive but aren't representative.

One customer saying "this 10x'd our revenue" is great for them, but if 9 other customers saw 15-20% improvements, the 10x claim is misleading. Use the typical outcome, not the exceptional one.

Other common mistakes:

Using industry jargon that only one technical customer used
Ignoring negative feedback that reveals unmet needs
Creating ads based on what you want customers to say, not what they actually said
Using outdated interviews without verifying the insights still apply

Q: What if customer interviews contradict what I thought our key benefit was?

A: Listen to the customers.

You might think your product's best feature is advanced analytics, but if 8 out of 10 customers rave about how fast support responds, that's your differentiator.

Your job is to understand what customers actually value, not convince them to value what you built. Let the transcripts guide your positioning, even if it surprises you.

Getting Started This Week

Q: I'm convinced. What's my action plan for the next 7 days?

A: Here's your week:

Day 1: Transcribe your 3 most recent customer interviews (or schedule them if you haven't done any)

Day 2: Read through transcripts, highlighting every moment that mentions outcomes, pain points, or comparisons

Day 3: Extract 10 quotes that include specific numbers, timeframes, or vivid language

Day 4: Write 5 Google Ad headlines based on your strongest quotes

Day 5: Create 2 description variations for each headline (10 total descriptions)

Day 6: Build 3 test campaigns using different angles (pain-focused, outcome-focused, social proof-focused)

Day 7: Launch with small daily budgets ($20-50/day per campaign)

By next week, you'll have real performance data on which customer insights convert.

Q: What's the one thing I should remember from this entire guide?

A: Your customers have already told you exactly what to say in your Google Ads.

They've explained their problems in their own words. They've described the outcomes that matter. They've revealed what makes them skeptical and what earns their trust.

Your interview transcripts contain everything you need to write ads that connect, convert, and outperform anything based on guesswork.

All you have to do is listen to what they said, extract the insights systematically, and test what resonates. The hard part—getting customers to open up about their real challenges and experiences—is already done.

Now go turn those transcripts into ads that sound like your customers wrote them. Because in a way, they did.