10 ELEMENTS EVERY STARTUP VIDEO NEEDS

Because video content is king.

1. Develop a Character

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Casting an influencer that represents your brand can have a massive effect on your video’s reach. Whether it’s the CEO of your company, a local blogger, or Clay Aiken, giving your audience a familiar face will drive trust and build solid relationships. Don’t have access to an influencer? Build a character around your product that compares to the same traits and behaviors of your target customer. (#takethetime)

2. Relatable Material

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Relate to your clients’ pain points in your storyboard. Remember that you’re the expert in your field (the baddest-a among the competition). You’ve been in your user’s millennialy-challenged shoes. The struggle is real. Make them feel it.

3. Motion Graphics

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Nothing humors our ADD American brains like motion graphics. Want someone to buy your product? Just throw a flying unicorn across the screen (thanks Asana) and we’re sold. Okay, it’s not that easy, but you get the picture.. the motion picture… Bonus points for lower production costs and higher interaction rates.

4. Product Peep Show

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The whole purpose of a product video is to SHOW YOUR PRODUCT. So let’s see that bad boy or sexy lady (good girl?). But beware of turning your explainer video into a 30-minute Shop-at-Home segment. This leads us to the next point…

5. Usability

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Keep your promo video short. We’re talking under 2.5 minutes. The shorter the better. If you’re forking over $10,000+ towards one piece of collateral, why not make your video reusable for 30 second placements online. Make sure to talk through this idea in pre-production.

6. Humor is Never a Bad Thing

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Humor is human. A little bit of laughter in your script can go a long way. Be a brand Nazi and don’t push the envelop into cheese-ville, but if your users have a soul you’ll be giving them much more than just an answer to their problems — you’ll be giving them stress free laughter as well..

7. Put Your Sales Brain on Pause

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Stop aiming to sell for one second. We’re in the millennial age. We’re smart. At least we think we’re smart, and we know when we’re being sold. Another approach, rather than sounding like a used car salesman, is to educate your potential customers. Visually teach your audience about the problems you’re solving and how you can be a part of their lifestyle. Think one night stand versus healthy relationship. You’re valuable not sleazy.

8. Be Bold

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Talk about the topics your competitors are afraid to touch. Be edgy and vulnerable. Keep it sensitive and honest. Being safe is risky. You’re not just another startup company with a cool idea, you’re going to change the world with your work. Make sure you have the right people on your team who share the same mission. Own it.

9. Include a Case Study

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73% of purchasing decisions come from case studies (is that being linked or credited?). The traditional route would be to drive traffic from your product video to your case study for further information. Why not save them a click and incorporate your numbers in the launch video? Maybe even in the form of motion graphics (see point #3).

10. Have Jony Ive Narrate Your Video

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Business #goals.