Recognise this scenario? You’ve come up with a cracking campaign idea, you’ve got the perfect spokesperson, coverage has been going well, but your video isn’t delivering. In a crowded market with more video being used for PR purposes than ever before, how do you make sure you’ve produced something that is going to really cut through and make your online PR video stand out from the crowd?
Consider production value
Our first suggestion would be to up the production values, and therefore the quality of your video. No one minds watching wobbly Vines or fuzzy home-made virals, but if you’re watching something that promotes a brand or organisation, viewers expect a higher level of production values.
More people than ever are watching on mobile devices – in fact, 15 percent of all time spent watching online videos is spent watching them on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, according to a report from BI Intelligence. So make sure whatever you’re filming will translate to the small screen which is less forgiving when it comes to poor quality filming. Upping the spend on your video in order to engage a specialist video production company could mean a much bigger ROI than you’re going to get from making a cheaper film which nobody watches.
Content is king
Once you’ve increased your production values, consider your content. What story are you telling? If you’re not telling a story at all, that might explain why people aren’t watching your video. If there’s nothing in the content that will engage viewers then they’re unlikely to stick around to watch the whole thing.
A common tactic is to try to appeal to the viewer’s sense of humour. If you can include a genuinely funny element to your video it’s more likely to succeed. But if humour isn’t appropriate for your brand or the story you’re trying to tell, why not try appealing to a different emotion in viewers?
- Can you shock?
- Will your video make people angry?
- Will it make them sad?
A good video will provoke an emotional response. A video that needs improvement is one that is unmemorable and doesn’t leave the viewer feeling anything.
Hook your audience right away
How does your video start? Will it hook viewers in during the first few seconds? Consider the start of this video by Swedish energy firm Umea Energi:
From the first moment when we see the ping-pong players we are intrigued, then just four seconds in when the man wearing the helmet can’t hit the ball our interest is caught (wearable technology tends to be associated with heightened skill).
The viewer wants to know what happens next and continues watching to find out. If your video stars with a predictable branding shot, or a boring looking backdrop, then spend some time thinking about what you could start with next time in order to hook viewers in from the very beginning.
If you want to make a video that will deliver – rather than just make a video, then get in touch with a member of the Shout! team. We can talk through our video production services and explain how to lift your video so that it stands out from the crowd and boosts your campaign.
For more on video production, download our free guide on optimising PR video for your brand.
