Content Is Key: 3 tips for great video storytelling

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, your videos should look and sound as good as possible… but CONTENT is key. If you don’t have a great story to tell and engage your audience with, you don’t have a good video, let alone a video that may go viral.

This may seem like a no brainer, but we’ve worked with many organizations who seemed to have a skewed idea for what is going to make their video pop. There are several pitfalls businesses and nonprofits make when producing their videos, here’s a list of practical tips to keep you from making them as well:

Tip #1: Don’t let politics dictate your video!

Many organizations (and nonprofits seem to be especially susceptible to this) write their video based on who they are going to put in it, rather than thinking of good content – a heartfelt story, motivating statistics, exciting testimonials, etc. Companies are letting the politics of who to include in the video dictate the content. Generally these companies get into post-production (editing) and realize their video lacks the emotional impact they could have achieved to promote their cause, product or services. Write your video script to tell a good story, then invite the key players who can tell the story best.

Tip #2: If you can’t write a good story, hire a professional

Businesses and nonprofits often stumble into the pitfall of writing their own script, then handing it to a professional to shoot and edit. However, unless you are a marketing or business communications expert with experience in writing for video, you will most likely end up with content that is lacking in clarity and emotional impact. Businesses sometimes choose this route to save money, yet I’ve seen more companies end up re-shooting parts of their video because of this, and shooting is considerably more expensive than hiring a writer.

Most video production companies have vast experience in writing great scripts, as well as producing and editing your video. It’s important to find a production professional that shares a connection to your services or products, yet is less involved in your company’s operations to provide more objectivity, and find meaningful ways to connect with your target audience.

This video was created to help motivate viewers to sign a petition to change California Sexual Predators law. Over 8500 viewers watched the clip and Chelsea's law was signed by the Governor, Sept. 2010.

Tip #3: Don’t create a “one-size-fits-all” video

Businesses and nonprofits often try to maximize their videos by creating them for multiple purposes and varying audiences. For example, a nonprofit may want to create a single video that will educate their clientele about a particular issue, motivate donors at an annual gala dinner, and serve as an orientation video to volunteers. This doesn’t typically work as each target audience will connect differently to each type of video. Before writing your video, you should decide on your target audience and message, if this means you create multiple videos for multiple audiences, then so be it. Your videos will be much more impactful that way, and you’ll also have more video content to enhance your companies website.

And one more thing… Keep it short and sweet

ComScore reports that the average online video is 4.1 minutes, while most viewers watch videos 2-3 minutes long. This means to keep your audience engaged, you need to produce a video with a compelling story in less than 3 minutes.

At Sun & Moon Vision Productions, we provide full production services (including script writing), but also varying levels of support and consultation for companies/nonprofits looking to self produce. Contact us, we’ll provide a free consultation for your next video production.