Speak to One Person. A well-produced video speaks to one person. Online videos are almost always viewed by one person. Even if presented to a group, videos usually work best when the video speaks to just one person. So write to just one person.

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Think Like the Client.  What are his or her needs?

 

Get Emotional. Make an immediate emotional connection with the viewer. Videos that appeal to emotion beat videos that appeal to rational reasoning every time. Emotion is the “peg” that will helps the viewer remember everything else in the video. One method is to create a story featuring a character with a problem that the viewer can identify with. “Jim sells sporting goods from a store and online, but has a problem. He wants to open a second store, but fears he’ll lose control over inventory and pricing because he can’t be in both stores all the time.” Then move directly to the solution.

 

Solve Early. Present the solution early and viewers will stay to learn more.

 

Forget Features. Focus on the benefits of a solution to viewers, not features. Benefits are about results. “Time saving electric potato peeler” has more appeal than “Electrically powered potato peeler.”

 

Speak to Everyone. Write simple, non-technical explanations. Eschew industry jargon. Not every buyer who visits your site shares your expertise. Often, they are entry-level employees. 

 

Stay on Track. Stick to a single, narrowly defined topic to help guarantee continuity, viewer attention and retention. Taking a side trips never works. If your viewer is asking what time it is, don’t stop to explain how to build a watch.

 

Keep it Simple. Use simple, engaging visuals rather than complex charts and diagrams.

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Use metaphors to explain complex topics. By comparing something familiar to something unfamiliar, you can more quickly create understanding in the viewer while avoiding a long-winded explanation. To be effective, a metaphor should be vivid, concrete and familiar. “The American Melting Pot,” “brain like a computer” and “volcanic temper” are examples. A more complex metaphor would be the use of a high performance racecar as a metaphor to explain software that improves big data performance by accelerating (“super charging”) queries of the data.

 

Value Over Price.  A low price brings out the tire kickers and one-shot wonders. Value will bring you repeat customers.

 

Use Humor. Incorporate at least some humor early in the video. Humor relaxes viewers, making them more receptive to information and, as a result, more trusting.

 

Add Music. Properly selected music will help set the tone. Music should augment the video’s mood and pace without taking over.

 

Let Us Entertain You! There is absolutely no reason why a video about, say, the manufacture of hinges, must be boring. An entertaining video is far more likely to capture and hold viewer attention

 

Write Short. Shorter videos are more effective than longer videos but only when they tell a complete, albeit brief, story.

 

End with a Call to Action. This is a critical part of every video yet often forgotten. Viewers need to be told what to do next, such as fill out a form, click on a link, make a phone call, download a whitepaper.