Video is a powerful way to deliver messages to your audience. It’s eye-catching, engaging, and shareable, and when made well, it’s effective at getting your point across. But how do you make a video go from good to great, or even better yet, give it that wow factor? Follow these four key steps to maximize the power of your videos and make them sparkle and shine with greatness!
Start With A Story
A great story is the glue that ties a video’s beginning, middle and end together seamlessly. It lends purpose and flow, and most importantly, it builds anticipation for an expected outcome. Even if your video explains a complex concept or provides instructions on how to use a new product, you should find a way to tell a story focused on the user experience. Start with a great introduction, build up key "plot points," and end with a great conclusion that leaves viewers satisfied with what they have just learned.
Add Emotion
Adding the right emotion to video significantly increases viewers’ engagement. It strengthens any story by infusing its key message with an emotional component that sticks with viewers long after they’ve stopped watching a video. Think about the emotions you want customers to associate with your brand – trust, loyalty, satisfaction – and make sure the script and visuals reflect these feelings.
Include Sound
We all know that sound has power, so it’s no surprise that including music or spoken words immediately boosts the production value of any video. By choosing the right music, you can evoke specific emotions in viewers – all it takes is a few notes to turn an animated video into a fun and lighthearted experience or make live-action footage feel earnest and inspiring. Professional voiceovers are not to be overlooked either, as they’re a great way of providing detailed information, presenting the narrator as a knowledgeable subject expert, and bringing your script to life!
Limit The Length
Last but not least, it’s essential for your videos to have the appropriate length – not too short, not too long, but just right. Keep in mind that a minute of video covers about 150 words of script, so length is something you want to consider from step one. While the ideal length will vary depending on the type of video you create, aiming for a 2 to 4 minutes runtime is a good rule of thumb to follow. Any less and you risk rushing your viewers; any more and they may not watch through to the end. If you need more time to tell your story, you can break it down into several more digestible chapters that viewers can watch at their convenience.
So how do you make fantastic video? You create a poignant and succinct story, pack it full of emotion, and tie the whole thing together with a rousing soundtrack. Your viewers will be compelled to watch all your videos in no time.
