It showcases the likeliness of videos increasing awareness, sales, and retention. Additionally, 98% of enterprise organizations credit video for better and faster employee training and improved internal communications.

However, video production is a scalability challenge for many companies and organizations because of their required resources. To address this challenge, optimize each video for viewer engagement and get the most out of your video budget.

We’ll cover ten strategies for increasing video engagement — try incorporating one or two of these ideas into your next video!

What is Video Engagement & Why Should I Measure It?

Video engagement measures how people interact with your videos. It’s one of the best ways to determine whether or not the intended audience is receiving your message. 

Commonly, video engagement is a key performance indicator (KPI) used by professionals to evaluate, measure, and improve the performance of video content. 

Here are four video engagement metrics to measure and what they reveal.

• Play Rate: how likely someone is to play your video. A high play rate percentage suggests the video grabs enough attention to encourage views. When low, consider optimizing your title, thumbnail, and whether the video aligns with the page topic.
• Average Engagement Rate: how much of the video engaged viewers. Along with its accompanying graph, this metric is useful for determining the percentage of video content watched and where viewers lose interest. 
• Heat Mapping: viewer engagement habits expressed on a cool-to-warm color scale. It visually represents what parts of the video a user watched, rewatched, and skipped over. 
• Individual Session Data: data on who viewed the video, from what device, and where. Every viewing session collects data. Use this data to tailor marketing efforts, audit secure video access, track user completion rates, and more.

For example, Learning & Development professionals will likely optimize videos for optimal information absorption and track individual completion rates. On the other hand, marketers might track the average engagement rate and incorporate CTAs to move leads down the funnel.

 Video Metrics: How to Measure, Evaluate, and Increase Engagement

10 Strategies for Improving Video Engagement

1. Understand Your Viewer’s Motivation

Viewer motivation has a measurable impact on video engagement. Internally motivated viewers produce higher engagement rates than those motivated by external rewards or consequences. 

• Internal motivation is when a viewer watches a video for enjoyment or to satisfy their curiosity.
• External motivation means the viewer is watching to gain something, such as impressing their new boss by seamlessly onboarding. 

For example, Notion is a fun productivity app built for individual customization. If a viewer is excited to learn how to use it, a 30-minute video on Setting Up Notion Step-by-Step is worth the time in the viewer’s mind. The inherent satisfaction they expect to receive will increase their engagement in the video when the value is delivered.

On the other hand, new hires engage with training videos to maintain employment and showcase their value to employers. They aren’t engaging with the video from an internal drive but rather an external desire to maintain good standing at work. 

For example, a video on Everything a New Employee Needs to Learn on Day One will be more engaging when split into six shorter five-minute videos rather than one long 30-minute segment.

Consider your audience and balance the length of your videos with

• the value of the information provided
• the viewer’s intrinsic motivation

In other words, you can inspire viewer engagement by appreciating what your audience finds valuable, insightful, and enjoyable.

2. Connect Emotionally with Viewers 

An emotionally connected audience generates 52% more value than a highly satisfied one. Empathize with your viewers to identify how to incorporate emotion into your videos. Consider the viewer’s pain points, questions, and knowledge gaps. Then, prepare viewers for the emotional ups and downs while providing calls to action.

For broad appeal, many brands use light-hearted emotions, such as surprise (like the Generic Brand Video by Dissolve) and humor (or this TrueCar welcome video).

However, incorporating heavier emotional tones like grief, loneliness, and struggle (such as LifeStraw’s thank you video) can be especially powerful when the emotion is transformed in the video. 

Here are examples of how you might use emotion and storytelling to drive engagement:

• Highlight or emphasize an external or internal conflict and showcase the resolution
• Use The Hero’s Journey to inform story beats and create a satisfying story
• Give the video (or main character) a goal: follow the journey to reward and share it
• Align video topic (or the character’s fears and desires) with those of your audience

You can incorporate storytelling elements in every type of business video to contextualize the content and build emotional investment in a product or service.

3. Add Subtitles or Captions

Viewers are 80% more likely to finish a video with subtitles. They also increase information absorption by enabling people to watch and read the content. Finally, subtitles are important for viewer accessibility.

 How to Add Subtitles to Your Videos Easily

4. Hook Viewers in the Opening or Introduction

Encourage engagement for the entire length of a video — whether it’s 15 seconds or 30 minutes — by centering, teasing, or jumping directly to the core valuable idea. 

Consider, “What about this topic is enticing, valuable, or entertaining?” Use the introduction to explain or illustrate the core idea helpfully or satisfactorily to the viewer. 

A video’s introduction should be concise and relative to the video’s length. Here are some examples of how to use the introduction to keep viewers watching:

• Discuss what they will learn and how it will unfold (i.e., a brief table of contents)
• Open with an engaging shot or sequence that teases or encompasses the core idea
• Expand on the title’s hook and contextualize the pay-off 
• Create a short skit that is relevant to the core idea of the video

Deliver on the promises of the video’s introduction to create viewer satisfaction.

5. Expand Video Reach with SEO 

When a viewer is looking for specific information and finds your video, they are more likely to engage actively. Organic discovery puts your content in front of people who are directly seeking it.

Learn how to rank in search with these video SEO best practices, then use this guide on video metadata to get started.

6. Use Sound, Visuals, and CTAs to Hold the Viewer’s Attention

Elevate your video with thoughtful sound design, cinematography, and actionable takeaways. Think of it this way: every movie and television show builds an emotional atmosphere to create an experience. Everything from the casting, script, and storyboard to the location, camera angles, and color grading focuses on building the right vibe. 

You may not have the resources or budget to mimic movie studios, but you can refine how you use sound, visual cues, and calls to action to bring dynamism to your videos.

Video creators commonly add onomatopoeia (i.e., “boing” or “ding”), b-roll video or gifs, background music, and on-screen text to maintain viewer attention. Utilize these ideas if they align with your brand and audience. Here are some other ideas for how you can use sound, visuals, and CTAs to engage and maintain viewer attention:

• Create effective calls to action by providing a resource or solving a problem
• Use sound and music to set pacing expectations for the viewer intentionally 
• Add supplemental visuals wherever relevant to stoke interest and expand learning
• Include on-screen presentation slides, whiteboard sketches, or screencasts
• Combine these elements into a consistent tone to build audience trust

Much like a stage play in a black box theatre, the possibilities are endless. It’s about what you do with the tools and skills you have while being open to trying new things.

7. Create Effective Thumbnails

Effective thumbnails increase the likelihood that a user will click on a video. Thumbnails can be a still image from the video, an eye-catching custom image with subtitle text, or even an 8-second animated gif pulled directly from the video (available on SproutVideo). 

Certain thumbnail elements, like faces and bright colors, lend to views. The end goal is to establish a brand-aligned look that consistently encourages clicks.

8. Optimize Videos for the Intended Distribution Channels

Where you embed or share a video greatly influences how you optimize it for engagement. A recruiting video, for example, will be different from a product demonstration, which is different from a social short (which also varies by platform). 

Yet you could repurpose elements of a recruiting video or product demonstration to share on Instagram or TikTok, lending to diverse content and added value. In other words, consider tailoring your videos to match each intended distribution channel. 

Our first episode in a three-part series on color grading.

If you plan to share a video across multiple platforms, consider creating separate versions of the same content to optimize engagement for each channel.

Making multiple marketing assets from a single video is not a new concept. Just like B2B video marketing has different best practices than video marketing for e-commerce, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to effectively repurpose content. In other words, don’t compare your audience to another. Find out what your audience values.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SproutVideo (@sproutvideo)

The condensed social media version of the long-form episode above.

Here are some examples of producing multiple versions of a video to tailor it for specific distribution channels:

• Share compelling 30-second or less clips from a longer-form video (i.e., promote a podcast episode by making several shorts from the most watched moments).
• Create a 2-minute, 1-minute, 30-second, and 15-second version of an advertisement and A/B test to determine what performs best in different situations. 
• Provide part of a paid online video course for free to generate interest in the course and build trust in the level of information provided.

 Four Secrets to Optimizing Video for Social Sharing

9. Include Interactive Elements for Deeper Learning

Quizzes, checklists, and discussion questions are examples of interactive elements that lead to improved information retention. Quizzes, for instance, improve information retention by 25%. 

Interestingly, interactive elements increase engagement in B2B and B2C scenarios. Lead generation, web traffic, sales, and referrals all increase alongside overall video engagement. 

Create interactive elements by considering the next steps your viewer needs to take. Provide solutions for the viewer with supplemental resources (such as a downloadable PDF summary) or tools for applying the knowledge learned (like a step-by-step checklist on what to do). 

You can also use interactive elements to direct viewer attention during or after a video with in-player CTAs and post-play screens.

10. Edit, Refine, and Replace Videos Based on Engagement Data

So, you published a video on your website that didn’t perform as desired. Instead of returning to the drawing board, use video engagement metrics to determine what parts of the video aren’t resonating with viewers or where they lose interest. 

On the SproutVideo platform, the Engagement dashboard features a graph showing the percentage of viewers engaged with your video throughout its duration. The graph lets you pinpoint the parts of the video that people engage with most and where you’re losing them.

You can view the average engagement rate to determine how much of your video people watch. A low overall engagement rate suggests that viewers aren’t receiving the value intended from the content. 

Here are some ideas for evaluating the data to improve engagement:

• Look for spikes, which highlight areas with increased audience engagement or rewatches. Drop-offs highlight a significant decline in engagement or parts of the video viewers skipped. 
• Engagement above 100% indicate video rewatches. Rewatches highlight heightened interest or information too complex to absorb on the first watch.
• Play rate (impressions/views) tells how likely people are to click on your video. A new thumbnail, title, or video placement can improve a low play rate.

You can also review heat mapping data collected for every individual view session on the SproutVideo platform. Heat maps visually display what parts of your videos individual viewers watched and rewatched. This data is ideal for reviewing student or employee engagement and spotting sessions from viewers who shouldn’t have access. 

Once you’ve determined how to improve the video for increased engagement, you can easily replace the old version with the new one. SproutVideo preserves all historical analytics data.

Dissecting a Video That Nails Engagement

Content creators rely on engagement to generate income. While a business’s applications and goals may differ, organizations can incorporate engagement strategies from highly successful videos to elevate brand content. 

Take this video by YouTube creator Phil Edwards, for example. Phil combines many of the strategies above in his video production, resulting in a video that’s hard to stop watching.

Here are three ways the video above successfully employs engagement strategies:

1. The video opens with a skit related to the core idea.

2. Phil hooks the viewer by relating the trend to world history. He teases this information and circles back later.

3. Sound, visuals, and editing create dramatic effects throughout the video.

Any of these elements can be strategically incorporated into business videos. Consider your goals, review the data, and make informed choices to improve video engagement.

Video best practices, like trends, are in a constant state of change. Fight the urge to follow fluctuating advice.

Focus on what your audience craves from you. Doing so won’t just increase your video engagement — it’ll increase viewer satisfaction and your bottom line.

The post Video Engagement: 10 Strategies to Grab & Hold Viewer Attention appeared first on SproutVideo.

Companies typically create “thank you” videos to highlight milestones (such as celebrating 13 years in business), honor employees, or show appreciation during the holiday season. Nonprofit organizations, on the other hand, create “thank you” videos to stay connected with donors. 

If your organization has recently received funding or your customers have enabled you to reach a significant goal, why not express gratitude with a short video? In this article, we’ll look at the best “thank you” video examples and share tips for making your own. 

Thank You Video Examples

“Thank you” videos brighten someone’s day, adding heart and personability to marketing campaigns. Often, the goal of a “thank you” video is simply a positive impact through employee, donor, or customer appreciation. Every video on our list accomplishes that and more. 

TD Bank

TD Bank created a mega-viral “thank you” video that gave back in a big way. The Canadian company turned an ordinary day into a magical experience by providing unique gifts for a few long-time customers. In doing so, the company generated immense awareness for the brand (25 million views) by successfully integrating multiple feel-good elements into its video.

For example, TD Bank provided plane tickets to a mom with a daughter undergoing cancer treatments in Trinidad. TD Bank gifted another customer tickets to see his favorite sports team and even brought his favorite player to the bank for introductions. 

By making the video, the company expressed its appreciation and created an opportunity for joy that anyone, whether a potential customer or not, can delight in. The video inspires joy in anyone who comes across it and creates a positive and compassionate image of TD Bank. 

LifeStraw

LifeStraw is a mission-based company that uses each purchase to provide clean water to school children. The company doesn’t just drop off products. Its Give Back program contributes year-round support to build relationships with schools. Every school receives a five-year commitment from the company, which hires local staff to ensure transparency and quality. 

To highlight the accomplishments of this program, LifeStraw’s customer appreciation video mimics donor-gratitude videos usually created by nonprofit organizations. It focuses on the ways LifeStraw has been able to positively affect communities thanks to purchases from customers. In doing so, it showcases that LifeStraw’s Give Back program isn’t a PR stunt; it’s why the company exists. 

Nordstrom

Nordstrom employees shared their appreciation and talents during the 2016 holiday season with this short commercial. As individuals, the employees sing the classic Golden Girls theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend.” Then, with editing magic, the video combines their voices into a symphony of song and sign language. 

This is the most corporate “thank you” video on our list. It showcases what can be done with a larger budget while radiating warmth and personability. This short holiday ad calls on nostalgia and encourages a smile, making it an ideal example of a holiday “thank you” video. 

Summit Utilities

Summit Utilities is a United States-based natural gas company. For Thanksgiving a few years ago, the company created this customer appreciation video that captured a short montage of employees expressing their appreciation. The resulting video is a great example of a low-cost production that directly thanks the customer base for their business. And the comment section suggests it was appreciated, “That was awesome! Thank you!” 

The feeling of community stands out in this video. It wasn’t made for a large audience. It was simply made to show appreciation. There’s also nothing particularly clever here. It isn’t optimized for engagement, doesn’t have a script, and no cinematography tricks were used to get the perfect shot. Yet it accomplishes its goal by leading with sincerity. 

Charity Water

On its fifth anniversary, Charity Water — a nonprofit organization on a mission to make clean water accessible globally — created 250 personal videos to thank donors for their support. The company even created a dedicated YouTube channel to showcase the best videos. One example from the 250 videos they created is featured above. 

In the video above, team members share their gratitude for a company that has consistently offered their time and resources to Charity Water. The team members highlight how the company’s contributions have made a difference and even thank specific people who helped to support the charity’s mission. 

Air Canada

For last year’s holiday season, Air Canada wanted to thank its employees for the many ways they go above and beyond for customers. They brought together employees to watch personal “thank you” videos from customers particularly impacted by their service. As the viewer, we get to watch the employees react to the heartfelt words of those who appreciate them. 

This “thank you” video captures the power of connection and showcases the exceptional people who work for Air Canada. In an industry that has forgotten the customer, Air Canada positions itself as the exception — both for customers and employees — with this video. 

5 Tips for Creative Thank You Videos

1. Focus on the Message

A concise video with no superfluous content will ensure a more engaging and compelling video. Remember to consider the goal of the video when determining how to focus on your message. If the goal is simply to make your customers smile, that’s a very different message than showcasing why more donations are needed to create a positive impact this year. 

2. Showcase Impact

Create a moving “thank you” video by centering impact. The Air Canada video, for example, showcased the impact its employees had on travelers experiencing unique challenges. 

Nonprofit organizations, especially, should be specific about the positive developments your funders contributed. Give details about how the money will be used and the changes people can expect to see in the near future.

If they’re willing to appear on camera, feature the people who have directly benefited from the success of the company or organization. This will help your customers and donors feel joy.

3. Include Employee Titles

Companies seeking to create a “thank you” video often use in-house employees as talent. Whether it’s a compilation of appreciation from the team or personalized videos sent to specific donors and customers, make sure to include the titles of those employees. 

Realistically, your audience won’t know the key figures in your company. Making it clear that the CEO is taking the time to express their thanks makes the message much more effective than if an actor has been hired. It also allows those interacting with various team members to put a face to the name and build one-to-one connections. 

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Go Off Script

Having a clear plan of what you want to say is important, but being creative at specific points makes the video come across as genuine and heartfelt. “Thank you” videos offer the most room to be silly and have fun of any corporate video. 

These videos are generally less about ROI and more about creating emotional connections. So don’t be afraid to infuse the personality of your team and working culture. Showcase the human-powered heart of your company or organization. 

5. You Don’t Need a Big Production (or Budget)

Sometimes, less is more. You can easily create a stripped-back video where the speaker looks directly at the camera and explains the impact of recent funding (or whatever positive development has occurred). This, too, can be incredibly powerful. Instead of worrying about achieving the highest quality production, lead with sincerity to create a recipe for success. 

How to Create a Thank You Video

1. Create a Goal

Why is your organization making a “thank you” video, and what results do you intend to achieve? Answering this question will make it easy to determine the video’s audience, purpose, and budget. Your goal will inform all other aspects of your “thank you” video.

For example, a nonprofit organization creates a “thank you” campaign to increase repeat donations with past contributors. The video has a specific audience, and the organization selects a challenging-yet-possible conversion rate to measure success. 

2. Consider Your Audience

If a “thank you” video is designed to brighten someone’s day, who is the central “someone” your video intends to uplift? A “thank you” video can have multiple purposes. However, to successfully convey appreciation, there should be a “main character” receiving gratitude. 

In the “create a goal” example above, the nonprofit organization focuses on sparking joy with past donors who are already invested in the cause. The nonprofit organization doesn’t need to reintroduce its purpose to past donors; it can get right into the impact of their contributions. 

Even when the goal of a “thank you” video is awareness or conversions, its success hinges on the ability to create sincerity. Instead of crafting the most clever or impressive video, focus on creating an emotional connection. 

3. Outline Video & Pre-Production

“Thank you” videos don’t necessarily require a script. Yet it’s essential to fully develop the concept and be thorough during pre-production planning to make the most of your time and budget. 

For small-to-medium businesses, “thank you” videos are generally creative endeavors with small budgets and team members stepping in as talent. 

A nonprofit organization, however, might use a significant portion of its marketing budget on a video used in fundraising campaigns for the next year. 

Either way, planning documentation is essential for an organized production. This includes but is not limited to:

• Creative Brief: Outline the project, audience, deliverables, and publication channels. 
• Video Treatment: Describe the video’s creative concept, tone, and message.
• Script/Outline: Write the sequence of words and actions that will occur in the video.
• Shot List: Break the script into a list of shots to film the video. 

From here, you might create a storyboard to visualize the end product before filming. You will also want to create a production schedule for the day of filming. Before filming, you will need to determine the location and gather all required equipment. 

If you’re hiring a video production company, you will only need to create a creative brief and video treatment, often in collaboration with the company you hire. 

4. Produce the Video

There are various options for the production, including hiring freelance videographers, using in-house resources, or choosing a production company. The best choice will be a compromise between your vision and budget. 

The success of your “thank you” video likely won’t be determined by production quality but by emotional impact. Therefore, don’t be afraid to spend less money to create a video that is visually lower quality than your company’s usual standard. 

Just look at the Nordstrom and TD Bank videos from our examples. Nordstrom created an impeccably produced commercial. Meanwhile, TD Bank’s video could have been created with basic, low-cost equipment, or even an iPhone. Nonetheless, TD Bank generated over 25 million views by centering customer appreciation and aiming to make a genuinely positive impact in their lives. 

5. Choose a Video Host 

A paid video host allows a business to embed the video on its marketing website ad-free with customized branding, in-player calls to action, and post-play screens. It also makes it easy to track viewership and get detailed analytics on engagement. Heat maps, for example, reveal drop-off points in videos, helping you to learn from past projects and improve watch times. 

Looking for an easy solution? Host your videos free for 30 days.

6. Make a Distribution Plan

Return to the goal and intended audience for your “thank you” video to determine the distribution plan. A “thank you” video intended for past customers might be shared in your newsletter, across social media, and in a blog post on your website. 

If the video is part of a larger campaign, it can be used within the sales funnel — to draw awareness and encourage brand exposure or increase retention and build loyalty. Once you have chosen which marketing channels will distribute the video, consider how you want to package and share the content across each channel. 

7. Share Your “Thank You” Video! 

Share all the content across channels during a defined time window for the greatest impact. This wave of campaign content will create continuity for viewers, who are more likely to engage with a campaign that’s been brought into their awareness multiple times. 

Once the campaign has concluded, review the video’s success with analytics. Your video host should provide detailed analytics for each video, including visitors, plays, time watched, average engagement, and more. For SproutVideo users with hosted video websites, you can also use Google Analytics for additional insights. 

Most corporate videos are all about ROI. But “thank you” videos are so much more, offering a chance to build genuine human connections and show the people behind the curtain, as it were. 

Customer interactions with a business or organization often feel impersonal. “Thank you” videos break through this wall and introduce viewers to the people working toward a common goal. 

Ready to get started? Get inspired with these viral holiday videos. Brainstorm “thank you” video ideas, then grab our free template for writing the script. Need tools to speed up the production process? Here are the best AI tools for video creation and editing.  

Thank You Video FAQ

How Long Should a Thank You Video Be?

One or two minutes is the ideal length for most “thank you” videos. Most marketers (64%) claim that 20 to 60 seconds is the optimal length for marketing videos. However, “thank you” videos vary greatly depending on the purpose. A nonprofit organization, for example, might create a longer video (three to seven minutes) to showcase the positive impact of donations made for the cause.

What Do You Say in a Thank You Video?

The most powerful “thank you” videos show the impact rather than tell it. Suppose you bring together people impacted by your company or organization. This is a potent vehicle for telling the story of your organization and thanking customers or donors for their support.

Simple “thank you” videos can be effective as well! When directly sharing your thanks, share specific details or instances that illustrate the impact. A “thank you” with context will be felt far more than simply expressing gratitude. 

How Do You Sound Genuine in a Thank You Video?

Conjure the genuine emotion of appreciation within yourself. This may involve recalling a situation with a customer that made your day brighter. Alternatively, you might ruminate on the goals you’ve been able to meet, thanks to their continued support. 

Press record and allow yourself to speak freely. The additional footage can easily be edited out in post-production. Give yourself time to get comfortable in front of the camera. This will go a long way to being able to sincerely share your appreciation. 

If you struggle with being on camera, check out these 27 tips for feeling natural.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Thank You Videos with Examples appeared first on SproutVideo.

Do you remember when you went from 12 to 13 years old? It’s a transitional age when the mental shift into teenage years, while sometimes awkward, leads to exciting new ways of being in the world. 

This year, SproutVideo turns 13 years old, and we’re celebrating what it means to become a sustainable teenage business.

As the newest hire and marketing leader, I’m excited to share five “outsider” perspectives on what makes SproutVideo a pleasant surprise as an employee and a dependable video hosting platform for customers. 

1. Solve an Underserved Market Problem; Have Fun 

Thriving as a SaaS business in a competitive market happens when you enthusiastically solve a problem. During my onboarding, I learned how foundational values have guided SproutVideo over the past 13 years. 

At the heart of our mission and values lies the unwavering belief that every individual and business, regardless of their scale or form, deserves an easy and secure solution for hosting and embedding videos.

Mission: Be the most dependable solution for anyone to easily and securely share their videos and live streams.  

In my first month, I learned that 13 years of listening to the challenges of educators, marketers, engineers, creators, and entrepreneurs has resulted in thousands of incremental improvements to the platform. 

Through hours of market research, I also learned that SproutVideo fights above its weight class. SproutVideo is the David vs. Goliath, entirely bootstrapped and profitable in a market with publicly traded and venture-backed video hosting giants. 

If you embrace a trailblazing spirit, SproutVideo may be your soulmate. In contrast to many companies with public shareholders and venture capital financing, SproutVideo has complete autonomy to prioritize customer value and culture over growth metrics.

This freedom allows the company, and by extension, the team to innovate high-value features that solve real problems while having fun and prioritizing genuine work-life balance. 

2. Go Above and Beyond to Serve Customers 

I’ve worked with some of the best B2B SaaS client success teams and can confidently declare that SproutVideo’s customer support team is in a class of its own.

I spent a day in the trenches with this passionate support team and witnessed them go the extra mile to answer customer questions and resolve issues quickly. Their ability to search, analyze, and provide helpful answers was jaw-dropping. Their wit, patience, and empathy highlighted what makes human-to-human connections so powerful. 

SproutVideo also offers an extensive knowledge library with documentation to help customers get the answers they need any time of day. SproutVideo’s documentation on advanced login functionality, for example, shares how-to advice, tips, and best practices to better control and monitor who is accessing videos. 

“Easy-to-use documentation and great support.”

The documentation is clear and concise. If you have an issue or question, their support is excellent and will provide a quick and thorough response. I can’t think of anything I dislike. I’ve tried multiple video hosting platforms, and SproutVideo serves our needs exceptionally well. 

Colt C., Digital Director (Source: G2)

Here’s what you can expect from the SproutVideo support team — as a customer and during your free trial: 

• Direct answers and rapid response to your request for help.
• Human connection with real people on the other end of the line. No bots or AI chats. 
• In-house experts with helpful advice. No outsourcing, offshoring, or nearshoring. 
• A consistent point of contact who understands your business and needs. 
• Good, thoughtful, and funny people who will help you quickly work through your obstacles — so you can get on with your day.

3. Build Features that Customers Need 

Creating and maintaining a successful B2B SaaS product requires a thoughtful understanding of market trends and digital transformation. It also means staying ahead of customer needs and embracing agile methodologies to meet those needs. 

McKinsey & Company, a prominent international management consulting firm, suggests that small and independent teams are the lifeblood of an agile organization.  

To implement video hosting features quickly, SproutVideo’s product, design, and engineering teams work in an agile and highly collaborative manner. This lean approach leads to a flatter decision-making structure, rapid iterations, and efficient quality assurance to identify and fix issues. 

SproutVideos’s product team leverages real-time customer feedback, evolving market and security conditions, and hyper-efficient methodologies to build and ship relevant software. 

I’ve never seen this level of focus from a software and product development organization. They conceive, build, test, and ship software more efficiently than much larger organizations. As a result, SproutVideo customers experience updates and new features with fewer bugs and an elegant user experience. 

Moreover, SproutVideo sets itself apart by prioritizing security and privacy. This proactive approach guarantees that customers have access to enterprise-grade security features.

When you set the security of a video to “private,” you can embed it anywhere, and it can be viewed only there. If someone gets their hands on the link, they can’t view it from the link URL. This is why I chose Sprout for my company.

SproutVideo Customer, Computer Software (Source: G2)

4. Be the Best at Something but Not Everything

A common temptation in the video hosting industry is to accommodate every market need. This ‘all-in-one’ approach often creates an overly complex and confusing product with security vulnerabilities. This results in customers seeking help to navigate and fully understand the product, leading to frustration and extra requests for assistance. Client success teams become overburdened and take much longer to respond. 

Instead of trying to meet every need, SproutVideo has held a 13-year focus on the most critical customer challenges. This focus improves ease of use and means customers don’t overpay for tools and features they never intend to use. I sifted through nearly 200 client reviews and identified four of the most consistent customer needs, showcasing where SproutVideo excels. 

Flexible Video Hosting 

SproutVideo is a versatile video hosting solution intentionally designed for reliability, security, customization, and user-friendliness. 

What to expect: 

• Fast and high-quality playback resulting in a better viewing experience 
• Fabulous UI for easy video management, embedding, and tracking
• Ad-free video hosting for an elevated viewing experience
• Integrations and a robust API that enables enriched video management, player customization, video analytics, webhooks, and programmatic embed codes.

Privacy and Security 

SproutVideo is a highly secure video hosting solution with advanced privacy functionality and controls to prevent unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential threats.

What to expect: 

• Protect commercially sensitive video content, IP, gated materials, and user data against threats and unauthorized access with enhanced password, login, single sign-on, encryption, and watermark capabilities.
• Enhanced API-driven security features like token-based authentication and the ability to restrict video access to specific domains, which is particularly useful for preventing unauthorized embedding of your videos on external websites. 

Ease of Use 

SproutVideo is a hassle-free video hosting and management solution with easy set-up, intuitive analytics, and highly dependable support. 

What to expect: 

• A clean and easy-to-use interface for content management, sharing, and tracking 
• Highly responsive, reliable, and empathetic customer support for a better experience
• Fast uploads and frustration-free embedding
• Analytics to track, validate, optimize, and support your video strategy
• A free trial to use every feature without requiring a credit card 
• Simple, fair, and transparent pricing with no long-term contracts 

“Works great and is easy to use.”

I like how SproutVideo has an easy-to-follow UX design. I don’t often have to visit support when I perform a task I haven’t done before. Everything is clearly labeled and flows in a way that makes sense to new users.

Brianne L., Marketing Specialist (Source: G2)

Customization

SproutVideo’s dependable video hosting platform offers customized settings for your video player, landing pages, embeds, and flexible integrations. 

What to expect: 

• Simple and effective integrations so you don’t miss a beat
• Flexible and customizable player controls and design, video thumbnails, embed codes, playback options, video webpages, private sharing settings, watermarks, and more.  
• An intuitive and personalized end-user viewing experience for brand continuity
• Advanced lead capture tools to drive demand, build your funnel, and track attribution ROI

5. Don’t Market. Educate

If you check the SproutVideo blog or watch videos, you’ll soon realize that SproutVideo’s lean-but-mighty marketing team is really a group of educators and content creators. They don’t try to “sell” prospective customers. Rather, they offer insightful, engaging, and educational content that empowers people to become better at their jobs. 

Take Nick, our creative director, video producer, and former science teacher. He produces countless how-to videos on topics like how to capture better audio or how to find music and edit it into your videos. 

Our in-house copywriter, Conner, conducts rigorous research to write value-rich articles. Whether providing insights on secure corporate video-sharing techniques or unveiling the top 10 AI tools for video editing, Conner has a unique talent for distilling research into easy-to-apply content. By reading Conner’s work, you’re not just gaining knowledge – you’re investing in your growth, armed with the tools to elevate your work and achieve better outcomes.

Our growth marketer, Deja, works to package and share meaningful content throughout our online channels like this Instagram reel, for example.

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Our senior designer, Sara, creates thoughtful and beautiful visuals for our educational content, like this blog post feature image, that incorporate elements from the products and services listed in the blog post. 

Here’s to 13 More Years… and Then Some! 

At 13, the peer pressure to conform is real. It’s the age when many begin experimenting with new things, hairstyles, music, and activities. 

From my newbie perspective, SproutVideo is a highly self-assured teen immune to the pressure to be everything to everyone.

Grounded by core values and an independent spirit, SproutVideo has become a market leader by developing exceptional customer listening skills, hiring and retaining kind and intelligent people, and focusing on core competencies. 

Happy Birthday to SproutVideo, and here’s to 13 more. 

The post SproutVideo at 13: An Outsider’s Perspective appeared first on SproutVideo.

Many creatives are (rightfully) skeptical of AI’s ability to generate original, engaging ideas. But marketing videos don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Like a good pop song that plays too many times on the radio, marketing videos follow tried-and-true formulas — which AI can mimic. 

To produce humanlike content, AI script generators employ natural language processors, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. But how good can an AI scriptwriter really be? Let’s find out! 

We tested over 30 AI script generators; here are three options that produced the highest-quality results when writing a video script.

The goal wasn’t to create a small list, but we had high standards for the AI script-writing tools. These three tools delivered professional results. We’ve also included tips on how to write effective AI prompts and example results from each script-writing tool we’ve featured.  

How to Create Effective AI Scriptwriting Prompts

The results of AI-generated writing are limited to the information you provide in your prompt. 

Therefore, it’s important to over-explain the parameters of what you want the AI to generate, rather than leaving it to make its own assumptions about tone of voice, ideal audience, and other similar details. 

Your prompt should include all of the information you want to be reflected in the generated script. This might be creative, product, or brand information. 

We’ve created a template (below) for a general marketing video script. Replace the bolded text with information from your marketing video brief to utilize the template with an AI writing tool. 

Spending a few minutes creating a detailed prompt is essential to getting the most out of AI script writing tools. This prompt covers all of the most important information AI needs to create a marketing video script for your product and company. 

When writing your prompt, add or remove details as needed. To create varying results or use AI as a brainstorming tool, experiment with the amount of information you provide. 

Other information you might include:

• Product or Service Details 
• Video Setting or Location
• Live-action, Animated, Webcam, Studio, etc.
• Number of Actors or Voice Actors 

Note: AI output can be improved with follow-up prompts. You can specifically point out a desired change or even just ask AI to “try again.” 

3 Best AI Script Writers for High-Quality Videos 

Of the 30+ AI writing tools we tested, only three made the cut for generating high-quality scripts for marketing videos. 

Most AI writing tools use the same machine learning model: OpenAI’s ChatGPT. 

OpenAI has established several contracts with third-party companies, which allow them to utilize the network in specific, limited ways. We will note what AI model each respective tool uses as we discuss them.

We created the prompt below using the template provided. The goal of the prompt is to generate a 30-second explainer video script for an organic, minimalist makeup brand.

We used this same prompt when testing each AI script generator.

1. ChatGPT: Best Free Tool

You don’t need to pay for a script-writing tool to produce solid results with AI. This is perhaps the most surprising thing we learned while testing these AI writing tools. 

Since most AI writing tools use some version of ChatGPT, we figured it was worth starting with the free version of ChatGPT for comparison with the paid tools featured below. 

At the time of writing, ChatGPT-3.5 is OpenAI’s free tier. 

To test ChatGPT, we input the prompt four separate times. The AI produced slightly different scripts each time, even though we did not change the prompt. 

Each new iteration provided more detail and dynamism in the shot imagery and text. The following script was the fourth script generated using the prompt.

ChatGPT produced a solid script from the setting and visual elements to the copy and potential business taglines. There’s nothing fantastically original here, but it tells an emotional story well without becoming cliché or using overly-flowery language to convey luxurious femininity.

Pros

• Free Version with Unlimited Generations: There is no limit to the number of content generations you can produce with ChatGPT. It’s also easy to ask ChatGPT to rewrite or improve its output. 
• Industry Leader & Content Source: As stated, most AI writing tools have contracts with OpenAI to use its technology. It makes sense, then, that going straight to the source would produce results on (at least) the same level as paid tools using this model.

Cons

• No Prompts or Templates Provided: ChatGPT doesn’t provide templates like paid AI writing tools. These templates allow you to plug in information without formally writing a prompt. This isn’t an issue if you are accustomed to writing detailed prompts. 
• Potential Delays with Free Version: The server is sometimes too busy, causing delays. But these are uncommon hiccups in an otherwise seamless generative experience. ChatGPT-4, the paid version ($20/mo), removes the potential for delays.

Cost: Free

2. Jasper: Best Text Generation

Jasper integrates multiple AI models to produce some of the most dynamic results across tools. The AI models it utilizes include ChatGPT, PalM (Google), Anthropic, and Cohere.

It also allows you to upload brand and campaign information, saving you the trouble of constantly reiterating standard information about your company to the AI. Instead, the tool remembers this information and contextually incorporates it where relevant. 

We input the prompt several times when testing the tool. It’s important to produce multiple variations when using AI to create a high-quality script. This allows you to initiate a collaborative process with AI that creates better results overall. 

We also used both the “blank document,” which allows you to start from scratch, and the “Video Script Outline,” template offered as part of Jasper’s service. Both produced sufficient results, but the experience of using a blank document mimics tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs. This created a more natural-feeling user experience and ease of conversing with the Jasper AI. 

Jasper excels in producing copy that genuinely mimics human language and captures the desired tone. Jasper isn’t built to write scripts, and that’s most apparent in the lack of visual direction included in the script above. 

However, Jasper took follow-up instructions extremely well. The second example script below was produced with two follow-up requests, “try again with more visual direction,” then “try again with a setting in a unique location.” 

Pros

• The Best AI Copy Writing for Marketing: Jasper was built to make creating copy for marketing campaigns efficient and easier. There are a lot of exciting features, like content repurposing, that we have yet to explore. 
• Employs Multiple AI Models: As mentioned, Jasper is the only AI writing tool that transparently integrates multiple machine learning models, including ChatGPT, PalM (Google), Anthropic, and Cohere. This allows Jasper to generate higher-quality copy. 

Cons

• Took the Structure Too Seriously: The prompt includes specific instructions on the desired structure of the video. This is meant to help the AI create an explainer video script. However, Jasper often prioritized the Video Structure Outline to a limiting degree. This made us want to remove that part of the prompt, resulting in a less focused script overall. 
• Mediocre Workflow: Jasper silos Documents and Templates in different sections of the tool. When writing within a document, you can ask Jasper to produce content, but you can’t easily trigger a template. Instead, you must start with the template and export the text into a document (by clicking a button). This creates a poor and, at times, frustrating workflow when trying to create content. 

Cost: Starts at $39/mo

3. Hoppy Copy: Best User Experience

Hoppy Copy sets itself apart with an easy-to-use platform and effective templates. Although advertised as the AI for marketing emails, Hoppy Copy has something for every aspect of a marketing campaign. In fact, it’s one of the few tools we tested that includes a dedicated Video Script Template. 

In many ways, Hoppy Copy excels where Jasper falls short and vice versa. Both tools offer the ability to save brand information that AI can automatically integrate. Hoppy Copy provides the best user experience by far but can’t quite keep up with the quality of writing Jasper generates. 

In fact, it’s unknown what AI models Hoppy Copy uses. When we reached out, this was the company response, “We can’t say exactly the models we use, but we do use OpenAI.” 

Despite this lack of transparency, Hoppy Copy feels like a tool built for longevity. As artificial intelligence continues to improve, the platform Hoppy Copy has created will only become more of an asset to users. 

This script illustrates one of the most powerful benefits of using AI to create video scripts: randomly great ideas. The script above outlines a scene in which, “a woman in a butterfly-filled garden [is] using the XYZ Makeup brushes to apply makeup.” This incredibly vivid image could become the setting for the entire commercial, lending to an engaging 30-second advertisement. 

In general, this ability to play around with the output from Hoppy Copy is one of its greatest assets. The tool splits your screen in half, allowing the left side to be AI Chat or a built-in template, while the right side is a live text document with your working copy. This allows a truly seamless workflow for marketers and copywriting professionals. 

Pros

• Includes a Video Script Template (& Many More): The most frustrating aspect of using templates when testing AI scriptwriting tools was how ineffective most of the templates actually were. The opposite is true of Hoppy Copy’s templates, with an impressive library of templates that are genuinely helpful and easy to use.
• Seamless User Experience: Hoppy Copy’s standout feature is the platform’s user experience. The most common flaw across AI tools (aside from poor writing generation) was clunky and confusing tool navigation. In this realm, Hoppy Copy is a step above the competition. 

Cons

• Unfavorable Pricing Model: At the time of writing, Hoppy Copy starts at $23/mo, but this plan includes only 20,000 generated words. While it’s nice to have a lower price option, the plan doesn’t include enough words for most use cases. The next plan up is $39/mo and includes 100,000 generated words. Compare that to Jasper, which starts at $39/mo for unlimited generated words. 
• Word Count Frustration: Hoppy Copy’s UI has one big flaw. There’s no record of your conversation with AI, which means you can accidentally hit your word count and have nothing to show for it. To save AI generations, you must “Insert” the text from the AI Chat or Template into the Document on the right side of the screen. The whole process is far from intuitive, leading to a potentially costly and frustrating learning curve.

Cost: Starting at $23/mo

Convert Your AI-Written Script into an AI-Generated Video

We thought it would be fun to grab one of the example scripts and test the end-to-end AI workflow, from writing the video script to generating and editing the video. 

There’s plenty of room for improvement, but it’s amazing to see the script come to life with music, voice-over, and stock video footage. This rough cut was produced in about 30 minutes.

Here are the steps we took to create this short video:

1. Generate Script: We input the written prompt (created from the video script template) into several script generators. We chose the Hoppy Copy output for this video. 
2. Input Script to Create Video: The Hoppy Copy script was pasted into Pictory, an AI video generator, where we began creating the video with its Script-to-Video tool.
3. Choose a Video Template: You can choose from Pictory’s library of templates or create your own. These templates provide a style and branding starting point for the video.  
4. Review Video & Customize: With Pictory, we swapped out stock images and videos, added background music, customized the branding, and more. Options will vary depending on the Script-to-Video tool you use. 
5. Add Voiceover: Our choice for the best AI voiceover tool is ElevenLabs. We used its VoiceLab to create a realistic-sounding voiceover and uploaded it to Pictory, which auto-synced the audio with the visuals.
6. Final Touches & Download: After previewing the video and making any final touches, we downloaded the MP4.
7. Upload to Video Host: Upload the AI-generated video to a video hosting provider, such as SproutVideo. Now your video can easily be shared, privately or publicly. 

Check out our complete list of the best AI tools for video editing and production, including Pictory, which was used to generate the video above. 

3 Ways to Write a Script with AI 

AI can produce seriously impressive scripts. But it’s often more helpful to employ AI as an assistant, rather than asking it to do all the work for you. Here are a few ways you can use AI to brainstorm fresh ideas and expedite scriptwriting. 

Conduct Dynamic Solo Brainstorms

Brainstorming in a group setting synthesizes more engaging, interesting perspectives. Artificial intelligence can quickly gather a large range of potential ideas. To get effective and customized output, you will need to ask specific questions or provide significant detail. 

Using our example from before, you might ask AI to, “provide 40 different potential settings for an explainer video about a luxury, organic makeup brand for affluent women in their 30s who value sustainable business practices and desire a minimal but stunning daily beauty routine.”

Alternatively, you might include those same product and brand details but ask AI to, “write 40 different taglines for this brand,” or, “write a story about a woman who uses this makeup.” 

AI output is hugely dependent on the input. Introduce various different prompts or ask for a significant number of responses to conduct a productive solo brainstorming session.

Get a Rewrite to Gain Perspective

AI learns from the content that already exists across the internet. Therefore it’s not always ideal to write the first draft using AI. The boundless originality of the human imagination is a huge asset that shouldn’t be quickly discarded for convenience. But whether you hit writer’s block or need some insight into your own writing, consider asking AI to rewrite your first draft. 

Be specific with your rewrite request. Instead of simply asking AI to, “rewrite the script,” be specific about what you want to be changed. For example, you can ask AI to expand the script, add uniqueness, or change the setting. Consider what you want to be changed in the script and use precise words to generate a useful rewrite. 

Which AI Writing Tool Is the Best at Rewriting Copy? 

Without additional instruction, how well do our favorite AI script generators rewrite scripts? That may depend on your preferences! 

• ChatGPT changed as little as possible by selecting synonyms while keeping the same general outline and sentence structure. 
• Jasper took significantly more liberties by condensing sections of dialogue and expanding sensory elements. 
• Hoppy Copy was the “Goldilocks” of the group, providing genuinely helpful rewrites of some sentences, rather than only changing individual words or rewriting the overall text.

We found this feature to be particularly helpful for rewriting clunky text or fixing sentence structure. At a minimum, AI rewriting can take pressure off of the first draft by allowing you to produce multiple, similar iterations. This makes it easier to identify weaker sections to improve the second version.

Mimic a Viral Video

It’s not easy to write a script that engages a wide audience. But there are a lot of viral videos that have done just that. Why not use AI to generate a similar tone (emotional, humorous, etc.)?

To test this out, we asked ChatGPT to mimic “1984“, a classic Apple commercial that first introduced the Macintosh personal computer. 

• Make sure to reference a video produced before September 2021, since ChatGPT doesn’t have information past that point.
• Ask AI to write a script inspired by the name of the commercial and brand. For example, we asked ChatGPT to generate, “Video Script for XYZ Makeup (Inspired by Apple’s “1984” ad)“

The results are shockingly accurate — even too similar at times to use. In this case, a parody of this classic commercial would likely be a big hit.

Provide minimal information for best results. Use follow-up requests to customize the output for your brand or products.

What Makes an AI Writing Tool Good?

Among the 30+ tools we tested, many were built specifically for scriptwriting. While some of these tools offered useful features for screenplay writers, none of them were built for marketing writing and failed to meet our standards. 

Additionally, the vast majority of AI writing tools relied too heavily on their contract with OpenAI, as well as a handful of mediocre templates. If the AI writing tool you’re considering only offers these basic features, the free version of ChatGPT is sufficient. 

Instead, the best AI script writers (and AI writing tools overall) are those that:

• Offer the ability to save information about your brand.
• Provide the ability to “chat” directly with AI.
• Include specific templates that the AI utilizes well. 
• Integrate AI with a solid writing user experience.
• Utilize multiple AI models (generally)

Many of the tools we tested were unintuitive, produced overly simplified copy, and failed to compete with the free version of ChatGPT. But the three AI writing tools we chose can be used to produce quality videos from draft one through the final script. 

Ready for more? Discover AI tools for video production or brainstorm corporate video ideas with tips for creating your own. Get inspired by the power of video for customer support or learn how to make a website for your videos in less than an hour. 

The post 3 Best AI Script Writers for Making High-Quality Videos appeared first on SproutVideo.

Technology and industry are rapidly changing, leaving creatives and marketers wondering how AI will reshape their workflows and careers. 

In the realm of video editing and production, AI-generated content leaves a lot to be desired. Text-to-video tools produce impressive results for internal training videos. However, AI-generated videos don’t currently meet business standards for corporate advertisements.

AI tools designed to improve the video editing and production process, on the other hand, allow companies and creators to expedite video creation — from improving video quality (AI upscaling) to mimicking your voice so well that it’ll give you goosebumps (AI voice cloning).

With all the hype around AI, we want to see what tools actually expedite the video creation process. We tested dozens of AI-generative tools to create this list of the 10 best AI tools for video editing and production. Whether you need to add subtitles to a video or replace yourself with an AI-generated avatar, there’s probably an AI tool for that. 

Take advantage of the free trials and free plans offered with many of these AI tools. If neither is available, watch or request a demo before investing to ensure it will suit your needs. 

How to Use AI in Video Production

Artificial intelligence is the newest trend in video production, with plenty of impressive and equally underwhelming platforms and tools to try out. After wading through a sea of options, we’ve compiled a list of the best AI tools across applications for creating videos. 

Some tools are built for AI, while others incorporate AI into existing platforms to offer new features or improve the user experience. We’ll discuss each tool in detail below, and how to use AI generation when producing professional videos. 

AI-Generated Videos

AI-generated video tools create a video from text, and they’re some of the most popular tools available right now. Most platforms allow you to input the script and the AI software outputs a video with stock footage, captions, and an AI narrator. 

However, the videos they generate leave significant room for improvement. These shortcomings make them most effective at creating faceless videos with voiceovers, such as for FAQs and blog post summaries.

Currently, all of these tools produce about the same quality of AI-generated video. But what differentiates the good from the bad (and the ugly) is how easy the platform allows you to edit the video, adding your footage, scenes, music, and more. 

The Best Tool for AI-Generated Videos

Pictory features customizable voice-overs, subtitles, stock video options, and more. Starting with a written script, Pictory allows creators to produce professional results with well-built templates and an easy-to-use interface. 

We created this video with Pictory in less than 10 minutes

Ideal for producing educational and informational videos, Pictory is especially useful for people who don’t have video editing experience. You can create an AI video summary from a webpage article or edit videos by editing the transcription. 

For producing faceless videos without editing software, Pictory is an easy-to-use option with genuinely helpful AI features.

Runner-Up

InVideo offers many of the same features as Pictory. But the initial video generated is less engaging, making it harder to manually edit and improve the video. The InVideo user experience is also less intuitive.

Script Writing

AI writing tools are only as good as your prompt. For this reason, many AI writing tools offer templates and the ability to enhance your prompts. 

The best way to get a workable script is to start with a vision for your video. Feed this vision into the AI and review the output. 

The first attempt probably won’t be good. But if you instruct the AI to rewrite the script with specific additional parameters, the output improves exponentially, producing a decent script to expand manually. 

Learn More: How to Easily Write a Video Script

Some AI writing tools are built for marketing, storytelling, or both. When choosing an AI tool, review which AI model the tool employs. Some tools use older versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT or a proprietary AI model; this will affect the output significantly. 

The Best AI Tool for Script Writing

Jasper is a significant step above its competition, and not (only) because of its AI; Jasper allows you to save information about your company, brand, products, campaigns, and more. When generating copy, Jasper includes specific details based on the context of the prompt. 

Speaking of prompts, Jasper features a prompt enhancer that does the work of generating a more detailed prompt based on your input. Jasper also includes a template specifically for script writing. 

Jasper is a unique AI platform because it utilizes all available models, including OpenAI’s GPT, Anthropic, and Google. This allows the platform to generate the most accurate and dynamic content across subjects. Overall, Jasper provides the best overall AI writing tool. 

Perhaps its biggest flaw is the steep monthly price, which starts at $40 a month for the Creator plan. Jasper does offer a 7-day trial, but there is currently no free version. 

Runner-Up

WriteSonic is an affordable alternative to Jasper. It offers multiple script-writing AI generation tools, including TikTok scripts and video outlines. But it lacks Jasper’s branded customization and doesn’t employ AI models beyond ChatGPT.  

Video Editing

There are two categories of AI video editing platforms. The first comprises traditional editing software brands that have added AI features to keep up with the evolving industry (Adobe Premiere Pro and Filmora Wondershare, for example). 

The second is tools built around AI. These tools flip traditional editing on its head. If you already have a favorite video editing software, it probably has AI features that will expedite your editing process or provide entirely new functionality. 

Creators looking for a simplified way to edit videos will appreciate the new AI video platforms, but editing professionals will likely choose to stick to the classic tools of their trade. 

AI video editing tools also commonly remove moments of silence and filler words, such as “uhm.” While these functions can save time by cutting down on the amount of video you need to edit, none of the AI tools tested could seamlessly cut videos.

The Best AI Tool for Video Editing

Descript is an alternative to traditional video editing software. Instead of conventional timeline editing, Descript uses transcription editing. The user uploads their video, and a transcription is automatically produced.

Then, they edit the video by making changes to the transcription. The tool also allows you to create scenes and add extra features using keyboard shortcuts similar to markup for text documents.

Descript’s AI transcript editing tool with voice inflection correction

Descript employs AI features to make the editing process faster. It also allows creators to make editing changes that weren’t previously possible: Have you ever wanted to edit the narrator’s voice inflection for a more seamless transition? Descript’s Regenerate AI does exactly that.

Descript’s AI eyeball rotation

The company also recently introduced … eyeball rotation. Yep! If the video host isn’t looking directly into the camera, AI can change that. With reasonable pricing and genuinely useful AI features, Descript is a great option for those interested in a modern editing process that still includes a lot of traditional functionality. 

Runner-Up

Adobe Premiere Pro is quickly implementing AI features, and it’s a leading tool in the industry for good reason. It doesn’t offer less functionality than Descript but rather a more traditional approach to video editing. 

Transcriptions & Subtitles

Producing transcriptions and subtitles with AI is nothing new. Social media platforms have been using AI to automatically generate video subtitles for a couple of years. Therefore, many tools do this exceptionally well. Your current video (or audio) editing software may already include transcription, and you may not need an additional tool.

The Best AI Tool for Transcriptions & Subtitles

Subly is a transcription and subtitle tool with language translation for over 70 languages. It can produce a video or audio file transcription within minutes, then you can use the editor to add customized subtitles to an existing video file. 

The Subly editor provides additional options that allow you to differentiate between multiple speakers and add additional text to the video. When you’ve finished adding subtitles to your video, it can be downloaded to your device. 

Runner-Up

Auris is an exceedingly affordable option compared to Subly. Auris offers basic AI transcription and subtitle generation with language translation in 27 languages. While Subly is more fully-featured and faster, Auris provides 30 minutes of free transcription each month. 

AI Voices & Voice Cloning

There is a wide range of AI voices, from the “obviously AI” to the “spooky-good.” Machine learning has come a long way since the speech synthesizers Stephen Hawking used for decades. 

Now, dozens of platforms produce AI voices to various degrees of realism. Some platforms even make it possible to clone your voice. Imagine recording yourself reading a script without ever stepping into a studio — AI voices make it possible to reproduce the intonations and inflections you use when speaking. 

The Best AI Tool for Voiceovers and Voice Cloning

Eleven Labs Prime Voice AI is spooky-good. While many companies have created impressive AI voices, Eleven Labs’ is practically (and sometimes entirely) unnoticeable. The company is disrupting the voice-acting field as we know it, making the future for voice actors unknown.

Creators and businesses, however, stand to save a lot of time and money. Imagine a self-published author who wants to release an audiobook. Not only can they use this technology to create it, but they can also use AI to narrate it in their voice!

The tool can also be used to build custom voices. It’s worth testing the free version of the platform just to be impressed. 

Runner-Up

It’s tough to match the spooky vocal mimicry of Eleven Labs. But Murf holds its own with natural-sounding AI voices and an easy-to-use interface. It’s an ideal affordable alternative with an intuitive editor for adding text-to-voiceover to any video.

AI-Generated Avatars

AI-generated avatars offer the ability to produce engaging instructional videos without hiring an actor. These avatars can replace stand-in hosts for corporate informational videos.

Yet the majority of current AI-generated avatars fail to mimic the appearance and movement of a human host. Tools that combine images of real actors with AI generation work the best. 

Most tools offer a library of stock avatars to add to any video. 

AI avatars are ideal for internal training videos and FAQ videos for your knowledge library. They can also be used to create content for online courses or blog post summaries. 

The Best Tool for AI-Generated Avatars

Synthesia features the most dynamic AI-generated avatars currently available. Synthesia uses real actors (who are paid for their work) to produce its avatars. AI then generates a realistic video of that person speaking. 

You can even have a clone of yourself created to use as an AI avatar for only $1000 per year. One journalist tested whether or not her avatar could effectively replace her for the day.

Overall, Synthesia produces phenomenal results regarding the appearance and movement of its avatars. For onboarding and informational videos, Synthesia’s avatars help produce content at a fraction of the cost. 

Unfortunately, its AI voices are where Synthesia has room for improvement. While the avatar’s themselves pull off the illusion of a human host perfectly, the voices quickly give away that it’s AI. Combined with our winner in the voiceover category (Eleven Labs), Synthesia’s AI avatars could easily fool people.

Runner-Up

D-ID offers realistic avatars similar to Synthesia. D-ID, however, uses AI to create facial movements. This allows users to upload their image and create an avatar. But it also results in less realistic-looking speech.

Text-to-Video & Text-to-Image 

The potential for using AI to create realistic images and videos is quickly becoming a reality. Some platforms simply ask for text input to produce AI-generated images. These tools are able to create just about anything, and the results are constantly improving. 

To produce specific content, look for AI tools that require training input to capture the desired style and color palette. These tools can create on-brand blog header photos, vector images, and image slides for videos. 

The Best Tool for AI-Generated Images & Videos

Adobe Firefly is the company’s first rollout of AI features. This suite of editing tools provides an awesome range of ways to edit videos and create photos using AI. Beyond text-to-image, Firefly includes the ability to “Inpaint,” allowing you to AI-generate a specific part of an image and replace the original.

It also features Smart Portrait, making it possible to edit models’ faces and lighting within photos. But this was just the beginning for Adobe. 

Adobe recently debuted Project Gingerbread, which boasts impressive new AI advances in generating detailed and accurate videos and images.

This rollout of AI features truly attempts to provide the creator with an AI assistant for image creation and editing. The beginning of a new workflow for image editing begins to emerge.

Runner-Up

Midjourney offers some of the most impressive image generation currently available. It provides 25 free generations and affordable subscription tiers thereafter. It doesn’t, however, offer the extensive image and video editing capabilities you’ll find in Adobe products. 

Video Background Removal (Green Screen Alternative)

Many video editing and AI platforms (Runway, Adobe, etc.) include features to remove a video’s background with AI. Green screens aren’t a thing of the past (yet), but this technology provides impressive results with low effort and a small budget.

The main challenge with this feature is precision; therefore, look for a tool that allows you to fine-tune the results. It’s a red flag if no options are available for improving the final result. 

Inpainting is another aspect of background removal in videos. We’ve discussed using inpainting to add content to an image, but it can also be used to remove unwanted background objects. 

Several video editing tools can remove background elements to varying degrees of success. An effective background removal tool will allow you to manually fix any mistakes the software makes. 

The Best AI Tool for Background Removal

Runway uses AI to quickly remove the background of a video. You start by creating a mask for the object. Runway offers multiple features for customizing the mask, allowing you to make precise changes. 

The tool also allows you to add and edit a new background to match your “green screen” image. Runway also has an Inpainting tool for removing background elements. This is another AI feature often included in video editing software, so you may not need an additional tool. 

Runner-Up

Descript is a comparable AI background removal tool with one major caveat: you can’t fix AI’s mistakes with manual adjustments. The tool does a great job of removing stagnant backgrounds and includes some minimal options to manually the removal’s appearance. But it doesn’t offer nearly the same amount of customization as Runway. 

Social Media Shorts

Short videos have taken over the social media landscape. But taking a long-form video and creating multiple shorts (for Reels, TikTok, or YouTube) is tedious and time-consuming. 

AI can expedite this process, especially for interviews, podcasts, and other long-form content. 

Once again, the combination of AI and user customization determines how successfully a platform produces short-form content. Across platforms, AI can highlight a clip, add subtitles, and crop the video for social media. 

But our favorite tools make it easy to create your own clips, change the template or style of the video, and offer an easy-to-use interface. 

The Best AI Tool for Social Media Shorts

Vidyo.ai is the standout platform for creating Reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts from long-form video content with AI. Once you upload a video or insert a URL, the platform takes a few minutes to work magic. Once it’s complete, Vidyo.ai produces a handful of potential short video content with captions.

A strapped-for-time video creator could stop here and have good short-form content to promote their longer videos. There is potential for more functionality as the platform grows. But Vidyo has created an easy-to-use platform that can actually save creators and marketers time and money. 

Runner-Up

Munch is a comparable tool to Vidyo.ai, albeit with slightly less impressive results. However, some users may find the customization functionalities easier to use. Both tools offer similar features, but Munch includes a keyword tool and heftier price.

Upscale (Improve Video Quality)

Improving video quality is one of the most impressive uses of AI. Upscaling increases video resolution without sacrificing quality, allowing you to generate crisper videos. 

The effect is nothing short of dramatic. It’s especially jaw-dropping when applied to nature and landscape videos. This is another aspect of AI video production that is often included with video editing software.

The Best AI Tool for Improving Video Quality

Topaz Labs is setting the standard for AI upscaling. The software focuses on doing a few video enhancements really well: deinterlacing, upscaling, and motion interpolation. It’s designed to work with your existing workflow. Unlike most software these days, you can purchase the tool for a one-time fee and receive support forever. 

Runner-Up

AVC Labs offers a comparable product to Topaz Labs with a unique option – the ability to make a one-time purchase or choose a more flexible subscription plan.

When Not to Use AI in Video Production

AI can improve many aspects of video production … but not all of them. AI falls short when replicating any step in the video production process that requires creative decision-making. 

There’s also room for improvement when producing edits of video content. For example, it can remove filler words but doesn’t recognize multiple takes — and it certainly can’t determine which take is the best. 

Brainstorming

AI can produce a starting point. It can highlight common and popular content, build ideas from existing content, and create something new based on what has come before. 

But it cannot generate original ideas. The beauty of creativity is the ability to create something from nothing. Machine learning cannot replicate the leaps and bounds of the imagination. Even the same idea and script will result in entirely different outcomes based on who directs, produces, and edits the video. 

Therefore, don’t expect AI to generate a brilliant idea or winning concept. Instead, use it to discover engaging topics in your industry and avoid predictable storylines and settings.

Storyboarding

In video production, a storyboard is the visual — often sketched — shot-for-shot action plan for a video shoot. Creating a storyboard requires thinking through the process of filming and the final desired product. 

The storyboard helps organize the video ideas and plan an efficient day of filming. This visual sequence is essential to communicating a video’s vision to the people involved, from the actors to the editor. 

Current AI isn’t capable of producing this level of detailed creative decision-making. It can create sketches of a script and suggest a logical sequence of shots. It cannot do the detailed planning work necessary to ensure a film crew can get the shots needed for a video.

Stock Music

Platforms that offer AI-generated music are priced in the same range as stock music platforms (compare Mubert and Epidemic Sound, for example), which also pay artists for their work. Stock music platforms offer a wide range of genres, moods, and beats per minute. Furthermore, monthly subscription prices are reasonable, so there is no justification for choosing lower-quality music at a similar price. 

End-to-End Video Editing

AI can produce many impressive results in the editing process. But AI is not great at turning a video recording into a polished final cut.

While you might use AI to remove moments of silence or filler words like “uhm,” the cut will not be precise enough. This AI feature can save time, but video editors must review each cut to create a smooth transition. Furthermore, AI can’t make creative decisions, such as where to insert a B-roll over an interview. 

The Future of AI in Video Production

Today’s AI is akin to dial-up internet (for those old enough to remember). The possibilities are beginning to emerge in a field that will hugely grow and likely impact various creative industries and the workflows therein. Here are a few possibilities for the future of AI in video production.

Hyper-Realistic Video Generation

Imagine generating any video scene from an idea and text. That’s what Runway envisions: a world where anyone can actualize a video without… the production part. 

“No lights. No camera. All Action” is the company’s tagline for its second generation of Generative AI, which is coming soon. 

Beyond Runway, hyper-realistic AI generation is the goal for many competing companies. Midjourney V5, for example, was released earlier this year with stunning results. 

End-to-End Video Editing

Video editing requires creative decision-making and a contextual understanding of the edited content. As these two areas of artificial intelligence improve, video editing could become a much quicker process for creators and editors. 

As mentioned, current AI tools can remove silence, pauses, and filler words. But you wouldn’t trust it to insert B-roll over an interview or precisely overlay audio for a seamless transition. 

There are certain aspects of video editing that AI will likely never replace. Still, there are many technical aspects of editing that AI can reliably perform, saving editors huge amounts of time.

Ethical & Legal Landscape

The legal and ethical ramifications of AI are the biggest unknown for the technology moving forward. The work of artists and writers, for example, has already been consumed without copyright permission, and the consequences of this are yet to be decided.

AI is trained based on human production. Therefore, there are many questions about how human creators will benefit, if at all. To this end, Synthesia is highlighting a potential way forward by paying real actors to use their images for AI-generative avatars. 

With the right combination of tools, a company could reasonably use AI video generation for its internal and educational content. From knowledge-based videos for your customer support library to new employee training, there is significant potential to save time and money.

The post 10 Best AI Tools for Video Editing & Production appeared first on SproutVideo.

Your private live-streaming blueprint. Grab this interactive checklist with everything you need to consider before, during, and after your live stream.

Securely connect with consumers and employees in real time with private live streaming. Whether hosting virtual events with potential and recurring customers or internal training for new hires, there are many ways a company or creator might use private live streams.

Live streams are a highly engaging medium, driving 27% more minutes of watch time per viewing than on-demand video content. Furthermore, the live-streaming industry grows consistently year-over-year, with a market estimated to reach $247 billion by 2027. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the essential security features you’ll need to host private live streams, how to easily set one up, and tips for promoting your exclusive event.

What Is Private Live Streaming?

Private live streaming is real-time video content for an exclusive, permitted audience. Unlike video chat, it is a one-way stream. Viewers are able to interact with you, though to what extent will depend on the streaming platform. 

On social media, a live stream is available for anyone to watch. However, businesses often require private streaming capabilities for events with limited access.

A versatile medium, live streaming offers the ability to mimic the personability of video chat or create larger gatherings with audience involvement.

Use Cases for Private Live Stream Events 

Businesses use live streams to foster stronger relationships with customers and employees. We’ll discuss options below; as you read, consider which types might benefit your business.

• Paid or Exclusive Events: Sell private live-stream events or offer customers exclusive access to live streams.
• Webinars: Generate new leads by creating an informative presentation that provides value to potential customers.
• Conferences: Host a virtual industry conference with notable speakers and relevant workshops. 
• Classes: Share knowledge relevant to your product or service in smaller groups, providing the opportunity for personalized assistance. 
• Product Debut: Introduce new products and offerings live to build excitement with your most engaged audience.
• Video Premiere: Broadcast a pre-recorded video file and host a viewing party.
• Product Demos: Showcase the features and benefits of your product, how to use it, and answer any questions. 
• Internal Training: Lead new hires through personalized training while offering insight into company procedures.

Security Features for Private Live Streaming

A highly secure private live stream will use multiple privacy and security features to prevent unwarranted access at multiple levels. Securing a live stream occurs in three steps:

1. Control Access

• Password Protection: Require a password to access your live stream. For internal business security, consider using single sign-on instead. 
• Video Login: Secure your live stream with login credentials. Embedded videos can require viewer login, or use our video websites to allow access to all content. 
• Whitelist Access to Content: Control what IP addresses and geographic locations can access your live stream. 

2. Prevent Leaks & Theft

• Signed Embed Codes: Ensure your embed codes are not stolen and reused for external viewership.
• Restrict Domains: Ensure your live stream only loads and plays when embedded on specific websites.  

3. Audit Viewership

To track individual viewer access during a live stream, combine live analytics with login protection. This way, you can track who logged into your video website during the live stream.

How to Set Up a Private Live Stream Event

1. Determine Your Goals

The goal of your live stream determines the optimal marketing approach for promoting your event. To formalize your goal, consider the following.

Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

A private live stream can target any stage of your sales funnel, from awareness through retention. The stage you are targeting will greatly influence the content and level of sales promotion during the event. 

Is your goal to retain customers or capture leads? Are you stoking desire by showcasing new features or building trust by sharing knowledge? Determine your broad live stream goal. Are you building awareness, nurturing leads, converting buyers, or retaining customers? 

Ideal Outcome

An event can have multiple goals. A virtual conference, for example, aims to bring industry leaders together to share their experiences and insight, with a goal of reaching 3,000 unique viewers. 

But the ideal outcome, in this hypothetical example, is to generate leads for a paid program through the hosting organization. Therefore, the organizers will measure the success of the live stream by the number of emails captured.

Now we’ve refined the goal: capture 300 new email addresses during the live stream — and many more after by repurposing the recorded live stream content into paid advertisements and short videos. 

Example: A live stream to build awareness for your brand might focus on sharing knowledge and converting viewers into newsletter subscribers. While a live stream meant to convert subscribers into paying members would spend the final minutes (at least) of the event promoting your products and offering a live stream-only discount.

Internal & Public Events

For events without a potential customer, such as employee training or town hall meetings, consider what information you want viewers to receive and the ideal outcome of the private live stream. Create a measurable goal to track the influence of your private live streams.

2. Target the Ideal Audience

Determine who the ideal audience is for your private live-stream event and use that information to inform your marketing strategy and whether the event will include a direct sales pitch. You might consider age, location, gender, profession, pain points, and media sources.

For exclusive paid events, create multiple customer profiles and take a more traditional approach when selling the live stream as a product.

The audience for your live-stream event might be broader than your target audience. For example, you may create a class to build trust with new leads and encourage conversion. The class is open to paying members and anyone else who joins the email list. Therefore, the class and its content will cater to one segment of your audience, while being valuable to many. 

When marketing to a target audience isn’t as relevant (such as for employee training), it’s still wise to consider the viewers and plan your live stream content accordingly. This will help you determine the optimal length of the stream, the graphics to include, and what interactive elements would benefit viewers. 

3. Formalize Event Content

On-demand video leaves room for error. You can film multiple takes, get lots of B-roll footage, and make magic happen in editing. A live stream is less forgiving; therefore, it is important to prepare your content, visuals, and transitions ahead of time.

You might think of a live stream as a talking head (or two), but you can create overlays, include presentations, and play on-demand videos to add interest and encourage longer engagement.

Graphics for live streams can be created in photo editing software (such as Canva) and added to your live stream with your encoding software (OBS Studio is free).

You can write a script for your live stream or create a presentation outline with talking points. Consider assigning time blocks to content sections. This will help you present the information in a timely manner and maintain engagement. Consider how you might stay on track, either with assistance from coworkers, silent alarms, or visual cues. 

Tips for an Engaging Live Stream

• Provide Structure. When promoting the live stream, be upfront about the length of the event and provide an overview of what to expect. 
• Be Responsive. Your live streams don’t need to feel like a one-way street. Respond to live feedback and comments without veering too off-topic. 
• Use Overlays & Other Visual Elements. Your live stream can include visual elements, including live stream overlays, additional graphics, or on-demand video.
• Add Interactive Elements. Add chat and imbue gamification into your streams with quizzes, mini-games, and challenges. Consider ways to motivate your audience to actively invest in the live stream.
• Focus on Relationship Building. Live streams can be highly effective for converting subscribers into paying customers. However, creating strong relationships will create better long-term results than centering quick sales. 
• Leave Room for Q&A. Include time for broader questions that might take up more time with a Q&A section at the end of your live stream. When done right, this encourages people to engage with the entire presentation.
• Embrace Your Personality. Even professional live streams should feel casual and welcoming. Present with authority but let your personality shine through. 
• Use Analytics to Improve. Analytics reveal more than views. Review the data to see the average seconds watched, total minutes watched, average engagement, and more, especially when shared as an on-demand video after the event. 

4. Set Up Equipment & Software

Professional live streams can be produced with a minimal set-up or the most advanced equipment available. Like on-demand video, you can improve your production quality with investments in sound equipment and skilled employees. Here are the essentials you will need. 

Essential Equipment for Live Streams

• High-speed Internet Connection: You will need a stable connection for streaming. 
• Video Source: This can be a pre-recorded video or live video capture. For live capture, you can use:
  • Webcam: This is the simplest solution for novice broadcasters.
  • External Camera via USB Video Capture Device: Though more complicated, this option allows you to stream much more high-quality visuals.  
• Lighting and External Microphone: While technically optional, these are recommended for a more professional look and feel.
• Processor: This equipment will process your video(s) and other media sources into a ready-to-stream feed. There several options here, including:
  • Computer and Encoding Software: Convert the video feed into a format that can be streamed through a player online. Alternatively, some platforms simplify this process, allowing you to stream directly from your browser.
  • Standalone Streaming Hardware: For more simplified streams without additional graphics, music, or other more professional production elements, many devices (such as a switcher or cameras such as Mavic drones or GoPros) allow live streaming straight from the units themselves.   
• Live Streaming Platform: Provides the player and tools to deliver your live video to viewers online (i.e. public steams via social platforms or more professional platforms like SproutVideo).

For step-by-step instructions on setting up this equipment, read our guide on producing a professional-grade live stream or check out behind-the-scenes of live stream production, complete with an equipment list and technical setup. Lastly, our four-part “How To Live Stream” video series is another great place to start for beginners. 

5. Employ Security Features

The security measures you use to protect the privacy of your live stream will be set up through your live streaming platform and, potentially, your website portal. 

For example, you might use login protection with domain restriction to secure your private live stream. You can create membership logins through your website portal (Squarespace, Ghost, WordPress, etc.) or use SproutVideo to easily create a hosted video website. 

Then, through your live streaming platform, use domain restriction and limit access to your website URL. The live stream will only be able to load and play on your website. 

These two security measures combined ensure that only those with login credentials can access the live stream, and it protects the embedded code by preventing the live stream from playing outside of your website. 

You can tag individual users and review account activity. This helps make sure only those with permission have access to the content. But it also provides a way to track who engages and to what extent. 

6. Spread the Word

How will people register for your event? You can use specific software built to register participants or simply create a segmented audience within an existing email list. Additionally, it’s important to promote when the event will happen and whether playback will be available. 

How you choose to market your live stream will depend on the type of event you’re hosting. For example, a top-of-the-funnel live stream to inform potential customers and gather leads could be promoted across your marketing channels. 

Note: You will also need an event landing page. This is where viewers will watch your live stream. If you are using login protection to secure your event, this is the page you will secure and the domain to which you will limit viewer access.

Ways to Promote Your Live Event

• Teaser Video: Showcase your topic, speakers, insights, or anything that would motivate someone to sign up.
• Social Content: Create at least two weeks of content to effectively promote your event. Optimize the content for each of your social media channels.
• Blog Post: Expand on the details of your event, what people can expect, how to sign up, frequently asked questions, and more.
• Podcast: Snag a guest spot on relevant podcasts to boost awareness and leverage audiences outside your sphere.
• Email Campaign: Build promotional email campaigns that inform current subscribers about the event. Email campaigns to drive substantial registrations.
• Paid Promotion: Ads are one of the best ways to reach beyond your owned and earned audiences to find new targeted prospects.
• Influencers/Speakers: Hire influencers to promote your event. For events with speakers, encourage them to share the event with their audiences. 

Pro Tip: Use email to send event reminders to participants 24 hours before and on the day of your private event. These are crucial for driving attendance. Consider adding a teaser video or event landing page to peak interest.

Internal Event Promotion

Private live streams are often used for internal company meetings, whether to review strategic shifts as a remote team or share quarterly revenue reports. To inform employees about upcoming live events, you can use reminders, team communication tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, and email to share access information or login credentials. 

7. Perform a Test

Perform a test to locate potential bugs or hiccups in your setup. This will help make sure your live stream goes smoothly. It is essential that your security measures and streaming equipment work the day of the live stream. Therefore, prepare to go live using the same equipment, software, and security measures that you plan to use for your private event. 

Ask colleagues or friends to help you test every aspect of your live stream. Encourage them to try and break through security or find a loophole. Additionally, test the features of your live stream: autogenerated subtitles, pre-recorded videos, presentation slides, etc. 

Once your test has concluded, watch the playback (this is automatically generated as a private on-demand video in SproutVideo). Reviewing the playback video will allow you to check the audio and visuals, review any slides or transitions, and review your on-camera presentation.  

8. Go Live

Since you need encoding software to live stream, you can set all of this up before going live. You can create an identical live stream to test (as recommended above), then embed the live stream on your website days or weeks before going live. This allows you to set up and schedule email campaigns (with working links) ahead of time as well.

Your streaming platform lets you customize the look and feel of your stream. With a SproutVideo account, you can customize the player’s appearance, poster frame, title, and description. Prior to the live stream event, add any necessary features such as lead capture, a playback call-to-action, security measures, and more. 

On the day of your event, connect your streaming platform to your encoding software (or browser streaming tool). You will create a new RTMP feed/steaming server using the RTMP URL and stream key provided by your live streaming platform. As such, your encoding software is what you will use to start and end the live stream. While some live streaming platforms bypass encoding software, it provides significant control over your live stream and additional customization options. 

Once connected, you can start the broadcast. Before it begins, the SproutVideo player will display your poster frame and a message to waiting viewers that the live stream has not yet commenced. 

Now you’re ready to host your private live-stream event! For complete step-by-step instructions, read our guide on setting up your live stream.

9. After the Event

Once your live stream has ended, consider if and how you will share the playback video. Companies will often promote the live stream playback to the registered audience that did not attend live. This email is generally sent within 24 hours after the event. On the SproutVideo platform, your live stream is automatically saved as a private video. You can embed the video directly in an email or landing page. 

Another common practice is repurposing the video content from the live event. This allows you to continue sharing valuable information or promoting a product that was featured. Repurposing  the content allows you to create multiple marketing assets from a single video. Use cases include short videos for social media and your website, advertisements, “how to” videos, blog posts, and product demos.

Finally, review your analytics. Note any obvious drop-off points and consider how to improve viewer engagement and retention for the next event. You can also review the domains and geographic locations where the live stream was broadcast and the types of devices used.

Private Live Stream Checklist (Free)

The checklist contains a logical order of events but does not need to be followed chronologically. It is split into five sections to make it easier to keep track of the various moving parts.

Get Immediate Access

We have a wealth of material to help you plan and launch live events. Check out 10 questions to ask before launch to refine your ideas, see how we pulled off our own live stream in this behind-the-scenes look, and learn how to nail your on-camera delivery in under four minutes.

The post Private Live Stream: How to Host Exclusive Events Online appeared first on SproutVideo.

Yet simply adding product videos to your website and social media accounts doesn’t necessarily make them effective.

Video marketing, especially for B2B products and services, requires a strategy with clear goals, a winning customer experience, and contextual market understanding. 

The right B2B strategy will leverage video content for lead capture, relationship building, customer support, and sales. 

In this complete guide, we’ll walk through every step — researching, planning, budgeting, and executing — of an effective B2B video marketing strategy, with examples for brainstorming. 

What Is B2B Video Marketing?

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing sells products and services to other businesses and organizations. B2B video marketing is a marketing strategy that uses video throughout the customer journey to inform, educate, and assist current and prospective customers. 

B2B marketing focuses on the pain points, desires, and solutions needed for businesses and organizations. These marketing strategies balance the needs of the business and the wants of the decision-maker. 

A formal approach may feel natural, but B2B sales still hinge on building connections. Instead of old-school salesmanship, foster authentic relationships through knowledge sharing and genuine care. This is why video is why it is becoming standard across industries. It is highly effective at establishing trust with the viewer.

Why Use Video for B2B Marketing?

A potential customer can absorb much more information from a 15-second video than in 15 seconds of reading text. But the benefits of video marketing go beyond information retention.

• 59% of B2B decision-makers prefer video over text when learning about a product.
• 92% of video marketers cite a good return on investment (ROI) for video content.
• 70% of B2B marketers say videos convert better than other types of content.
• 4.8% is the average conversion rate for websites with video (compared to 2.9% without).
• 70% of B2B researchers and buyers watch videos during their path to purchase.
• 60% increase in response rates when using video for sales outreach.

How to Create a B2B Video Marketing Strategy

1. Create Clear Marketing Goals

A marketing strategy is a cohesive approach with a theory of success. Assuming it is successful, what are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will indicate its success?

Every KPI should be measurable, specific, and include a deadline. Here are some general examples:

• Increase trial conversions from 5% to 8% by Q4 2024. 
• Secure two new enterprise memberships a month.
• Reduce customer churn 2% month-over-month by end of year.
• Achieve a 10% increase in organic traffic year-over-year.
• Generate a minimum of 100 activations per month by Q3 end. 

The strategy you develop will determine how you approach achieving these goals. But knowing what you intend to accomplish ahead of time will make it easier to create an effective strategy, ensure it’s working, and pivot as needed. 

How to Use Video

Internal communication is important for success. Most marketing strategies will involve multiple teams within a company. Using video to communicate goals and outline the strategy is an efficient way to ensure everyone is on the same page and contributing their ideas throughout the planning process.

2. Refine Your Brand & Voice

Branding with a consistent tone produces a sense of trust and reliability. A clearly defined brand will make it easier for prospective customers to remember your business and visualize the unique and innovative ways in which your business solves problems.

Ahrefs is a standout example. From its bold color scheme and unique graphics to the blocky font and educational content, its branding choices align with the target audience. This allows it to feel both personable and professional while setting the company apart from its competitors.

Unless your business is new, your brand and voice are likely established. Evaluate all of your marketing channels and your website. 

Implement a consistent brand and voice across channels as part of your B2B video marketing strategy. Consider the tone, colors, fonts, images, and user experience you present. 

How to Use Video

A consistent brand and tone of voice can be brought into your video content as well. Bring the same energy and perspective, and use the same graphics, fonts, and colors in your videos as the rest of your marketing content. With SproutVideo, you can also customize the video player itself for a branded, distraction-free customer experience.

3. Identify Target Market & Audience

An essential aspect of creating a successful B2B marketing strategy is understanding your company’s market position and its relation to the competition. 

Review your sales data. What kinds of businesses move through your customer journey and make a purchase? What companies become return customers or long-term subscribers? 

Identify the businesses you want to target. Consider,

• Business Size (small, medium, enterprise)
• Industry (Healthcare, Education, etc.)
• Number of Employees
• Revenue
• Location (by region or specific country)

Next, who are the people within those businesses that you are targeting? Identify the departments within the company that your product serves — marketing, human resources, executives, product development — the list goes on and on. 

Develop a specific persona for the person who works at this company. Consider,

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Job Title
• Beliefs and Perspective
• Education Level
• Pain Points
• Consistent Routines
• Industry Idiosyncrasies 

Use this information to develop customer avatars. These buyer profiles will make it easier to map a successful customer journey and gain potential leads. 

Every business attracts outliers with similar needs and interests. But your core business marketing should be positioned for your ideal persona. Take notice of the audience segments that convert at the highest rates and investigate. 

Example: A social media management platform might target small business owners in North America who are women aged 20-35 that feel burned out and frustrated with social media. Alternatively, a semiconductor manufacturer might target Senior Product Managers in Asia over 45 who are hesitant to change and require executive approval. 

How to Use Video

Customer profiles are an essential part of any business strategy. But it can be challenging to personalize content for a group. Consider asking customers to share video testimonials or host video interviews in exchange for exclusive discounts or benefits. Identify individuals who fit your audience segments and ask yourself if they would personally benefit from your content.

4. Analyze the Competition

Next, review your company and assess your competitors to determine where your business fits, and how it should be positioned, within the market.

Start by researching direct rivals: businesses that are similar in size and target the same industry. Make a list of these competitors, as well as companies that are smaller and larger.

From your list, select three to five companies that cater to the same target market and audience as your own. Review their branding, customer journey, and product features. Become a potential customer to learn more about how your competitors convert browsers into buyers. 

Example: SproutVideo is a video hosting platform. While there are many video hosting companies, the list of competitors with platforms built for enterprises and priced for small businesses is short. We serve this niche. 

How to Use Video

Knowing where your business fits into the market will allow you to create a winning strategy that sets your company above the rest. Depending on the industry, competitors may be underutilizing videos or creating lackluster content. Consider how you can use video to outdo the competition by making each step of the customer journey easier to engage with and enjoy. 

5. Build a Market-Specific Strategy

Think of your strategy as the thesis statement of your organization. What is the outcome your business wants to achieve? What approach would make your competition irrelevant? 

1. Outline Brand Vision

Develop a clear vision of what your business intends to accomplish. Answer these two questions for your B2B marketing strategy: 

• Why are we in this market (and not another one)?
• How are we going to be the best in this market?

Look at how your company solves customer pain points in a superior way. Or pinpoint the ways your business innovates in your market to create new demand. 

2. Identify Unique Value Proposition

Reflect on your company mission statement and the transformation your product or service creates for customers. Having researched your close competitors, are you filling a gap in the market or innovating on the current standard? This is your unique value proposition. 

If you’ve ever wondered why there are so many companies solving the same problem, take a closer look at their unique value propositions. You will see significant differences in the audiences those businesses serve and the core features they promote.

Example: Mailchimp focuses on helping small businesses grow email newsletters. The company was one of the first to allow new business owners to freely use the platform’s core functions until a certain number of subscribers is reached. This continues to be one of Mailchimp’s main strategies, even as its audience and offerings have expanded. 

3. Compose Your Strategy 

Share your vision of success in its realized form. For some businesses, the overall business mission will naturally guide the marketing strategy. Consider all of the steps you have completed and the information you have gathered so far. 

Write down your strategy and include:

• Your vision for the business
• Any issues the strategy needs to address
• The projected result of a successful strategy 

Your strategy might be a sentence or a few paragraphs; keep it succinct. Your marketing strategy postulates success: what must happen for this to be true?

Combine your brand vision, innovative approach in your market, and the intended result.

Example: Ghost is an all-in-one CMS platform that offers a minimalist website, email marketing software, and payment processor, which collects 0% in fees. Its open-source software allows developers to unleash their creativity and businesses to customize the framework. Fully bootstrapped, Ghost is a reliable platform built for longevity. It is the solution of choice for modern enterprises that value content marketing.

How to Use Video

Your brand strategy should inspire you and your employees to bring your company mission to life. Use video to show appreciation for employees and to generate excitement and motivation for upcoming events, projects, and strategy shifts. 

6. Outline Channels & Technology

With the information you have now and your strategy in hand, determine if there are any gaps. Start by listing your marketing channels. Common channels include:

• Website or landing pages
• Newsletter
• Blog
• Social media 
• Paid advertising 
• Webinars
• Demo or Trials
• Opt-in Offers (White Papers, Case Studies, etc)
• Knowledge Base

Perhaps you thought social media was covered; however, after reviewing the market and your competition, you’ve learned that your audience is more likely on TikTok than Facebook. Alternatively, maybe you’ve been paying for advertising but haven’t developed a marketing funnel to attract organic leads and nurture potential customers. 

Additionally, consider how you will distribute your content. Each stage of your sales funnel (discussed in the next section) will require its own distribution plan. As you map your customer journey, determine how and where you will reach people with your content. 

Example: An explainer video might be shared on your website, uploaded to YouTube for paid advertising, and shared across social media. This is your distribution plan for the awareness stage of your sales funnel. Educational videos, on the other hand, might be shared exclusively on your video help site and embedded in your email newsletter for the conversion stage. 

How to Use Video

As you outline your marketing channels, take note of how many videos you are currently using to market your products and services. Consider the videos on your website, social media pages, paid advertising, onboarding process, and more. Review your analytics. Are there any obvious areas where a video would improve engagement or conversion? Start to outline how you might use video to improve your customer experience. 

7. Map Your Customer’s Journey

In most cases, B2C businesses create awareness of their product, potential customers consider it, the company stokes their desire or nurtures the relationship, then a purchase is made. The buyer may need customer support and will hopefully become a return customer, but the funnel is complete. 

The B2B customer journey is different. The research and comparison phase of the B2B journey is crucial, often due to higher prices or more complex offerings. 

The Standard B2C Customer Journey

The Standard B2B Customer Journey

Furthermore, there is an additional stage in B2B marketing that we’re calling Post-Sales Service. This is the company’s user experience from purchase through utilization. 

B2B solutions are rarely one-off purchases. For this reason, companies offer robust customer support, including product customization, onboarding assistance, and exclusive content.

Map Your Customer Journey

For each customer persona you have created, how does that audience segment move through your sales funnel? Look broadly at how people move through each phase of your customer journey. Learn why and how they:

• Discover your business
• Engage to learn more
• Gain trust in your services
• Choose to make a purchase
• Continue to subscribe or buy again

If your analytical data provides an incomplete picture, solicit feedback from current customers in exchange for bonus offerings or discounts. This information is vital to implementing effective marketing tactics that resonate with your ideal audience. 

How to Use Video

Using videos in your sales funnel allows you to collect significant data with analytics. This information can be used to improve your customer’s experience. For example, heat mapping shows what portions of your videos are being watched, re-watched, or skipped. With individual tracking, you can tag a viewer to track how many minutes and what videos they’ve watched. 

8. Plan Your Video-Led Customer Experience 

With all the information you have gathered, plan how you will reach potential customers at each stage of your sales funnel. Here are some examples of content you might create at each stage.

• Awareness: Blog posts, educational videos, social media
• Research & competition: White papers, case studies, comparison guides
• Conversion: Demos, trials, testimonials
• Post-Sales Service: Exclusive video content, email newsletter, success stories
• Loyalty & Retention: Feedback surveys, community groups, loyalty programs

At every stage, use video content to improve the user experience. Creating videos takes time and work — whether producing them in-house, hiring freelancers, or employing a production company. Make a list of content to be produced and prioritize implementation as outlined below.

1. Start with the Basics (Website, Social)

Produce videos that target the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey and set the tone for your brand. An explainer video, for example, showcases the transformation your product or service creates. It can be shared on social media and featured on your website and landing pages. 

2. Guide the Buyer’s Journey 

Evaluate your sales funnel and marketing automation. Create videos that will improve your customer experience. Add video to your email nurturing sequence, create a series of onboarding how-tos, or animate a stellar customer testimonial. Engage, inform, and motivate your audience at every stage of the customer journey. 

3. Add Educational Content

Educational videos explain topics related to your product or industry. They cover a broad subject concisely or answer a specific question in detail. These videos generate new leads and build trust. They add value to potential customers without asking for anything in return. This content is also useful when building an audience on social media as a business.

4. Consider Support & Retention

There are multiple ways video can be used for customer support and retention. Start by creating videos for your most frequently asked support questions. This knowledge base will allow users to self-service, freeing resources up in your business for high-profile customers. 

Things to Consider

Each stage of your customer journey will have different video content and a different means of distribution. For example, how-to videos for trial customers should be privately hosted and embedded within an email or webpage. But a corporate advertisement will be publicly shared across social media. Keep this in mind when outlining your plan of action.  

9. Set Video Production & Marketing Budget

Return to your goals from step one and estimate the cost of each. Project an expected ROI using past campaign data to estimate your expected cost per new lead or conversion. 

If your goal is 100 conversions and past data reveals that each conversion costs $200 to acquire, you can estimate a marketing budget of $20,000 to complete the goal. 

[Conversions] X [Cost Per Conversion] = [Marketing Budget]

To estimate your projected ROI, multiply the number of conversions (100) by your sales price. This will provide you with the projected revenue. 

[Conversions] X [Sales Price] = [Projected Revenue]

Subtract your marketing budget ($20,000) from the projected revenue to get your ROI.

[Projected Revenue] – [Marketing Budget] = [Projected ROI] 

Track your actual ROI over time. Use analytics and marketing automation software to continuously gather data on your marketing campaigns and assess conversion data. 

Before setting a video production budget, consider the other costs associated with your marketing plan. This will ensure you don’t over- or under-spend on video content. 

Things to Consider

Save money in the long term by producing evergreen videos — meaning the content will continue to be accurate and relevant for years. This will allow you to generate higher returns on your investment as well. Consider video longevity when adding humor and style; ensure the choices will allow your videos to remain modern and relevant. 

10. Take Action & Schedule Implementation 

Time to implement your B2B video marketing strategy! Formally compose a plan of action, use work management tools to stay on track, and collaborate with internal team members. 

If time and budget are concerns, implement your B2B video marketing plan in stages starting with the highest-impact content. Talk to your customers, get their feedback, and focus on creating a customer experience that consistently converts.

Things to Consider

Utilize the vault of knowledge we’ve compiled here at SproutVideo to make every stage of the process smoother. Check out these essential planning documents for video production, how to hire videography freelancers, and maximize your video ROI with these tips. 

Examples of B2B Marketing Videos

Hubspot Master Class

Hubspot hosts marketing master classes to educate and inspire. In this master class, Buzzfeed video producer Daysha V. Edewi shares her approach to crafting viral content. 

Snowflake Advertisement

This ad is a perfect example of exaggerating a common pain point for laughs: the only way to end the feuding department’s prank war is to use Snowflake for cloud data management. 

Workday Explainer

Combining animated graphics with a live-action host, this video skillfully presents the key benefits of Workday’s human capital management (HCM) system in under three minutes.

SAP Behind-the-Scenes

During Take Your Child to Work Day, SAP interviewed employees’ kids about what their parents do. The result is a fun peek into the lives of the people who keep SAP running day-to-day.

Volvo Trucks Advertisement

Prepare to lift your jaw off the floor. Volvo Trucks wanted to showcase the stability and precision of its Dynamic Steering, so it enlisted the help of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Ahrefs Educational Content

Educational videos help businesses fully understand and utilize your product or service. This is a great example of an educational video that gets right to the point and solves a problem. 

Zendesk Advertisement

This light-hearted ad likens the relationship of an older married couple to that between a business and its customers. It also manages to explain the value of Zendesk in one minute.

Quick Tips for Your B2B Video Marketing Strategy

• Pick The Right Video: Align your content with your goals. The secret ingredient for success is to speak to your target persona.
• Think Outside The Box: Your video is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from potential competitors. Creativity creates engagement.
• Be Mindful of Customer Time: Make a series if you have a lot to share. Each segment can highlight your business and go into more depth about philosophies or products.
• Curate Supporting Content: Buyers don’t make big decisions or large purchases based on one persuasive video. Create a spectrum of content for your audience.
• Let Your Customers Do The Talking: Client testimonials are seen as more credible and more authentic than any traditional pitch. They also demonstrate real results.
• Encourage Video Sharing: An engaging, creative video is primed for sharing, through social media and old-school word-of-mouth. Also, include a call to action.
• Don’t Fret Over Production Quality: A polished video doesn’t have to make a huge impact on your wallet. These free resources will help you make professional videos.

The post B2B Video Marketing: How to Build A Successful Strategy appeared first on SproutVideo.

There are various ways to use corporate video for external and internal communication, from announcements and investor relations to advertising and onboarding.  

Corporate videos, ultimately, are assets that save time and money in your marketing, management, and human resources departments. 

We’ve compiled the 15 best examples of corporate videos to spark inspiration! Watch to see how corporate video can increase your company’s communication efficiency.

What is Corporate Video?

Any video representing your company is a corporate video, whether an advertisement, announcement, or training video. Corporate videos are made with a specific purpose for external or internal use.

The tone of corporate videos ranges widely. The examples in this article include videos that are casual and humorous, emotional and professional, as well as factual and direct. 

What Makes a Good Corporate Video? 

Below we cover tips for producing each specific type of corporate video, yet a few tips apply globally.

• Center the Viewer’s Experience. Corporate videos are created for a target audience. Make sure you capture their attention and keep them engaged.
• Showcase the Company’s Perspective. The best corporate video examples allow you to emotionally connect with the business, its purpose, or the people that work there. 
• Keep It Short & Simple. Most of our examples were about two minutes long and provided a clear message that was easy to absorb.

Regardless of the type of corporate video you create, determine a goal and know your audience. This information will be your “north star” when making creative decisions. 

Best Corporate Video Examples & Tips for Creating Your Own

Corporate Advertisements

Advertisements are the most common form of corporate videos. Some of the most successful ads pull on the heartstrings or make viewers genuinely laugh out loud. A good corporate ad video will resonate with target consumers and center the product’s value propositions. 

Thai Life Insurance

Restore your faith in humanity with this short story that follows a do-gooder who shares kindness for no apparent reward yet receives many. 

Spotify

This ad targets a specific segment of the Spotify user base. Yet those who find significant value in this feature would happily pay for Spotify Premium to use it. 

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Tell a Story or Get to the Point. Videos that tell a story capture the viewer’s attention emotionally. Those that get to the point demonstrate the product or service’s value within 30 seconds. 
• Showcase “Why.” Walk viewers through “why” your product or service exists, who it is for, and how it will transform their lives. What is the “before” and “after” in a customer’s life when your product or service is introduced?
• Value Your Target Audience. Businesses have a habit of creating advertising for a demographic without that demographic’s direct input. Avoid corporate mishaps by building a diverse team and employing inclusive video marketing. 

Product Demonstration or Explainer Video

This corporate video is the “elevator pitch” for your business or product. Often made with investors and consumers in mind, explainer videos convey the message in under two minutes and focus on the transformation a product offers. 

These videos are generally at the top of marketing funnels to build brand awareness and capture leads. All the tips (seen above) for corporate advertisements also apply here. However, unlike corporate advertisements, explainer videos tend to introduce a brand or product rather than highlight specific features or target niche audience segments.

Surf Lakes

This product brings surfing to still bodies of water. The video takes an idea for a niche audience (surfers) and showcases how it can be applied broadly in luxury or vacation destinations. 

Makers Making Change

This non-profit organization pairs volunteer makers with those who need affordable assistive technology. The animated explainer video perfectly showcases the problem people experience, and the solution it provides. 

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Include a Call to Action. After someone watches a video, what action do you want them to take? Consider how you will use your brand’s explainer video to create a customer journey. Get inspiration from our list of the best explainer videos.
• Consider Hiring a Production Company. Explainer videos can be used on your marketing website, landing pages, and social media. They are high-value content assets for a brand. While marketing budgets may require most videos to be made in-house or with the help of freelancers, explainers can be worth the greater investment. 
• Solve the Problem. Explainer videos often start by stirring up the emotional feeling of a problem. Your product or service solves that issue; therefore, the video provides emotional catharsis. This is often what makes explainer videos so effective. 

Employee Onboarding & Training

Businesses with new employee onboarding programs report higher retention rates (86%) than companies without (56%). These corporate videos provide the opportunity to set expectations, explain important new-hire information, and showcase the company’s culture. 

Additionally, corporate video training makes it easier for employees to retain information, even over extended periods of time. Training videos can be used to create consistency or share a strategy shift.

Metropolitan Airports Commission

The Metropolitan Airports Commission shares the experiences of current employees in this welcome video for new hires. The video conveys a desire for long-term happiness with the company and expresses its ability to support this in various ways. 

TrueCar

This video showcases the relaxed atmosphere of the company’s culture as the CEO delivers the welcome message in increasingly casual attire.

Coca-Cola

Released over a decade ago, this video accurately explains how modern marketing will (and did) shift. Most companies keep training content secure internally. But Coca-Cola hired an agency to help the company, giving us an inside look at how it approached the digital age. 

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Showcase Company Culture. Don’t be afraid to create light-hearted, casual videos that accurately convey your company’s culture. These corporate videos are a great opportunity to help new hires feel welcome and part of a community. 
• Secure Video Content. Create a private video library and secure content by combining multiple security measures, including login or password protection, IP address or location restriction, and signed embed codes or domain whitelisting.
• Measure Employee Engagement. Choose a video host with analytics that allows insight into individual video views. Tag a user and track completion rates. Use heat mapping to see what parts of the video are skipped or re-watched, then improve your onboarding experience with this information.

Origin Story or Mission Statement

An origin story or mission statement video is an opportunity to highlight your business and what makes it unique. Origin story videos share the history or inception of the company, while a mission statement video showcases its purpose beyond profit. The two examples below capture the wide spectrum of potential approaches. 

Risual

Risual takes a delightfully silly approach while providing a quick understanding of what the company does and who keeps it running.

Shopify

Shopify features real people who have changed their lives with the platform. This video is a great example of how a brand can bring its mission statement to life.

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Find the Hook. Like the text on the back of a book, what about your story (or the mission of your company) will make people care about your business? The structure of your narrative will depend on how you grab the viewer’s interest. 
• Provide Emotional Value. Whether serious or silly, create an emotional journey for the viewer. While many approaches are inspiring or empowering, Risual shows that humor and silliness can be persuasive too. 
• Build Trust. The more trust you have built with a target audience, the easier it is to persuade them of the value your business offers. Companies that lead with purpose often create a loyal user base. 

Recruiting & Behind-the-Scenes

Recruiting videos sell graduates and employees on the idea of working for your business. As exemplified below, modern recruiting videos are often less about the experience of working and more about the experience of life while working at the company.  

Google

When this Google recruiting video debuted nearly a decade ago, it accurately represented the company’s working culture. While elements of this video now feel outdated, the interviews with interns are timeless and drive the video’s narrative. 

Dropbox

Dropbox created an updated recruiting video that truly understands the current working culture: balance. This video features a company environment that prioritizes employee well-being.

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Showcase Values. Share the personality and attitudes of the company and those who work there. Some cultures are about growth and focus on the hustle, while others prefer to center balance and showcase fun events. 
• Rely on Authenticity. Recruiting videos have a tendency to oversell the company. This often presents as disingenuous. Consider what aspects of your company environment allow employees to thrive, both at work and in their personal lives. 
• Center Purpose. No one wants to work for a paycheck alone. The most engaged employees feel purposeful in their work. How does it feel to be part of your company? What are the broader goals that motivate everyone?

Testimonials & Case Studies

Share what your company does exceptionally well with customer feedback and examples of their success. Testimonials allow customers to talk about their direct experience with your product or service. Case studies are an opportunity to feature the customer’s “before” and “after” transformation that your product or service enables.

FreshBooks

Sarah is an interior designer who uses FreshBooks. Her story is highly relatable and her experience finding the right tools to run her business showcases the importance of software. 

Google

This case study showcases how Princess Polly scaled from a small business to international success with Google pay-per-click ads.

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Host Candid Interviews. Ditch scripted lines and reenacted scenarios. Choose interview questions that encourage the person to expound on their experience. Strive for authentic feedback when filming and use editing to create an engaging experience. 
• It’s Okay to Edit Quotes. If your video features written or voice-acted feedback from multiple sources (instead of live interviews), don’t be afraid to edit quotes for readability. While it is never okay to change the meaning of a quote, it’s okay to clarify. 
• Value Outweighs Production. This type of video doesn’t require the most impressive video production to convey its message and provide value. Save your budget for important marketing videos designed to expand brand awareness.

Announcements & Investor Relations 

The world is always changing. Businesses work hard to keep up and forge the future. In the past, a simple press release was enough to create buzz. But the video announcement has firmly taken its place. These types of corporate videos allow businesses to share their internal decisions externally, both with the public and investors. 

Apple

Apple’s corporate offices are already carbon neutral, but the company plans to bring sustainability to every stage of its manufacturing process. This video succinctly covers everything Apple plans to accomplish. 

Mailchimp

Mailchimp showcases the various non-profit organizations they support, the people who run them, and the importance of each. This values-based video also discusses Mailchimp’s vetting process and its focus on supporting well-managed charities.

Tips for Creating Your Own

• Go Above and Beyond. How does your company exceed expectations? Directly or indirectly, this type of video often features an update, change, or accomplishment that sets the company a step above its competition.
• Sincerity is Key. More than authentic, an announcement video should be sincere. While press release language is strictly factual, these videos need to contextualize the information. Once the viewer is equipped with that information, they should feel positive about the direction of the company and the leadership driving it forward. 
• Avoid Being a Salesperson. The biggest mistake an announcement video can make is to directly sell the company or its products. While this corporate video embellishes upon the traditional press release, it isn’t a marketing video and should center its message. 

Businesses use corporate videos to tell their stories. But you don’t need to follow a homogenized standard to standout. Showcase the values of your company, as well as the problems that you and your team are passionate about solving. Whatever you create, don’t be afraid to do it your way!

The post 15 Best Corporate Videos & Tips for Creating Your Own appeared first on SproutVideo.

Jumpstart your brainstorm and make the writing process easier. Learn how to download your personal, editable copy here.

Video is the most effective way to convey a message, tell a story, or promote a brand. It’s also 72% of consumers’ preferred way to learn about a product or service. 

A successful video is relevant to the viewer and engaging. Writing a script is crucial to producing a compelling video that people will enjoy watching. 

We’ll start with why it’s important to write a script for those tempted to skip this step. However, most people see the benefits yet get stuck wondering, “How do I actually write a script for my video?”

You’ve come to the right place! We’re going to cover writing a video script step by step. Plus, grab our free script template to jumpstart your creativity and make the writing process easier.

What Is a Video Script?

A video script outlines the details of your video, including the setting, characters, on-screen visuals, music, dialogue or voice-over, and more. 

Traditional scripts, like those written for movies, follow a particular format. This formatting provides a consistency that allows the script’s readers to understand the content and visualize the final outcome.

Scripts for how-to lessons, marketing announcements, product features, internal communications, and help videos tend to follow a looser format that, at minimum, includes the visuals and audio scene-by-scene. 

Why Write a Video Script?

It may be tempting to skip the daunting task of writing a video script in favor of “winging it.” Here are a few reasons to plan your video ahead of time by writing a script. 

Save Time and Money

Whether you’re working with a team or running a one-person crew, creating a video script can save time, money, and frustration. The real benefit of writing a video script is taking the time to fully map out your creative vision. By fleshing out the details, you’ll create a plan of action.

When working with a team, writing a video script helps avoid scheduling (and paying for) additional filming days or extra revisions for animation and editing. A strong plan prevents unnecessary back-and-forth and miscommunication between departments. 

Create an Effective Message

The first few seconds of your video are crucial. The social media conglomerate Meta, which owns both Facebook and Instagram, found that a viewer who sticks around for the first three seconds is likely to watch for 30 seconds. 

Writing a script provides multiple points to conceptualize the final result, get feedback, and clarify the vision. Without spending any money, you can brainstorm video ideas, write test scripts, and perform or read them to your peers. 

Writing a video script provides structure for refining your message. The result will be a higher quality video that took less time to produce than if you didn’t have a plan in place.  

Provide Space for Collaboration

Those who are working with a team or production company will find it necessary to align before creating the video. Team collaboration also helps to produce a video that appeals to a more diverse audience with different perspectives. By encouraging input from all team members involved, you can avoid corporate hiccups and mishaps.

How Many Words Are in a Minute of Video?

One minute of a video contains an average of 140-160 spoken words. This varies based on the pace of the speaker, as well as any action that takes place outside of the dialogue or voice-over. 

Traditional screenplays generally require one minute of video for every page of the script. However, for the purpose of your video script, assume that every 150 words will require about a minute of video. This will help you estimate how long of a video you are writing.

Estimating video length is important for both engagement and budget. 

How Much Does a 60-Second Video Cost?

42% of marketers spend less than $500 producing a video, but the average cost for a one-minute video when hiring a production company is $1,000-$10,000. 

The type of video you produce and the number of people (voice actor, director, animator, editor, etc.) involved in creating it will greatly impact the budget. 

Companies that create videos on a regular basis should consider bringing video production in-house or hiring freelancers for projects. 

Businesses with larger budgets may choose to hire a production company. Production costs vary widely between companies. Be sure to get a quote for your video and ask these five questions before signing a contract.  

What Video Length is Most Effective?

Videos under two minutes receive the most engagement. Yet viewers who watch for more than six minutes are likely to finish a video.

The ideal length of your video will depend on the subject matter and purpose of the video. 

In general, shorter videos (under three minutes) provide an introduction or overview, while longer videos allow the viewer to establish a connection and absorb more in-depth information. 

For this reason, shorter videos often use a hook (such as humor) to get the viewer’s attention. Longer videos might tell a story to create emotional investment or provide detailed instructions for the viewer to follow.

How to Write a Video Script (+ Free Template)

1. Choose Your Target Audience

The first question you need to answer when creating a video is “Who is this for?” The answer should align with a segment of your target audience.

When writing the video script and planning visuals, put your target audience front and center. Regardless of the type of video you are creating, the goal is to provide value to that audience. Therefore, it’s important to consider your audience’s budget, pain points, questions they might have, hesitations, and big desires. 

Businesses often create ideal avatars, or personas, that embody each segment of their target audience. Focus on appealing to one ideal avatar per video. 

2. Define Video Purpose & Set a Goal

Why is this video being created and what will it be used for? Determine the purpose of the video, then create a contextually appropriate goal. 

The video’s purpose will likely depend on the type of video you’re creating. An explainer video, for example, is meant to build brand awareness and increase top-of-the-funnel conversions. Therefore, the goal of this type of video will be directly related to that purpose.

Examples of Video Purpose & Goal 

• A how-to video to be embedded in a help article with the goal of reducing weekly support inquiries for that topic by 50%. 
• An onboarding video that teaches new employees how to set up their tax info, insurance, direct deposit, and log in to company-wide applications for their job — with the goal of removing the need for managers to directly train new team members on their first day.
• A middle-of-the-funnel video shared on social media, landing pages for retargeted ads, and within drip feed email campaigns with the goal of increasing free trial sign-ups by 20% and sales conversions by 8%.

3. Create an Outline

Now, you have the clarity to create an outline with focus and intention. It can be helpful to consider how long you want the video to be as you create the outline. This will allow you to specify how many words each section of your outline should have (give or take). 

Video Script Formula in 4 Steps

Every video is different. This formula is optimized for shorter marketing videos. However, these four sections will help you create a broad outline for nearly any video. Use this if it helps create structure, but don’t be afraid to break the format.

1. Start with ‘Why?’ 

Get to the point immediately, whether you’re providing information or marketing a product. Consider what you’re conveying (both visually and with audio or music) within the first three, 10, and 30 seconds. 

These are the most crucial moments for getting someone’s attention. But as we saw with this seven-minute short film of an ad from Lyft, there are many ways to encourage viewers to pause and watch.  

2. Present the Problem

This stage is about highlighting and emphasizing the pain points your customer base is frustratingly familiar with. This sometimes is called “agitating the problem,” because it sets viewers up for emotional relief when you present your solution.  

For some types of videos, the problem might be less obvious. For example, an onboarding video that covers How to Set Up Slack might point out some of the common issues that remote workers face, which using the application solves.

3. Illustrate Your Solution

This section contains the “main course” of the video. It’s valuable information that presents your solution to viewers. This solution might be in the form of a product or service, information, tutorial, entertainment, or emotional connection. This section includes whatever form of value you’re providing to viewers. 

4. Include a Call to Action 

What action do you want viewers to take after watching the video? Incorporate one call to action at the end of every video. 

Instead of asking viewers to make a decision, direct the ideal path you want them to take. (Keeping in mind that they may still choose a random path.) 

4. Find the Hook

We’ve discussed the importance of capturing the viewer’s attention as soon as possible. This is called “the hook”. 

A hook doesn’t need to be flashy to be effective. Generally, it immediately tells the viewer what to expect from the video. This might be a quick overview of what’s to come, a direct question to the viewer, an enticing vibe created by the visuals and music, or anything else that convinces the viewer to stick around and watch. 

Here are some example hooks from our list of the best marketing videos:

• The Amazon Go video shows a shopper entering the store by scanning an iPhone. This offers a two-second preview of cashierless shopping, which the video introduced. 
• The CrazyEgg video simply showed an animation of words falling onto the screen with a subtle ‘splat’ sound, “The heat map tool that shows why your visitors aren’t converting.”
• The Grammarly ad opens with a head coach (who we follow throughout the video) directly stating to the viewer, “My job is to make college easier.”
• Dissolve’s video opens with a graphic of the video’s title, “This is a Generic Brand Video,” which is both informative and the first joke in a video full of laughs. 
• Poo-Pourri opens with a well-dressed woman sitting in a basic toilet stall. In an English accent she states, “You would not believe the motherload I just dropped.” It’s no wonder this video skyrocketed the company into mainstream success.

Oftentimes, the solution your product or service provides is compelling on its own. In which case, an effective hook will be as informative as it is engaging. 

This list also highlights that a great hook is more than just good writing. It’s the setup of the entire video. How will your visuals and audio work together so that people want to keep watching? 

5. Write the Script & Plan Each Scene

Now it’s time to write the actual script! This is a first draft. It’s an opportunity to put everything you have in your mind onto the page. If you’re working with a team, it’s time for everyone to bring their expertise to the collaboration. 

It’s easy to think of scriptwriting as just the words that will be spoken. But a helpful video script will include:

• Visuals, setting, or on-screen action;
• Dialogue and voice-overs;
• Music and sound effects.

Even if you don’t have every detail figured out, describe each aspect when planning out the scenes. As you collaborate with a team (film crew, animators, editors, designers), it will be easier to convey what is wanted. 

Free Video Script Template

Open Video Script Template

To make this process easier, we created a video script template. Here’s how to get your personal copy.

1. Get immediate access to the Free Video Script Template by clicking the button (above).
2. Sign up for the SproutVideo newsletter and select Submit.
3. Click “View Our Video Script Template.”

For Google Drive Users

1. Within the script template (Google Spreadsheet), choose “File” in the upper left corner.
2. Select “Make a Copy.”
3. Rename the file if desired. Click the green button, “Make a Copy.”
4. Your personal copy will open. This spreadsheet is editable.

For All Other Users

1. Within the script template (Google Spreadsheet), choose “File” in the upper left corner.
2. Select “Download,” and choose “Microsoft Excel.”
3. Rename the file if desired. Save it to your computer.
4. Open it with your preferred spreadsheet software.

Plan and write your video script!

Once you’ve created your own copy of the template, you can customize it to your liking. For example, add a Storyboarding column to insert quick sketches of each scene.

6. Edit the Script 

Take a break. After you have written your script, put it away for the day. Revisit the script with fresh eyes after a good night’s sleep.

A beautiful thing happens when you get into a writing flow: it all feels genius. Once you take a step back, you may realize it needs improvement. This is completely normal! 

Let your rough draft be rough. Then when editing the script, step into the mindset of your target audience.

Script Writing is like Making Pizza Dough

Pizza dough needs to be proofed and kneaded before you can roll it out.

The proofing of the dough encourages fermentation, which adds air and depth of flavor. Then the gluten in the dough needs to be ripped apart continuously to form stronger bonds (kneading).

Writing is the same.

Take a break from the “dough” (rough draft) you’ve just created. Let it ferment in your brain. When you return, you’ll be ready to rip it apart to make something amazing.

Just like with pizza dough, it’s important not to skip the “rest” stage in favor of editing immediately. You will still be attached to what you created and unable to review it objectively.

Give yourself some time with the draft before asking how it could be better. Consider having peers review the script as well after your personal revisions.

Want more? Use these 10 tips for editing to walk through the process. 

7. Test Your Script Off-Camera

Whether you read your script out loud or perform in front of a small audience, find some way to get real-time feedback. 

Another way you can showcase and evaluate your script is by creating a storyboard. This could simply be quick sketches of each scene, shot-for-shot. Storyboards allow you to present the visuals and dialogue or narration in a format that mimics the final result. 

Dialogue and narration that reads well on the page may not sound as smooth spoken aloud. Even just recording yourself describing the video can help you make important final changes that improve the final result. 

Small businesses and content creators might also consider involving loyal customers by requesting feedback in exchange for a discount or gift card. This approach can be especially helpful when producing a marketing video. 

Quick Tips for Video Script Writing

Here are some of the most important nuggets of information from the article as well as bonus tips (and things to consider) for writing an engaging video script.

• Keep word or page count in mind. Every 140 words of your script will need about a minute of video. Use this information to estimate video length while writing.
• Find the hook. Capture the viewer’s attention within the first ten seconds of the video. This will increase engagement and the number of people who watch until the end. 
• Create a plan of action. Use our free script template to visualize every scene of your video and plan it out shot-for-shot. 
• Take a break between writing and editing. Don’t hold back when writing your rough draft. But step into the mind of your target audience when editing. 
• Providing sincere value to viewers. This will build trust and encourage a community to gather around your company, which lends to a sustainable business model.
• Optimize for no sound. Meta found that video ads with captions have 12% longer viewing times on average than those without captions. 
• Stay true to your brand. If the tone of your company is light-hearted, your marketing videos should be too. The vibe of your video should match your company culture.

The post How to Easily Write a Video Script (+ Free Template) appeared first on SproutVideo.

You can share an explainer video across marketing channels; it is the most valuable content asset for the top of your sales funnel. 

Whether creating an explainer video in-house or writing a creative brief for a production company, brainstorming video ideas can be challenging. That’s why we put together a list of the 10 best explainer video examples — some of which you may even remember. 

This complete guide will also cover the types of explainer videos and how to make one (step-by-step). Here’s everything you need to create a stellar explainer video.

What Is an Explainer Video?

Explainer videos showcase a product or brand and the problem it solves, generally in less than 90 seconds. 

They build brand awareness, explain how the product works, and include a call to action.

Businesses use explainer videos for their homepage, landing pages, email campaigns, paid advertisements, sales outreach, and on social media. 

Think of the explainer video as your company’s elevator pitch. What experience does your product or service create for your customers? How are their lives transformed? 

An explainer video succinctly illustrates the value proposition of your product. It answers ‘why?’ — instead of focusing on features (the ‘how’ and ‘what’ of your product). 

For this reason, explainer videos more easily persuade consumers by presenting the ‘before’ and ‘after’ transformation they will experience with your product or service.

The Benefits of Explainer Videos

Video is one of the most powerful marketing strategies a company can use to build awareness and sell products or services. Explainer videos inherit and amplify these benefits.

• Landing pages with embedded video get 86% more conversions than text-only pages. 
• In a survey of nearly 600, 96% of people said they have watched an explainer video to learn about a product or service.
• 66% of people prefer to learn about a product or service by watching a short video. 
• Adding video to a campaign increases conversions by 34%.
• 52% of marketers cite that video produces the highest ROI for content.
• Viewers retain 95% of a message when conveyed by video, compared to 10% when read in text. 

Types of Explainer Videos

There are three major types of explainer videos: live-action, animation, and screencast. When choosing the type of video to create for your brand, consider which type will showcase your product best. 

Note: Alternatively, you can combine animation and live-action for the best of both worlds. We did this at SproutVideo to introduce our hosted video websites!

1. Live-Action Explainer Videos

Live-action videos use actual footage and are generally more expensive to create. Producing a live-action explainer video can require hiring actors and crew, choosing a location, shooting the footage, editing, and more. Some businesses choose to hire a video production company because of this complexity.

These types of videos tend to encourage more engagement than animated explainer videos. If brand awareness is a primary goal, producing a more significant return may be worth the added expense. Every company’s product or service is different, and live-action video may not be the most effective way to tell every story.

2. Screencast Explainer Videos

Screencast explainer videos highlight the user experience and how a product (like software) works. The screencast demonstration may incorporate animation or live-action footage to add versatility and personality to the video.

While this may be the most accessible type of explainer video to produce, it’s still important to focus on creating a high-quality result. 

3. Animated Explainer Videos

There are many types of animations an explainer video might utilize: motion graphics, 3D, 2D, and even whiteboard animation. Depending on the animation style, this can be a professional yet low-cost option for creating an explainer video. 

For some brands (like the Grammarly video featured below), combining live-action with on-screen animation helps tell the whole story. 

10 Best Explainer Video Examples

Writing a winning script and knowing your audience are the elements that matter most when creating a successful explainer video. To help spark inspiration for your brainstorm, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best explainer video examples. 

10. Slack

Creating a wordless explainer video is a challenge. But wordless videos can produce a genuinely interesting and versatile result for the right product. This Slack video, for example, relies on animation and music to tell its story. 

From the moment our main character wakes up, the speed of modern communication overwhelms them, and the music reflects this frantic pace. Yet when they open the Slack app, everything changes. 

The video illustrates how it feels to use Slack for communication. Slack recognizes that overwhelming communication is a common pain point for its users. Without a word of dialogue, this video promises viewers an emotional transformation if they use Slack. 

9. Amazon Go

The first Amazon Go store opened in Seattle in 2018. But a year prior, the concept of a cashierless store was unheard-of. Amazon needed to explain the idea to future potential customers. And they did a great job with this video by showcasing what it would be like to shop in an Amazon Go store.

The video also generated a lot of conversation, both about the technology and societal implications. While the success of these stores is still to be determined, this explainer video perfectly illustrates the vision Amazon has for cashierless shopping. 

8. Crazy Egg

Now 10 years old, this Crazy Egg explainer video introduced a lot of businesses to the idea of heat maps for increased conversions. It’s rare for a B2B marketing video to go viral, but this one did because it solves a major pain point. Businesses of all sizes can quickly relate to the frustrations outlined, and the video thoroughly showcases its solution. 

7. Grammarly

This Grammarly explainer video targets a specific segment of its audience: students. The video combines on-screen software previews with real-life student situations to show how the program helps students present their ideas professionally. 

It also showcases that schools support students using Grammarly to help with their workload. In this way, the ad uniquely advertises Grammarly to both students and universities that might offer discounts on or free use of premium accounts for students. 

6. Dissolve

Another B2B example is Dissolve’s award-winning explainer video, which went viral in 2014. The ad features various stock footage examples with a tongue-in-cheek voice-over originally published as a poem by Kendra Eash on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. As the video concludes, we learn that all the footage is from Dissolve’s stock library. 

It’s arguably risky to poke fun at the people (i.e. marketers) who will buy your product, but Dissolve’s video pulls it off with flying colors. The video worked so well that the company launched a follow-up ‘Generic Millenial Ad’ a few years later, which also garnered significant success. 

5. Nest

Nest’s video showcases an understanding of its audience’s pain points and highlights the product’s features as a solution. The video is a 2D animation that includes real images of Nest’s products. The juxtaposition of these elements creates a viewing experience that is novel and more engaging than illustrations alone. The video is slightly longer than the average B2C explainer, but Nest uses that time to showcase the in-depth automation of a Nest-connected home. 

4. Ahrefs

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a confusing topic. Furthermore, it can be difficult to showcase the value of SEO in a way that business leaders will appreciate. The way Ahrefs’ explainer video tackles this challenge is exactly what makes it so impeccable. 

Within the first 15 seconds, the video showcases the power of SEO: increased traffic to your website equals more sales. The video continues by highlighting some of the specific aspects of SEO and how simple it is to improve the SEO of your company’s website with the software.

3. Dollar Shave Club

Personality is everything in this video. The production setup is minimal; filming occurs in the Dollar Shave Club offices and warehouse. Mike, the founder, moves through the building describing the product’s benefits while silliness ensues all around him. 

The video concludes with Mike, a bear (well, a person in a bear costume), and one of the warehouse employees having a dance party in front of the American flag. Ultimately, it’s a great example of combining entertainment (specifically, humor) and information to sell a product. Seven years after Dollar Shave Club released this video, it sold for $1 billion.

2. Lyft

Sometimes, the non-traditional approach wins. This video highlights the importance of explaining a product’s existence rather than showing off its features. Lyft ran its seven-minute short film of an explainer video as an advertisement, and thousands of people in the video’s comment section said it made them stop and watch instead of pressing ‘Skip Now’. 

1. Poo-Pourii

We’d be remiss not to include the best explainer video ever made. Poo-Pourii was already a successful product when this advertisement launched its brand awareness into the stratosphere. 

The video received tens of millions of views (currently 44 million). To capitalize on this success, the brand released multiple other ads with the same actor over the next few years. Poo-Pourii went from being a best-kept secret to one of the most popular air fresheners on the market. 

How to Make an Explainer Video (Step-by-Step)

Let’s walk through each step of making an explainer video. There is no correct way; remember who you’re communicating with and why your product or service is important. The best explainer video is sincere and effective at presenting your company’s solution to a problem. 

1. Determine Production Budget

Before you even brainstorm explainer video ideas, it’s essential to determine the budget. We broke down how we spent $4,000 creating our explainer video. But there are various options depending on what type of video you want to make and the money you can spend.

How Long Should an Explainer Video Be?

Video production costs are estimated per minute. The typical explainer video will be 60-90 seconds long, while B2B explainer videos tend to run a little longer at 2-3 minutes. Therefore, it’s essential to consider this aspect of creating your video when writing the script or getting quotes from production companies. 

How Much Do Explainer Videos Cost?

Companies with larger budgets may hire a production company to create the video. A production company works with you on the best way to highlight the most critical information about your product and make it stand out engagingly. 

The average cost per minute in the industry is $1,000-$10,000. However, this can significantly vary depending on the company, with the average quote hovering around $8,500 for a 60-second video.

Alternatively, a company may hire a professional animator or use its in-house video production team. While these alternatives present some lower-budget options, a company should expect to invest in its video to produce a return on that investment.

2. Write the Script (or Creative Brief)

The script sets the tone for the entire video. In the explainer video examples above, we saw many approaches. Some brands, like Match.com and Poo-Pourii, use shock value and humor to delight and surprise while selling their product or service. 

Lyft takes a different, emotional approach by catching viewers’ attention with music and good vibes, leading to a heart-warming and engaging story that keeps viewers watching for seven minutes. 

Other companies recognize the need to convey a pain point or problem directly. Ahrefs, for example, immediately starts the video with, “Here’s the problem…,” and quickly outlines its solution. On the opposite end, Dissolve showed off its product rather than discussing it. In this case, the product reveal at the end feels like another punchline within the funny video.

The script is a vital piece of the project to get right. Even if your company plans to produce the video in-house, consider hiring a professional copywriter to write the video script. 

What Should an Explainer Video Include?

Four main elements are needed to successfully convey your message when writing your explainer video script or outlining the creative brief. 

1. Illustrate the problem or pain point.
2. Showcase the solution: your product.
3. Explain further details and how it works.
4. Present a call to action.

Even if your video takes a non-traditional approach, like the 7-minute dialogue-free Lyft video, hit these four beats to create a compelling explainer video.

Combine a well-written script (even if it includes no words) with an insightful understanding of your customers’ pain points and your company’s inventive solution to create a successful video. 

3. Produce the Explainer Video

There are multiple options when producing an explainer video. Let’s consider the differences between a business that hires a production company versus one that creates its explainer video in-house.

Working with a Production Company

If you’re working with a production company, part of the pre-production process will include aligning on the creative vision and determining the steps to bring it to life. 

Once this process is complete, the production company may take 4-6 weeks to film or animate the video before producing a first draft. 

Once the project moves into the editing stage, it will be time to collaborate on music (unless already decided) and record a voice actor if needed. 

Live-Action In-House Videos

This stage will be more intensive for companies producing live-action in-house video. You must:

• Hire a director, actors, and film crew.
• Choose a location and ensure proper staging.
• Create a filming schedule and shoot the footage.
• Hire and record a voice actor (if needed).
• Edit the footage and add music.

There are many creative ways to stay on budget when producing your video. Check out our crash course on video production to learn more. 

Animated In-House Videos

Companies producing animated videos must choose the type of animation: 2D, 3D, motion graphics, whiteboard, etc. Whether working with an employee or hiring a freelancer, create a storyboard for the animated video before spending the money to have it animated. 

As with a live-action video, you may need to record a voice actor. You will also need to edit or hire a professional editor to add music to the video and ensure a quality final result. Read our guide on producing high-quality animation videos to learn more. 

4. Market Your Explainer Video

When your video is complete, it’s time to create and launch a marketing plan. Follow these three easy steps to launch your explainer video. 

1. Choose A Video Host

Where will you upload the video?

Many companies upload videos to YouTube for the general public and their video hosting platform. A video host allows a business to embed the video on its marketing website ad-free with customized branding, in-player calls-to-action, and post-play screens. Learn more about the marketing tools included with a SproutVideo account here.

2. Create Your Marketing Plan

Plan to share your new explainer video across marketing channels. Celebrate the launch of this video by debuting it to your audience on your: 

• Homepage or landing page
• Email newsletter
• Blog
• Social media 
• Community thread (i.e. Discord, Meta Group)
• Live stream event
• Paid advertisements 

Make a list of all the channels your business uses to communicate with both customers and your target audience. Choose a launch date and create marketing materials to celebrate the launch of this new explainer video. 

The most important part of this step is determining how you will direct traffic to this video. Using past and current data to estimate views and set conversion goals can be helpful. If your website is capable, consider performing an A/B test with and without the video. 

Note: When filming your video, consider whether you will crop the video for social media platforms. Read our article on optimizing videos for social sharing for helpful tips.

3. Launch Your Video Across Channels

When launch day arrives, it’s officially time to integrate the explainer video into your brand and website. Before launch, ensure your team has coordinated marketing materials and publishing times. Once published, it’s time to celebrate. 

It’s highly likely that many people worked hard and put a lot of effort and love into creating this video. Don’t be afraid to share that journey with your audience. Consider creating a behind-the-scenes (BTS) video or blog post to bring your audience into the experience. 

4. Measure Video Success 

An explainer video can provide value to your audience for years. For this reason, consider measuring the initial engagement boost you receive from launching your video across marketing channels. Compile this data within the first couple weeks of launch. 

Then, continue to periodically measure the success of the explainer video as part of your ongoing marketing plan. You might use a few different analytics tools to do this:

• Google Analytics: A tried-and-true way to review the success of your content, especially when embedding video on your website. 
• YouTube: This social media hosting platform provides basic analytic data for tracking general video engagement.
• Your video hosting platform: Detailed video analytics and data provide a lot of valuable information. Private video hosting platforms often include tools that make measuring the return on your investment easier. 

SproutVideo, for example, allows you to view the usual data (i.e. impressions, plays, watch time, engagement, and more). However, we also collect engagement data for every single video play. This data allows us to provide you with a heat map of video engagement to investigate what people watched, re-watched, or skipped.

Quick Tips for Explainer Videos

Looking for some quick advice? Here’s the TL;DR on how to make a great explainer video:

• Get to the point. Present your product’s main value proposition within the video’s first 30-45 seconds. 
• Focus on the value proposition. What is the ‘why’ behind your product or service? Showcase the benefits and transformation rather than features (in most cases).
• Invest in the explainer video. This video is the most valuable content asset at the top of your sales funnel. Produce a professional product to see a return on investment. 
• Launch across marketing channels. Include an explainer video on your homepage, sales pages, social media, newsletter, paid ads, and more. 
• Measure your ROI. A private video hosting platform, like SproutVideo, provides detailed information about video impressions, engagement, and much more.

The post The 10 Best Explainer Videos & How to Make One appeared first on SproutVideo.