5 tips on planning a must-watch promo video

How to put in the framework to win & hold people’s attention on your video

We are a brand studio based in Torquay, South Devon, offering branding, website design & brand video to creative businesses across the UK - this is part of our series of video tips (alongside website and video), and you can find out more about our video services for businesses.

A lively, engaging one-minute video may sound pretty straightforward, but it's surprisingly easy to get wrong.

Imbalanced, poor tempo, unclear message, no obvious action - the list goes on...

If you've been in that place, here are five things to consider when planning the next one-minute promo video for your business:

1. Create a storyboard

This may sound silly or for cartoons, but a clear plan for each segment of your video is key.

Imagine breaking one minute into 12 sections - that's five seconds per segment, allowing you create a flow and build your message.

Here are a few things you can do practically:

• Simply get an A4 piece of paper and draw your boxes by hand

• Add notes and details to help you with your plan - such as segment numbers; what to include in each; where the key points of the video are

• Sketch out scenes as you imagine them or do a doodle - this helps to visualise what it will look like

2. Start by setting the scene

As in our last set of video tips, this is the departure lounge or taxiing to the runway.

Create an interesting opening with context and something to look forward to.

Be succinct and don't waffle; ideally, hook people in with something juicy upfront.

Here are a few things you can do practically:

• Avoid starting with a boring, bland introduction to you or your business

• What’s a hook that will grab attention?

• Give a bit more context after the introduction

3. Continue the build up

Video, particularly on social media, is a fight for attention; brutally, you've only got one or two segments before a lot of people click away.

Build on your opening with further compelling segments.

Here are a few things you can do practically:

• Think about what things or details will keep people watching

• What’s important or interesting to you may not be so to your viewers

• Build on your intro; don’t start jumping around erratically

4. Work up to a climax

By half-way, you should be presenting your best material, creating the most drama or biggest piece of value for your audience.

Everything preceding should have built up to this point.

Here are a few things you can do practically:

• Look over everything you want to include and identify what’s most important

• You can also use Post-It notes to move segments around to get the right sequence

• Less is more - be ruthless about what is your best material

5. Resolution & call to action

All that's left is to wrap things up, drawing your viewer to what should be an obvious action point.

Having elevated emotions and intrigue, your number one Call To Action should be a seamless transition.

Here are a few things you can do practically:

• Don’t end abruptly - mirror the build up at the start

• Again, think about the most important next step you want people to make

• Make that step clear and simple to follow

As we mentioned, don’t forget to try this out on paper. Two stacks of six boxes is sufficient and it's much easier to plan, tweak and follow.

If you've found that helpful, we've love to hear below, otherwise tune in again next week for video tips.

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