11 Jun 3 Insider Tips: How To Put Together A Promotional Video Script
Three Insider Tips On How To Put Together A Winning Promotional Video Script
So, you want to put together a script for your promotional video, but don’t know where to get started? Here at Soul Arch Media there’s a few pointers we give out – we like to call it the ‘ABC’ of how to put together a promotional video script.
To start, simply get a piece of notepaper out and break it into three sections labeled A, B and C – you’ll be entering the info gathered below.
A stands for Agenda
Do you know what your agenda or goal is for creating a video? At Soul Arch Media we’ll often ask our smaller business clients what the goal for their video is, and they’ll often reply that they just want an explainer ‘Product Tutorial‘ style video or just something pretty to whack on their website homepage, and haven’t thought much about goals. They’re thinking about a video’s overall use or purpose, which is very important too, but they haven’t considered desired results. That’s totally fine, however bigger corporate clients rarely enter into video production without an end goal in mind – they understand every piece of communication your business puts together should have a distinct role in a ‘marketing funnel’. If you’re not familiar with the term marketing funnel, it’s basically a bread crumb trial of content leading your clients inch by inch towards some desired action – if you’re selling expensive items it may be a step in your sales process, like requesting a catalogue or signing up for a newsletter, or if your product isn’t expensive your goal may be just to send traffic to your store to buy your product.
So even if you just want something pretty on your homepage or a quick video to explain how your product works, ask yourself – after people have finished watching your video, what’s the one conversion goal you’d most like them to perform? Would you prefer viewers request a quote, download your whitepaper, book into one of your seminars, buy from your online store or browse your product catalogue? Although all these options may all sound good, pick just one that best aligns with where your customer will be in their buying cycle when they watch it.
Write your goal down, and circle it – you’ll be needing it again later.
While we’re still on ‘A’, really ponder what your customer’s agenda is too. What’s leading them to look for the products or services your company offers?
Underneath your goal, jot down a list of problems your products solve for customers, as well as ways your business, product or services could make their life better.
B is for Brainstorm
Now that you’ve established everyone’s agenda, it’s time to brainstorm ideas for the video’s overall style. To get the ball rolling, watch a few other videos online and ask your team to do the same– what do you like? What do you hate? More importantly, what do you think your customers would like? Are they more likely to respond to humour, sentimental stories, or slick modern presentations? What style or tone of video best aligns with your brand? Don’t be afraid to survey your customers to get clearer ideas here.
Then to start jotting words down for your script, simply start with your customer’s agenda. Then in keeping with the style you’ve determined, gradually add the material needed to take customers on a journey and bridge the gap towards your ‘goal’.
For example, say you wanted to put together a video that showed how your revolutionary new yo-yo works. You’ve established your agenda is to get people to buy from your online store, and that your customer’s agenda is to find cool toys for their kids that aren’t expensive and get them up and moving and away from the TV/computer. You’ve watched a few videos and asked a few customers, and think a fun/high energy style of video would suit.
Start with your customer’s agenda for your opening line. The easiest way to do this is by looking to your list of client agendas.
Note the things you listed under the way you’re company/products are making customers lives easier – can you turn one of these into an opening line? EG: “Welcome to XYZ yoyos, delivering affordable toys your kids will treasure.”
Or alternatively, turn your client’s problems into questions, eg: “Tired of buying your kids expensive toys? Can’t seem to get your kids away from their computer?”
Then tell them why your yo yo is the answer to their problems (hint: you jotted this out earlier, too).
If you’re making a product tutorial, this is where you show how your product works next – break this down into really simple steps or cool visuals. Don’t throw up a long shopping list of everything your product/service can do here, stick to key features only.
Once you’ve established ‘what’ you want to include, brainstorm the ‘who’ and ‘where’ too.
Do you want to star in the video, or do you want an actor or voice over artist? Do you want it filmed at your business, or elsewhere? Is there a product to feature, or is it a service? To make these decisions easier, think about the style of video you’re aiming for – usually this will help guide you.
Keep it simple – under two minutes is ideal. For script wordcount, talking speed vary greatly but 125-150 words is roughly 1 minute, 160-225 words will come in around 90 seconds, while 250-300 words will clock somewhere near 2 minutes.
C is for Call To Action (And Collaboration!)
Telling people what you want them to do next is called a ‘Call to Action’. Every piece of marketing material needs one, and video is no exception.
But every action you ask your customers to make, understand that you have to overcome objections too. Basically, nobody likes buying a dud, or getting spammed. It’s your script’s job to reassure customers you’re one of the good guys.
So before you close with a call to action, add some kind of reassurance. Add testimonials here. If you have a money back guarantee, mention it. If you’re asking people to join your mailing list, tell them they can opt out at any time. Think about common objections, and address them.
So close the script by asking for your goal, but include something short to address people’s aversion to risk. This could be as simple as; “Buy online today from www.wehavegreatyoyos.com – the best yoyos around or your money back!” or “Order your yoyo today an enjoy a 30 day risk-free trial – visit www.wehavegreatyoyos.com”. You get the idea!
It’s that simple. Now that you have an outline for your script, download our Script Template and enter your script on one side, along with notes or instructions on the visuals you’ll need to bring the video to life on the other.
Don’t skip this step – put some serious thought into the kind of imagery that will bring your script to life.
Once you’ve got your basic script into a proper document, it’s then time to collaborate. If you’re working with a film company or an editor, send it away and ask them for input – they’ll let you know what’s achievable and what may need to be changed. If you’re working on the project without professional help, ask your friends, employees or work colleagues for feedback.
Got questions? Shoot us a line or call 07 55595551. And don’t forget to download our Video Script template (the link is in this page’s sidebar >>)
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