8 Best Practices for Standout Product Videos

When it comes to producing your product videos, where do you begin?

Before you press record, use these three steps to make your first product video a success.

1.Plan

Create your product video plan.

Think about how you want to present your product and what information you want to include.

The following questions are a good starting point:

• What are the key features of your product and what problems do they solve? Think about how your product can make your customers’ lives better and present it in a way that will help them understand not only what your product is, but why they should buy it.

• What questions do customers most frequently ask about your product? Be sure to address these in your video(s).

• Is there a unique backstory that would make your product more appealing to potential buyers? If so, tell it!

• Does your product come in different variations? If so, are they different enough that you’d want to create separate videos for each, or do you want to incorporate all of them into a single video? Think through what is most convenient for the customer.

2. Select a Format

Think about how you’d like to format your video in terms of narration.

There are three popular options I recommend.

The first is to have someone on camera showing off the product.

The second is to use voice-over.

If neither of these is an option for you, you can also use titles and captions to narrate your video. Check out text narration in action in the below example.

Check out these 13 explainer video examples for more inspiration!

3. Prepare Your Script

Once you know the key features you’d like to share about your product, do a little brainstorming around how you will present them.

Note that for many product videos — specifically for visual items like clothing, shoes, jewelry,  and art — your aim should be to give your customer a more in-depth look at your product and explore the features as if they were exploring the product in person.

In your script, briefly introduce the product and then reveal the key features that customers would find beneficial.

If your product is more utilitarian — like kitchen tools or electronics — you may want to show it in action in your video. Intro your product and then show a brief demo of someone using it.

Get Started Now

Want to begin building beautiful videos right now? Animoto has a tool for that.

4. Gather Assets

Once your script is ready to go, it’s time to gather all of the assets you need to create your video.

Before you start shooting anything, take inventory of any photos and videos shot previously that could be used to illustrate the product in your video.

These could be assets created by you, or shared with you by customers. While you’re gathering the assets you already have, also grab a high resolution logo for branding purposes.

Once you’ve written your script, collected and shot all your photos and video clips, decided on your music and how you’re going to tell your story, it’s time to edit your video clips, photos, music, text and graphics together to create your video.

5. Focus on Engagement

There’s a ton of video content online and, as such, the attention spans of viewers are shorter than ever. For this reason, it’s important to make sure that your video is engaging.

• Keep your videos short and to the point. Animoto’s survey showed that nearly two-thirds of consumers prefer videos that are under 60 seconds. Note that 10 to 15 images or video clips will result in a video that’s approximately one minute long.

• If you’re creating a video for Facebook, remember that viewers need to click to hear audio so ask yourself whether your video is able to capture attention without sound within the first few seconds.

6. Brand Consistently

Do you have a logo for your shop? How about brand colors? Make sure to incorporate these into your video. You want the video to be recognizable as coming from you, so including these elements is important.

7. Use Music

You can’t have a discussion about audio for video without talking about music.

Music sets the mood or energy of your video, so it’s important to put some thought into any background tracks you use.

Here are some tips for choosing music:

• Select an upbeat track that will make your viewer feel happy. After all, happy customers are more likely to buy!

• If you’re choosing a song with lyrics, make sure the lyrics relate to the product you are trying to sell and aren’t coming out of left field.

• If you’re using a voiceover or video of someone speaking to the camera, avoid using music with lyrics as it can make it difficult to understand what the person is saying.

• Remember that you don’t have to start the song from the beginning. You can always edit a song down to the catchiest section.

Pro Tip

Only use music that you have the rights to use. You can either use music that is in the public domain or license it. Some video creation tools, like Animoto, include registered music as a part of their subscription. Click here for additional resources.

8. Include a Call to Action

Be sure to include a call to action in your video so that viewers know what action you’d like them to take after watching.

This could be anything from visiting your website to making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. The choice is yours.

The three most common ways to include a call to action in your video are as follows:

1. Add a title card at the end of your video that tells viewers what to do next.

2. Use voice-over or a person speaking on camera to tell viewers what to do next.

3. Add a call-to-action button to your video that viewers can click on to visit a new link. (Note: This is only available on certain video platforms.)

In the next post, you’ll learn tricks of the trade to increase customer trust and engagement through your videos.