Last week I launched my website (yes, this one) with a promotional video! It helped me learn even more about videography and the key elements that make a strong promo video.

Today, I’ll go through 5 elements I think are paramount to a good promo video, and the things I continue to use in my work for my clients.

TL;DR

1. The Hook: stop people in their tracks
2. Three-Part Structure: beginning, middle and end
3. Pacing & Timing: ensure your video flows
4. Music: make sure it fits the tone
5. Embedded Messaging: don’t make your message overly explicit

1. The Hook

It is paramount that your promo video has a good hook that stops people in their tracks and keeps them from scrolling. Some good hooks include:

• ‘Everyone is wrong about…’ (The normal reaction is ‘I’m not wrong, how dare you!’)
• Direct address/breaking the fourth wall (e.g. ‘You’re sat there, watching me’)
• Abstract Scenarios (something/one somewhere it/they shouldn’t be)

Creativity stands out. Make sure your hook is relevant to the rest of your video, or drop-off will increase once the hook wears off. You must keep that momentum going, which is where you use…

2. Three-Part Structure

If you’ve ever read, written, filmed or watched a story of any form, I’m sure you’re accustomed to the 3 Part Structure, maybe even if you don’t consciously know it. Simply put, every story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Others may know it as the Set Up, the Confrontation and the Resolution.

You must tell a story with your promo video, not only to keep viewers engaged but also to lead them on a journey that actually makes them <care>. Let’s dive deeper into each stage.

1. Set Up: Introduction of our ‘characters’ and ‘world’. Taking my promo video for example, the first clip introduces me in my home, and the ‘First Act’ ends with me sitting at my desk and opening my laptop, which is my job and what I am promoting. This should kick off the ‘story’ and grab the viewers’ attention.
2. Confrontation: This doesn’t have to literally be a confrontation. Act 2 should be the biggest; the bulk of the story and video. This is where the story develops. It should be entertaining, but it should also SHOW the audience what you are and what you do. Act 2 = bulk of the story.
3. Resolution: In a superhero film, this is where everyone recovers from mass destruction. In a promo video, it’s about tying everything into a neat bow. It should feel final and leave the viewer satisfied. Here, you would typically add a Call to Action to prompt the viewer to take action.

This framework is great at the scriptwriting and storyboarding stage, as it helps you gain momentum and arrange all of your ideas into something that will actually work. BUT, don’t take it too literally. If done right, Act 2 can be a little shorter, for example, or you could have 5 Acts. Storytelling is subjective, after all.

3. Pacing & Timing

Going back to the topic of momentum, you must ensure your promo video keeps moving forward to keep your viewer engaged. Most promo videos are a minute or less (and I endorse this as a general rule), and whilst in day-to-day life that goes by in a blink, it can easily feel like an hour. You’ve used a microwave before, you know.

It’s a common misconception that videos must be fast-paced in order to maintain engagement. This isn’t necessarily true. Different businesses and the products/services they promote call for different techniques.

• Where the intent of the promo video is clarity, demonstration, and entertainment, you would use a faster pace.
• A promo video that aims to build trust and connection may favour slower pacing.

Your promo video may have slower moments and faster moments, but overall, the general pace should stay the same, so that the viewer can get a solid overall feel for the video and finish watching it feeling the way you want them to, rather than simply confused as to what you were trying to achieve.

4. Music

Music can completely transform a promo video. Some editors focus so much on music that they find the song they want to use before they’ve even opened their editing timeline, or perhaps even pressed record.

Use music strategically. It must match the pace and tone of your video and evoke the intended feeling in your viewers. Oftentimes, this can be done in unconventional ways, with orchestral music an underrated yet truly powerful tool for promo videos.

That being said, you don’t want to pick music for the effect you’re trying to create if you aren’t achieving that in other areas. The music choice could be perfect, but if the visuals and messaging don’t match, it’s rather useless.

Usually, promo videos use instrumental music (without vocals) for clarity. However, this is subjective once again, and may work depending on your goal, vision and execution.

Also, DO NOT forget about licensing and copyright. Ensure you have the relevant licensing to use the soundtrack you choose; you run the risk of your video being muted or even taken down. Some platforms with great royalty-free music include:

• Epidemic Sound
• Artlist
• Uppbeat
• Bensound
• Pixabay

5. Embedded Messaging

Exposition is when a line is included solely for the audience’s benefit, for example, when a character sees their brother and calls them ‘Brother’ aloud. It’s often considered lazy and can immediately take viewers out of the story, so don’t use it.

Now, of course, you aren’t here to write a feature-length film, but it’s the same concept. Your messaging should be cleverly woven into the video, rather than explicitly put in your viewers’ faces. Like me, your brand values may be friendliness and relatability, and this should be shown rather than told.

Despite this, some video styles may use exposition on purpose, and the withjamie promo video did just that, but only because it was guided by a narrator. Imagine if I stood there and told the camera I was reliable, friendly, kind, gorgeous, and fun. All true, but it would take you out of the story.

A good storyteller can convey a message without ever saying it explicitly. If you can do this in your promo video, then you are doing it right.

Final Thoughts

The tips above are subjective, and there is no single formula for the ‘perfect’ promo video. For example, mine didn’t have a big, attention-grabbing hook, but I’m sure you stayed and watched the whole thing ;).

Think of these 5 things as a general rule of thumb, but breaking this thumb can be effective if done deliberately and with clarity. The fun part about art is that it’s personal for you, and your business!

If you’re considering a promo video and want it to be clear, intentional and effective, please get in touch.