Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada

The following is a list of things I’ve learned from building my own promotional videos and from having watched a ton of videos in my capacity as consultant to the Pacific National Exhibition‘s Street Star’s Program. It’s amazing to see the vast range in the quality and creativity that different performers use when promoting their shows.

1. Who are you marketing to? Knowing this and knowing what the norm is for promotional videos in this market will allow you to either build a video that matches the norm or deliberately breaks the rules. Not knowing what the norm is means that what ever you deliver is a bit of a stab in the dark.
2. Part of knowing who your marketing to and what the norm is may help you determine the length of the video that you craft. Generally speaking, less is more, so if you can tell your story in three and a half minutes, it’s way better than telling the same story in ten minutes. Generally speaking viewers of promotional videos have to watch a lot of videos, so the quicker you can get to the punch the better. Three and a half to five and a half minutes should be plenty of time to tell your story and make your pitch.
3. Determine how you’re going to master the video. I’ve been in the game long enough to see the norm go from VHS tapes to DVDs to YouTube. If you only ever plan to show the video on YouTube, you may be able to work with a lower quality of video in the production stages. If your building a high definition project that you’re aiming to sell after your shows, this may mean a completely different approach to gathering your original footage. Generally speaking it’s better to start with the highest possible quality and step it down than to try to go the other way.
4. If possible mix the content so that it shows both fast cuts from your show along with a sample of a routine more in it’s entirety. The fast cuts to music sequences in a video are good for covering a lot of material in a short amount of time. They can work well to show the diversity of your show and the things you do, but having at least one section in your video that gives the viewer a sense of what you’re like when you interact with your audience is also very important.
5. Find a clever way to include a client list. I’ve seen some videos where the client list is included in a video montage that makes it look like the act has only ever worked for the biggest names and the best venues… You might consider including logos from companies that you’ve worked for or perhaps a quote from a satisfied client. Basically what your after is a call to an outside authority that say’s you’re as great as the video is making you look. This can also be done with Newspaper reviews and or magazine articles.
6. If you do include quotes, I highly recommend getting a professional voice over talent to read the quote. Having an authoritative voice reading the rave review makes what ever the quote you pick even more powerful.
7. Make sure the video shows you performing in the venue that you’re promoting to. If you’re aiming to work in hotels or cruise ships, show footage of your show in this sort of venue so that the buyer doesn’t have to guess if you’re show will be successful in the venue that they’re buying for. You want it to be a no brainer.
8. Show audience reactions. Nothing sells a show quite as much as seeing the audience engrossed in the performance. If you show the crowd laughing it makes you funnier, if they’re gasping with excitement, you look more exciting. Basically, what ever it is that you’re trying to sell, be it your skill or your comedy, or a combination of various factors, you should show an audience responding to exactly the message you’re trying to convey to the client who might hire you.
9. Make sure you’ve got a ‘call to action’ as part of the video presentation. If you want the viewer to pick up the phone and call you and book you at the end of the video, find a clever way to state this fact as part of the video. A demo reel is in part a demonstration of what it is you do, but it’s also a sales pitch. You want the client who’s watching this to buy the product that you’re promoting (more often than not you), so make sure you have some sort of clue as to what the client should do next as part of the video pitch.
10. Don’t forget the packaging… Having a great video is one thing, but remembering to package that video properly so when it arrives on a potential client’s desk it MAKES them want to open it and watch it is something else entirely. Make the effort to ensure that the packaging for the video looks as good as the content on the video. If you don’t, the chances of someone skipping over your reel to look at one in a shiner box remains, and that’s a chance you don’t want to take.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of things worth considering when putting together a promo video, so if you have other ideas, questions, or comments please feel free to respond to this post in the comments section.

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