Chapter 2: Planning out your video
You’ll need a few tools in your toolbelt before you break out the cameras. So make sure you have these steps covered before yelling “Action!”
STEP 1
Positioning Statement
Before you make your video, you’ll need your Positioning Statement. A Positioning Statement is a brief orientation to your product that will help you (and your backers) understand who you’re speaking to and why your product is perfect for them. For a brief overview of positioning statements, you can read through this article on MaRS.
MaRS recommends using this simple template:
- For (target customer or market)
- Who (have a compelling reason to buy)
- Our product is a (product’s placement within a new or existing category)
- That provides (key benefit that directly addresses the compelling reason to buy)
- Unlike (primary alternative source [that is, competitor] of the same benefit)
- Our product (key difference or point of differentiation in relation to the specific target customer)
For example, an early positioning statement for Amazon could have been:
For World Wide Web users who enjoy books, Amazon.com is a retail bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books. Unlike traditional book retailers, Amazon.com provides a combination of extraordinary convenience, low prices, and comprehensive selection.
Once you have your product positioning, you’ll have enough information to build a concept for the video.
STEP 2
Write your story
The most challenging part of the video is coming up with a story that clearly explains the value of your product while enticing backers. So it helps to have inspiration. Watch a lot of campaign videos to inspire you and help you decide what kind of story you want to tell within your budget.
The good news is: you can write the story yourself! You know your customers best, and best understand why they might want your product. You know what story the world needs to hear.
Kinsa’s smart thermometer is part of their mission to create the world’s first real-time map of human health.
STEP 3
Find your tone
As you write your story, start thinking about the tone of your brand. Is your product happy and bubbly? Is it smart? Is it serious and beautiful? Consider your target and their everyday lives. What tone would capture their attention?
California Cowboy owes at least some of their campaign success to a pitch video that matches the upbeat spirit of their brand.
STEP 4
Decide your budget
Great production quality makes a video look sharp and professional, but not every video needs top-notch production. Production quality should match the brand image you’re trying to develop. If you’re a couple of college students in a garage who hacked together an amazing prototype, lower-quality production fits your story. If you’re a medical device company, you should look as professional as possible.
Unless you have a lot of experience, you probably won’t be able to produce high-quality videos yourself. But it’s not too hard to find someone who can help (who’s not Steven Spielberg). Here are three common approaches you can consider for actually getting your video made:
Make it yourself
If you’re light on budget and heavy on time, this just might be the option for you! There will still be costs: software, equipment rentals, etc. It might look scrappy, but that’s perfectly fine if it’s a fit for your brand. If your story is Garage Startup, the production quality can match that. If you’re doing something very complicated, or want to build more trust, you may want higher production values.
Hire a production team
When hiring a team, you’ll come up with your own script and messaging, but you’ll bring on someone who is a talented cinematographer to give professional production. This is a great, low-cost middle ground if you feel confident in storytelling around your product. Before you start shooting, make sure to get feedback from people you know and trust on your script and storyboard. It’s one thing to understand the story yourself, but making sure others will understand it is much more difficult. Video is expensive to reshoot.
Hire a full-service video agency
A full service agency will make your script, manage all of the storytelling, and do top-notch production. And you’ll pay for all of it. This can end up in the tens of thousands of dollars, but should get you a finished product that looks amazing. This option can be a good fit if you have a lot of budget and want everything to be fully professional.
Compare your options:
Compare your options:
Make it yourself
Hire a production team
Hire a full-service video agency
Budget
$0–$5,000 (equipment rental: mic, camera, lighting, etc.)
$2k–$10k (you can always spend more if you want to)
$5k–$50k
Budget
Make it yourself:
$0–$5,000 (equipment rental: mic, camera, lighting, etc.)
Hire a production team:
$2k–$10k (you can always spend more if you want to)
Hire a full-service video agency:
$5k–$50k (you can always spend)
Time
Lots of yours. Expect two weeks minimum — and it could go much longer. You’ll be planning, shooting, editing, and editing again. You can make sure you get the most for your time (and rental fees) by planning ahead — finalize your script, build out your storyboard, and choose your locations before heading out to film.
4–8 weeks before launch, depending on the team.
8–12 weeks before launch, depending on the team.
Time
Make it yourself:
Lots of yours. Expect two weeks minimum — and it could go much longer. You’ll be planning, shooting, editing, and editing again. You can make sure you get the most for your time (and rental fees) by planning ahead — finalize your script, build out your storyboard, and choose your locations before heading out to film.
Hire a production team:
4–8 weeks before launch, depending on the team.
Hire a full-service video agency:
8–12 weeks before launch, depending on the team.
What they’ll do
N/A
Hire talent, scout locations, shoot the video, edit the video, provide you and your team with a final video.
Come up with a video concept, write the script and storyboard, hire talent, scout locations, shoot the video, edit the video, provide you and your team with a final video.
What they’ll do
Hire a production team:
Hire talent, scout locations, shoot the video, edit the video, provide you and your team with a final video.
Hire a full-service video agency:
Come up with a video concept, write the script and storyboard, hire talent, scout locations, shoot the video, edit the video, provide you and your team with a final video.
What you’ll do
Storytelling, photography, editing, sound editing, find a location, make a set, find actors.
Come up with a great concept, script, and storyboard for your video.
Pay them, get interviewed in the video, be present on site during shooting.
What you’ll do
Make it yourself:
Storytelling, photography, editing, sound editing, find a location, make a set, find actors.
Hire a production team:
Come up with a great concept, script, and storyboard for your video.
Hire a full-service video agency:
Pay them, get interviewed in the video, be present on site during shooting.
Best for
Products with a low-fi brand (i.e. ‘we’re cool hackers who built this awesome thing in a garage…’), teams with strong in-house skills and creative ideas.
Teams with strong storytelling skills who can put together a good script.
Teams with limited time and lots of budget, esp. those concerned with reliability of the final result.
Best for
Make it yourself:
Products with a low-fi brand (i.e. ‘we’re cool hackers who built this awesome thing in a garage…’), teams with strong in-house skills and creative ideas.
Hire a production team:
Teams with strong storytelling skills who can put together a good script.
Hire a full-service video agency:
Teams with limited time and lots of budget, esp. those concerned with reliability of the final result.
Bad for
Teams with no time to spend, without strong storytelling skills, and uncomfortable in front of a camera. Note: If you’re trying to establish a high-end brand, or if consumer trust is critical (i.e. medical device company), you may want to consider the next two options.
Teams without storytelling skills who don’t have a clear vision around the story of their product, or who don’t have time to devote to the video. It’s also not ideal for people who want complete creative control.
Teams with limited budgets.
Bad for
Make it yourself:
Teams with no time to spend, without strong storytelling skills, and uncomfortable in front of a camera. Note: If you’re trying to establish a high-end brand, or if consumer trust is critical (i.e. medical device company), you may want to consider the next two options.
Hire a production team:
Teams without storytelling skills who don’t have a clear vision around the story of their product, or who don’t have time to devote to the video. It’s also not ideal for people who want complete creative control.
Hire a full-service video agency:
Teams with limited budgets.
Step 5
Pick an agency
If you choose to use an agency, it’s best to first inquire with your personal network about agency recommendations. A personal friend of a friend, or your campaign manager’s recommendation can beat out any online reviews. If you’re not able to find something in your area, check out Mandy.com.
Good questions to ask when comparing different video agencies
Have you created videos for campaigns in the past?
What does the cost of production include?
How much flexibility is there for us to make suggestions if we don’t like the first cut of the work?
How much would you like for me/us to be involved?
What is your contingency plan if production doesn’t go as planned?
Red flags
Doesn’t provide clarity on their process
Unwilling to introduce previous clients as references
Poor response time; doesn’t answer email
Can’t make eye contact when discussing pricing
Has never done this before
Doesn’t provide a contract
How to get a good agency to work with you
Bring your enthusiasm
Be curious about their creative process
Bring rough ideas scripts/storyboards
Be willing and ready to throw away those ideas for something better the agency can come up with
Be honest and upfront about your budget; consider bartering
Make a clear verbal and written list of your expectations
Don’t nitpick in the early stages
Test your video on a wide target and amend as needed
Ready to learn about different models for your pitch video?
Move on to Chapter 3 for a few ideas and examples to inspire you.
