Videos can no be produced with a smartphone. Photo credit: Joseph Morris
The use of online video – sometimes called streaming media — has boomed of late in marketing and social media. Public relations too can take advantage of the many benefits of video.
Video will account for 69 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2017, according to Cisco. Established social networks like Facebook and Twitter now emphasize shared video. New networks and apps focusing on video including Vine, Snapchat and Meerkat are quickly gaining popularity.
YouTube remains the big gorilla of online video sharing with over 4 billion video views each day. The most popular YouTube videos have more than 300 million views. That’s far more than any print publication – or even TV show. Some YouTube channels attract more viewers than TV series. Example: YouTube’s CollegeHumor Channel has reached 300 million views and has 7.5 million subscribers.
Video Production Strategies
The days of needing expensive, bulky equipment to produce and edit a video are long gone. A smartphone is all that’s need these days to create a decent video. Expanded Internet bandwidth now enables high-quality streaming through mobile devices.
Creating, distributing and promoting a video requires new PR strategies and greater visual creativity, not expensive new gadgets. Of course, producing a video that people want to watch and share can be more complicated and challenging than writing copy for a press release.
Focus on the following recommendations (bad pun intended) to produce a PR video that attracts interest and encourages sharing.
Go unscripted. A scripted, well-edited video is appropriate for some topics, but consider a non-scripted video of an event in order to provide authentic coverage. Take into account the audience and topic.
Tell a story. Develop an interesting story with a beginning, middle and conclusion. Tell the stories of customers or clients. For instance, a nonprofit could establish emotional connections by telling the story of its volunteers and the people they’re trying to help.
Be newsy. Try to cover or somehow link to a topical or popular subject. For example, a video of an airline passenger using the Knee Defender, a device designed to protect airline passengers on crowded flights, obtained widespread news coverage. Most people can relate to airline travel difficulties.
Emphasize appealing visuals. Video, almost by definition, must contain interesting visuals.
Entertain while informing. Entertaining and emotional videos attract the most shares. Humor is greatly prized in video; wacky is often successful; sentimental also works well.
Eschew talking heads. That’s especially true if the speaker is simply conveying information. Talking heads are best used to communicate an attitude or emotion, trustworthiness for example, or sincerity or sadness. Testimonials, especially endorsements by customers, are a legitimate use of talking heads. Such talking head testimonials are even better when they show the customer’s product application in an entertaining way.
Be a voice of authority. The speaker doesn’t have to be famous, just someone who can speak clearly and knowledgeably to your audience.
Work on SEO. Search engines cannot watch videos. They only access text associated with it. Add captions, transcripts and sitemaps to the video to increase its search engine ranking.
Watch the title. The title is key for attracting views and boosting SEO. Keep it under 66 characters and place relevant keywords near the beginning. The best titles are easy to understand, accurately communicate the video’s content, and mention the brand just once or not at all. For instance, the brand behind #TheDress remained patiently mysterious until after the hoopla subsided to “come out” and reap a 600 percent increase in sales post-video.
Get on YouTube. Create a YouTube channel to publish videos. That will increase visibility and encourage more people to share them. While YouTube is the best known, other networks also post videos.
Keep it short. Keep it under three minutes. Videos on Vine or Snapchat must meet stipulated lengths. Short videos are more likely to be shared. Most people prefer video because it delivers information in an entertaining way that’s easier to understand.
Repurpose content. Reformat other content, such as press announcements, as video. Consider compiling multiple stories as a news update.
Pitch speakers. When pitching a speaking opportunity, include a link to a video of the speaker in action. Another option is to send event organizers a UBS of videos of the speaker. Event organizers will be able to judge the speaker’s ability and style for themselves.
Media pitches. Include a video in news releases and media pitches. More web publishers are posting video news articles. Videos are ideal for showcasing product launches and documenting news events.
Rinse and repeat. A single PR video rarely scores a major triumph. To succeed with video, it’s vital to keep at it – making multiple short videos that convey your organization’s messages, but more importantly that touch your audience and inspire them to share.
All audiences have fixed expectations about video production values. A short amateur video can have flawed video production as long as it entertains or amuses. Videos that seek to promote a product or viewpoint are expected to have more polished production. For that, it’s often worth investing in experienced writers and video producers.
Bottom Line: Online videos have become increasingly popular with most all audiences – and offer a powerful communications tool for both marketing and PR. Video production and editing tools today are readily available, inexpensive and easy to learn. The real barriers to producing and distributing successful videos are conceptual and creative.
Additional Reading
Why PR Should Pay Attention to Video Sharing
Crenshaw Communications
Include Video in Your PR strategy
CP Communications
5 Tips on Creating Video Content for Public Relations
TopRank Blog
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
