What Is A Promotional Video? Creating Hype For Your Brand

Got an event, sale, or another type of marketing initiative coming up? Let’s make a promotional video for your business! A good one can help you spread the word about your marketing initiative and get more folks to participate.

And the best part? You can create and share promo videos in-house! No production crew or marketing agency needed.

We’ve packed this article with everything you need to know to start creating great promo videos. Let’s get this party started!

What is a promotional video?

A promotional video is a short video, usually between 30 seconds and three minutes, used for the express purpose of building hype about an upcoming marketing initiative and encouraging folks to take action, like registering for a live event or watching a long-form video on your site.

Promotional video types

Promotional videos typically come in the form of:

• Teaser or trailer
• Highlight reel
• Hype message
• Brand video
• Advertisement

What promo videos are used for

Promo videos are often similar in style and tone to a teaser trailer, where they grab the audience’s attention and leave them wanting more. They can be a super effective way to promote a variety of marketing initiatives, including:

• Product launches
• Special sales and discounts
• Events and webinars
• Grand openings
• Contests and giveaways
• Special announcements

Why you should add promotional videos to your marketing strategy

Putting together some quick text or images might seem like the easiest way to spread the word and get people excited about your event. But if you’re aiming for real impact, you should consider diving into promo videos. Why? They simply work better.

Videos move, speak, and grab your attention. In this crazy digital world where we all skim and scroll at lightning speed, a good video can make you stop, watch, and even act on what you’ve seen.

What makes a good promotional video?

Creating a promo video is all about sparking excitement for an upcoming event and motivating people to spring into action. But not just any run-of-the-mill video will do the trick. You need a clear and concise video that will keep viewers engaged from start to finish.

Let’s dive into some elements that make a promo video truly shine:

1. Compelling opener: The first few seconds can make or break your video. Make sure they capture folks’ attention and spark their interest.
2. Relevance and clarity: Keep the content tightly focused on your initiative. Include important details like dates, prices, and locations.
3. Emotional resonance: Tap into emotions that resonate with your audience, whether it’s anticipation for a sale, the fear of missing out on an event, or inspiration to join a cause.
4. Engaging music: Choose background music that complements the video’s mood without overshadowing the core message.
5. Strong call to action (CTA): Guide viewers toward the desired action (like saving the date for a sale, registering for an event, or sharing the video).

How to make a promotional video

As you set out to create an awesome promotional video, the first thing to do is answer the following questions:

• Who is your target audience for this promo?
• What action do you want viewers to take after watching the video?
• Which style of promo video do you want to make?
• Should you repurpose an existing video, create a brand new one, or do a mixture of both?

Next, use these details to figure out:

• The structure, tone, and script of the video
• The project timeline
• The CTA to add to the video
• Where you should distribute the video

Once you have all of that worked out, it’s time to choose:

• The optimal video length (most promo videos are usually between 30 seconds and three minutes)
• The appropriate aspect ratio(s) based on where you intend to share the video

And now you have all the building blocks you need for the perfect promo video — and you’re ready to jump into the video production process!

Where to share your promo videos

Need help figuring out where to share your promo videos online? We’ve got you covered!

Selecting distribution channels

Your first instinct might be to put your video everywhere, but it’s important to pick the right spots. Different platforms cater to different audiences and have varied viewing behaviors, so you want to focus your time and energy on making sure your video lands where it’ll have the most impact and drive the most viewers to take action.

You should base your choices on these factors:

• Where your target audience spends their time online
• Whether your target audience already knows your brand, is new to your brand, or both
• What your video is about
• Your goals for the video

Here are a few channels to consider:

• Your homepage
• Relevant blog posts
• Social media
• Email newsletters
• Dedicated promotional emails
• Paid advertising platforms

Sharing promo videos online means always tweaking and learning. Keep an eye on how people react, fix any problems, and adjust your strategy to find what works best for your business. Try methods like A/B testing to see which approach your audience likes most. This way, you can keep improving your video distribution strategy to get the best results.

Examples of great promo videos

Need some inspiration? Check out these promo videos:

1. SaleCycle’s promo video

SaleCycle had a webinar coming up, so they put together an eye-catching video to promote it:

They got all creative with a green screen to give us a sneak peek into what the webinar was about, all while keeping things light and fun. And guess what? This video got 270 plays and an engagement rate of 86%. The clear CTA button at the end drove 24 people to the webinar sign-up page.

2. BambooHR’s promo video

Once upon a time, BambooHR did things a bit differently. They created a promo video, but not for a sale or an event. Rather, they were promoting their Facebook page and asking folks to follow them.

This zany musical was definitely out there, but it got the job done.

3. Webinarpalooza promo video

Last year, we hosted a 30-day webinar event called Webinarpalooza. And — you guessed it — we put together a short and sweet video to promote it:

We took a unique approach by leaning on visuals and audio rather than dialogue to explain what Webinarpalooza was all about.

Start making promotional videos today

Are you ready to create, market, and track promotional videos? Do it all on Wistia! Our video platform has a screen and webcam recorder, an intuitive video editor, seamless video hosting, social sharing capabilities, and world-class video analytics.