If you’ve already made the difficult decision to speak to camera, hold your horses!
First, you need to write a powerful script that will portray you as a believable professional.
Video works great for B2B companies too.
They’re powerful weapons to get your prospects’ attention and nudge them to request a quote.
Writing a compelling script requires following a few important steps.
You need to think carefully about who you’re targeting and how you’re going to nudge your audience to take the action you want.
And this is what we’ll see in this copywriting class.
Are you staying?
Here we go.
Follow these 4 steps to write a promotional video script
Who is your customer
As with any piece of copy with which you intend to sell a product or service, you’ll need to do a thorough research beforehand so your video has the impact you’re looking for.
Ask yourself these 3 questions:
- Who is my target audience?
- What action do I want that person to take after watching the video?
- In which channels will I publish it? Social media, website, email, etc.
The clearer your goal is, the more effective your video will be.
How to write compelling #scripts for promotional #videos that get real results. #copywriting #marketing Click To TweetThe Big Idea
Once you have the answers to these 3 questions comes the most important part of the process of creating a video script.
It’s quite a difficult part, but once you get it, the rest will come much easier because you’ve got the piece that will allow you to complete the puzzle.
It’s about finding your Big Idea.
The Big Idea is the foundation of every marketing strategy.
It’s what will make the difference between a weak and average sales message and a powerful one that will bring you real results.
Don’t panic.
I’ll explain now how you can get to that Big Idea you need for your video.
The Big Idea is basically that transformation your prospects want and you’re going to deliver.
But listen because this is important.
Your Big Idea should sound different from all the others – even if it’s basically the same thing your competition is offering – but you’re expressing it in a unique and memorable way.
And how do you get to that unique and memorable Big Idea?
Paying close attention to those words your customers use to express how they feel after that transformation they’ve experienced thanks to your product/course/book/service.
Ways to get to the Big Idea:
- Talk to your customers about their journey. From experiencing their problem to the moment they found you and the reasons they chose you.
- Summarise their experience while receiving (or after receiving) all the benefits of your product/service.
- What expressions come up more often?
- Give a title to that transformation, as if it were a film. For example: “The real YOU is paid better”
Your Big Idea has to be crystal clear and should be expressed in one sentence.
Let’s look at an example.
In this video the Big Idea is:
“Green bin keeps trash in”
It could be a film title. It’s memorable and it rhymes.
The video breaks our mental frameworks, something that works great when we want to get people’s attention.
And it does it right at the start: “To prove our trash bin is better, we invited these trash experts”
We expect to see people in a lab, not raccoons.
The Big Idea of this video is simple and concrete: 2 raccoons trying to open a trash bin.
One manages it, the other one not because our bin is better designed.
They’ve come up with this Big Idea knowing that one of the big problems of their prospects is that they wake up in the morning and see all that trash lying all over the place.
They didn’t need many words to demonstrate the value of their product in a clear, memorable and credible way.
But the Big Idea cannot always be explained with images alone. And then you’ll need more words.
The transformation
Once you’ve found your Big Idea and it’s clear in your mind, you’ve got to land it.
Let me explain.
Sometimes the Big Idea can be a bit abstract.
So it’s important to bring it down to earth by explaining what it means in your prospects’ everyday life.
This way you make it more concrete.
And to make it more concrete you should clarify these points by taking into account the expressions your customers used when speaking to them:
- What does it mean to live up to the Big Idea?
- What does belonging to that group who achieved the Big Idea earn them?
- How does it feel now compared to before?
- Why any of this matter?
In the example of the trash bin, there’s no need to land the Big Idea because the benefits are clear and tangible – no more rubbish lying around.
But for most businesses, the benefits might not be so clear from the film title alone.
That’s why we have to land that Big Idea and not leave it up in the air.
Let’s look at another example to see this clearly.
Coach Accountable is a platform that helps coaches do their work.
The Big Idea is “Deliver better programs, to more people, with less work”.
They came up with this Big Idea because they realised this is what their target audience wants.
But this Big Idea is a bit abstract.
How do these benefits – better programs, more clients, less work – actually apply to their everyday life as a coach?
In the video, they explain in a clear and compelling way how the app will help them and their clients.
They land that Big Idea with concrete examples every coach knows well: clients losing motivation, coaches unable to check their progress every single day, tasks not being completed, etc.
The video shows how with the app they will manage to have better control of their clients’ progress and help them keep motivated and accountable.
How to write compelling #scripts for promotional #videos that get real results. #copywriting #marketing Click To TweetThe trajectory
The next step in the process of writing your script is to describe how your prospects can achieve that Big Idea or film title.
With your customers in mind, write about:
- How do you get to the Big Idea?
- What’s the emotional path to get there (overcoming false beliefs/mental blocks)?
- What about the external path (actions/decisions)?
- What will it be like to have achieved the Big Idea?
Let’s look at an example.
SalesForce is a platform companies use to manage their leads and customer support.
This video explains in a clear and simple way – without technicalities or business jargon – how SalesForce can help your company grow.
That’s the Big Idea behind this video: “With SalesForce you’ll soon see your small business grow”.
And they show how to achieve that Big Idea by telling the story of a small business becoming a bigger one thanks to SaleForce.
We can see concrete examples of how the platform helped that company convert more leads into customers and to deliver better support to existing ones.
It’s an entertaining and compelling story.
Other companies can feel inspired by that transformation.
In this part of your video script, the most important thing is to show your audience that attaining the Big Idea is possible, they just need to take the action you propose.
How to write compelling #scripts for promotional #videos that get real results. #copywriting #marketing Click To TweetTake the first step
In order to move your prospects to take action: buying/contacting/downloading a lead magnet, etc., treat them as if they had already attained the Big Idea.
Talk to them as if they’d already achieved that new version of themselves before they or anyone else do.
This is very powerful.
Think about it – what kind of people make you feel more comfortable in your skin?
I have no doubt.
Those who see my potential and encourage me to achieve anything I want.
So inspire your prospects to pursue what they really want and give them precise instructions on how to get it.
If you do so they’ll trust you and will take action.
Let’s look at another example to see this crystal clear.
I bought this course.
And I wasn’t thinking of buying any yoga courses!
I already go to a yoga studio 3 times a week…
But an Instagram ad convinced me to take action.
Meaning: to pull out my credit card and buy this online course right away.
It wasn’t this exact video – I couldn’t find the one on IG – but it was pretty similar.
The ad showed a very diverse group of people – not so young, not so slim, not so “perfect yoga body” – trying to do inverted poses I wish I could do.
They’re challenging but they look so cool!
The ad said:
“You aren’t too weak, too old or too inflexible to do this or this or this”
While showing these real people trying different inverted poses, for which you need a lot of strength in your arms and abs, and above all balance.
With this video, this yoga teacher convinced me that I can also achieve these positions with training and persistence.
She convinced me that it was actually POSSIBLE for someone like me.
Because she showed me real people of various ages and conditions trying too.
The way she talks to camera, in an honest and friendly way, without exaggeration, also convinced me she was trustworthy.
So convince your prospects they CAN achieve the Big Idea if they follow your advice and take action.
And you may wonder…
Have I managed a headstand without using a wall?
Not yet, but I’m working on it 😉
How to write compelling #scripts for promotional #videos that get real results. #copywriting #marketing Click To TweetTo sum up
For your promotional video to bring real results:
- Find your Big Idea
- Know how to land it to make it more concrete in your prospects’ eyes
- Encourage them to trust you so they want to take action
See this process as if it were a bridge over a river that connects 2 points: the one where your prospects are right now and the one in front of them which is where they really want to be.
But for them to want to cross the bridge this must look safe and tempting.
At first, they might feel a bit anxious because they’re scared of heights.
But you’re going to persuade them that it’s safe and that life looks better on the other side.
Plus the views from the bridge are stunning!
They’ll feel happy and proud while crossing it.
But be careful!
Because there are other bridges along the river.
So in order to convince your audience to cross your bridge and not any other, yours must be unique.
When explaining the path to attain the Big Idea, it has to sound different.
A revolutionary way of studying, a different way of exercising, a much more user-friendly software, etc.
The way to get to the Big Idea needs to be more compelling than the rest.
“The 5-routine method to get a body you’ll be proud of”.
“The revolutionary software that solves your administrative chaos so you can focus on getting more projects done”.
When your path is more attractive and unique than the rest, customers will trust you and be willing to cross your bridge.
I hope this article has inspired you to write a script for a promotional video that will make your offer stand out and bring you real results.
See you around!
How to write compelling #scripts for promotional #videos that get real results. #copywriting #marketing Click To Tweet
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