VIDEO PRODUCTION

Google surveys consistently prove that video generates the most online user traffic. Why? Because it moves! We live in a visual culture and video employs the combined firepower of moving images, colors, and sound to forge an instant emotional connection with viewers, thereby increasing your chances of further engagement. So if you want your audience to read about your work or engage with your platform, perhaps a video might be the hook to get them to take the next step.

Types of promotional videos:

BOOK/PRODUCT TRAILERS: This is a video for a book or product that’s a visual interpretation of the story, themes, and highlights, which often employs techniques similar to those of movie trailers.
AUTHOR/PERSONALITY-DRIVEN VIDEOS: This type of video focuses on sharing yourself and your personality with the audience, hoping to connect with them on a personal level so they’ll be interested in learning more about you (and ultimately your work/cause, etc.).

BELOW ARE A FEW EXAMPLES PRODUCED BY WILDBOUND PR

Case Study

Wildbound produced this book trailer for our client Dr. Nina Ansary. The trailer was released through social media and on YouTube, and found it’s way to the BCC World News producer. After seeing the trailer, they featured the book trailer and Dr. Ansary in a ten minute segment during the flagship, primetime program in front of 30 million live viewers world-wide. Here is a clip of the segment:

Jewels of Allah book trailer featured on BBC World News.

Steps for Producing a Video

1. Writing/Storyboarding

Wildbound will develop various concepts for the video that help visualize and communicate your story/brand/goals and build awareness for your work. After you approve the concept, Wildbound will write the script and, if applicable, storyboard key visual moments for your approval.

2. Budget/Schedule

Promotional videos vary greatly in cost and production value. The budget is completely dependent on the final, approved script.

Once you approve the script, Wildbound will put together a budget that outlines all of the costs to finish and deliver the video, including production expenses, post-production expenses, title/animation costs, music licenses, and so on. At this time, Wildbound will also present you with an estimated schedule for delivery.

3. Production

After the budget/schedule is approved, Wildbound will collect all materials necessary to begin editing the video. This might include going into production (casting, crewing up, shooting, etc.), sourcing stock footage and music, generating animated materials, and so on.

4. Post-Production

Once production is finished and all the materials necessary to edit the project are compiled, Wildbound will commence post-production. This includes all editing, color-correction, sound mixing, visual effects, and so on.

5. Delivery & Distribution

After post-production is locked, Wildbound will deliver the project in appropriate video formats (digital or tape depending on your needs) and schedule for distribution on applicable channels.

Ways to Use A Promotional Video

Distribute it on video friendly social media hubs like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn; all major news and arts/entertainment websites will include a video along with a story as it drives traffic.
Use the video in all your media pitches by including a link or embedding the video within the email. We’ve had a ton of success, especially with indie authors, by leading with a well-produced book trailer to establish credibility for their work.
Put your video on your website to engage your audience and prompt them to want more.
Use the video in your social media marketing, giving users a reason to click back to your website.
Screen your video at events to break the ice and start conversation.
If you’re a speaker and have a personality-driven video, send it to speaking agents and TV outlets to give them an idea of how you look and perform on camera.
Submit a video about your book/writing to any film industry contacts you have to demonstrate its cinematic potential in hopes of securing a film deal!

CAUTION: Beware of turnkey services that charge a few hundred bucks for splicing together some stock images with stock background music and cheap text and call it a day. They put very little thought into your audience, and in the end always end up terrible. More often than not, whenever a client comes to us with a video they’ve produced with one of these services, we shelve it, telling them to never show it to anyone. It is impossible to un-see a bad promotional video - having a bad promotional video is worse than having no promotional video!