Tag Archives: storytelling

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Like many of you, I’m not a fan of Facebook pushing ads into my news feed. It’s pretty irritating, but I have to admit it’s providing me with some good video content examples.

The latest one comes from aviation giant Boeing. I was scanning my Facebook feed yesterday when I noticed a Boeing ad. It had a video player… no surprise that’s what caught my attention. The video was a straight-up PR video, and it’s really good.

What you do isn’t boring

There’s some pretty flashy editing, but the best part… it tells a really nice story. It’s a classic example for any business owner who doesn’t think what they do is interesting. In the hands of a quality storyteller, that just isn’t true.

Boeing tells the story of the winglet on the company’s new 737. Seriously. You know, that little upturn at the end of the wing. They devoted a story to that… and it’s interesting… not to mention they explain why it’s relevant.

They talk about the challenges of improving a popular, existing product (the 737)… they explain what a winglet is and what it does (improves wing aerodynamics)… and then why it matters you to you the viewer (saves fuel, good for the environment). That’s just good storytelling.

Tell us why your video content matters

I especially like the way they end with why it’s important. My mentor as a young TV news reporter was Steve Hartman at CBS News, and Steve used to always drive home to me that it’s always good to remind people why they’re watching… let them know why they story matters to them.

You don’t get that from a lot of corporate video content. Too much of it is, “Look at us! Aren’t we great!?”

What it should be saying is, “Here’s how we’re helping you. Here’s how we’re making a difference in your life.”

That’s good storytelling.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Well… turnabout is fair play. Earlier this week, I blogged about a pretty uninspiring political video. It was produced by one of the many people running for governor here in Illinois. My post was non-political, but the video happened to feature a Republican. Today… the Democrats prove they can serve-up average storytelling as well.

Bill Daley is known to many around Illinois… especially Chicago. What the Kennedy’s are to Massachusetts, the Daley’s are to Chicago. The point is Daley doesn’t really have to introduce himself, but that name recognition also comes with a problem.

Storytelling and Trust

The Daley’s are the embodiment of the Chicago political machine. That’s not good downstate. Safe to say… Daley has a trust issue.

He announced his candidacy this week with a video (VIDEO BELOW) designed to turn that around. For me anyway, it fell flat and the reason is simple.

It features Daley clearly reading a scripted message from a teleprompter. He trashes the state’s current condition… not difficult to do… and positions himself as the man to change it.

Yawn. You know the thing about scripted messages? That’s how they sound. Scripted.

Speak from the heart instead from a teleprompter

I’ll take someone speaking from the heart any day over some finely crafted message. Whether it’s a politician or company marketing itself. It’s something I frequently promote to our clients. Some are a little concerned about giving-up a degree of control over their message, but I always tell them what they give-up in control… they get back in authenticity. That’s a big deal.

Don’t handcuff your people by forcing them to read or memorize copy that’s been written for them. Just sit them down, asked them some questions, and get them talking.

What you’ll get back is a genuine message that audiences will appreciate.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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Probably the most popular video we and other companies produce is the classic About Us video. It’s something every business should have at its website… a basic introduction to who you are and what you do. Anyone can produce one of these, but it’s quality storytelling that can make yours standout.

Or… not. I recently saw a political video (VIDEO BELOW) about a man, Bruce Rauner, who is running for Governor here in Illinois. It’s… fine. And frankly, fine isn’t good enough if you’re trying to get noticed.

Tell your story

Here’s my problem with it. It’s nearly 3-minutes long, and the first 2-minutes basically puts forth the case for why Illinois needs new leadership. Then… less than a minute on Rauner.

Rauner might be known in some circles as a successful businessman, but he’s probably unknown by most Illinoisans. This is his official introduction to them, but all we get is him standing in front of green screen reading a scripted message.

This isn’t a critique of the message or the politics. It’s simply the execution behind the storytelling and the video. It’s just uninspiring. It’s kind of funny because Rauner tags himself as a political outsider, but his video is cookie-cutter political stuff.

What good storytelling can do

Video is all about emotion. It allows viewers an opportunity to feel like they’re getting to know a person. I actually watched the video because I was curious to learn about him, but I didn’t get that.

Green screens and scripted messages rarely allow that to happen. They aren’t authentic and audiences pick-up on that. It’s why I often council our clients to allow us to shoot in natural environments for their company videos, and to interview people who speak from the heart instead of rehearsed sound bites.

There’s good storytelling… bad storytelling… and “ho-hum” storytelling. Which do you want?

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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What’s the goal for your marketing videos? Let people know what you’re all about? Educate them about a new product? Explain what sets you apart from the competition? No matter what the answer, many of our clients are surprised when I tell them I have a different goal for them.

My goal for each and every one of our clients is for viewers to finish the video and leave with a good feeling about that company. Let me stress that… a good feeling.

Video is about emotion

Folks… that’s what you should be looking for with your productions. Yes, we want them to know what we’re all about. Yes, we want to educate. Yes, we them to understand what sets us apart. But here’s the deal… video can be about those things, but ultimately video is about emotion. Viewers may or may not remember your message. They will certainly remember how they felt about your company.

Did you come off as professionals? Did you seem knowledgeable? Were you likeable?

You read that right. Were you likeable? If you get a “yes” to that question, your video was a huge success.

The likeability advantage

You want viewers walking away from your video feeling good about you because we buy from people we like. You can deliver all the information about the business you want, do it in a professional way, but if the feeling you leave people with is… blah… what’s the point of the video?

That’s why I tell clients not to sweat the details. Your message doesn’t have to be highly polished, but it does need to be authentic. Give me your passion, not your sales stats.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

This is going to seem like a ridiculous statement, but you’d be surprised how often it comes up. If you produce a marketing video for your business, don’t forget to shoot some video of what it is you do.

I told you… it sounds ridiculous. Yet, I see it time and time again. The most recent example comes from a local moving company. I was helping a friend find a mover and came across their website that included a short marketing video.

No need to embarrass them by showing you the video. They’re a small company, probably didn’t have much of a budget and they got a video that looks like it. It’s one of those videos where I wish they would have known about our Elevator Pitch Videos… would have been soooooo much better, but I digress.

What video would you expect to see?

Like I mentioned… it’s a moving company, so what’s the first video you’d think to shoot? Movers, right? People moving furniture.

Not a single shot of that in the entire video. We get people working in the office… there are some shots of moving trucks… but no movers! There’s also some terrible sound bites… clearly scripted… but that’s a separate issue.

My point is simple… think about the visual elements important to telling your story. Sometimes it’s clear like in this example. Other times it can be less obvious but just as critical.

Pay close Attention

I occasionally get asked to “fix” videos. One of those clients was California Physician Supplements. They showed me the video they had produced and asked me what I’d do differently. What jumped out at me is something they hadn’t even noticed. They’re a SoCal company, but there wasn’t a single shot in the video that screamed California. Give me a shot of a beach or something!? We re-shot the entire thing and only salvaged a couple of interviews (VIDEO BELOW).

That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about. Paying attention to details like that will help you tell your stories.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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I’ve been encouraged lately that our clients and prospects have been coming around on video time. It used to be that everyone wanted to create a “short” 10-minute video. That number started dropping a few years ago to a “short” 5-minute video. I’m happy to report the downward trend has continued.

In case you didn’t get that, 10-minutes isn’t short and neither is 5-minutes. I’d define a short video as anything 1:30 or less, but really… 1-minute or less. How did I come to that number? Well, you can sit on Google and sift through tons of market research… or… you can use your good old fashion common sense.

Factor one

You can base that common sense on a few factors. First, where are you showing your video? Is it going to reside on your website? YouTube or Vimeo? Will it be part of an email campaign or will you pump it out via social media? Are you going to show it at a conference or trade show? A big company-wide meeting? A sales presentation?

Where you show it is very important to determine your video time. Chances are it might be a combination of some of those options. If that’s the case, pick the most important one. If it’s going to reside on your website, I’d say you’re safe with something 2-minutes or less… maybe even 3-minutes or less. The reasoning behind that is simple. Someone sought you out. They want to learn more about your business, so they’re an interested audience. That means you can get away with giving them a little longer video.

On the other hand, if the video is primarily for an email or social media campaign, you better keep it short. 60-seconds or less. Why? Because you’re pushing this video on them. Chances are they’ll look at the length of the video. If it’s longer than a minute, they probably won’t watch. This isn’t a motivated audience like someone who visits your website.

Finally, if you have a captive audience like at a meeting or trade show, have at it. The time is totally up to you, but I’d stick to something 4-minutes or less. They might not be able to go anywhere, but they can mentally tune-out or turn on their smart phone to surf away. Hopefully, if they’re a part of this type of audience, they’re interested in the subject matter. Feel free to give them a little more.

Factor two

The next factor is who’s your audience. Is it someone intimately familiar with the subject matter your video is covering? Is it someone in the C-suite? A novice?

If experts are the people you’re targeting, a little longer video is in order. Again, this is a motivated audience. 3-minutes or less is probably fine. They want/need more details, so feel free to give it to them. If it’s someone in the C-suite or a flat-out novice, your video should be on the short side. You don’t want to overwhelm this type of audience with too much. Just tease them a little to peak their interest.

Factor three

How good is the video? Be honet with yourself. Is it something Sue in marketing or Ted in accounting is doing on the side? Is it something you’re having professionally produced? Have you hired a skilled storyteller, or simply someone who has the technical expertise to shoot and edit video?

This is important because no matter what your video length, people are less likely to sit through crap. If the video doesn’t provide a well-told story, you’re going to lose your audience 10, 15, 30-seconds into the video. Just like with anything else, the better your content, the more effective it will be.

See… common sense. Think about those factors, respect your audience and the video time will reveal itself.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

I was listening to Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership podcast the other day and the subject turned to passion and how it helps you sell. It’s no wonder then that your marketing videos need your passion.

It’s actually what makes video such a terrific way to help market your business. It’s hard to get passion from text on a website. It’s a whole other story when you see someone on-camera and hear them speaking from the heart.

Video stirs emotions

I’ve told more than a few clients that video isn’t about facts and figures, it’s about emotion. Don’t get hung-up on the details. How many units you shipped… the size of your facility… just tell us what you do and why it matters.

A prospect may or may not “get” your elevator pitch. They will pick-up on your tone. They’ll see the passion in your expressions and the feeling behind your message. That’s what video does for you.

Give viewers people who care

It doesn’t matter whether it’s the CEO or a line worker. Let’s hear from someone who cares about their job. You should want viewers to walk away feeling good about your company. That comes from your passion.

Team-up with a talented storyteller and unleash that passion.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

It used to be storytellers would start with a blank sheet of paper. These days it’s more likely a blank computer screen. Either way… when you’re producing a video, that isn’t where the storytelling begins.

The process begins and carries through the entire production process. From concept planning to the shoot and all the way through the final video edit. Storytelling isn’t just putting words to paper.

Always storytelling

A good video producer needs to be storytelling throughout the process. They need to understand that everything they shoot and gather is a potential story element. A single shot can turn the story in a different direction. A series of sound bites could impact what raw video is shot.

All of these things need to work in concert with one another, and they need a storyteller to lead the orchestra.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

There are plenty of independent videographers out there helping businesses produce their videos. There are also lots of companies choosing to produce their own. One of the reasons each of them fail to create compelling marketing videos that will connect with audiences is they aren’t good at interviewing people.

Not all marketing videos involve interviews, but a large number of them do. It doesn’t sound like it’s anything difficult. You write down some questions and ask them, right? Wrong.

How companies go wrong

Think about the situation you’re putting your interview subject in when they sit down for an interview. They have a camera in their face, the interviewer sitting next to the camera, if you’re shooting with a pro videographer there’s probably some lights and microphones in place. Throw in the interviewer firing off these scripted questions one after the other and you have created a situation that is completely unnatural… and that’s being diplomatic. In other words… it really sucks.

That environment will make most people very uncomfortable, so what kind of sound bites do you expect them to deliver? Unless they’re a seasoned professional, they’re going to provide answers that sound just like the questions they’re being asked… canned… scripted… unnatural. Not exactly the type of sound bites that are going to captivate viewers.

How to inspire great sound bites

Interviewing people is a true skill. One that’s honed through years in the field shooting videos. It’s not about having tons of questions prepared and working your way down a list. It’s having questions prepared, but using them to help create a conversation.

Conversation is what generates great sound bites. The person in-front of the camera relaxes because they don’t feel like they’re on a firing line. They start to forget there’s a camera in their face. Those lights fade away and it simply becomes two people talking.

You know you’ve done a good job interviewing someone when it’s all finished and they’re surprised. They say something like, “Wow… that was easy.”

It’s actually pretty tough

The thing is putting people at ease like that isn’t easy. I’ve been on corporate shoots where someone from the company wants to be the person asking the questions. That’s a terrible idea, especially when it’s a boss. Talk about putting an interviewee on edge. How do you expect them to relax when you have a corporate authority figure grilling them?

I’ve also seen independent videographers struggle with interviewing people. In many cases, videographers are fabulous interviewers. They’ve been around enough great interviewers, they know how it works. But in some cases, it’s just not their thing. They might have unbelievable visual skills to shoot and edit great video, but they don’t have the people skills to put interviewees at ease.

That’s why it’s important to hire the right storyteller for your project. They’ll have the skill to help people relax and deliver great sound bites.

–Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

Just a couple takeaways from yesterday’s ChicagoAMA Executive Sunrise Series event (VIDEO BELOW). Cars.com CMO Linda Bartman talked a lot about the company’s challenge of satisfying its audience (car buyers) and its clients (dealers/advertisers). She mentioned a couple of things I though tied nicely into businesses producing marketing videos.

Cars.com leaders are consistently doing their best to educate clients about the benefits of digital marketing. Many car dealers are apparently pretty resistant to change. Unfortunately for them, the days of customers showing up at a dealership unclear on what they want are over. Digital media has changed everything. Now, customers have researched what they want for hours online before they ever get to a dealership, so those dealers need to do a better job of selling themselves… not just their cars.

You might see where this is going. One of the things Linda mentioned yesterday morning is that they advocate for dealers to produce some sort of video to introduce themselves to customers.

About Us Videos

That’s a good idea no matter what business you’re in. Think about it. Virtually everyone researches online before making purchases. Knowing we like to buy from people we like, video is a great way to get in front of customers before they ever meet you. Video gives you the ability to create a good first impression while they’re surfing online.

As part of the discussion, Bartman also talked a bit about the tough conversations they have with dealers/advertisers who aren’t happy with the cars.com consumer-centric business model. The balance between providing quality information as well as advertising that generates leads. I couldn’t believe her take.

Bartman’s Mind-Blowing statement

“Conflict isn’t a bad thing if it allows you to tell your story.”

Storytelling. It’s such a powerful tool. Business leaders should be looking for every opportunity to share their story, and video is a great way to do it.

Video… storytelling… I like what I hear from cars.com.

 –Tony Gnau

Tony Gnau is a three-time Emmy-winning journalist. He is also the founder and chief storytelling officer at T60 Productions. T60 has won 11 Telly Awards for its work over the last eight years.

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