The short answer
A business video gets its power from the message, not the production. Settle the message first: who it's for, the problem they're facing and the one thing you want them to do. Then get coached through saying it on camera in your own voice. The camera only records what you've already figured out.
This is a 30-second video I made for the law firm Stutes & Lavergne. It features Jeanette DeWitt-Kyle, a personal injury attorney at Stutes & Lavergne. I shaped the message and coached her through the shoot.
You don't need a better camera. You need to know exactly what you're going to say, and someone to help you say it well. That's the whole story of this video.
Why do so many business videos fall flat?
Most owners I talk to have made a video they don't love. It looks fine. The lighting is good. And it just sits there.
When I watch those videos, the problem is almost never the gear. It's one of two things:
- Nobody decided what the video was supposed to say. So it tries to say everything.
- Nobody helped the person on camera say it. So they read, rush or freeze.
Those are two different jobs. A videographer is hired to capture and edit. The message and the coaching usually belong to nobody. On this video, they belonged to me.
I've written before about why your message has to come before your video and the questions to answer before a shoot. This post shows what that looks like on a real shoot: how I built the message for this video, and how I coached Jeanette through saying it.
How is this 30-second video built?
I shaped the message and coached her through the shoot, so every part of this structure was decided before the camera rolled. The video does four things, in this order:
- It names the problem in the first line. Jeanette opens with "Insurance companies bully people for profit," and nothing comes before it.
- It makes one invitation. If an insurance company is bullying you, call. That's the only ask.
- It gives one reason. The firm will work to make sure the person is heard and respected.
- It ends with the contact card. The firm's name, website, phone and office locations. Nothing else competes with it.
Look at what it leaves out. No tour of the office. No list of every case type. No history of the firm. Jeanette is the only person who speaks. Her name and practice area are on screen in the first few seconds, then they get out of the way.
That restraint is the message doing its job. Every line answers the question the viewer already has: "Is this someone who will take my side?"
How I shaped the message for this video
A message on paper and a message out loud are different things. Here's what went into this script:
- Lead with the client's problem, not the credentials. The credentials sit in the lower third. The first spoken line belongs to the viewer.
- Write for the ear. Short sentences, one idea each, in words a client would actually use. "Bully" is a word people say. Industry language isn't.
- One ask. Call. Nothing competes with it.
- One reason, in human terms. Being heard and respected matters more to someone in that situation than a list of services.
- Thirty seconds, no more. Every line had to earn its place.
The test I use is simple. Could the person on camera say it to one real client, across a desk, without notes? If yes, it's ready to film.
How I coached Jeanette through the shoot
Most people aren't nervous about the camera. They're nervous about getting the words wrong. A short, clear script fixes most of that, because there's less to remember and more room to mean it.
The rest is coaching. My job on set was to help Jeanette sound the way she sounds with a client, not the way people sound when they read to a lens. You can see it in the footage:
- She talks to one person. Her eyes are just off camera, the way you'd look at someone across a desk.
- The problem comes first, and it lands. The opening line is the one that matters most, so it leads.
- The supporting shots give it room. The table and hands moments are played by actors, and they let the edit breathe between lines.
None of this is about performing. It's about helping someone say what they already believe, clearly enough that the right person hears it.
Who should own the message and the coaching?
Not the videographer, and usually not the owner alone.
A videographer's job is the picture and the sound. You're too close to your own business to hear how it sounds to a stranger. The message and the coaching sit between those two roles, and that's marketing leadership work: deciding who the video is for, what it says, how it connects to your website and follow-up, and then getting it said well on the day.
On this video, that was my job. I wrote the message, coached the delivery and made the video.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to memorize a script to be on camera?
No. You need to know the message cold: the problem, the one ask and the reason. A short script in plain words, plus someone coaching you through it, does more than memorizing a long one.
How long should a business video be?
As long as it takes to name one problem, make one invitation and give one reason. The Stutes & Lavergne video does it in 30 seconds. If you can't say what a video is for in one sentence, shorten the message before you shorten the video.
Who should write the script for a business video?
Whoever owns the message. For this video, I wrote the script, then coached Jeanette through the shoot. The person on camera should always be able to say it in their own voice.
What's the difference between a videographer and a marketing leader on a shoot?
The videographer captures and edits. The marketing leader decides what the video needs to say, shapes it into lines the speaker can deliver, coaches the delivery and makes sure the video points to the right next step.
What should I do before I book a video shoot?
Get the message clear first. If you haven't yet, start with why your message has to come before your video. It walks through the questions to answer before anyone presses record.
Where should you start?
If your marketing has a message problem, a video will make it louder. If the message is clear, a video can carry it farther than almost anything else.
Start by finding out where your message stands. Start here.
Jordan SellersMarketing strategist and fractional CMO for owner-led US companies. 15+ years in marketing strategy. More about Jordan