Monthly Archives

January 2024

The Power of Storytelling

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Think back to the education you received during History class. You were probably given textbooks with all kinds of data, statistics, and figures about hundreds of different historical events.

Can you recall even one of those facts?

Unlikely.

But you probably remember the stories of the people and events in the TV shows or movies that replayed those time periods. Hamilton, for example, connects people to the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton through captivating visuals and musical compositions. Opposed to cold statistics, stories sear themselves into our memories. 

Stories are an undeniably powerful communication tool. According to the London School of Business, people only recall 5% to 10% of what you tell them when you use only facts. But weave those facts into a story, and your audience retains 65% to 70% of the information.

It’s simple, but in communication, some of the simplest things can be the toughest to execute. Getting it right matters, and there is no better medium for the human story than video.

Crafting a Compelling Story
Employing storytelling in your messaging isn’t enough. To utilize the power of stories, we have to tell them effectively. 

Luckily, there’s a four-step formula for creating stories with impact. And it applies to nearly any type of message you’re trying to get across.

According to Carmine Gallo, Harvard instructor, keynote speaker, and author of “The Bezos Blueprint,” using these elements—protagonists and characters, conflict, resolution, and structure—will sharpen your storytelling skills.

Start with the protagonists. These are the heroes of the story, the main characters who face hurdles they must overcome. A message about the impact of a donation, for example, will go much further when we meet the people affected, like a student (let’s call her Sara) who is the first in her family to pursue a college education. With a strong protagonist, the audience can connect on an emotional level.

From there, you’ll identify the conflict. What are the hurdles Sara faces in achieving her goal? We might learn that her family struggles to afford university and that she has juggled work and school to help her family pay rent. Pinpoint the obstacles that stand in the way of your protagonist’s goal.

The next piece is the resolution. Suppose a successful fundraising campaign by your organization has introduced a scholarship fund into Sara’s life that allows her to overcome her financial limitations. We see that the protagonist has made it through the conflict to the other side.

Now we can build a structure. Every story needs a beginning, middle, and end. At the start, the scene introduces the protagonist (in our example, Sara) and her family. The middle drives the plot forward, identifying her conflict and driving home the need for scholarship funding. The end shows the resolution—the impact of donor funds when Sara is the first in her family to attend university.

Why Video is an Effective Storytelling Tool
On social media, the rise of the moving image is evident: video is king. It’s the best vehicle for a story thanks to its ability to be concise and to combine captivating images with stirring music. 

Every organization’s communication efforts, whether they’re a business or nonprofit, can benefit from telling stories through video across every platform. Beyond being influential, it also has the advantage of flexibility: one video can be adapted for multiple lengths and uses. 

Inject a newsletter with more emotion using video, or capture more eyeballs on social media platforms with shortened versions of the same film. Video stories also enhance websites, which become more dynamic when they expand beyond words.

There are several types of stories told through video that, even at abbreviated lengths, won’t sacrifice influence:

  • Testimonials
    Interviewing team members, volunteers, donors, or clients and compiling their first-person perspectives is an easy way to create a narrative. Combined with b-roll from the organization’s day-to-day activities, these stories provide authentic examples of your work’s impact.
  • Use-case videos
    Picture the difference between reading a recipe or watching a short YouTube video on how to create it. That’s the power of use-case videos, which build credibility by using the storytelling adage of “show, don’t tell.” By visualizing the impact of your product, service, or nonprofit program on your audience, you help them make stronger connections with the importance of your work.
  • Day-in-the-life
    Documentary-style videos are a great way to showcase the organic content that emerges when we spend a day with the protagonists. For example, following a member of your team around a typical workday can showcase the role they play in your company’s success. Or you might have a high-impact program or event, like a food drive, and capture its daily impact on film.

Tell Your Story
Video has become the dominant medium of communication across social platforms.

If you have a story, we might be the right organization to help you tell it. Post Script Productions specializes in video, and our clients benefit from that focus. We take on every step of the project, starting with listening to your story and the story you’re trying to share and who needs to hear it. We handle all aspects of production based on your organization’s or specific project’s needs and then deliver a final product that is true to your mission and message.

Get in touch with us to learn more. We can share samples and talk through your specific needs to explore whether our video production is the right fit.

 

Planning Events in 2024? 3 Ways Video Enhances Your Efforts

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Events are short-lived. But as anyone who’s planned an event knows, these one-time occurrences require huge investments of both time and resources.

Your organization’s efforts should have a bigger payoff. How? By incorporating video into your event planning.

When you leverage the engagement powers of video before, during, and after the event, you stretch its impact. Now your audience is influenced far beyond the confines of start and end times. In fact, according to research cited by Forbes on the power of visual marketing, 82% of internet traffic will be due to video by the end of 2023.

Here we discuss three opportunities to increase your event’s audience engagement through video. 

Before the Event: Build Anticipation

Successful event attendance will depend on how effectively you inspire and entice your potential audience. 

Static images and print invitations can’t stir emotion quite like video can. The right pre-event video marketing can drum up excitement and effectively recreate the energy of the in-person experience with music, participant interviews, and graphics.

In addition to imparting energy, you can help draw more eyes to your promotion with video. According to Search Engine Journal, YouTube is the second most popular search engine for users after Google, with TikTok quickly emerging as a similar tool. Other social media sites like Instagram favor video Reels in their algorithms. Video is king, and without it, your pre-event promotion likely won’t earn the attention it deserves.

Here are some important ways to make the most of pre-event video marketing:

  • Keep it short and sweet. Share the information they need—the who, what, when, where, and why—in a punchy format that’s memorable.
  • Utilize last year’s event. B-roll footage from previous years’ events can give people an idea of what to expect. Photos can work too if you didn’t get video coverage. And our team loves collaborating on how pre-existing media can creatively be used! View an example.
  • Interview event participants. Lacking video (or photos) from previous years? You can use interviews with conference speakers, event organizers, or previous attendees just as effectively. Our team can help set up efficient production days prior to the event to make it convenient for those you’d like to appear on-camera.
  • Use the video on multiple platforms. In email, on your website, and in social media posts, your video can be formatted to different lengths to suit each platform and reach audiences multiple times.  View an example.

 

During the Event: Create a Compelling Experience

Video isn’t just a before-and-after project. It’s also a tool you can use to capture attendees’ attention during the event.

Think of the contrast. Your esteemed guest speaker is coming onto the stage shortly. You have the choice between a written introduction, read-aloud, or a video played on a large screen. Which can more readily give your audience goosebumps?

Whether you are paying tribute to an award winner, introducing a featured guest speaker, or telling your organization’s story, short clips that stir your audience can make these experiences more dynamic.

Here are more ideas for how videos can enhance your event as it’s happening:

  • Introductions
    Build excitement for event guests with dynamic video announcements for speakers or award winners.
  • Organization biography
    Tell your story consistently across various parts of the event with one biographical video.
  • Presentations
    Video presentations signal to the audience that they should be quiet and help them absorb information more coherently than a slide show.
  • End-of-year review or thank you
    Make your employees, donors, volunteers, or fundraisers feel more deeply acknowledged with a moment of thanks that can live on far past the event.

After the Event: Make the Feeling Last

Hiring a videographer to document the event has a payoff that can last months and even years.

In your follow-up communication, thanking attendees with a video that reminds them how much fun they had or the purpose of the event adds punch to your message.

For your social media followers, helping them experience or relive the event through the footage makes the impact of the event even longer (and instantly shareable).

And for those you’ve acknowledged during the event, the thank you can live on in video format. The same goes for presentations, which can continue to educate on YouTube or your website. View an example.

Altogether, video helps deepen your relationship with event attendees. Plus, you create resources that help you market future conferences, seminars, parties, or other gatherings with authentic footage that belongs to you.

Ready to Bring Video to Your Event Planning? We Can Help.

Details are our thing. At Post Script Productions, we take on all the video planning—coordination, script writing, interviewing, even hair and makeup—so you can focus on the other parts of your event. We deliver polished film that generates excitement and enthusiasm with your audience.

How Video Content Boosts Nonprofit Fundraising and Recruitment

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Nonprofit work is challenging. When so much of your mission relies on getting donations and bringing in volunteers, spreading your message far and wide (and efficiently) is key. 

One of the best ways of doing that is with well-produced, deftly distributed video content. Here are a few ways video can get more people invested and involved in your organization.

Outreach and Education

In a world where people face a constant barrage of content every day, videos have a better chance of grabbing your audience’s attention. Two factors are key in increasing the impact—moving images naturally draw the eye, and video is particularly effective at evoking emotion.

One study found that 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. Additionally, nearly a third of people say they most want to watch educational videos. For nonprofits looking to get the word out about the important issues they’re tackling, that’s good news.

Another impressive stat? Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading text. You can’t beat that kind of staying power. Viewers are also more likely to share video content than text or static images—1200% more likely, in fact.

Enthusiastic Engagement

So much of the work nonprofits do is emotionally high-stakes—and emotion makes for great videos and even greater engagement. With precise visual storytelling, compelling music, and poignant footage of the people who are reaping the benefits of your work, you can get your audience excited about and invested in your mission. 

When it comes to fundraising, video content helps solicit more donations. A study done by Google found that in the case of nonprofits, 75% of donors said they watched videos by the organization when deciding to donate, with more than half of those who watched videos ultimately deciding to give. Not to mention, 39% of those donors decided to make their donation within 24 hours of watching a video. 

That’s a major return on investment, especially when footage from just one interview, for example, can be used in many different videos. This makes video one of the most cost-efficient methods of marketing, especially for nonprofits operating on a tighter budget.

Connecting Your Community

Keeping your community connected is of utmost importance. Donors, volunteers, and members all want to know that their time and money is being put to good use. Video is the perfect medium to keep everyone up to date and interested.

For example, interviews with organization members give a human face to your work and help the community to know and trust you. Glossy recaps and promos of fundraising galas get people excited to attend the next one. Success stories encourage donors, board members, and others that the work you do is meaningful and yields tangible results.

Thank you videos are another impactful option. More dynamic than a letter and more personal than a stock email, videos are also easy to individualize. Donors will be pleased to receive one, and they’ll be more likely to continue their monetary support going forward.

Picking the Right Platform

Being strategic about which videos get placed where can also increase a nonprofit’s traffic and funds. Here are just a few ideas:

  • Educational videos are great additions to your website, where they can give visitors a quick crash course in your cause, drum up their enthusiasm, and encourage them to get involved. 
  • Short but punchy videos are great for social media, where a few shares can snowball into thousands of new eyes on your content—and your mission. 
  • More in-depth, detailed updates or promotional videos can find a home in email newsletters, where they’ll be seen by those already involved in your cause.

When supplemented with pithy text content, sharp photography, printed materials, and more, video can round out a polished, professional outreach campaign that brings in significant numbers of both volunteers and donations. 

Interested in upping your video game? At Post Script Productions, we know just how to write, produce, and edit the high-quality visual content you’re looking for. Shoot us a DM, and let’s get your cause the attention it deserves.

 

Our Blog is Now Active

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We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new blog, where we’ll be sharing valuable insights and ideas about our video production services. This blog aims to be a resource for clients seeking information on various types of videos, offering a wealth of knowledge to enhance their understanding of the industry. From creative concepts to technical know-how, we’re committed to providing engaging content that showcases our expertise and keeps our clients informed. Stay tuned for a mix of informative articles, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and tips to help our clients make the most of their video projects.