How to create a great product launch video

Table of contents

Introduction

Videos are the most important and high-performing tool to include in your company’s product launch strategies. It’s a matter of capturing attention, stimulating engagement, and making the information easy to understand and therefore easy to share. In this post, we will look at some of the most valuable and interesting types of product launch videos, with some practical suggestions for each!

There is a recent survey that every marketer should keep in mind.

It starts with a very simple question that was asked of a large sample of people; the question is this, “What is your favorite way to find information about a product or service?“

Here are the answers:

• 73% said they prefer a short video

• 11% prefer a primarily text-based article (or a regular blog post)

• 4% prefer an infographic instead

• 3% prefer a live call or demonstration (wyzowl.com)

It is almost superfluous to comment on these results. Video is the preferred tool, and the gap with other mediums is really huge.

Because we don’t want to limit ourselves to a single survey, let’s consider this other data as well:

• 55% of people pay more attention when approaching video than any other type of content (omnikick.com). 

• 85% of marketers say video is the best way to get attention online (animoto.com).

• When viewing a video, the average user retains 95% of the message it contains; when it comes to text, it drops to 10% (covideo.com).

• Ninety-four percent of marketers say that videos have consistently helped with what customers understand about their products or services (hubspot.com).

Again, there is no need to dwell on commentary. But let’s look at what has happened since the unprecedented events unleashed by the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic outbreak:

• 91% of marketers believe that video has become even more important for brand communication.
• 68% of consumers say the pandemic has affected the amount of video content consumed online, and the vast majority (96%) say this amount has increased.
• 86% of video marketers say that video has increased traffic to their website during this period. (hubspot.com).

In short, you can see why we consider product launch videos a key issue!

6 types of product launch videos you can incorporate into your strategies

In this post we’ll start by identifying 6 types of product launch videos that you can incorporate into your strategies to make them increasingly effective. Let’s get started!

1. Tutorials and explainer videos – The importance of delivering value

Let’s address this first item on the list starting with one statistic that comes from the Wyzowl report that we mentioned above:

• 96% of people said they viewed an explainer video to get information about a product or service before making a purchase (wyzowl.com).

Of course, the ultimate goal of any marketing strategy is always to increase sales. But we can’t forget that before the sale, there is an important approach path, in stages, that must not be perceived as invasive by the customer. Product launch videos are placed precisely at this stage.

And what is the tip?

Simple: try, first and foremost, to offer value to your potential customers. Here, “value” means information, education, as well as entertainment. Knowing how to be useful to the viewer.

Think of the spread of video tutorials. By now we all use them extensively, and there are tutorials for every type and every taste: make up, DIY, gardening, gaming…the examples are endless.

Explainer videos are right in this groove: they are focused on clearly and effectively explaining a product or service.

Warning: this isn’t about explaining every detail in a pedantic and boring manner. You don’t want to overload viewers with information, but select the details that are most useful to everyone (deferring any further discussion to other venues). Always remember to pair the informative part with engaging storytelling.

Finally, we want to share a small but decisive tip that will also apply to other types of product launch videos. 

According to a Verizon survey of the American public, 93% of people prefer to watch videos on social media without audio, from their mobile devices (nexttv.com). 

So, try to include clearly visible subtitles and even text screenshots in your videos.

2. Video data visualization

This point is closely related to the previous one but it deserves a brief separate discussion.

When we talk about data visualization, we’re referring to the presentation of raw data in a graphical form: a form that helps to read this information, to make it understandable without an excessive expenditure of time and energy. And, ultimately, to make this data meaningful. 

All of this also applies to information and data about a product or service. Naturally, there is no better data visualization tool than video.

3. Unboxing videos

We have all seen an “unboxing video” (or at least heard of them), whether on social networks or on YouTube.

These are videos where customers show the act of unwrapping or” unboxing” a product they have just received.Usually, the video will go on to talk about the product’s features, how it can be used, a quick review…although the possibilities are endless.

Unboxing videos are among the most prominent, solid, and enduring trends on both YouTube and social media.

Why are they so effective? And why can they be the perfect product launch video?

The main answer lies in two key words: curiosity and spontaneity.

The act of unwrapping reminds us of the joy-filled curiosity of when we unwrap a gift (an act we performed many times as children…and love to do as adults as well).Attached to this is an effect of spontaneity. 

In fact, the viewer has the impression of being in front of something that is happening right at that moment, in a natural, unconstructed way. This is as far from the classic TV commercial, which in the digital world, no longer has a hold on the audience.

It’s no wonder, then, that unboxing videos are among the videos that demonstrate the highest rates of sharing and organic coverage.

Caution: spontaneity is always an effect that must be handled with great care. It’s not a matter of improvising and producing raw content. This is always counterproductive.

4. “Behind-the-scenes” videos

Here is another type of product launch video whose effectiveness is also related to spontaneity. Or, to put it better, with a sense of authenticity.

We’re referring to BTS (Behind The Scene) videos, which show what is behind a product: the production stages, for example, or even earlier phases of study and design, all the way to the final result.

This is a perfect type of video to establish an intimate connection with the viewer, aiming to convey a sense of transparency and complicity.

Again, you’ll want to avoid improvisations and low-quality content. BTS videos are also very effective at improving brand awareness (and we’ll return to this aspect in one of the next posts in this cycle).

5. Product launch video live and streaming

Streaming videos have long been used in digital marketing. In recent years, they’ve seen a huge surge in popularity, especially following the pandemic.

In addition, streaming videos perform well in terms of engagement: they generate an average of 7 times more reactions than classic videos and as many as 24 times the number of comments (business.linkedin.com). So, including a live video in your product launch strategy is always a good idea.

There are some aspects that you’ll want to watch out for. Primarily, you’ll want to take care when it comes to the technical aspects involving both image and audio quality, as well as good direction (no one wants to see a low-quality video).

It’s also important to manage the flow of comments and reactions so that viewers feel connected (and not ignored).

6. From mega-influencers to micro-influencers

In the previous points, we saw the words “spontaneity” and “authenticity.” These two aspects have a lot to do with “influencer marketing.”

Let’s start with two significant figures that give us a measure of the importance of these kinds of strategies:

• On average, influencer marketing showed an ROI of $6.50 for every dollar spent (adweek.com).

• About 70% of millennials are in some way directed in their choices by influencers (startupsmagazine.com).

Again, what is the most powerful tool in the hands of influencers?

No doubt, it’s video. 

So, relying on influencers for your product launch videos is always a good idea.

Yet a “problem” has become apparent in recent years that undermines the effectiveness of this type of approach from within.

Mega-influencers (those with more than one million followers) are now perceived by the public as very distant and unreachable superstars. In this way, the closeness to the audience that underlies the very concept of influencer marketing is lost.

So, what are brands and digital marketers doing?

They are relying on so-called micro- and nano-influencers, who are perceived as more spontaneous, authentic, close, and trustworthy and who have, therefore, a fan base that may be more limited, but is almost always more devoted and loyal.

Finally, don’t forget that when it comes to video marketing (and digital, more generally) the challenges are always won when you put people (and not just your own products) at the center.