Personal Video
‍‍The Definitive Guide

What Is Personalized Video? Examples & Definition

A personal video is a short, quick-and-dirty video that you record for just one recipient.

Think of it as an email, just 100x better.

Are you about to send an important, high-ticket proposal to a client?

Record a personal video with your best sales pitch, and send it alongside the proposal.

Do you have a complicated support ticket that you need to answer?

Record a personal video of you and your screen, quickly walking the client through the steps. Much quicker to create. Much more fun to watch.

Or has your marketing agency or freelancer just sent you a new layout?

Record a personal video telling and showing directly on screen what you like and what you want to be changed. Giving precise feedback has never been easier.

The possibilities are endless. Whenever you’re about to write a lengthy email, ask yourself: Could I record a quick personal video instead?

Are you curious how a personal video looks like? Here’s an example:

‍

‍

But now, let me show you how you’ll benefit from personal videos.

Benefits of Personalized Video: Save Time. Achieve More.

I’ve been spending hours writing emails. It’s been driving me crazy.

Ever been there?

I needed to give detailed feedback on designs and concepts.
I was sending out high-ticket proposals. Pitching partners.

20-30 minutes per email, still struggling to be precise, which resulted in even more emails.

So I stopped writing lengthy emails.

With personal videos, I’m now communicating faster than ever, giving better feedback, all in a matter of minutes.

This is how my nerve-racking emails and chats looked before:

And here’s the crazy-timesaving thing I’m doing now:

Step 1: Record a quick-and-dirty video, showing and telling [2-5 minutes].
Step 2: Write the shortest email ever with a link to that video [30 seconds].

This is how my super-quick feedback looks now:

‍

‍

But it’s not only about saving time.

The true power of personal video is creating connections. Building trust and rapport.

It’s hard to build connections via email. Even harder via chat.

But in personal videos, you show up in person. There’s body language. There’s humor and smiles.

In personal videos, you address the recipient directly, with his name, as if you were sitting in front of him. You talk to him, address his challenges and aspirations.

Maybe you’re hundreds of miles apart, but with personal video, you can start a true conversation with your clients, partners and team mates – with your whole network.

So in short, here are the benefits of personalized video:

• Save tons of time writing lengthy emails
• Connect with prospects, clients, partners, team mates
• Close more deals faster by building trust and rapport
• Stand out from your competition
• Foster your connections, even if you’re far apart

‍

How Does Personal Video Work?

I’m stating the obvious, but the first and foremost reason why personal videos work is: They’re personal.

They address one person, and one person only. By name. By addressing his or her pains, challenges and aspirations.

People do business with people. People buy from people.
Not from companies. Not from websites.

Any by showing up in person in your videos, you start creating a connection. This helps to build trust and rapport. The basis for closing deals and working closely together.

The next big factor is the reciprocity trigger. Or translated into plain English:

If you give something to someone, he’ll want to give something back to you.

Remember the guy offering you a sample of cheese at the market?

You almost feel obliged to buy something from him after trying a few of his samples.

By creating a video just for one client, this client will notice that you’ve taken the time to do that. He’ll appreciate your effort. He’ll want to give something back:

• First by watching your whole video (which means you’ll have a lot of time to get your best messages across).
• Then by sending you an answer right away (so you can move the sales process or project forward quickly).

So how you record a personal video in minutes?

All you need is your computer, a webcam and a neat, easy-to-use tool called Loom:

‍

‍

The Loom basic plan is free and more than sufficient to get you started. And Loom takes all the hassle out of recording your videos:

• Just fire up Loom, adjust your webcam, prepare your computer, and hit record.
• Loom takes care of uploading your video to its private cloud, so you can share your video instantly with a simple link.

In this guide, I’ll show you everything you need to know to create great personal videos in minutes.

Next, you’ll discover the best ideas and use cases of personal video. Then, I’ll show you my favorite tools and gear, how to use it step by step, and how to create a great structure and script for your videos.

‍

Sales Videos – Close More Deals Faster

Especially in sales, communication is key. The more personal, the better.

Science has proven: People decide emotionally whether to buy or not.

Yes, everybody needs some facts and figures. Prices. System requirements.

But ultimately, it boils down to emotional questions. Your future clients will ask themselves:

Will my life feel better after buying your product/service?
Will I have taken the right decision to move my business forward?
Will buying your product/service put me in a good light with my boss?

Science tells us that rational arguments are just used to justify the emotional decision.

This is why personalized video is so powerful when it comes to sales:

By showing up yourself in the video, you create trust and rapport. You start building a relationship.

You can’t always meet your possible clients in person: They’re far away – maybe on the other side of the planet. Or you might not have the budget.

Personal video is the next best thing to being in the same room with your client. It helps you to kill several birds with one stone:

• Create trust and rapport
• Create an emotional connection
• Tie your product or service to your clients pains and challenges
• Stand out from your competition

So what are the best ways to use personalized video to boost sales?

• Proposals
  Send a personal video alongside your important proposals. I’ll show you exactly how to do that in chapter 5 of this guide.
• Product Demos
  Is your client interested in a specific area of your product? Send him a short walkthrough tailored to his pains and challenges.
• Regular Updates
  Especially with complex B2B products, the sales cycle might take months. Send videos with what’s new in your product and how it helps your client.

‍

Support & Onboarding Videos – Delight Clients with Fast Solutions

Clients have become more demanding. Patience levels are low. And with all those online review platforms, every negative experience turns into a bad rating.

• Help your clients when they need it most, and you’ll have happy clients.
• Happy clients mean less cancelations – or in other words: less churn.
• Happy clients turn into ambassadors for your product and will recommend you.

Have you heard of the “paradox of customer happiness”? I’ll sum it up for you:

‍

The Customer Happiness Paradox

There are two clients: One has never had any issues with your product or service. The other client has faced a serious problem. Here’s what happens next:

• The client without any issues is not aware of your product:
  It just works. No need to communicate with you, nor with others. No recommendations for you. Higher likelihood to switch providers, less retention.
• A totally different situation with the client who has faced a serious issue:
  Assuming you’ve helped him quickly and successfully, that client is now aware of your great service. Of your dedication to help him. You’ve created a relationship, he knows you’re all about helping him and making him successful.

The surprising result: The client with the serious issue is happier than the client who has never faced an issue. He is the one to become an ambassador for you. He’ll recommend you.

So should you leave some bugs in your product or create issues so that you can solve them? Of course not.

But providing great customer support is far more powerful than you think.

It’s not only about solving tickets as fast as possible. It’s about turning clients into raving fans.

And this reduces churn, helps with new sales and increases your customer lifetime value (CLV).

Using personal video in support and customer happiness is straightforward:

• Support Tickets
  Instead of writing lengthy emails that are hard to understand and follow, just create a short personal video showing step by step how to solve the issue.
• User Onboarding
  Everytime a trial user contacts you with a question is a chance to turn him into a paying client – to “increase conversions” in marketing speech. Record a short video and show the client how to get quick wins. How to get results from your product.
• Product Updates
  And don’t forget about your paying clients. Did you just publish an update? Record a short video showing how to use the new feature. Or if you’ve changed up things: Show where your clients find their favorite features to avoid confusion.

‍

Feedback Videos – Move Projects Forward Faster

Personalized videos for sales and support seem obvious. But how about your hardcore development projects?

Working on projects requires a lot of communication. And I mean a lot:

• Sending briefings to kick things off.
• Giving feedback to new deliverables.
• Stepping in when things go into the wrong direction.

You’re communication with your team mates. You’re communication with external agencies. With freelancers. Hey, maybe you even have a remote team with people working all over the world!

And it’s not only about who you communicate with. It’s also about the what:

• Explaining complex workflows and processes is hard.
• Giving feedback to visuals (like website or UX layouts, or even to videos) is hard to put into writing.
• And don’t forget the human aspect: How do you deliver negative feedback in a friendly way?

I’ve stopped writing lengthy emails quite some time ago. Now I quickly start recording a video, and show and tell what’s on my mind.

This allows me to give better and more precise feedback – in a breeze.

If you’re curious: Here is one of my real-life feedback videos that I sent to my graphics designer this week:

‍

‍

Coaching & Consulting – Create Impact, Empower People

This is another area where personal videos really shine.

Maybe you’re a coach, and you help people with there private or business challenges.
Or you’re a mentor to some junior team mates.
Or maybe you’re a consultant working with business clients.

Coaching and consulting should be interactive, I totally agree. So you’ll still be in client meetings. In workshops. In Zoom and Skype meetings.

But how about all those short questions that arise between your scheduled meetings and calls?

How about all those emails with “just a short question”?

It’s important to be there for your client, to really help him move forward and succeed.

So the next time you receive one of those “short questions” in between your official sessions, just record a short personal video and answer it.

You’ll be surprised how much time that will save you, and how much better you can communicate your thoughts and really help your client out.

‍

Team & Training Videos – Set Everyone Up For Success

Every time someone new joins your team, you’ll need to get him into the loop:

How does the vacation policy work?
How do you handle customer requests?
How do you use the help desk app and the CRM?

Creating a bunch of videos saves everybody a ton of time:

• You don’t have to explain the same things over and over.
• People can watch the training whenever they need to – be it Tuesday at 11 pm.
• You can finally stop postponing the written operations playbook that nobody wants to write – and that nobody is gonna read.

Team training is a great area to create short, quick-and-dirty videos for a small group of people.

You’re not creating a personal video for just one team mate: Now you’re addressing the whole team. Or maybe just one department.

It’s an ideal and fun way to document knowledge and processes. To maintain compliance. To onboard new team mates.

Now that you’re fired up to create all those time-saving and sales-boosting personal videos – what do you need to actually do it?

I’ll show you in the next chapter.

The “Magic 3” – 3 (Free) Things To Create Personalized Videos

Maybe you’ve heard people talk about their advanced camera gear, and how many thousands the spend on accessories, lighting, etc.

The good news is: You don’t need all that fancy equipment to create great personal videos.

Because one of the main reasons they work so well is that they’re raw. Authentic. In other words:

‍

Personal video works because it’s not perfect.

That means your gear doesn’t need to be perfect. But you don’t have to be perfect either!

Now that’s great news, especially for all of us who might feel a little intimidated when thinking about seeing ourselves on video.

Just be yourself. Speak and act like in your usual phone calls and meetings.

So finally here they are: The 3 magic things you need for great personal video:

Let me break it down for you:

‍

Thing #1: Your Computer or Laptop

One of the powers of quick-and-dirty video is that you can show and tell:

So while the video of you creates that personal connection and trust, sharing your computer screen allows you to actually show what you’re talking about:

A proposal, a new design, maybe your website, software or app.

So you’ll need an average computer or laptop, running Windows or Mac.

You’ll need an internet connection, because the personal video you’re recording is automatically uploaded to the cloud.

This makes it super easy for you to share the video with your clients, prospects and colleagues:

Once the video has uploaded to the cloud (which takes anywhere from a few seconds to 1 minute, depending on your internet speed), all you need to do is send the link to the video via email or chat.

And of course you need a way to be in the video yourself. Which is why you need:

‍

Thing #2: A Webcam

A webcam is a small, cheap camera that records a video of you, while making Skype calls to your family or participating in online meetings.

If you’re using a laptop, you’re already set:

All laptops nowadays have an integrated webcam, so that’s really all you need to start. You can always up your game later.

If you’re working on a computer, you’ll need an actual webcam that you just clip to the top of your monitor.

Already have one? Great!

If not, just get the Logitech C922x webcam: Very decent quality, crispy HD resolution, everything for a fair price (and works perfectly on Windows and Mac):

Logitech C922x webcam: great quality, fair price – buy on Amazon

The webcam comes with a microphone, so it will record both you and your voice.

And there’s a clip included, so you can easily attach it to the top center of your monitor.

Then connect it to a USB port of your PC or Mac, and it should be recognized automatically.

‍

Thing #3: Loom

Now this is where the real magic happens:

Loom is a phantastic, easy-to-use tool which ties it all together and takes all the hassle out of recording those personal, quick-and-dirty videos:

• With just two clicks, Loom will record your webcam and screen.
• It uploads the video to their private cloud – automatically in the background.
• And once you’ve reviewed your video, Loom gives you a link to easily share it.

Of course you could do all these steps manually. But this is not only tedious, but takes quite some time (recording, saving, uploading, sharing, … you get it).

I’ve been using Loom for quite a while, and it’s always surprised my how quick and easy it makes the whole process. And that’s why I highly recommend it:

‍

Loom hits the sweet spot between great functionality and ease of use, and it’s blazing fast.

I’ve recently recorded a Loom video while I was staying at my parent’s in the German “outback”, which means slow internet with just 5 MBit of upload speed.

After recording the video, Loom had already uploaded it in the background, and I was able to send the link to my client right away!

The free plan is ideal to start and gives you everything you need to create and share your personalized videos:

And once you’ve really got into making videos, you can step up your game and get the pro plan.

At just $8 per month and user (when paid yearly, otherwise $10), it’s super affordable and gives you advanced features like collaborating with your team mates, adding call-to-actions at the end of the videos, etc.:

There’s two different ways you can install Loom on your PC or Mac: As a browser extension for Google Chrome, or as a neat desktop app.

I’ll show you both options now, but I recommend the desktop app, because it lets you record your whole screen and any program you like – for example a Powerpoint/Keynote presentation, a proposal, your SaaS or software… you get it.

‍

Loom Browser Extension

That’s the quick and easy way of getting Loom.

All you need is the Google Chrome browser, so please install it on your PC or Mac if you haven’t already. Then do the following:

Fire up Chrome. Then go to Settings and choose Extensions:

Next, type “Loom” into the search bar to find the extension:

Then, click Add to Chrome to add the extension to your Chrome browser. After installing, you’ll find the Loom icon to the right of your URL bar:

Click Sign Up and get your free Loom account.

Now you’re ready to record your first personal videos, showing yourself and any website or app running inside your Google Chrome browser.

In the next chapter, I’ll show you exactly how to do that.

But there’s a better alternative to the browser extension, and that’s the

‍

Loom Desktop App

Loom also has a native desktop app that you install directly onto your PC or Mac. The desktop app has a few advantages over the browser extension:

• You can record just a specific section of your screen.
  This is ideal for recording a sales or pitch deck in Powerpoint/Keynote or giving a short product demo or support of your SaaS or software.
• It’s just one click to record a video – from anywhere.
  The desktop app leaves in the “tools bar” of your PC or Mac – so it’s always there when you need it.

So if you can, always go for the Loom desktop app! Here’s how you install it:

Go to https://www.loom.com/desktop and download the version for your operation system (PC or Mac):

When the download has finished, start the installer and follow the instructions.

After installing, you’ll find the Loom icon amongst the tools in the upper right corner of your Mac or in the tools/program section of Windows.

Whenever you want to record a quick-and-dirty video, just click the Loom icon and all options are right there for you:

Congratulations!

If you’ve made it that far, you’re all set to record your first personal video right away!

So in the next chapter, I’ll show you step by step how to record and share your first video.

But if you want to step up your game, here’s my advanced recommendations:

‍

Starter Kit: Personalized Video

Maybe you still need a webcam. Or you’re in a noisy environment, and want to block out noise.

Or your office or desk is in a pretty dark spot, and when switching on your webcam, you look more like a vampire than yourself.

If that’s the case, I’ve put together my favorite, entry-level gear in the following kit:

But now let’s finally record that first video of yours!

‍

‍

Step 1: Prepare Your Topic & Computer

Before you jump right into recording your video, take a few minutes to prepare and focus yourself. This will save you time and get your videos to the next level:

• Research Your Client
  It’s all about the client or recipient of your video, right? So take a moment to become clear about the pains, challenges and dreams he’s facing. This will help you set the stage.
• Prepare Your Topic
  Take a sheet of paper and jot down a few bullet points of the main things you want to get across. In the next chapter, I’ll show you the six key elements that make a killer personal video.
• Prepare Your Office
  Too dark outside? Switch on the lights and avoid looking like a vampire. Noisy area? Close the windows and give your colleagues a heads-up that you’ll be recording a video shortly.
• Prepare Yourself
  No worries, no make-up artist necessary! You’ll usually be visible only in a small circle within the video. But a short check of your hair and clothes won’t hurt.
• Prepare Your Computer
  You’ll probably be recording your screen, too. So just clean up a little, and close all programs with sensitive information. Closing your email and chat apps will help avoid embarrassing notifications pop up 😉
• Prepare Your Contents
  Open your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation or fire up your software or SaaS. Reduce the clutter by closing tabs, windows and any areas you don’t need.

Step 2: Record Your Personalized Video

Once everything is prepared, recording really is a no-brainer.

First, click the Loom icon. If you’ve installed the Loom browser extension, you’ll find it at the top right of your Google Chrome browser.

If you went with the Loom desktop app, click the Loom icon in the main navigation bar at the top (on Mac) or in the tools section on Windows.

This will show the Loom window and a few options:

Let’s go over the options quickly:

• Screen and/or Webcam
  In most cases, choose Screen+Cam to record both your computer screen and yourself. If you won’t be sharing your screen, click Cam Only.
• Screen Recording Area
  Next, select which parts of your screen you want to record in your video. The Loom browser extension lets you choose between the Full Desktop and the Current Browser Tab.
  The Loom desktop app gives you a bit more flexibility: You can record your Full Screen, a specific Window (ideal for product demos and support) or a Custom Size area.

Click Show advanced options to reveal even more possibilities:

• Select Camera
  Your webcam should already be pre-selected. If not, choose the correct webcam, and the picture of yourself will immediately show up on screen (only if you’ve chosen to record your webcam, of course).
• Select Microphone
  Finally, you can choose the microphone. When your using a laptop, this could be your Built-in Microphone. On a computer, usually choose the mic that’s integrated into your webcam. And if you’ve gone as far as getting a proper lav mic (see chapter 3), choose the mic input where you’ve connected your microphone.

There’s one more thing before you hit that Start Recording button. Adjust the size and position of your video:

• Adjust Your Video Size
  Move your mouse over the small video of yours, and a few icons appear below/next to the video. Just play with the different options to find the size that’s best.
• Move Your Video Out Of The Way
  By default, the circle with your video shows up at the bottom left of your screen. Make sure it doesn’t obstruct anything you’re going to show later, by moving the video wherever you want it to be.

Now click the Start Recording button. A short countdown appears. Adjust your posture, and start recording!

But what do say? What’s the structure of a killer personal video? No worries, I’ll share all the good stuff in the next chapter.

When you’re finished recording, click the Stop button (a black square) at the left border of your screen. That was quick, right?

Loom opens your video in a new browser tab. If your internet connection is very slow, you might see a progress bar, but usually, the video is already uploaded right when you finish recording:

Step 3: Send Your Personal Video

Now you can review your video. You can even trim away the start and end of your video (via the Trim button).

And please don’t be too perfectionist here: The recipient of your video will be delighted to see you. He’ll be surprised and thankful that you took the time to record a video just for him. So there’s no need to be perfect.

For your information: Loom Pro gives you additional options to change the thumbnail or even add a call-to-action at the end of the video. This is ideal when you’re using Loom to record videos for a broader public, like short product demos or training videos.

If you’re planning on making the most of your videos, definitely check it out. You can try Loom Pro free for 14 days.

But now, let’s get your video out there!

• Copy the Video Link
  Click the big blue Copy Link button. This will copy a link to your video to your clipboard. You don’t need to upload the video manually. You don’t need to adjust sharing settings. Loom does all the heavy-lifting for you.
• Send the Link via Email or Chat
  Write a new email or chat message. Tell the recipient that you’ve recorded a short video just for him and paste the link. It’s that easy:

Congratulations! You’ve just sent your first personal video.

Pro tip: Before all your future personal videos start crowding Loom, organise them into folders. Loom lets you create as many folders as you want. Then just move the videos to their corresponding folders.

Bonus Tip: Video Tracking – Know When Your Video Is Viewed

Do you know this ugly feeling when you’ve just sent out a big proposal, and you don’t know whether the recipient has already opened it?

I’m anxious, I can tell you!

Well, you won’t have to worry any more. Because Loom will notify you automatically the moment your video is watched:

So you always know when to touch base with the recipient again. But wait a few minutes, or you might be seen as big brother.

And if your video hasn’t been watched within a day or two, just follow up via email or chat.

This is truly one of my favorite features of Loom – and it’s already available in the free plan.

Now that you know how to record personalized videos, let’s step up your game. In the next chapter, I’ll show you the six key elements to killer personal videos.

And I’ll even share with you my top 3 video scripts, so that you just have to fill in the blanks.

The 6 Key Elements of a Great Personalized Video

Each personal video you create will touch on some – sometimes even all – of the following key elements.

Use them as guidance, and chose the elements that fit best the purpose of your video.

A sales video might have a stronger emphasis on pain points and benefits.

In contrast, support and feedback videos will be heavy on the actual content.

Key Element #1: Personal Greeting

You know there’s no second chance to make a first impression, so start your video with a friendly, personal greeting. Be casual.

Imagine the person you’re talking to is sitting right in front you. And most importantly:

Use him or her name at the very start!

Your client or colleague will immediately know that you’ve recorded this video just for him.

Everybody love’s being addressed by his name, right?

This is how I start my personal videos:

“Hey Jane, good to see you!
How are things over in Chicago?”

I literally imagine standing right in front of Jane, talking to her. This helps me get into the mood to create a real personal video.

And the more personalization you use, the better.

You know where your client is based? Sprinkle in his city, like I did in the example above.

Keep using the name throughout the entire video, just like you would throughout a sales call or project meeting.

Key Element #2: Strong Hook

Now that your client or colleague knows that you’ve recorded this video just for him, you need to convince him or her to keep watching.

People have so many things on their plate these days, you really have to hook them. Literally.

Which is why the second key element to a killer personal video is the hook:

These first 15 seconds of your video that spark so much interest and curiosity, that the recipient of your video will watch it to the very end.

And that’s why the hook is so important: If you don’t manage to convince the recipient to watch the entire video, your effort is lost.

So how do you create a great hook?

It’s easier than you think. The number one rule is: Make it about the recipient, not about you.

• The topic of your video is just your starting point.
• Find out, what pain points and challenges you can address with your topic.
• Or uncover, which dreams and aspirations you can help your client achieve with your topic.

Let’s say you’re creating a sales video to send alongside a proposal. This is how your hook could look like:

“Thanks again for sharing your challenges with me,
about getting more sign-ups for your SaaS.
And especially about turning them into paying customers.

But that’s where I come in:

Wouldn’t it be great if you could convert twice as many trial users to paying clients?
This would double your revenue, even without getting more sign-ups!”

You’ll need to do your homework first. Meaning: You’ll really need to listen to your clients, partners and colleagues and find out, what their challenges are. What motivates them. What they really want.

Then address those very pain points, dreams and aspirations right at the beginning.

Now the recipient of your video feels that you understand him, that you “get him”.

This creates trust and rapport. It’s not “just” a video. It’s the start of a relationship.

My personal tip: If you don’t have much time, really focus on the hook. This will get you a foot in the door.

Key Element #3: Overview of the Video

Now that you’ve really hooked the recipient of your video, it’s time to let him or her in on the topic.

It’s still the beginning of the video, so it’s still about motivating the recipient to keep watching.

Introduce your topic as short and precisely as you can, and give a short overview of what you’ll be talking about in the video.

Don’t get hung up in the details, but mention the most important things and takeaways.

And always tie them to the pains and dreams. This will make them even more powerful.

If we continue with the above sales video example, it might look like this:

“Today, I’m sending you my proposal
how you can get more sign-ups for your SaaS.
The first part covers the marketing foundation.
It will make sure you’re attracting the right customers.
…”

Tie each element of your service to a specific challenge or dream of your client.

Key Element #4: Main Content

Congratulations! You’ve just finished the most complicated part 🙂

You might be surprised, but once you’ve set the stage with the first three elements, delivering the actual content isn’t complicated:

You’ve motivated the heck out of the recipient of your video.
You’ve sparked his interest and curiosity.
You’ve established common ground by referring to his challenges and dreams.

Now you can easily deliver your main content: Going over your proposal. Showing how to solve a problem with your product or service. Giving feedback.

Here are my tips to keep the recipient interested:

• Keep it short and sweet.
  Don’t ramble. Don’t repeat yourself. Be brief and precise.
• Show and tell.
  If you can, don’t just talk about things. Show them on screen, whether it’s your proposal, your product, a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation, you name it.
• Come back to the pains and dreams.
  Every once in a while, refer back to your client’s challenges and dreams, by tying your service back to it.
• Break it into digestible steps.
  Especially when talking about complex topics, break them down into smaller parts. Show baby steps. It’s like taking the recipient by the hand and walking him through everything.
• Sprinkle in your USPs.
  Don’t brag about yourself. Just sprinkle in one of your unique selling propositions from time to time. Explain what makes you unique, what your client can’t get anywhere else.

Key Element #5: Summary

Don’t jump directly to the call-to-action.

Yes, you want the recipient of your video to confirm your proposal. Or to give you a good review after you’ve helped him with his support ticket.

How do you do that?

Sum up the video as quickly as you can. But focus on the pains, challenges and dreams of your recipient.

This will build even more trust and rapport. Again: It’s all about the relationship you build with your personalized video.

And if you repeat the pains that you’ll solve, the dreams you’ll help achieve, you set the stage for your ask. For the next step you want the recipient to take.

A good starting point is to think back to your hook, maybe just repeat a short version of it.

Key Element #6: Call-to-Action (CTA)

You’re almost there. Just one last step, the famous call-to-action.

You want your client to take action, right? To confirm that proposal.

Don’t be afraid to be direct.

Just tell the recipient what you want them to do next. Be friendly, but direct:

“I’m ready when you are. Confirm the proposal now,
and I’ll be starting as soon as tomorrow
to work on your marketing and get you more sign-ups!”

Did you notice?

Even in the final call-to-action, I inserted a reference to the biggest challenge the client faces.

If you’ll start adopting just one thing from this whole article, it should be this: Tying everything back to pains, challenges and dreams.

You’ll be surprised how far you’ll get!

Get My Fill-in-the-Blanks Example Scripts!

Now you’re familiar with the 6 key elements that make a killer personal videos.

My tip: Start implementing them one by one. You won’t be overwhelmed, so just concentrate on the first key element. And in your next video, focus on two key elements.

But I can do you one better.

Over the years, I’ve been perfecting and fine-tuning my personalized videos.

So I’ve put together my top 3 sales & support scripts for your emails and videos in a short PDF:

Download Your Top Video & Email Scripts Now!

Get the PDF and print it out: Then, just fill in the blanks, and you’ll create a great personal video in a breeze!

Conversational Tone: Make It Easy To Follow You

Think back to your time in college or university:

Did you also have one of those boring teachers or professors, always holding monologues? Speaking like they were addressing the nation?

Now you know how you should not come across in your personal videos.

The trick to keeping your videos fluid, interesting and digestible is being conversational.

While you’re recording a video, imagine you were sitting in front of your client, partner or colleague. Image you were talking to him. Then do the following:

• Ask questions.
  Questions spark the mind of the recipient and engage him. Just read the above few lines again. Did you notice that I was asking you whether you’d had one of those boring teachers? Questions make your video feel interactive. You can have open questions. Or you can answer your own questions after posing them.
• Use short sentences.
  The shorter, the better. The best way is to stick to short, standard sentences. Like my English teacher repeated over and over: subject – verb – object. Short sentences help your recipient follow along easily.
• Use the imperative from time to time.
  If you read the beginning of this section again, it starts with “Think back to your time in college…”. That’s an imperative, telling (in this case you) what to do. It helps you move the recipient from one point to the next. And don’t be afraid: When used well, the imperative still comes across friendly.
• Humour won’t hurt.
  Liven up your video by sprinkling in some humour. Don’t start telling lengthy jokes, but when you feel like it, why not?

Storytelling: Spark Interest & Be Remembered

When our ancestors where sitting around their fireplace, barbecuing their mammoth, they were telling each other stories.

It’s the world’s oldest way of passing on information. Of passing on good advice.

This is why the human brain craves for stories:

• As soon as you start telling a story, the brain wants to know what happens next. Stories keep the recipient of your video motivated to keep watching.
• Stories are easy to remember, because they connect situations, people and things that happened.

Sounds theoretical? Not at all: Instead of just stating a benefit of your product or service, tell the story of a client using it and having great success.

And you’ve turned the boring fact into an interesting story.

Easy, Informal Language: Get Your Messages Across

The most important thing is to get your message across. To make the recipient of your video really understand and feel what you mean.

There are a few things you can do to communicate better:

• Use simple, everyday words.
  Technical terms, buzzwords, today’s marketing is full of them. Instead, use simple words, and your message will be understood immediately and with ease. So instead of referring to the “intuitive user interface” (which doesn’t ring a bell), just say: “Our tool is super easy to use. It’s so easy, you don’t need any training.”
• Evoke emotions.
  At the very beginning of this guide, I was pointing out that buying decisions are emotional decisions. That’s why it’s important to appeal to the emotions. You do that by tying in pains and challenges. And by using emotional words: “I imagine you’re really excited to finally see our proposal. I love the project, so I had a lot of fun creating it.” Do you notice what happens?

Motivational Circle: Keep The Recipient Motivated

Now that’s one of my all-time favorites. I call it the “motivational circle”.

No matter what your video is about, no matter if your selling, teaching or helping solve an issue:

Always come back to the clients pains, challenges and dreams (or aspirations).

Don’t just tell your client what step to do next. Tell him what to do next, so a specific pain point disappears:

“Next, reduce the number of fields in your form.
Make the form as short as possible.
This will reduce friction, so that far less people will leave your page without signing up.”

The blue parts are the instructions. Short and sweet.

The red part ties them to the pain point: Now your client understands why he should follow your instructions.

Keep doing that over and over throughout your video. Works perfectly in emails, website copy, … basically everywhere.

So once you’ve mastered personal video, why not move on to “public” video? I mean:

• Video Tutorials
  Answering the frequently asked questions or showcasing the important features of your product or service – on your homepage, in your knowledge base, etc.
• Feature Demo Videos
  Just published an update of your app? Record a video showing all the new features and how your users can benefit from them.
• Onboarding Videos
  Signing up for your SaaS trial is one thing. Putting in the credit card details to become a paying customers is a totally different step. Record short onboarding videos to help your trial users get quick wins and motivate them to upgrade!
• Sales Videos
  And how about creating short videos to actually sell your products or services? In those videos, tackle the pains and challenges of your clients and present your software, SaaS or service as the solution.

Compared to personal videos, these public videos require more preparation and different tools and techniques.

If you’re interested: I’ve created a full-blown online course “Video Tutorials That Sell”. It teaches you everything you need to know to create great videos for your homepage, knowledge base, software and app.

Check it out and get the free starter course.

‍