Creating videos that bring customers to your business isn’t about fancy editing or perfect scripts. It’s about authenticity – showing up as yourself and sharing real expertise. As someone who’s spent 15 years working with search algorithms and video marketing, I can tell you with certainty: The algorithms will find your good content. You just need to create it.
Here’s a simple formula that lets busy business owners sit down for just 15 minutes each week and record two solid videos. We’re not chasing viral trends or maximizing view counts. These videos will star you (or your team) being genuinely helpful and sharing real insights. The focus is on attracting people who actually need your services.
Before You Start: Equipment & Setup
Don’t let equipment concerns stop you from getting started. Here’s what you actually need:
- Phone Camera: Your smartphone is perfectly fine. No need for professional equipment when you’re starting out.
- Lighting: Face a window when recording. Natural light from the front makes everyone look better. If you don’t have access to natural light, just face any light source.
- Audio: Find a relatively quiet spot. A little background noise is fine – it can actually make the video feel more authentic – but we want to clearly hear what you’re saying.
- Setting: Record wherever you feel most comfortable. The goal isn’t to look professional; it’s to look authentic.
- Optional: A $15 phone holder can help if you’re moving around, but it’s not necessary when getting started.
Step 1: Choose Your Topic
There are 4 types of topics that consistently work well for business videos:
- Common Customer Questions: Think of what you get asked most by customers or prospects. Example: “What’s the difference between Ceramic coating vs PPF?”
- Lesser-Known Industry Insights: Tips or insights that most people are unaware of. Example: “Lesser-known tax deductions for small business owners”
- Head Nodders: Universal frustrations or experiences that make your audience go “Yes! Finally someone said it!” These are things your customers have felt but maybe never put into words. Example: “Why your car only makes that weird noise when you’re alone, never when the mechanic is there”
- Stories That Illustrate a Point: An interesting story that demonstrates something important about your industry. Example: “The strangest thing we’ve ever found clogging an AC unit”
When choosing your topic, consider whether you can fully address it within 3 minutes. If you feel rushed or need to leave out important details, break it into smaller chunks. For example, instead of “Why your check engine light is on,” create separate videos for:
- Most common reason for check engine lights in winter
- When a check engine light means ‘stop driving immediately’
- Which check engine codes you can safely ignore
Step 2: Identify Your Payoff
Every good short-form video needs a “payoff” – the reason your video is worth watching. Whenever possible, delay this payoff until the end of the video.
Examples of Strong Payoffs:
- Topic: “How often you really need to water your lawn in summer”
- Content: [Discussion about common watering mistakes]
- Payoff: “Most healthy lawns only need 30 minutes of water per week, not per day”
Sometimes you can’t delay the main answer. In these cases, tease an additional insight as your payoff:
- Topic: “Can you apply ceramic coating over a vinyl wrap?”
- Opening: “Yes, but there’s an important caveat I’ll tell you about in a minute. First, let me show you what happens if you do it wrong…”
- Payoff: The specific caveat you promised
Step 3: Write Your Hook
Your hook is the first 3 seconds of your video. This is the only part I recommend scripting, as it’s when viewers decide whether to swipe or stick around. The goal is to create FOMO (fear of missing out) about skipping your content.
Types of Hooks:
- Demonstration Setup: “Watch what happens when we pour boiling water on this ceramic coated hood vs an uncoated hood…” (The payoff is implied by the setup)
- Direct Promise: “I’m going to show you exactly how much money you’re wasting by running your AC with dirty filters, and I’ve got the energy bills to prove it.” (Specifically promising the value viewers will receive)
- Intriguing Statement: “Just had a customer ask why their AC is freezing up. Here’s what most HVAC companies won’t tell you…”
- Problem Identifier: “I’m about to show you the reason your garbage disposal keeps jamming, and I promise it’s not what your mom told you.”
Write your hook word for word, but make sure it sounds like something you would naturally say. For some videos, you might prefer to have text on screen rather than verbalizing your hook – either approach can work effectively.
Step 4: Think Through Your Main Points
Before recording, have a clear idea of the main points you want to cover. Don’t overthink it or try to memorize a script – just run through it in your head really quick.
As you’re planning your points, try to naturally incorporate:
- What you or your business does
- If you’re a local business, the city you’re located in
Example: “Here at our coffee shop in Portland, customers always ask why we grind our beans differently for cold brew…”
For about 10% of your videos, include a call to action – typically some kind of offer or invitation to learn more.
Step 5: Record Your Video
Think of recording like being on a Zoom call or FaceTiming with friends. When you’re on a video call and stumble over your words, you don’t say, “Damnit! I messed up. Start the Zoom call over.” That feeling of casual conversation is exactly what we want for these videos.
Recording Tips:
- If you start saying something and realize it’s not coming out right, just pause, breathe, gather your thoughts, and start that sentence over
- It’s fine to pause between sentences – these gaps will be removed in editing
- If you need to glance at notes, that’s okay – just look back at the camera before you start talking again
- Don’t worry about being perfect – authenticity is more important than polish
- Speak the way you would speak in real life to a real person
- If you find yourself pausing for long periods between sentences, spend more time thinking through your main points beforehand
After Recording: Editing and Distribution
This is where many business owners get stuck. If you’re following our formula, you’ll have good raw footage that just needs basic editing – trimming out pauses, adding captions, and perhaps some simple transitions.
For our clients, we handle all the post-production work: editing your videos, publishing them across all relevant social media channels, and optimizing them for each platform. If you’d like help with this part of the process, reach out and we’ll help you create videos that bring real customers to your business.
If you’re starting out on your own, just focus on getting comfortable with the recording process. Your first video should feel embarrassingly bad when you look back a year from now – that’s good! That means you’re improving. The most important thing is to just start creating.
Short Video Creation Cheat Sheet: Your 5-Step Formula
Equipment Setup
- Face a window or light source
- Find a quiet(ish) spot
- Use your phone – no fancy equipment needed
- Record where you feel comfortable
Step 1: Choose Your Topic Type
- Common customer questions
- Lesser-known industry insights
- Universal frustrations (“head nodders”)
- Stories that illustrate a point
- Remember: Must be covered in under 3 minutes
Step 2: Identify Your Payoff
- Main insight or revelation saved for the end
- If answer is obvious, tease a related insight
- Example format: “Yes, but there’s an important caveat…”
Step 3: Write Your Hook (First 3 Seconds)
- Demonstration setup (“Watch what happens when…”)
- Direct promise (“I’m going to show you exactly…”)
- Intriguing statement (“Here’s what most people won’t tell you…”)
- Problem identifier (“The real reason why…”)
Step 4: Plan Your Points
- List 2-3 main talking points
- Include what your business does
- Mention your city if local
- Plan a call to action (for ~10% of videos)
Step 5: Record
- Think “Zoom call” not “performance”
- Pause and restart sentences as needed
- Look at camera when speaking
- Be yourself – authentic over polished
Quick Tips
- Break big topics into smaller chunks
- Script only the hook
- Don’t memorize – just know your points
- Edit out pauses later
- Just start recording!
