5 professional interview video ideas for your brand
Thinking of creating an interview video for your brand? Take a look at all our tips for creating interview videos.
9 minute read
Have you been looking for ways to share personal and original stories about your company? Interview videos can be the ideal way forward. Why might this be? Well, for starters, interview videos allow for you to promote your brand through the voices of your company, whether that’s your staff or customers. So, what are interview videos? These videos are a type of marketing video that usually feature your CEO, staff or customers. Essentially, they are great because they can showcase what your brand is about and emphasise key messaging in a human way. In other words, whether these videos are used externally or internally, they can be an excellent reflection of your company’s values and capabilities. They convey to an audience, who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
These highly-produced quality videos are designed to capture the target audience’s attention and also create a positive impression of your business. With that being said, there are many different types of interview video styles and ideas that can be best depending on your industry and the type of messaging you want to highlight. For instance, let’s take this interview video by Netflix, where 12 employees detail their experiences of freedom and responsibility in the work culture of the company. Here, Netflix keeps it simple and polished due to the use of the talking head video interview style, where head-and-shoulders shots of the employees talking to the audience and off to one side is implemented. An interview style like this works for a brand like Netflix because the company prioritizes subscribers’ needs, and the personal aesthetic of the video implies that Netflix is a human company that is trustworthy.
In this article, we’re going to be looking at the various styles of interview videos that you can implement into your marketing schemes to promote your brand. Hopefully by the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of the possibilities of video content for your brand, regardless of your industry. Let’s get into it.
In this article, we include:
1. Benefits of video content over traditional forms
2. The importance of interview videos for your brand
3. Tips for making branded interview videos
4. Types of interview videos
Benefits of video content over traditional forms
First and foremost, it’s really essential that we look at the relevance of video marketing. By the end of 2023, there are predicted to be 48 billion digital video viewers in the world. With this statistic in mind, it’s therefore vital that brands up their video content game. What’s more, they should also think about making their content more suitable for larger audiences, as we all know the power that a viral video has in elevating a brand. For example, video platforms like YouTube, have already included features like making subtitles and transcripts available, which therefore makes the content more accessible to a larger audience.
But video isn’t the only content under the marketing of companies. Traditional media include radio, broadcast television, cable and satellite, print, and billboards. These are the forms of advertising that have been around for years, and many have had success with traditional media campaigns. With the introduction of the internet, digital advertising has become popular. New media includes social media, apps and videos. So how is video content beneficial?
Some benefits include:
- Communication/interaction. You can use social media to directly communicate and interact with your potential customers. This also means that you can receive immediate feedback with each post. Business and consumer relations are essential, and social media is a great way for quick communication.
- Data-driven. Social media is also great because you can quickly access reports, including how many likes and views are under each post. This is a great way to see how your posts are performing, and what types of content your customers like to see.
- Effect on customers. Social media allows for brands and companies to become accessible.
The importance of interview videos for your brand
You may be thinking, well “why do I have to produce a video in an interview format?” Of course, there are many different video formats that work for different purposes, depending on your purpose and industry. For the majority of the time, interviews are very appealing for several reasons. In this section, we’re going to quickly go over the benefits of interview videos so that you can see why they are appealing and impactful for brands.
Interview videos are beneficial because:
- They humanize brands. Adding a face to your brand allows customers and clients to trust your business more.
- They show your expertise. Interview videos can show your knowledge of your industry, in a natural and professional way.
What are some of your thoughts when you watch this interview video (testimonial video), showcasing customers’ reviews of Dropbox? I personally think about the fact that the video is short and sweet, under 3 minutes. The video also combines talking-head style interview shots, showing who is talking, as well as clips of people using Dropbox, as customers are describing it. What does this do? It builds trust between existing customers and potential new ones, because the video is personable, by including speeches by customers, and it showcases how easy the application is to use, through action shots. After we have mentioned some of the reasons as to why interview videos are important for your brand above, this example by Dropbox perfectly illustrates these reasons.
Tips for making branded interview videos
Furthermore, before we look at the various types of interview videos that you can produce, we’re going to give you some pointers so that you can create the highest quality of branded interview videos.
- Do extensive research to collect customers and clients’ questions.
- Be clear: define the purpose of the conversation and remain on that subject.
- Keep the interview tone informational and relaxed.
- Be aware of your set design and lighting.
These were some quite simple tricks of the trade. However, if you want to know more in-depth information on how to make professional branded interview videos, you can either reach out to us or watch this video by Indy Mogul, where they go into detail about lighting, camera set-up, location, subjects and audio.
Types of interview videos
So, now that you’ve got some tips under your belt to create branded interview videos, let’s look at the types of interview videos that you can create for your corporate company, regardless of your industry. In the following video, Mark Bone goes through various types of interview styles, specific to documentaries, but they can also be applied to the corporate world.
1. Conversational
This type of interview gives the audience the feeling that they are witnessing a natural conversation. These are natural videos, with the intention of making the interviewee relatable. These can be two-shot interviews, either shot behind-the-shoulder or switching between two people. What’s clear is that it is about showing a conversation, so both the interviewer and the interviewee do not look at the camera. Look at this example conversation between Zane Lowe and Shania Twain.
2. Talking-head
Talking heads are meant for serious conversations. They are shot in a professional setting with the focus solely on the subjects. Why is this a good example? It switches back and forth between visual slides that emphasize his points and Robert’s talking head.
3. Walking interviews
This type of interview just means that the subject moves around in the space a bit more. It makes the interview much more engaging. Walking interviews are also a great way of capturing the interviewee in his/her element which in turn puts the person at ease. This is a good example because it shows a footballer walking around where they spend most of their time; on the pitch.
4. Interviews combined with activities
All this means is that the interview includes the subject doing some sort of activity. That could just be giving a tour. These interview formats are more engaging since there are multiple elements that capture attention in a dynamic environment. It also seems like a much more casual approach.
5. Remote interviews
Remote interviews, recorded through Zoom or other video-conferencing software, are a great way to connect with thought leaders, share useful information, and let people sit in on interesting conversations. Luckily, this type of content takes little effort to produce but can be highly valuable. The New York Times “Diary of a Song” series captures simple Q&As with different musicians.
To summarise
And there you have it! There are so many types of interview videos that you can create for your brand. Depending on your specific industry, there may be a specific type that works better for you. Furthermore, hopefully you’ve understood that producing video content surrounding your brand, services and products, is vital for any business to thrive. Let me leave you with this interview video we produced for Nespresso a few years ago.
You may be able to produce interview videos using your in-house staff, however, there are creative agencies like us out there, who can help you create high-quality videos. If you feel that you may need assistance, feel free to contact us by phone or email. We’re happy to set up a free consultation with a member of our team here at SmartCuts Creative.