Why does this video content work for their cause?
Sylwia Korsak | 8 July 2010 | Blogs
The video presented at Institute of Fundraising National Convention has a strong effect on its audience. Why?
I am sorry to repeat a bit of content from previous post by Howard Lake, but I think different elements of the Institute of Fundraising National Convention grabbed our attention and inspired us to re-think what we do.
I would like to show you the video presented by Dan Pallotta during the convention:
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I have always been very interested in the phenomenon of viral videos, and I guess even today if you look for books or online resources on the topic you will always come across the final statement ‘there is no perfect way to predict what will go viral, and what will not’. There are only few aspects of video content we can aim to achieve and hope it will work.
I know, it’s tricky. But at least we can do our best 😉
So here are few of most commonly suggested tips:
1. Make it short
People do not want to watch your message for hours, and if your message is good, you should be able ot present it fairly quickly. We are living busy times, so we tend to choose shorter videos.
2. Make it appealing and to the point. Express clear call to action
What is it that you want to say? Why are you sharing it with the audience? What is the goal?Be specific.
3. Use the power of the medium
You have words, images and audio to play with – every single second of your film matters and works for you. Use it!
4. Make it engaging/fun
This is tricky – how do we make a story engaging? I guess it depends on the context. But the best test is to imagine how you would react watching it for the first time.
5. It’s not only the content that matters
What emotions do you provoke? How do you present your content? Why does it differ from anything else you have seen on-line?
6. Position your video on-line
There is a good article about it on TechCrunch explaining various ways of ensuring your video is not going to get lost in all the on-line noise.
7. Consider citizen journalism
Professional editing of your film is impressive and might work, however there have been many examples of viral videos that worked simply because of this spontaneous nature. You might already have that content somewhere, but you have overlooked it due to the quality of the recording.
I am sure there are many other tips and I would love to see them in the comments sections. For now, I will leave you with the above shown video, hoping that you will pick up some of my points. I think it’s simply brilliant. Short, concise, surprising and… well… makes me cry every time I am watching it.
About Sylwia Korsak
Community Champion at Off the Record (Bristol) - a mental health social movement by and for young people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Social media advisor, blogger and trainee cyber wellness counsellor.