How To Create An Eye-Catching Product Videos

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Eye-catching Product Videos

Since I have been in product photography, I have realized that photography does not only need to look good. To increase customer conversion rates, photography needs to be useful as well.

Product videography is quickly becoming an essential part of the product photographer’s tool kit. I don’t know about your product photography business, but my clients are on a more frequent basis asking for product videography.

What Are the Benefits of Video?

Moving images catch your eye in a different way compared to static photographs. They draw us in. We may even stop for a few minutes to take a closer look.

In other words, a good-quality product video has a massive impact on your sales. Did you know that 73% of website visitors are much more likely to make a purchase after seeing a product video?

Video should be engaging and dynamic. The main benefit is an increased conversion rate, but that is not the only benefit. A good quality video also delivers visible information very quickly. Just like photographs, you can use video for promoting your products on social media. Adding video to your website also helps potential buyers to engage more with your product. As I always say, don’t forget that we buy products with our eyes.

It All Starts with Planning

Let’s cover how to make the perfect product videography. It starts with planning. What are you shooting today? Luxury skincare or designer watches? 
 
What Products Are You Shooting?
 
It goes without saying the products come first. Just like you do when you plan a Still Life photography session, you need to plan ahead and make sure you are fully prepared. Making a list is a good idea as you can easily go back and check.
 
Apart from getting the photography and lighting element right, you need to take other factors into consideration. Here are a couple of points to give you food for thought:
 
● What platforms is the video going to be used on?
● What is the purpose of the video? To sell or inform?
● How is the video going to communicate brand identity?
 
No detail is too small. Don’t forget to discuss all of the aspects of the product and video with your client. 

Targeting The Audience and Making the Video Purposeful

Who is going to watch the video and what is its purpose? You may even want to sit down and think about what age and social group it is meant to appeal to.

New Product Videography

Is your client launching a new product? When your client is launching a new product, it is important to take a more in-depth look at the product. That means you need to take a slightly different approach. More details are required and you also want to add a bit of extra flair emphasizing the product launch.

What sort of product is it? Does it solve a particular problem or is meant to appeal to a particular lifestyle? Just two more things you want to take into consideration.

Is It For Demonstration Purposes?

If the video is for demonstration purposes, it is important you have a clear understanding of how the product works. Also, you must be able to deliver this message to consumers.

You probably want to show how easy it is to assemble the product or how easy it is to use. That often means using different techniques such as voiceovers and shooting the product from different angles. It is important to understand how to work with a variety of photography techniques including knowing how to light a product.

Is It to Launch Video?

The product may be a sneak peek of a new product. If it is a new product launch or a launch of a new book from a popular author, you need to hype things up. This is all about making customers excited about the new product or engaging an already existing fan base. What you are doing is creating excitement.

Selling Lifestyle Products

Lifestyle product photography is all about demonstrating how useful the product is when someone enjoys a particular lifestyle. This can be anything from shooting a nice car to presenting the latest laptop for digital nomads. Think about how the customer is going to identify with the product and relate to it. 
 
How is the Video going to Be Used’
 
Video is certainly very popular on social media. Marketing products on social media means you need to be familiar with the different platforms. Your client may even ask you which is the best social media platform for the product. Helping your client to identify the best social media platform can further boost your career as a product photographer. 
 
The most popular social media platforms for video include:
 
● Meta (Instagram and facebook)
● YouTube
● Tik-Tok
● Twitter
● Pinterest
 
If it is a lifestyle product, Pinterest is one of the best social media platforms. Pinterest is the platform many people visit when they look for lifestyle tips and ideas. Many social media platforms use different types of formats. Make sure you are familiar with what format works well on each platform. 
 
Video can also be used on the website the product is being sold on. For instance, you can link in the video to the hero shot of the product.
 

Brand Colors and Impact

Telling a story certainly matters when it comes to product videography. At the same time, you need to make sure the video is eye-catching. You don’t want a potential buyer to miss the video.

Although your video needs to make an impact, you also need to take other factors into consideration. If the brand color is not bright pink, you need to think about what colors are associated with the brand.

Ideally, any brand colors should be reflected in the video. If you have worked with the client in the past, you are probably already aware of what colors are important.

Also, take your time to understand what impact the client is looking for. Should the cinemaphotography be clean and crisp or is a more traditional approach called for? In many ways, it is about creating the right setting just like when you make a movie.

Understanding What the Client Doesn’t Like

It is just as important to understand what the client does not like. Of course, you should sit down and discuss this with the client. But, it is also important to come up with your own ideas.

Your client does not want the video to be boring or of bad quality. But, there are bound to be other things your client may not like. If you in into jewelry photography, your client may not want you to use models with painted nails. These are all things that you need to think about when you are creating your video.

Detailed Planning

If there are many of you working on the video, it is a good idea to make more effort with planning. 
 
You could consider creating a storyboard with each scene sketched out in detail. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an artist to do this. Creating a storyboard is time-consuming but there are advantages. You may come up with new ideas along the way and your client will find the creative process easier to follow. It will also help any colleagues that you may be working with in your studio. 
 
Setting Up Your Product Videography Session
 
When you know exactly what your client expects from you, it is time to set up the studio and start shooting. Making sure that you are well-prepared saves time and cuts down on the stress factor.
 
● Are the products clean? Make sure the products you are going to shoot are clean. Clean them with a lint-free cloth. Removing any smudges from reflective surfaces makes the products look much better under your studio lights.
● Getting the lighting right: When you do still photography, you take your time to get the lighting right. The same goes for video. Experiment with your photography lighting equipment to get the most out of the products from different angles. 
● Are you using props? Getting them placed in the best position is important. You don’t want your props to obscure the product during the product videography session. Turntables are good for when shooting products. 
● Can you move your props and lighting equipment around easily? Being able to move lights easily, or asking an assistant to help you to move lights fast helps to make the session flow. 

Lights, Camera, Action

Now, it is time to get shooting. There are lots of good cameras out. The best camera for product videography is a DSLR camera with lots of storage unless you are shooting tethered.

You also need a tripod. Video footage can easily end up shaky when you try to do everything by hand holding on to your camera.

Don’t forget about the backdrop. Your video comes out more professional when you use a high-quality background.

What About the Editing Process?

Editing your video is important. One of the best software programs you can use is Adobe but there are others. Your video editing software will help to make it easier to upload the video to platforms including YouTube. One of the advantages of using YouTube is that you can upload higher-quality videos. Uploading videos to YouTube is easy and straightforward.

When it comes to other platforms such as Twitter and TikTok, you may have to lower the quality of the video.

Read more about Mastering Product Photography

Posting On Social Media

If your client wants you to be Posting On Social Media, coming up with eye-catching headlines is essential. It is best to ask the client to approve any text before you post. Your client may also have a list of keywords that are relevant to the product.

When they want you to post the video, make sure you are aware of any relevant keywords and hashtags.

Tips from The Experts

When it comes to product videography, there are a few points you should never ignore. 
 
● Sound quality is important but image quality reigns supreme. If you can’t provide a good soundtrack, it is best to go silent or use background music. 
● Never improvise. This is where it can all go wrong. You waste your own time and the client’s time as well. 
● Make sure you understand how to work with light. Working with natural light is fine when you are on a low budget. Just make sure you get it right. 
 

Final Thoughts

 
Product videography is a photography medium we are going to see more of in the future. We increasingly interact with a variety of video formats. Video is a great way of both selling and providing information about your products. 
 
If you like us to create beautiful and dynamic product videos for you, get in touch with our team and find out more. 

if you’re looking to increase your online conversion but still feel you are not sure where to start – check out these resources below:

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Tsour Lee

9 thoughts on “How To Create An Eye-Catching Product Videos”

  1. avatar of daniel hughes

    I completely agree! Product videos are a great way to showcase products in a more engaging and interactive way. I recently used a product video to showcase one of my products and it resulted in a significant increase in sales. The video allowed potential customers to see the product in action and get a better understanding of its features and benefits. I will definitely be using product videos more often in the future!

  2. avatar of jessica green

    Pro Photo Studio’s article on creating eye-catching product videos is spot-on for marketing professionals. The blend of technical advice and creative insights provides a comprehensive roadmap for producing engaging and visually stunning product videos. The sections on editing and post-production were especially enlightening, offering practical tips that can dramatically elevate the quality of any product video.

  3. avatar of alex peterson

    The how To Create An Eye-Catching Product Videos guide on Pro Photo Studio is a treasure trove for videographers. It covers everything from lighting techniques to camera angles, ensuring your product videos stand out. As someone who specializes in commercial videography, I found the tips on storytelling and brand representation particularly valuable. This article is a must-read for anyone in the product video creation field.

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