Since things have shut down, and not so much re-opened, I have had a few inquiries from Speakers, Storytellers, Musicians, and other Performers who were interested in putting together a sizzle reel or promo for their public speaking business.
If you are thinking about putting together a promo, a sizzle reel, a marketing video featuring you, here are some things to consider before, or while, discussing the production with a video production company like Capture Video.
- What is the goal of the video? This might seem obvious, but if you are going to be spending a fair amount of money on a video, you want to know what you expect it to accomplish. Think about where you want to show it. Is this video for SEO? Is it to be used as part of your live presentation pitches? Is this going on the home page of your website? And how much weight will the video carry? Will it be responsible simply for showing people what you look and sound like, or does the content need to represent some cores ideas that you bring to your presentations? This is certainly not a complete list of questions to ask yourself. The important thing is that, before you spend money, you should know what it is you are asking a video producer to produce with that money.
- Speaking of money, what is your budget? Many prospective clients tell me they want a quote without having any idea of a budget. I can do that, but with creative work, there are options. A sizzle reel can range in price from $700 – $7,000, or more, depending on what features you want. But, if you know in advance that you can’t go over $3,000, then a I won’t quote a full day shoot in a studio with wardrobe changes and hair and makeup people on site. You’ll save the video producer time in pitching ideas, and you’ll save yourself the headache of trying to work through a million options, if you start with a budget in mind and if you disclose that budget.
- Do you already have the footage you need or do you need to record new footage? This goes back to your goals and your budget, but it is good to know what assets you have and the quality of their content. These days, you can record new footage in a socially distant, in-person environment, you can record over Zoom, or, with help from a video producer, you can record yourself. See my series on recording videos at home here.
Traditionally, a sizzle reel is produced using recordings from past public appearances. That is still the case, though these days many are adding videos recorded on their computers – via Zoom or similar – due to the fact that so many performances are happening online these days, instead of in front of a live audience.
I haven’t created a public speaker sizzle reel in a few years, but I did recently complete two promo videos for Better Said Than Done – a storytelling organization. This first one uses videos recorded in front of live audiences, from the before times.
The goal of this video was just to give an example of some of the types of stories, and types of storytellers, you might see if you went to a Better Said Than Done storytelling show.
This second video uses footage recorded via Zoom.
The goal of this video was to show that Better Said Than Done storytelling shows still have the feel, and quality, of the live, in-person shows, even though they have moved to the virtual platform.
Full disclosure, Better Said Than Done is also my business. On top of being a video producer for 20 years, I’ve been a storyteller for 14, and running Better Said Than Done for nearly 10 years. I was lucky enough to have a ton of great footage to choose from. I also had a good understanding of how, and where, I wanted to use these videos and what I wanted them to accomplish.
If you decide to move forward with a sizzle reel, the first thing I would do, as your producer, is discuss with you your goals, what assets you have and what ones you might need to gather, your budget, and how we can stick to it, and how and where you want to use these videos to make sure they accomplish your goals.
Email me if you’d like to start the conversation.
Jessica Robinson is the owner of Capture Video, Inc., a media production company launched in March, 2000 in Northern Virginia. During Capture Video’s first two decades of business, Jessica has produced educational and promotional videos for such diverse clients as the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Academy of Sciences, Capital One Bank, Cisco Systems, and DC Superior Courts. Most recently, Jessica has delivered videos of five weeks of training led by Clark Construction, as well as a series of instructional videos for a language app produced by Blue Canoe Learning. An accomplished writer and storyteller, Jessica is the author of the urban fantasy novel, Caged, as well as co-author of the anthology Roar: True Tales of Women Warriors. Jessica is the founder of 
