How to Make a Fun Promo Video

I have been asked several times how to use visuals to publicise an event, a sponsor, or an adoptathon on your blog.

How do you create a promo video to get some valuable attention from social media? Isn’t it really difficult? No it’s not and here’s why.

I am thankful to be able to join Brian and have some fun showing you two examples of how video can be used even of you have a very limited budget. You can make a business promo video, a rescue video or a blog promotion movie for very little.

Promotion Video Software

You don’t need a special promo video maker. Your own software will do the job.

My favourite video editor is iMovie for Mac. Why? Because I know how to use it. The software has taken time and learning new software can be a challenge but, thanks to YouTube videos anyone can give a simple video a try.

If you have a video editor you feel you can use better then go for it. You can edit on a computer, a smartphone or an iPad.

Video Promo of Gifts For Cat Lovers

This first video was created with a collection of video clips I took the my iPhone 6S. I created longer clips so give myself a bit of wiggle room when it came to trimming the length and also adding transitions (soft or decorative changes between clips).

I used video and limited myself to three transitions to give the video a coherent look. Once I had the finished length I was able to add a piece of licensed music purchased online.

I added excitement with sparkling transitions from Videohive.net. These transitions add a lovely sense of Holiday excitement in this video, which promoted the cafe’s cat merchandise for the Christmas season.

When you create a video of your own look for the ‘vibe’ or feeling you want to create and find images and transitions that fit your idea.

Create a Video Using Photographs

A movie without video? Can you can do that? Yes.

You may have a lot of stills (static photos) and no clips. Your video would look similar to this second movie.

You can make photos ‘move’ by using either software like Screenflow or Adobe Premiere Pro but many other apps allow you to use the simple and very effective ‘Ken Burns Effect’.

The Ken Burns effect is the addition of an animated transition to a digital photograph in order to create the illusion of movement. Adding zoom, pan and fade transitions to still photographs is a technique commonly used by many filmmakers to maintain viewer interest.

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This second movie, made using Screenflow (an education and tutorial movie editor) uses the sparkling transitions from the previous video, moving stills and text to generate interest and excitement.

Simply by keeping the still pictures ‘moving’ on the screen you create the illusion movement.

The treatment of the text is similar, it aims to entertain and tempt people to visit by showing off the cafe’s gorgeous cat-themed merchandise. The whole video is rounded off with the cheerful tune from AudioJungle (purchased at a modest price).

You might spotlight a sponsors merchandise and your cat exploring the product, or take a moving shot of your cat by moving around. You may only get one ‘shot’ at this if your cat is an diva mode!

TIP Purchasing music officially gives you a license and keeps you safe from piracy.

I hope you enjoyed the videos. They were fun to make and have been popular with cafe customers, so my job is done!

Have you helped promote a rescue or small business this week? Are you inspired to use video?