During the great resignation, HR grabbed anyone that was still left and begged them to do a video testimonial. 99.9% of these videos were done on a phone and the quality was poor and shaky like when Grandpa recorded your graduation. It’s time to replace all those Blair Witch-style videos with something better. Here are some ways to rock that employee video testimonial like you’re Steve effin Spielberg.
Keep it stable!
Don’t look dumb. Unless you’re trying to mimic an earthquake, never record yourself while holding the phone and walking around. Stay in one place and prop that puppy up against those books you’ll never read again. Or, if you’re willing to spend some a little money, go for a Ring Light with a phone stand. They’re affordable and will solve your lighting problems too.
What’d you say?
First off, never ever try to record a video testimonial outside. It’s way too noisy and the audio will suffer from background noise like cars, wind, birds, sirens, and some distant leaf blower. Instead, go indoors. Find a quiet spot like an empty conference room or even a closet if you’re remote.
Be Yourself
Talk the way you normally talk. You’re not shooting an infomercial so don’t try to sound too salesy or you’ll come across as flaky. Also, there’s no need to shout like you’re at a rock concert. If you’re standing a few feet away, speak like you normally do with a group of friends standing around.
Get Mic’d up
If you’re going to be standing across the room, then try using a microphone. The mic on iPhones and Androids have come a long way, but they pick up tons of background noises too. Invest in a Lavalier microphone. Clip it on your shirt and you’re good to go. They’re super cheap and ensure you’re being heard without having to shout.
Landscape
Ever since mobile phones could record video, the #1 rule was to shoot horizontally (landscape) instead of vertically (portrait) to avoid those black bars on each side of your completed video. Recording your video in landscape (horizontal) allows for a better video especially when using a mic.
Lighting is everything.
Underlit videos look like they’re shot with a VHS camcorder. Overexposed videos like the person had died and gone to heaven. Always, always stand under a light source and avoid having your back against a window. If you have to shoot it outside, put the Sun on your back so you’re not squinting.
Editing your masterpiece is easy when….
Listen to me. Trust me on this. You’ll probably do 100 videos before you narrow it down to the one you like. Forget that nonsense and just do one video. If you mess up your line, clap your hands so that you’ll know to cut that part when you go edit it later.
Do it right with JobPixel!
Most people have some editing tools on their phone or an app, but you’ll need to edit your video. If you want to really get serious about employee-generated videos, then check out JobPixel, they’re an easy-to-use video employer branding platform that helps you with editing, text, and branding.
Hooray for video analytics!
Most employee videos make don’t make it past 15 seconds before the viewer scrolls away. So, keep it short and sweet. 30 seconds at most. After you post it to social media or your career site, monitor the views within the first few days. If the average view is under 5 seconds, try and add text to make it enticing for someone to pause and read while they watch. With these tips and tricks, your employee testimonial video will look a thousand times better and maybe even get candidates sharing and liking it.
