You know a low-production video when you see it. And, chances are, you see it all the time. Startups, by nature, rarely have the cash flow and skills to produce high-end video.
So early-stage companies on lean budgets have to be scrappy, thoughtful and thrifty all at once. Even then, producing something that looks professional is difficult. Equipment is a big part -- but knowing how to frame a story and craft it for a target audience is usually the domain of advertising and media pros.
Josh Rubin, a former CNN producer, moved back to his hometown of Austin in 2010 after a decade chasing stories across the country. When he left CNN and dove into the Austin startup scene, he felt there was a big opening in Austin when it comes to tellings stories for startups. The result is CF Studios, a collaboration with Capital Factory that opened its doors on the 5th floor of the Austin Centre at 701 Brazos St. in late June to help startups produce better rich media.
“Startups are very, very good at a lot of things,” Rubin said, sitting on the set of CF Studios where he also produces video for The Daily Dot. “By and large, media is not one of them. They don’t hire 12-year-olds to do the backend development of their website, but they’re more than happy to hire a college kid to knock out a terrible video for them.”
Startups going DIY with their videos will probably have to forego animation, motion graphics and other slick additions. Instead, the focus must be on having the best possible audio and video.
“You can do things on a shoestring,” he said. “Just do it tight.”
Austin Inno sat down with Rubin and two of his team members -- Ashley Jennings and Michael Goodman -- to find out what startups operating on a small budget can do to make the most of their media. Here’s three tips that emerged from that conversation.
1.) Know Your Audience
There’s a difference between customers and audience, Rubin said. And “audience” is always changing depending on whether you’re working on a video for Kickstarter, a testimonial, pitch videos or commercials.
So it’s important to know who you want to watch the video and how best to reach them.
“Every video has a very specific audience,” he said. “It is the most outward representation of your brand. Don’t fuck it up.”
2.) Have a Vision - Be Willing to Tweak it.
For some companies, a 15- to 30-second video may be the key to attracting interest and attention, Rubin said. For others, a longer piece with animation and motion graphics may be the best way to connect.
“That comes out through a conversation,” he said. “What’s the product and what’s the best way to show it? Is it a commercial? What’s the vibe you’re going for?”
Jennings, a former field producer with ABC News, said the first part of CF Studio’s process is having a meeting with their clients to ensure they have a vision and that it’s tailored to reach the right audience.
“People only watch for 15 or 30 seconds,” she said. “So it’s important to know going into a video how can I cut this up into a cohesive, tight story that the audience is actually going to pay attention to, hold on to and remember.”
Rubin said one of the most important things is to create a sense of place and community.
“Austin’s selling point and beauty is its authenticity,” he said. “And the success of its startup scene is very closely tied into that. So the video and the content needs to be reflective of the scene and the people.”
3.) Build Buzz Everywhere
Once a startup has a video to launch, it should have a plan for how to promote it beyond arm’s reach.
“Your 200 Twitter followers are not going to share it enough to get you any kind of traction,” Rubin said.
Startups can boost their visibility by buying ads and promotional boosts on Facebook, YouTube and media outlets that publish sponsored content. But, again, Rubin stresses that you have to understand who you’re trying to reach -- and how best to reach them.
“Startups are very focused on who their customer is,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean they know who their audience is.”
