Video is one of the most powerful tools that you have in your marketing toolbox for your pet industry business. It allows you to demonstrate your products and services, connect with customers and reach new people.

Studies have shown how powerful it is to connect with people through a screen. Appearing on video gives you a lot of influence and presents you as an expert to viewers.

So let’s talk about how to shoot and edit compelling videos with the basics of video production and the Hook Formula. Plus, I have a great tip from a TikTok pet star with over 900,000 followers that will instantly make your videos personal to your viewers. 

This month you can play Social Video Bingo in Wear Wag Repeat Society! We’re making video fun, easy, and more engaging while giving away prizes to members who get bingo! Click here to learn more about playing along and becoming a member.

Create Engaging Video Content for your Pet Business

Studies have shown how powerful it is to connect with people on a screen.

Just consider this… have you ever had a TV personality or a character on a show who you felt you had a personal connection with? That they were your friend or someone that you look up to. 

In the pet industry just look at Caesar Milan – most of the dog people I know would question his methods and what he’s done for the alpha mentality – which is totally outdated and ineffective in my opinion! But your average person thinks he’s the best dog trainer in the entire world just because they’ve seen him on TV.

That’s the power of people seeing you on video! And you don’t need to be booked on a show on Netflix to achieve that, you can build that same level of influence and trust with your own compelling videos. 

You can use video in your pet business to:

• Address a problem that your audience faces
• Establish yourself as an expert authority
• Build trust with potential customers

In this podcast episode, I share the basics of video production and The Hook Formula. With this information, you can make professional quality videos that have viewers looking up to you as the go-to expert in your niche!

OVERVIEW OF THIS EPISODE:

• Old-school TV production basics still apply
• Adapting the old rules to social media videos
• The 4 video production basics everyone should know
• How to form a personal connection with viewers in the first 3 seconds
• The Hook Formula
• All about Social Video Bingo in Wear Wag Repeat Society

The Basics of Video Production

The good news is that you don’t need fancy equipment to create great videos anymore. When I studied video production for my Master’s Degree we worked with television quality equipment and editing tools. 

But today, you have almost everything you need on your phone or available on Amazon!

There are 4 Basic Rules of Video Production

ONE: Steady footage is important. I recommend a tripod, but you can also balance your phone on a stack of books or in a spiral of dog leashes. If you want a simple tripod, I like the bendy gorilla pod variety.

TWO: Lighting is very important! When you’re recording videos, never stand in harsh bright sunlight in the middle of the day and never stand with your back to a bright window (you’ll end up backlit and impossible to see).

Filming in diffused shade, at dawn or dusk or indoors will almost always work out better. For videos with you talking straight to the camera, try recording with your phone propped up on a window with you facing into the window, that will usually give you great flattering light!

THREE: Good audio is essential. Record in a quiet place or use an external microphone. If you want awesome sound quality for videos where you demonstrate dog training or handling, you can also invest in a wireless mic that connects to your phone or camera. This is great if you’re going to repurpose your video in lots of places including youtube or an online course!

If you don’t have a wireless mic or you can’t help being in a noisy or windy place, you can also record the footage you need then go somewhere quiet to record a voiceover afterward.

FOUR: Prepare what you’re going to say and do! You don’t need a script written out word for word, but have a plan for the beginning, middle and end or write out some bullet points. This will also come in handy with your editing and make it easier to write a caption if needed. 

>> If you feel like you got the basics covered and ready to get a little out of your comfort zone, join us for Social Video BINGO this month in Wear Wag Repeat Society!

Apply Video Production Basics to Video for Social Media

I feel that these basics still hold true. Nothing will ever be better than high-quality content.

But when I studied video production in grad school, there were no Reels or TikTok. We created longer-form content for YouTube or other mediums. Back then, you still had to grab your viewer’s attention in the beginning, but now you need to grab their attention faster and be bolder about it!

It helps if your video is entertaining, educational and uses a trending sound.

The Hook Formula

The Hook Formula is a story-telling strategy you can use when you are coming up with your video ideas, shooting them, and editing them.

You need to lead with a HOOK that hooks your viewer in!

This can be a bold statement, a question, or something beautiful, funny or cool looking. Bonus points if you can put the word YOU in there – like “Do you wish your dog could go on vacation with you?“

When you start off with the word “you” in the first few seconds, you make the video personal to your viewer right away! This amazing tip was shared in a panel I did at SuperZoo alongside Dr. Adam Christman. He’s a veterinarian with over 900,000 followers on TikTok! And this advice was one of my biggest takeaways from that panel. 

After the hook, the next part of the formula is to INTRODUCE yourself really quickly and establish your expertise.

You can come up with a quick sentence like, “I’m Jeni from K9 Concepts Dog Training in Lexington, Kentucky” Or…  “I’m Kim and I have two Italian Greyhounds that have gone on vacation with us everywhere from Miami to Mallorca!”

See how those two examples tell the viewer who you are and why you’re an expert in your niche. It doesn’t have to be complicated!

Then comes the bulk of to video where you solve the problem for your viewer or DEMONSTRATE something. So our dog trainer Jeni can show how she worked with a dog to get in and out of the car and settle during road trips. Or our travel blogger Kim could talk about flying with her Iggies and what airlines are best for dogs!

This part of the formula delivers a brief, helpful tip. 

Finally – end with a CALL TO ACTION. Our dog trainer Jeni might wrap up the video with, “Would this make it easier for you to have fun with your dog? Follow me for more dog training tips”

Before you hit publish, watch your video and ask yourself: is there anything here worth commenting on? Are you asking a question or making a statement that triggers a response? Is someone going to immediately hit “save” because you provided such a valuable tip?

If you can’t say yes to any of those questions, go back and make some edits.

Here’s the formula you want to follow – HOOK, INTRODUCE, DEMONSTRATE and CALL TO ACTION.

Of course, not every single video is going to have all of these elements. Some videos might just be silly or funny. And that’s OK!

The more videos you make the more comfortable you’ll be with making videos!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Big tripod and Gorillapod
• The lighting I use for videos (Vasi Siedman from Ep. 179 recommended this light to me)
• The microphone I use for on-camera demonstrations or voiceover
• Dr. Adam Christman on TikTok
• Wear Wag Repeat Society Membership for Petpreneurs and Pupfluencers 

Did you enjoy these tips? Here are some other posts you’ll like, too:
Podcast Episode 181: Build an Emotional Connection with Pet Parents
Podcast Episode 129: How to be Authentic on Video with Mikkel Becker
Podcast Episode 135: Should You Create an Online Course for your Pet Business?
Pet Industry Trends Seen at SuperZoo 2022

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