Is your business running smoothly? Do you have clients or customers who have great things to say about your company? Then why not show the world? It’s time to let others see what makes your brand special by creating a compelling interview video.
Interview videos are a great way to highlight real voices and build serious credibility.
At Bottle Rocket Media, we strive to meet the needs of our customers and clients by bringing life to versatile interview videos. If you’re interested in an interview video for a client, employee, or yourself, we can help you craft something that will resonate with your target audience.
Let’s talk about it!
What Is An Interview Video?
Interview videos typically feature clients, employees, or executives as the subjects. The subject generally is on screen, answering questions from the director or discussing a specific topic when prompted.
Interview videos provide a firsthand account from the speaker and offer your audience important information. They’re often used in small segments and edited into a larger production.
Depending on your marketing goals, the uses for interview videos are endless. You can use your video in a documentary, a piece for a larger production, or general marketing purposes. You can also add interview-style videos to your website to offer a personal touch for your clients, as opposed to a straightforward, no-nonsense video about your business.
Now that you know what an interview video is, here are ten helpful tips you’ll need to create one.
1. Choose Your Interview Video Style
There are numerous styles of interview videos. Let’s get acquainted with them!
- Introductory-Style: This type of video will feature the face of your brand, clients, employees, or others who your business has positively impacted. The subject will introduce themselves to the audience, then provide an overview of the primary topic.
- Voiceover-Style: This type of interview video is one of the more standard formats. During the editing process, the filmed interviews can be used as voice-overs. For example, if an interviewee talks about an item, you can showcase the item in clips of the video, instead of having the interviewee onscreen the entire time.
- Conversational-Style: If you want your interview video to feature multiple people instead of just one, this style may be ideal for you. Having additional people can create space for more conversation, ultimately making a video more engaging and enjoyable for the audience.
Each of these styles can be effective; it’s simply a matter of choosing the one that feels right for you and your brand.
2. Choose How Many People Will Be In Your Video
To create a successful interview video, it only takes one person, but it’s up to you whether you want to interview that person alone or have multiple people together.
The point is not to limit yourself and to implement creativity whenever possible. Ask yourself – Do you want your top CEO to make employees feel more at ease during the first few days of on-the-job training? If so, consider interviewing the CEO about key aspects of the company and incorporating them into the training material.
If your goal is to let potential customers hear directly from those you’ve served, consider filming two clients in conversation about their experience. This format creates a relaxed, authentic tone that feels more like a genuine dialogue than a scripted testimonial, which is something future customers will appreciate and trust.
Ultimately, you have to decide if you want your video to be direct and professional or laidback and honest. Both will get the job done, but it’s essential to align with your primary goals before making a final decision.
3. Understand Your Primary Purpose
What’s your purpose? One of the first aspects of making an interview video is to know why you’re making it. Is your goal to increase traffic by providing informative interview videos? If so, you’ll want a friendly face to represent your company.
If the primary purpose of your video is to sell a product, use a bit of creativity when editing your footage. You can choose to show photos and instructions and include a voiceover from your interview, allowing your audience to enjoy visuals while listening to testimonials.
The purpose will shape everything, from your questions and filming style to your editing choices and call to action. Knowing your “why” makes your video both compelling and effective.
4. Have The Correct Equipment
So, you know your style, have your interviewees, and understand your purpose. All you need now is the equipment. Although you may be tempted to grab your phone and make a quick video, you should consider putting more thought into your options to maximize creativity.
To guarantee your video is polished and professional, make sure to check these essential items off your equipment list:
- Video Camera
- SD Card or Appropriate Recording Media
- Lighting
- Microphones
- Lav Mics
- Charging Cords
- Battery Cable
- Audio Recorder
When used correctly, these items can streamline and add life to your videos.
5. Don’t Be Generic
Simplicity can be powerful, but that doesn’t mean your interview video should feel generic or forgettable. Even if you’re covering foundational topics like your company’s mission or a product’s core features, your video should still feel dynamic and intentional.
A single talking head might work for a basic testimonial, but don’t stop there. Enhance the story with branded motion graphics, product photos, or relevant b-roll footage to help your audience better understand and remember what you’re sharing.
Just pointing a camera at someone isn’t enough anymore. Viewers expect more, and they can quickly spot when a video lacks depth or creativity, so go the extra mile.
6. Be A Show Off
Now is not the time to be shy. Don’t be afraid to show off! Highlighting your interview and video skills will increase engagement across your social media channels.
Have a durable product to sell? Be sure to include any information about the product’s durability that was mentioned in the interview. Let your customers know exactly what they’re purchasing with an excellent product voiceover.
On the flipside, don’t be too flashy. A video filled with too many random elements, which may or may not be relevant, can cause your audience to become overwhelmed and lose interest.
You just have to find that perfect sweet spot. Once you strike the right balance, your video becomes a powerful tool to build brand recognition, drive conversions, and give your audience a reason to remember (and trust) your business.
7. Know The Best Filming Techniques
So, you’re ready to film, but you’re not sure…how? For starters, it’s important to avoid centering the subject in frame. Instead, try positioning the person slightly off-center. In doing so, the shot looks more authentic and engaging.
The rule of thirds is a guideline that places the subject in the frame to the left or right. This leaves the other two-thirds of the image open and visually balanced.
For an interview with more than one person, you should frame them side by side. You also have the option to use more than one camera, allowing you to edit various shots as needed later.
Knowing the right way to film will not only improve the visual quality of your interview video but also make your message more transparent and more compelling to your audience.
8. Have An Interesting Set
Framing your subjects properly is an essential basis of any interview video, but don’t stop there. An engaging set can elevate the entire production.
If you’re filming multiple people in a conversational format, you’ll likely rely on extended footage of your subjects, making the setting even more critical. Consider backgrounds that reflect your brand or story, like a cozy bookstore for an author interview, a sleek office space for a corporate leader, or a warm living room setup for a lifestyle piece.
A thoughtful set keeps the visuals interesting and adds depth and personality to your content.
9. Don’t Forget About Audio
The audio is one of the most important aspects of an interview video. Before you begin your interview, it’s essential to test your audio so that both the interviewee/interviewer are clearly heard. It doesn’t matter if your interview video has a fun vibe or is conversational; it must always remain intelligible and professional-sounding.
To maintain that level of quality, your audio and video edits need to align seamlessly. Even the most visually stunning video can fall flat if the sound is poor. Prioritize both for a final product that feels cohesive and credible.
10. Remember To Have Fun
It might feel silly to be reminded to have fun, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget when you’re focused on getting every detail right. Many people create interview videos without fully considering how they reflect the brand or how the audience will receive them.
If you’re too caught up in perfection, you risk losing sight of why you’re creating content in the first place. This is your opportunity to experiment, discover what techniques you enjoy most, and bring energy to your videos. When you’re engaged, your audience will be too.
What are you waiting for?
For those seeking more information about interview videos for your business, reach out to us. We’re more than happy to help those unfamiliar with video marketing and video production. We would love to show you the ropes by filling you in on all that interview videos can achieve.
To learn more about us, our video production services, and how we differentiate ourselves, please connect with us today.
We look forward to working with you and creating a phenomenal interview video that can be of great use to you and prospective clients or customers.