How video connects with your target audience

How do you feel when the other person dominates a conversation?

Speaking only about themselves?

It won’t take long before you tune out and stop paying attention.

If instead, that other person focused on you, you’d feel so much more connected to the conversation.

The same rules apply for writing effective video scripts

For corporate videos, aim the script narration squarely at your viewer, with a focus on ‘you’ and ‘your’ while limiting ‘we,’ ‘our’, and ‘us.’

This ‘you’ focus applies to every type of video – it could be a marketing or corporate video aimed externally at customers, or a recruitment or instructional video for employees.

Doesn’t matter, if you want them to tune in, take everything you’d like to get across and make sure the benefit is clear.

From their perspective, not yours.

So let’s get connected with your audience

First up, identify your video’s target audience.

Who are you trying to reach?

Before you can write effective video scripts, know your audience.

What problems does this target audience face?

For our client video projects, I need to know who the video will be talking to – I can then research that audience’s challenges and frustrations (in relationship to the solution you offer.)

The most effective corporate video productions start here, before pen to paper, before your awesome video is filmed and edited.

How do you solve their challenges?

You have the challenges listed – now write in the solutions. This should form the basis of your video content plan.

Check that you’re staying on track with ‘you’ and ‘your’ and haven’t strayed too far into ‘us’ and ‘we.’ (Though you probably can’t avoid this entirely. Just keep refocusing on the viewer.)

Talk in your target viewer’s language.

To write an effective video script, always talk in your audience’s language, rather than your own.

Your audience wants to hear you speaking like a human, conversationally, as if you were casually chatting— no jargon or acronyms.

If you can include actual words and phrases that your audience uses, you’ll write a more targeted video script.

A tip: Look at client reviews. Not just for the applause, but to hook into the words and phrases they use.

Use ‘you’ and ‘your’ to connect with your audience.

Here’s an example I’ve pulled from a script from a marketing video written for one of our clients:

“Time poor? When you’re the onsite person responsible for day-to-day operations, maintenance management, and legislative compliance, there probably aren’t enough hours in your day.”

Instead of starting this video talking about what the company does, we’ve gone straight into acknowledging a pain point for the customer – creating an immediate connection, reinforced with the more personal ‘you’ and ‘your.’

In summary, for video script writing:

• Identify who your target audience is
  What are their challenges?
• How do you solve their challenges with your core message?
• Check client feedback and reviews to get a feel for the words and phrases they use.
• Now write all key messages for the spoken word, conversationally, using words and phrases that will be familiar to your viewer.
• Write directly to your viewer, using ‘you’ and ‘your.’