In 1951 rookie player Willie Mays played in his first Major League baseball game. Everyone was disappointed when he couldn't connect with the ball. In fact, in his first 25 at bats he only managed to get 1 hit. Despite this terrible start, Willie is known as one of the best baseball players of all time. During his career he won 2 National League MVP's, 12 Gold Gloves, and in 1979 was inducted into the Baseball 
Hall of fame. But how'd he do it?
In an interview with Investors Business Daily, Mays said, “Pregame preparation is the key to success. First you have to know the pitcher. That'll determine how you play the batter. You don't want any surprises.” Willie's secret to success was being prepared.
It's the same in video marketing. It's no surprise the most effective videos are from the people who prepare. In this article you'll discover how you can prepare videos that connect with your viewers and get them to take action.
Here's what we'll cover:
- One thing all awesome videos have in common.
- The simple formula for making awesome videos
- How to be a P.O.S.E.R.
One thing all awesome videos have in common
When we asked people what they though the most important part of creating videos is, we got all sorts of answers. Some of the most common answers were: the camera, lighting, background, editing, and music. It's true, all of these play a role in making a high quality videos. But, there's something else our videos must do to make them an awesome tool for our business.
Remember, awesome is subjective. You can't actually measure the ‘awesomeness' of a video. My background is in Direct Response Marketing. We measure success by the amount of people who take action on our offers. For the purposes this article, an awesome video would be one that's gets the viewer to take action on our offer. Now that we agree about what makes a video “awesome,” let's talk about why we need a formula for our videos.
I used to hate making videos
It wasn't just the sound and the lighting either. Once I got that figured out, I'd jump in front of the camera, and that's when things got really janky. Sometimes the blinking red light would put me into a trance and I wouldn't know what to say. I'd sit there like a deer in headlights. Other times I would start babbling endlessly about nothing. By the time I was done, the video would make no sense at all. I almost gave up on video when a friend taught me a simple formula to make powerful videos. Let's take a look at the formula.
The simple formula for making awesome videos
Introducing the P.O.S.E.R. video formula. P.O.S.E.R. is an acronym that stands for Promise, Obstacle, Solution, Example, and Reach. Let's take a look at how this formula makes it easy for us to prepare short and powerful videos.
- Promise: In the first 10 seconds of your video tell your viewer what they get for watching
- Obstacle: Explain the obstacles they face (30 seconds)
- Solution: Give them the solution to their problem (30 seconds)
- Example: Show them your solution in action with an example (30 seconds)
- Reach: Now that you've helped them it's time to ask for action – something as simple as, “Like, comment, and share,” or tell them to click a link (20 seconds)
How to be a P.O.S.E.R.
The P.O.S.E.R. video formula is designed to hook your viewer and get them to take action on your offer. That's why the entire video script should only be two minutes long. It gives us enough time to tell a great story while keeping people interested.
Let's take a look at a few ways anyone could use this for their business.
Scenario 1: Poo scooping service
Promise: Have a clean yard and never scoop poo again.
Obstacle: Your pup is dropping poo all over your yard and you hate cleaning up
Solution: Hire us
Example: Your neighbor hires us. No more “landmines” when he goes out back
Reach: Call us and book a consultation
Ok, maybe you're not in the poo scooping business. Let's look at another example.
Scenario 2: Podcast Production Service
Promise: Have a podcast in 30 days
Obstacle: Want a podcast without all the headaches and hassles of doing it yourself?
Solution: Hire The Podcast Factory™
Example: We've helped over 50 experts launch their shows to eager audiences
Reach: Book a call now to see how we can help you
Yip, that's a plug for my business. How about one more example before we wrap up?
Scenario 3: Financial Planner
Promise: Retire early with plenty of money
Obstacle: Worried if you'll have enough to keep your lifestyle when you retire?
Solution: My Retire Rich program will ensure you have plenty of dough
Example: Check out Bob and Marry living on their yacht with money to spare
Reach: Book a call now
That last one was a little over the top, but you get the idea. The P.O.S.E.R. video formula can be used for any business to prepare interesting videos that get viewers taking action on your offers.
We covered a lot, let's do a quick recap:
- All awesome videos have a reason to take action
- The P.O.S.E.R. video formula helps you prepare awesome videos
- Promise
- Obstacle
- Solution
- Example
- Reach
- Any business can use The P.O.S.E.R. video formula to engage viewers and get them to take action on their offer.
Next Steps:
Now that you know how to create awesome videos it's time to put it to use. Go out there, make some videos that get viewers booking calls with you. And, if you're looking for more ways to book calls – consider podcasting. Our team helps coaches, consultants, and service providers leverage podcasting to book more calls with pre-sold clients.
