Video Marketing Trends

We are seeing the green shoots of a new style of executive communications. A growing number of CEOs are posting Instagram-style videos on social media aimed at connecting with a younger, larger group of stakeholders. Blackstone President Jon Gray, a pioneer in the genre, recently posted a video of himself explaining the company’s earnings as he strolled down a long corridor at headquarters. The casual walk-and-talk, which appeared on LinkedIn, attracted more than 4,400 likes and 134 comments. It should be required viewing for anyone in PR, IR or executive comms. It’s a strategy I call DTS, or “direct to stakeholder" and it bypasses the traditional avenues of promotion: advertising and public relations/media. Gray’s video, while obviously not unplanned, still has the feel of one-take spontaneity. At one point a woman appears in the background and, realizing she’s in the shot, ducks out. The hallmark of the new style is being casual and seemingly not professionally produced. Videos are shot on an iPhone by a colleague or the person themselves. Written posts use informal language. The most publicized example was a pair of videos Mark Zuckerberg posted about Meta. One announced a new operating system and the other focused on their AR/VR headsets. The response to Zuckerberg was enthusiastic. Brett Dashevsky pointed out: “Zuck has gone full influencer. Mini mic and everything. Raw, authentic with minimal editing. This is the way.” Last week, Shopify President Harley Finkelstein shot his own up-close video on earnings. “Harley is bringing company presidenting into the 21st century,” tweeted PR guru Lulu Cheng Meservey, who recently wrote a “manifesto” urging companies to “go direct” with communications. The comments on Gray’s post were similar. One person wrote that the video showcases “the critical role of having an accessible leader/mentor.” Another said: “Public relations 301…graduate level communications with stakeholders.” Part of the reason the communication style is so notable is that it is so rare. Most executives opt for the traditional route of hiring agencies and rely on press releases, media interviews or coverage on CNBC or Bloomberg TV. The reality is that those avenues are not as effective as they were. Younger people don’t watch as much TV or read newspapers and the majority of mainstream media is behind paywalls. There is an advantage to producing your own content: You can tell your own story to a wider array of stakeholders, including employees. You can also interact with the people who comment. Many of the executives who leverage DTS-style communications are West Coast tech executives, such as venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Paul Graham or the head of OpenAI, Sam Altman. Some CEOs say they don’t have the time to post online. That will likely change as more of their peers get in the game. Like Jon Gray, they just need to walk and talk at the same time. 

🚨 BREAKING: LinkedIn's video feed is officially back in the UK. After months of testing and pulling back, the dedicated video tab has returned to mobile. It's rolling out gradually, so you might not see it yet. The interesting part: This isn't just a UK feature anymore. It's global. That means content you post here can now surface in video feeds across the US and other markets. For UK-based brands and creators, this is a significant distribution unlock. What this means for your content strategy: 1/ Video isn't replacing text and images. The hybrid approach wins. Use all three formats strategically. 2/ In a feed increasingly flooded with AI-generated content, video is your human differentiator. It's the format where authenticity actually shows. 3/ Gen Z is entering decision-making roles. They grew up on video-first platforms. The demand is only going up. 4/ LinkedIn has been quietly improving video quality and rolling out monetization tools like Brand Link and Top Voices 360. They're serious about this. This isn't a feature experiment. It's a platform shift. The video feed is here to stay. If you've been waiting for the right moment to invest in video on LinkedIn... this is it. We just dropped a full breakdown on what this means and how to approach it 👇

The biggest opportunity across social media right now is LinkedIn short-form video. LinkedIn hasn't been shy about wanting more people to share video on the platform, either. It's been investing heavily in video-first features: 🎥 A dedicated video tab that allows you to watch videos in an immersive experience. 📲 The "Videos For You" feature, which brings a carousel of recommended videos to your feed. Plus, it’s leveraging its marketing channels and data to encourage people to share video. These efforts are paying off, too: 🎥 Video is LinkedIn's fastest-growing format 🚀 A 34% year-over-year increase in video uploads 📊 Weekly immersive video views are up 6x quarter over quarter This means there's a big opportunity for you... creators, marketers, small businesses, brands, and anyone using LinkedIn to share their voice for economic opportunities. Here's why: 🔍 Low Supply, High Demand: As seen with the early days of Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok, there’s often a gap between people using a new feature or format and those who are consuming it. This is the case with LinkedIn video today. There's a small pool of people sharing videos versus those not, giving those who do share video less competition for attention. 🚀 LinkedIn Is Prioritizing Video: Perhaps the biggest reason... LinkedIn is prioritizing it. In addition to adding more ways for videos to surface compared to other formats, users who share video content are being rewarded. There are a lot of people reporting that they're receiving hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of impressions on their videos. 📊 Broader Video Trends: Video has become one of the key ways we consume content, whether for entertainment, education, or inspiration. Short-form video, in particular, has become the go-to. And it’s not just younger generations—over 75% of U.S. adults spend up to two hours daily watching short-form videos. There are other reasons to invest in LinkedIn video—thinking about my own business, here’s what I see: 💼 Getting Clients: Video is a great way to showcase your insights and expertise. When people can see and hear you, they have a better idea of what it might be like to work with you. 📈 Sponsored Content: Influencer marketing on LinkedIn is growing. Video is one of the most popular formats for sponsored content in general, and with 80% of B2B buyers saying short-form video content from influencers is the most trusted, video is key if you want to attract more brand partners and drive the outcomes they want. 🎤 Speaking Opportunities: Posting “talking head” videos or repurposing past speaking engagements helps demonstrate the value you can bring to events. This makes it easier for event organizers to see how you can communicate your knowledge, experience, etc., and makes you top of mind when it comes to speaking opportunities. How's LinkedIn video been for you?

🌟 Pro Tips for creating impactful videos on LinkedIn: 1️⃣ Format: Short (under 90 seconds) and vertical videos work best. Protip: Try to place your camera, phone or recording device at the eye level. This makes people feel like you’re looking at them and talking. 2️⃣ Content: The most successful videos… 1) Have a hook to draw viewers in immediately. How? By sharing a strong point of view, a timely topic, or a bold intro 2) They focus on one topic. 3) They leave viewers with an actionable insight or takeaway. Protip: Script what you want to say and practice a few times, before hitting record. 3️⃣ Caption: Don’t forget the text that goes along with your video. Let your audience know what they’re about to watch – share key takeaways or themes for the video in the caption and consider adding questions to encourage others to continue the conversation in the comments. Protip: Don’t give away all the main points from your video. Write the caption in such a way that it compels the audience to watch the whole video. 4️⃣ Tone: Authenticity is key. Select topics that you are genuinely interested in discussing Protip: Share content that means something to you, not just what you think others care about. Are you using video on LinkedIn?

Still booking meetings for things that don’t actually need a meeting? What if you could just send a quick video instead? That’s exactly why Zoom Clips exists. Zoom Clips lets you record a short video, share your screen, explain an idea or demo something—and send it instantly. No calendar invites. No scheduling gymnastics. Where I see it absolutely crush: -Giving clear feedback without endless back-and-forth -Walking someone through a deck asynchronously -Introducing yourself to a new customer or stakeholder -Sharing quick internal updates, tips, or how-to’s Think Loom-style video—but built directly into Zoom. No extra tools. No context switching. Same platform your team already lives in. Async video is no longer a “nice to have.” Zoom Clips is quietly becoming a secret weapon for modern communication. So in this video, let’s jump into how to actually use Zoom Clips. PS...Have you tried it yet?

Video consumption on LinkedIn has exploded, with uploads increasing 𝟰𝟱% 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 and short-form content growing twice as fast as other formats. Therefore, now is the perfect time to incorporate video into your LinkedIn marketing strategy. According to Sprout Social, Inc.'s 2024 Content Strategy Report, short-form videos under 30 seconds generate the highest engagement, with 66% of consumers ranking them as the most engaging in-feed content type. This aligns perfectly with the platform's push towards vertical video formats similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels. LinkedIn offers three primary video formats: 1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 - Posted directly to your feed, these videos are ideal for brand awareness, thought leadership and audience education. Short videos perform best, especially with a strong opening hook and a straightforward call to action. 2. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲—This format enables the broadcasting of live video content for virtual events like panels, Q&AS, announcements, or product launches. It creates direct connections with your audience and generates, on average, 23 times more comments than regular videos. 3. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗔𝗱𝘀 - These paid posts appear in users' feeds based on your targeting parameters. You can filter by job title, company, industry and other criteria to reach decision-makers effectively. LinkedIn reports that audiences are two to three times more likely to associate positive traits with a brand after seeing its LinkedIn ads. 4. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 - LinkedIn's answer to TikTok-style content: full-screen, vertical videos that are short, scrollable and designed for discovery on both desktop and mobile. This feature is still being tested and is unavailable to all users. Focus on "edutainment" content for maximum impact—entertaining educational videos that explain your products or services through storytelling and visuals. Remember that 79% of LinkedIn videos are watched with sound off, so captions are essential. With four out of five LinkedIn members involved in business decisions and possessing twice the buying power of average online audiences, video content offers unparalleled access to decision-makers in a professional context. Sprout Social's LinkedIn integration makes managing this video strategy seamless. It allows you to schedule content, track performance metrics, and optimise your approach across multiple channels—all from one platform. https://lnkd.in/dMNnK2yc

The last 90 days were our biggest yet. We delivered 49 product videos. Here are 3 best video types we used.  1. Product ad (10-20 seconds).  2. Product promo video (30-45 seconds)  3. Product demo video (60+ seconds) Each of them has its function. And the length is not the only difference. Here’s how we used them:  1. Ad video (10-20 sec) Strategy: the goal is to make MANY single use case videos (5-8+ videos). One video : "you can do X". Another video: "you can do Y". Done in about 2-3 weeks in parallel. And the strategy here is to rotate them evenly in ads, so your audience doesn't get fatigued out so quickly (which happens when you bombard them with only one ad video). And they also get a sense of a general picture after watching 3-5 use cases anyways. My thoughts: 15-20 seconds can only tease. Not much info we can deliver. Only catch attention. And the landing page has to do the heavy lifting on nurturing/selling after they click. Conclusion: cheaper in production, less ad fatigue, good for testing. But really effective only if the landing page is strong or it’s a part of a bigger campaign.  2. Product promo video (30-45 sec) Strategy: to avoid ad fatigue and make more testing combinations, we just add more hooks to the main video. Examples: Hook 1 [Dream outcome] - “What if you could review a 50-page contract in minutes?” Hook 2 [Problem] - “You know how legal contracts can somehow take days to review?” Hook 3 [Persona callout + Problem] - “Are you a transactional lawyer, spending hours or even days reviewing legal contracts, all manually?” This is how you make enough diversity for testing, but keeping production costs down. My thoughts: 30-35 seconds is generally good. It's better than a 15-20 sec teaser in terms of nurturing, info delivery. And quicker/punchier than 45-60 sec full brand ad (like Base44 video). It allows us to test different hooks, so we can have A LOT of variations for testing. Gold standard. Works well in ads, and goes viral on LinkedIn too. Usually produced one at a time, in 2-3 weeks.  3. Demo videos (60+ sec) Strategy: Demo videos shine on landing pages, where the goal is conversions. Users are typically already pre-nurtured at this point, (maybe the clicked your ads or came from your social media post). So you need to spend a good portion of your video showing the product in action. My thoughts: I’m seeing pure demo videos start to overtake and are getting viral even more than SPECIALIZED awareness type videos. (Just take the YC posts as an example) Now I'm curious to try to simply drop a full demo video straight into cold traffic in ads, skipping all the “intro/awareness” stages, and see how it performs😁 Produced one at a time, takes 3-4 weeks. ____________________ Obviously there are nuances, but I tried to simplify as much as possible. Hope this was helpful!

8 Ways to Use Video in Your Outbound Strategy Most cold emails go unread. Most LinkedIn DMs get ignored. But video? It gets attention. 👇 Here are 8 ways to use video in your strategy: 1️⃣ Cold Emails – Stand Out in the Inbox ⇢ Replace long text with a 30-60 second video ⇢ Mention their name & company in the first 5 seconds ⇢ End with a clear call to action (ex: "I can send a quick demo recording—interested? or "Let me know if a quick walkthrough would help.") 💡 Example: Instead of: "I help companies like yours improve XYZ..." Say: "Hey John, saw your team is hiring. Curious how you're handling [challenge]. Here’s a quick idea..." 📹 Pro Tip: Use Sendspark to effortlessly personalize videos at scale—record once, send to many, and still make it feel 1:1. 2️⃣ LinkedIn DMs – Get More Replies ⇢ Most people send text-heavy DMs—you won’t ⇢ Send a short intro video instead of another sales pitch ⇢ Keep it casual, just like talking face-to-face 💡 Example: "Hey Sarah, saw your post on [topic]. Quick video with a thought—would love to hear your take!" 3️⃣ Follow-Ups – Remind Them Who You Are ⇢ Instead of “just checking in,” add value ⇢ Summarize a previous conversation or highlight an idea ⇢ Show you’re engaged, not just chasing a sale 💡 Example: "Hey Mike, quick update from my end. Here’s a quick 30-second breakdown of how we can help with [challenge]..." 4️⃣ Breaking Through to Cold Prospects ⇢ Hard-to-reach prospects? Try video instead of another email ⇢ Show you’ve done your research (mention something specific about them) ⇢ Use screen recording to personalize your outreach 💡 Example: Send a quick LinkedIn video instead of a generic InMail. "Hey Alex, noticed [something specific about their business]. Curious if this resonates?" 5️⃣ Proposal Reviews – Close Deals Faster ⇢ Walk them through the key points of your proposal in a quick video ⇢ Highlight the ROI and next steps ⇢ Reduces the back-and-forth emails and gets deals moving 💡 Example: "Hey Lisa, here’s a 2-minute breakdown of the proposal—let me know your thoughts!" 6️⃣ Handling Objections – Add a Personal Touch ⇢ If a prospect says "not the right time", send a video response ⇢ Address concerns in a conversational way ⇢ Builds trust faster than another email 💡 Example: "Hey Tom, totally get that timing is a factor. Here’s why teams in your space are looking at this now…" 7️⃣ Re-Engaging Cold Leads ⇢ If a deal goes silent, send a quick video to revive interest ⇢ Remind them of the value without being pushy ⇢ Works better than a generic “just checking in” email 💡 Example: "Hey Sarah, bringing this back into focus. My thought on [value prop]—worth revisiting?" 8️⃣ Thank You & Relationship Building ⇢ After a meeting? Send a quick thank-you video ⇢ Personal touch = stronger relationships ⇢ No pitch, just a way to stay top of mind 💡 Example: "Hey Dave, really enjoyed our chat today. Appreciate your time—looking forward to what’s next!"

I'm declaring war on the phrase 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. It's not helpful. Video is a medium. If you want to improve, there are 3 better "frames" 👇 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 Where do they go? 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 What do they say? 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 How are they made? If you unclump these from the catch-all term of "video strategy," you can be more specific about what you want to improve. Here are some helpful questions (for each one) 1 - Where do they go? 👉 Are you creating the 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 video for the channel you're promoting? For instance, I wouldn't run an ad meant for TV on Meta. I wouldn't run a customer story on the homepage. 👉 Are you batching content to post consistently? For instance, Posting 1 video a month is not it. Investing in 1 "launch video" is also not it. Aim for 5-6 (at least) per project. 👉 Are you splitting your eggs between baskets? Commit and master one channel first, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 expand to others. 2 - What do they say? 👉 Are you thinking about the customer journey as you write scripts? Someone who is 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 needs a much different message than someone who is a cold coming at the video 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘥. For instance, Ads / social = Cold / problem-aware layer Feature videos = Solution aware Case studies = (Your) Product aware Academy videos = Upsell current customers You might be distributing to the right channel, but just with the wrong message. 3 - How are they made? 👉 Is making videos easy & fun for your team? Production & editing is really hard. Most teams take months, sometimes years, before they master this process. Often, making better videos = improving the creation process. If videos are fun to make, they usually end up being WAY better. 👉 Do you have a good process for batching? The most expensive part of production is the actual filming. Time & money. Having a good pre-production process—scripts, storyboard, schedule—can make it easy to create 18 videos in 1 day. (Yes it's possible; I promise you.) --- What do you think? Is "video strategy" a helpful term? How do you think about improving videos?

The first time I cried in a movie theater was when I saw "The Joy Luck Club". My high school Asian club went to see the movie as a group, and I remember so clearly that, for the first time, I saw not only a story that I could relate to, but a story that I could relate to because I saw *myself* in that story, as an Asian American woman. That's why I'm always going to fight so hard for representation. It matters. Today's news highlights just that (especially for people who are waiting to hear "the business case" for diversity, equity and inclusion). Because, beginning in 2021, the consulting firm McKinsey has published a series of reports exploring the entertainment industry’s representation and inclusion of historically excluded people. Along the way, the analysts totaled up the potential financial revenue that Hollywood could stand to gain if it adopted more culturally inclusive business solutions: $10 billion per year from closing the Black inequity gap, an eye-popping $12 billion to $18 billion from properly valuing Latino professionals and consumers, and — in the latest report released today — $2 billion to $4.4 billion from more effectively tapping the Asian and Pacific Islander market. That's $30 billion dollars being left on the table. Some parts from today's report that stood out to me, thanks to the Hollywood Reporter article covering this, include: 💡 Although API representation in film leapt from 3 to 20 percent in the 20 years between 2002 and 2022, 85 percent of that recent representation is in movies produced outside the United States, and episodic television has seen similar trends. AAPIs (6.2 percent of the U.S. population) are still underrepresented by 50 percent in content made in their own country (3.4 percent of lead roles in U.S.-produced films), which means that the API faces seen onscreen do not necessarily reflect the experiences and perspectives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living here. 💡 Nearly half of wide release features with API leads are action/adventure movies (for films that grossed more than $50 million, that figure rises to 71 percent), and movies with API leads tend to be increasingly race-agnostic (as opposed to having narratives specific to an API cultural experience) the more widely they are distributed. 💡Disaggregating representation data – by genre, by producing country, by qualitative analysis – is particularly crucial for the umbrella identity known as API, which tends to obscure or outright erase the Pasifika (Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander) part of the moniker. Half of the 310 API lead roles in movies from 2018 and 2022 were played by actors of East Asian descent; the 17 Pasifika leads in those five years were played by just five men, who were mostly in action movies and who were mostly Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa. Full article and report linked in comments. Would love to hear your thoughts on this as well. #AANHPI #representation #matters