How to Create A Speaking Demo Video

 

Grant here. This is a guest post written by my friend Erin Lashley. Erin has a business helping speakers shoot, edit, and create demo videos to help promote their business. I firmly believe that a solid demo video is one of the best marketing tools a speaker can have. Erin goes really in-depth here to teach you about how to create your own video and what tools you need. Take it away Erin!

Meet LaMorris.

LaMorris Crawford is a 35 year old married man with 4 beautiful children.

Having come from a impoverished childhood, he has overcome incredible odds.

His mother was murdered at the age of 17.

His uncle was murdered at the age of 17.

His aunt, at the age of 15, caught a brain tumor and died.

His aunt at the age of 28 was drugged up by her boyfriend and died.

He never knew his father and was raised by his grandmother.

He has faced A LOT of hard things…but has overcome all of them.

In 2003 LaMorris decided he wanted to start a career in speaking.

For 9 years he HUSTLED…but without a demo video.

In 2012 LaMorris asked me to create another demo video for him.

The first one was him speaking to a camera and the second was him speaking to a group of athletes about character.

Check it out:

Now, get this. The same year I did the demo video for the LaMorris is the same year he got hired by the NFL as Chaplain of the Cincinnati Bengals. THE SAME YEAR!

“Having a demo video drastically increased my speaking engagements. Today, I’m an NFL Chaplain and also speak over 200 times a year across the United States.” – LaMorris Crawford

Let’s be honest.

That’s great for LaMorris.

But what about YOU?

How did his demo video lead him to speak for the NFL?

 

This secret can be broken down into 4 Must-Haves to every great demo video:

1. Hook me – captivate your audience from the start.
2. Show me – show yourself speaking in front of an audience.
3. Prove me – use testimonials to prove your effectiveness.
4. Close me – close the sale and give a clear call to action.

Easy-peasy-pumpkin-breezy. Now let me show you exactly how, but first I must explain…

THE ART

Over the last 5 years I’ve developed a special interest in demo videos because I believe editing is an art.

The look, the feel, the music, the content…all play a vital role in the END goal.

When you’re creating a demo video, the first thing you need to ask yourself is WHAT IS THE GOAL?

What do you want your audience to DO?

Is it pick up the phone and hire you to speak?

If so…what do they need to FEEL in order to bring them to that action?

Better yet…what do they need to be THINKING ABOUT…in order to FEEL that feeling…and bring them to that action?

That’s why when you’re selecting music…you don’t just pick good music…

You have to pick something that compliments your end goal.

What music is going to get them in a certain frame of mind…to feel a certain thing…to do a certain thing?

What story are you telling?

What colors are you using to tell your story?

Now this process of think, feel, and do is a formula I use to create amazing demo videos.

THE DEMO VIDEO FORMULA

#1. HOOK ME

The first 60 seconds should showcase you as a speaker in a variety of settings and platforms.

This portion must captivate the viewer and get them interested in who you are and what you have to say.

If you don’t have footage of yourself speaking in different settings…

Open up the video with something that’s going to keep them listening.

For example, in the beginning of LaMorris’s demo video he opens up talking about the most dramatic parts of his childhood…

So shocking, you want to keep listening…

#2. SHOW ME

The next 2-3 minutes should SHOW the viewer HOW you speak and what value you add when you speak.

This should Include powerful snippets from your best talks in this portion.

For example, check out the way youth speaker, LaVell Griffin, makes his main points…

His principles are short, powerful, and to the point:

He does an amazing job of knowing exactly what his walk away points are and communicates them in short snippets that make it easy to capture on camera.

#3. PROVE ME

The next 60 seconds should be testimonials.

These stories are proof that people enjoy hearing you speak and actually learn something when you speak.

The more specific the results, the better.

The answers you receive are determined by the questions you ask.

Here are three questions you can ask for stellar testimonials!

1. What, specifically, was your favorite part about ________ and why?

2. If you were to recommend _________ to your best friend, what would you say?

3. What’s one thing you want to do differently after listening to __________?

#4. CLOSE ME

The last 60 seconds should validate interest in your content and testimonials by showing more clips of you speaking and interacting with people.

I recommend including a website, phone, or email for people to use to book you to speak.

This is the finale.

This is your last chance to get me to act upon how I think and feel.

Once again I want you to take a look at LaMorris’s video.

The last lines in his video are so inspirational.

It purposefully leaves you wanting more.

Notice the text at the END of the video (start at 3min 9sec):

The last lines in his video are so inspirational.

It purposefully leaves you wanting more.

Notice the text at the end of the video…

“Your athletes need it. Your community needs it.”

It makes you think…

What do they need?

Which leads you to answer your own question.

They need Character In Athletes. They need LaMorris Crawford.

What you’re reading confirms what you’re thinking and feeling.

And it drives you to DO something about it.

So let’s review.

Great demo videos are made up of 4 must haves:

1. Hook me — hook the viewer with something that keeps them watching.
2. Show me — show the viewer what it’s like to be in the audience when you speak.
3. Prove me — give testimonials that prove to the viewer that people like you and you make a difference.
4. Close me — Make the ending so good, so believable, so compelling, that it compels the viewer to respond.

That’s really it.

Now for the good stuff…

BONUSES

I’ve put together a DIY DEMO VIDEO PACK that includes the following:

• The shot list you need to create a great HOOK
• My BEST cinematographer contact information for you to use.
• My BEST editor contact information for you to use.
• At-home-tool kit you can buy on Amazon for less than $70 to record and edit yourself using your JUST your iPhone.

Click here to download it.