Making a catchy promo video requires more than just luck.

Whether it’s an engaging intro ad, a product launch feature, a testimonial video, or an insightful explainer, you need a creative approach to craft engaging marketing videos.

While it’s tempting to believe that expensive camera gear or a Hollywood-sized budget can guarantee you a killer promo video, the reality is that if your video editing skills are lacking, your content may fall flat.

Your video may seem uninteresting and unprofessional, making you miss out on valuable opportunities to create conversions for your brand.

To avoid that, here are 7 video editing tips on how to create promo videos for your brand.

But first things first, what exactly is a promotional video? And, more importantly, why should you use one?

Let’s get into it.

What is a Promo Video?

A promo video, often known as a promotional video, is created to draw attention to a certain marketing campaign, product/service, offer, or event.

It takes the form and tone of a teaser video to attract viewers and encourage your audience to take a desired action.

And the thing is, you shouldn’t feel compelled to repeatedly tell your audience to “buy, buy, buy” to create a successful promotional video. In fact, that might put them off.

Instead, a promo video should speak to their hopes, dreams, passions, and ambitions through the story it tells and let your brand’s personality shine through.

If done right, promo videos can help grow your business online. Let’s discuss why they’re so important for businesses.

Why Do You Need Promo Videos?

A study shows that 92% of marketing pros say video gives them the best bang for their buck compared to other types of content.

Image via Wyzowl

Moreover, the same study found that 96% of marketers see video as an important part of their growth marketing strategy, which is the highest percentage in the last nine years.

And why is that?

It’s simple.

Emotions play a big role in consumer spending, and video is a great way to appeal to those feelings.

How?

Well, a promo video can make someone laugh, tug at heartstrings, or inspire action.

It’s the ultimate persuasion tool that quickly transforms passive viewers into engaged customers.

But a promo video goes beyond the typical strategies used in a sales funnel.

Even if viewers don’t whip out their wallets right away, your promo video can leave a lasting impression, like a catchy song you can’t get out of your head.

It keeps your brand simmering in your target customers’ minds, ready to bubble up when they’re finally ready to buy.

7 Video Editing Tips to Create Promotional Videos

Now, we know promo videos are great for engaging viewers and influencing decisions.

The question is, how do we translate those emotions and motivations into action?

That’s where skillful video editing comes in handy.

Here are some video editing tips to ensure your promo videos do more than just win over viewers.

1. Set the Stage Using Tone and Duration

Before you start editing, make sure you have a good overview of your video’s plot.

What tone do you want to use? Which emotions do you want to evoke?

Do you want viewers to laugh with delight at a witty product demo or feel the urgency to snag a limited-time offer?

Asking yourself these questions is important as it’ll help you align your tone with your creative direction.

For instance, an introductory homepage video wouldn’t benefit from a frantic, “sale-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace” tone.

That’s a cookie-cutter strategy, and it will not do the trick.

What you should do instead is list the little details that set your brand apart and find ways to include them in the video.

Whether it’s a clever use of humor, a touch of sentimentality, or a dash of excitement to make it memorable.

Next, figure out how long the promo video should be.

While a two-minute explainer video could go into more detail about a product’s features, a thirty-second video could be perfect for a short social media snippet.

Don’t let your video sprawl and lose focus.

Instead, stick to the ideal time limits, and your message will hit the mark every time.

Google’s Duo launch video blew me away.

Image via YouTube

It seamlessly showcased the app’s features in a breezy 41-second clip.

The perfect tone, somewhere between informative and playful, made it a joy to watch, not a chore.

That right there is a product demo done right!

2. Keep it Short and to the Point

Promo videos shouldn’t drag on for hours.

They should offer tantalizing snippets, like teaser videos that captivate with glimmering animation and the perfect suspense to hold viewers’ attention until the end.

It’s all about efficiency—using minimal time to deliver maximum impact can help in increasing impressions and follower growth.

However, finding the sweet spot between “enough” and “too much” is the tricky bit.

You want viewers desperate for more without spoiling the surprise.

Therefore, you need to develop a visually stunning sequence that hooks them from frame one and promises something amazing later.

A good example is Calm’s customer testimonial video.

Image via YouTube

By sharing the experiences of the app’s users, it motivates prospects to start using the app, all in under 30 seconds.

3. Control your Project’s Color Palette

Design legend Ivan Chermayeff once said, “Using too much color is as bad as using no color.”

And there’s a lot of truth to that, especially when you’re creating videos explaining complex topics.

A limited color palette can boost clarity and improve engagement, as evidenced by this stunning explainer video for SandboxAQ on cryptography, created by Duro.

Image via Vimeo

Due to the complexity of the subject, viewers may easily become overwhelmed if there are too many colors.

So, they kept it focused on the message, not flashy animations.

They opted for the brand’s primary colors—orange and black—to create a strong and consistent visual identity.

Adding to the clarity, the simple iconography helped guide viewers through the complexity without any distractions.

Here are some tips on how to use colors in your promo videos:

Use your brand’s core colors: They set the tone and build recognition, so use them across various promo videos for your brand.

Keep a limited color palette: Keep secondary colors to a minimum and reserve them for necessary details or accents.

Create harmony with colors: Choose contrasting or complementary colors to create visual harmony without clashing.

Consider your audience and message: Complex topics need clarity, so put facts first over colorful animations.

Color can be a powerful tool in promotional videos, but it’s all about using it intentionally.

Use good video editor software to combine videos in the window and convert them to more engaging and insightful promotional videos.

4. Use Textures that Add Depth and Emotion

While color palettes often paint the big picture in design and editing, it’s the subtle whispers of texture that add emotional layers to promo videos.

Just like the feel of satin evokes luxury or the roughness of stone implies strength, video textures can infuse your message with deeper meaning.

Computer-generated textures can sometimes feel cold and sterile, lacking the human touch.

Thankfully, there’s a way to add warmth and authenticity through subtle imperfections.

Using “flaws” such as noise and grain makes videos more relatable and organic.

For example, the rubbery, graphite texture achieved through noise in the ModBand project’s product demo creates a memorable experience

Image via Vimeo

It added a touch of realism and conveyed a sense of comfort, suggesting to viewers that the band is soft and pleasant to wear.

Here’s how you can do it in a way that works for your brand:

Let textures tell a story: Choose textures that reinforce your brand’s personality and message.

Embrace imperfection: Add subtle noise or grain to video textures for a more lifelike, engaging feel.

Use textures strategically: Highlight key elements like products or logos with unique textures.

Mix and match: Don’t be afraid to combine different textures for visual interest, but ensure they remain cohesive.

5. Add Captions and Subtitles

It may seem like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how many marketers overlook adding captions and subtitles to their videos. This simple step to add subtitles to video content can make a significant difference.

Even though they both contain textual descriptions of audio in a video, the information they offer and the audience they cater to are different. For example, you can add educational captions for a video created on how to make an app like Venmo topic to get relevant engagements.

Captions are written versions of dialogue that are mostly used to help people who cannot hear the sound of a video.

Subtitles, on the other hand, translate the language with the help of professional transcriptionists being spoken for people who do not understand it.

A study found that 42% of viewers actively use subtitles or captions for various reasons, including concentration, hearing impairment, or personal preference.

And for smart marketers, this only means one thing:

Adding subtitles and captions to your promotional videos can increase their accessibility and encourage inclusivity.

You can use them as a verbal wingman to clarify dialogues, especially if your video contains accents, background noise, or rapid edits.

Doing so not only elevates comprehension but also keeps your viewers engaged, preventing them from getting lost or tuning out.

After all, a confused viewer is a disengaged viewer, and by properly bridging the gap, you can ensure your message is delivered with clarity and impact.

Here’s an example of a promo video with subtitles, where Microsoft introduces Microsoft Airband Initiative and CV Wireless.

Image via YouTube

By including subtitles, it made it easier for its audience to understand and engage with the video.

6. Test Your Video

You poured your heart and soul into creating your promo video.

Now, it’s time to see if it shines under the scrutiny of the “pause button test.”

This deceptively simple method involves pausing at key moments while editing and asking yourself a few crucial questions.

Here’s how it works:

Freeze-Frame Perfection

Is this image instantly clear? Would viewers understand your message in a heartbeat?

Does it speak your brand’s language? Are the colors, fonts, and style consistent with your brand identity?

Would someone connect with this image? Does it evoke emotion, curiosity, or a desire to learn more?

Playback and Polish

Take a step back and watch the full video with a fresh perspective. Now, consider the following:

Does it end with a clear, compelling prompt that tells viewers what to do next?

Does the video take viewers on a smooth journey, guiding viewers effortlessly from point A to point B?

If you can confidently answer “yes” to all these questions, it’s time to get feedback from your trusted colleagues.

Test different calls to action, and never stop refining your creative approach.

By obsessing over every detail, you’ll create a masterpiece that goes beyond clicks and views.

7. Tailor Your Videos to Different Platforms

Imagine sending the same joke to your grandma and your best friend.

One of them will probably look at you like you’d sprouted antennae, right?

That’s how viewers feel when you blast the same video across various social media platforms.

Each platform has its own vibrant community with specific expectations and quirks.

Not paying attention to them is like trying to tell a joke to the wrong crowd: it will not land and your message will get lost in all the chatter.

To unlock each platform’s engagement potential, ditch the copy-paste mentality and make platform-specific edits to your promo videos.

On TikTok, short, punchy clips with trending sounds and challenges rule the roost.

Instagram audiences crave visually stunning teasers that leave them begging for more.

Facebook, the land of storytelling, rewards compelling narratives with clear calls to action.

To stay ahead of the curve, explore platform-specific marketing tools that can turbocharge your video’s performance. You can choose the right tool from the curated list like Attrock that are prepared by industry experts.

Choose the ones that can help you best explore and utilize the various features that the platform offers.

Conclusion

Don’t get too bogged down in learning how to edit promo videos using someone else’s style.

Sure, learning from editing masters can offer inspiration, but the magic unfolds when you develop your own signature style.

By mastering the video editing tips I’ve discussed in this post you can transform your marketing game. From establishing the perfect tone to adding emotional depth with textures, these video editing tips can elevate your video marketing game.

Make sure to keep your promo videos short, impactful, and platform-specific. Your audience craves stories that resonate, not feature-length lectures.

So, hit that edit button with confidence, use your unique voice, and watch your brand rise to the top of the attention pyramid, one captivating video at a time.

Author Bio – Gaurav Sharma

Gaurav Sharma is the founder and CEO of Attrock, a results-driven digital marketing company. Grew an agency from 5-figure to 7-figure revenue in just two years | 10X leads | 2.8X conversions |  300K organic monthly traffic. He also contributes to top publications like HuffPost, Adweek, Business 2 Community, TechCrunch, and more.