121. Bernadette Butler: Authentic Video Stories on Internet

Bernadette Butler has 20 years experience in advertising working with some of the greatest brands of our time. With 2 ads on the world’s funniest reel, Bernadette is the CEO and co-founder of StoryTap, a DIY video platform for marketers to direct, own, and micro-influence authentic video stories at scale.

StoryTap story

Bernadette believes that everybody has a story, and that one of the best ways a company can use for influence people today is with real life stories in videos. In US, companies spend 135 billion dollars a year just producing digital video ads. It takes 10 weeks to produce a really good video. StoryTap was created to fill this gap, how to give a brand a volume of videos, while being authentic by telling stories.

StoryTap was built for marketers, a DIY tool in which the marketer directs the story. The customer fills the blanks of “story guides.” Also, StoryTap can redo sections as many times as wished.

How to use storytelling in an effective way

Three are the worst common scenarios when someone is asked to make a video review (or testimonial) for a company:

* Putting it off repeatedly because of not knowing how to start.

* Writing a script and reading it.

* Rambling.

An example of a story guide is: “My favorite thing about [this product] is …”

The best channels for spreading digital videos today

Facebook is the first because of its reach.

Instagram is good but it has its own restrictions: mobile-only, short videos (60 seconds), and videos are shot vertically.

LinkedIn is the one Bernadette was impressed the most, specially because of the large targeted audience you can reach and the interaction of the videos.

Authentic video stories on Internet

Bernadette’s best piece of advice for creating authentic video stories on Internet is:

* Less is more. Say in a sentence first, instead of a paragraph. Keep the video under 2 minutes.

* Lighting and sound. Don’t be in front of a window as you’ll look dark. Speak loud enough, don’t whisper.

* Smile. Use facial expressions.

* Do several versions of the video. Do A/B tests.

Related: The Art of Explanation

Favorite quotation

“Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.” — David Ogilvy

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