{"id":63143,"date":"2016-10-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-17T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rockcontent.com\/blog\/the-7-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-a-product-video-learned-the-hard-way\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T23:25:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T02:25:23","slug":"the-7-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-a-product-video-learned-the-hard-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pingback.com\/en\/resources\/the-7-mistakes-to-avoid-when-making-a-product-video-learned-the-hard-way\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Making a Product Video (Learned the Hard Way)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI never make the same mistake twice. I make it like five or six times, you know, just to be sure.\u201d – unknown<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Some people like to learn by making mistakes. And by \u201csome people\u201d I mean me, and by \u201clike\u201d I mean it just happens. I guess that\u2019s the price you pay when you\u2019re not afraid to try new things. As product marketers (or marketers in general), we have to try new things every single day, whether because we want to, or have to, depending on the needs of the business. They can be new to our company, to us as individuals, or even both. Regardless of the situation, one thing is for sure, we\u2019re going to make mistakes. It\u2019s only normal, and it\u2019s ok. For every battle scar we earn along the way we grow as professionals, sometimes even as individuals. Ok, pep talk over. I feel better about myself now. Let\u2019s move on to why we\u2019re here: the biggest mistakes to avoid when making a product video.<\/p>\n

I can say that without a doubt, I am the utmost \u201cmistake making\u201d expert in the art of product videos. These mistakes have resulted in some of the most cringe-worthy videos out there (don\u2019t try to find them, but trust me they exist).<\/p>\n

I guess you can say I do it to myself \u2013 I love working for small and medium-sized businesses, but with that, sometimes comes limited budget and resources \u2013 which makes it even MORE likely for them to happen. And although making mistakes sucks, I\u2019m grateful for each one, because they all represent a lesson learned. With every new project, I know exactly(ish) what to focus on and most importantly, what to avoid.<\/p>\n

\"scirbblelive-product-video-goeff\"<\/p>\n

Click Here to See My Latest Product Video, for Rock Content, for Context.<\/a><\/p>\n

Mistake #1: A Product Video is NOT a Demo\u00a0Video<\/span><\/h4>\n

I\u2019m starting the list with this\u00a0because it was the first mistake I ever made. My first \u201cproduct video,\u201d was in fact, a demo video. A product video is meant to explain what your product is, the problem that it solves and how it provides value. I, on the other hand, walked through a UI and talked about features. It was lame.<\/p>\n

\"demo-video-geoff\"<\/p>\n

\"product-video-geoff\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying that demo videos aren\u2019t an important asset, I\u2019m saying that they\u2019re very different than product videos. In a B2B context, a product video is used during the early stages of the buyer journey and it addresses almost every buyer persona. Demo videos, on the other hand, are more relevant for later stages, and only speak to a handful of personas. You can see why they\u2019re different, they have their own unique function and goals.<\/p>\n

Mistake #2: Not Defining Scope of Project Before Requesting Budget<\/span><\/h4>\n

When deciding to make a product video (or asked to by your management team), you need to have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish and how you plan on getting there\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0requesting budget and resources. It probably goes without saying but it\u2019s a mistake that is often made.<\/p>\n

What you want to accomplish\u00a0<\/span>should<\/em>\u00a0include:<\/span><\/p>\n