Whatever kind of video (or podcast!) project you’re working on, you’ll need people to talk to you “on record” via video or audio. From talent to subject to expert to commentator, it’s the people who will make your video come to life, whether they’re on-camera faces, voiceover for b-roll or simply deep background.
The issue interviewers run into much of the time is one of affiliation. Convincing a company or brand that it should be part of your project (or to release its people to talk to you on its behalf) can be an uphill battle. Luckily, I have some tips for successfully climbing that mini-mountain.
1. Prove How Easy It Is To Participate
“The path of least resistance…” We all know the saying, but it doesn’t make it less true that people (and by people here I mean companies and brands) will inevitably take the easiest route if they can. So when you’re trying to convince a company to be part of your video, show them how easy it will be for their people.
A professional or experienced interviewer knows that the best way to get great content out of their subjects is to make them comfortable, so use that as a selling point when pitching your project. “You don’t have to do anything except show up. We’ll handle the rest,” is a pretty enticing nugget, especially because part of your job is ensuring just that.
Reinforce the company that your job is to make their people look good, with little to no effort on their part. You’ll prepare them, make them comfortable, feed them, make sure they look good…literally take care of everything.
It’s hard to turn down free exposure if there’s no effort involved. But we’ll talk about that later.
2. Prove Your Expertise to Gain Their Trust
As much as we collectively want people to “take our word for it,” that’s just not how the world goes ‘round. That said, interviewers and content creators just so happen to have everything on record. “Showing our work” is literally our job anyway. So round up a batch of your best —the ones that show the on-screen talent in the most heroic light— and share them with the company. Show that anyone affiliated with them will look like the smartest, coolest person in the room and you’ll have companies beating down your inbox.
Another way you can prove that you’re on top of things is to share some of your behind-the-scenes prep work on a particular project. Example of daily schedules or agendas. Pre-interview examples. Pre/pro meeting notes. Lists of questions. Demystifying the whole process for the subjects and the entities they represent goes a long way toward building trust.
And when it comes to trust, show that every word spoken will be used accurately and honestly, not just in the final project but in any social content or promotional material. You can prove that trust by mentioning the transcription service you use for accuracy.
3. Show the Benefit
Ultimately, the primary thing that a company, brand or other organization will want to know about their involvement in your project is how it will help them. Will any risk on their end be eclipsed by the reward? (Although if you’ve done your job so far, you’ve made it clear that there is no risk. Alas!) So be prepared with numbers, or maybe even case studies about past projects. Prove that the eyeballs that will see the final cut are valuable.
View counts with lots of commas and zeroes are the easiest path, but if your project is a niche kinda thing that won’t be rivaling the Super Bowl for ratings, spin those numbers another way. Maybe your video is about a trending topic that will be all the rage soon. Maybe someone involved in your project is an up-and-comer in whatever field in which the company is operating. Maybe they’ll be exposed to an entirely different audience who could take to their goods or services.
In the end, awareness is important for any brand, so any way you can prove that they’ll receive more exposure and that it’ll mean something, you should do so.
3 Questions To Glory
Is it easy? Can I trust you? How will it help me? These are the three questions that make the earth spin on its axis. If you can answer these questions for any organization you’re chasing, you’ll open a world of possibilities for your project.
