A promotional video is a short marketing film, usually 30 seconds to 2 minutes, made to drive a specific action: buy a product, register for an event, request a demo or visit a store. Unlike a brand film, which builds long-term perception, a promotional video exists to convert attention into a measurable next step.
Promo is a family of formats, each tied to what is being promoted.
The failures are predictable: videos that open with a logo, list features instead of showing outcomes, and end without an ask. Effective promotional videos are built backwards from the action. They hook in the first three seconds, present one benefit from the customer's point of view, prove it visually, and end with a single unmistakable call to action. One video, one message; a promo that promotes three things promotes nothing.
Distribution shapes the edit. A promo destined for Instagram and TikTok needs 9:16 vertical, sound-off legibility and a faster open than one running on your website in 16:9. Professional practice is to shoot once and version deliberately: a hero cut plus 15 and 30 second cutdowns in 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1, so the same production covers web, social feeds and paid ads. At Viven this versioning matrix is part of the plan before the camera rolls.
A focused promotional video is one of the more accessible professional formats: a single shoot day, tight concept and short runtime keep scope contained. Within our typical CHF 4,000 to 80,000 range, most promos sit toward the lower half unless the campaign involves multiple locations, talent or heavy post-production. Expect a first cut around two weeks after the shoot, which means a promo can realistically go from brief to live in four to six weeks, fast enough to plan around a launch date rather than scramble toward one.
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