How to Produce an HR Video That Really Shines

So, you’ve made up your mind, and you’re ready to start making inspiring HR videos for your team. You believe in their endless power to showcase the people, culture, and inner-workings of your company. That’s very good, young padawan, but there’s still so much to learn — and we’re here to help.

Before we get started with how to make a recruiting video that really shines, it’s important to consider these 3 guiding principles. Keeping these in mind when it’s time to shoot will make your production process run like a well-oiled machine. Let’s dive in!

1. Put in the effort. Make sure to put just as much effort into your HR videos as you would any other marketing or sales video. Remember, you’re showcasing your company and the people who work there, so it’s important to make them feel valued.
2. Frame the videos with your team’s goals in mind. Think about the larger message that you’re trying to convey and the challenges you’re currently facing. These videos should highlight what your human resources team is actually working on and what they really care about.
3. Show the team before you publish. Because you’re making a video that features and represents your team, you want to make sure that everyone is on board with the content. The video has to be a genuine representation of your team and the company. Make sure everyone is excited about showing off the company they’ve helped build.

With these principles in mind, let’s take a look at some best practices you can utilize when it comes time to actually producing a video that shines.

Prepare to delight

You can make a professional-looking video with an iPhone. You can light the perfect scene for less than $100. Everyone has the tools and potential to make a great video!

And not every company will have a dedicated video producer or creative team — that’s not what makes a video successful. HR videos should aim to surprise or delight above all else. Putting in the effort to make something special or unique is more important than making the most polished video known to humankind.

“HR videos should aim to surprise or delight above all else.”

Check out this awesome video from the folks at Dropbox called “Working at Dropbox.” This video features employees simply talking about their favorite parts of working at the company.

Well… not quite. Dropbox clearly went above and beyond with the delight factor here by creating actual muppets of their employees. And while this type of production might be out of your price range, it does show that you can take a simple framework, such as asking employees to share what they love most about your company, and add a really delightful element to it that makes it stand out.

Not only do the muppets make the video way more entertaining, but they also give viewers a sense of the creative, colorful culture at Dropbox.

Keep it relevant

Remember that guy in your college class who would gain “participation points” by summarizing what everyone else said? It might’ve sounded insightful for a good half-second, before you realized he didn’t actually contribute anything new. Don’t be that guy.

If your audience is going to spend their time watching your video, you should aim to make it valuable and relevant. Show them something they haven’t seen or heard before. What’s the one untold story at your company that truly sets you apart? What you’re saying doesn’t need to be completely earth-shattering, but it should showcase something your viewer may not have known about your business.

“What’s the one untold story at your company that truly sets you apart?”

There’s no one way to show off your unique company culture. A few years ago, we went to the Zappos office to film a “How They Work" video.

While this video mainly focused on team members and their “work-life integration," these segments were interspersed with clips of the office atmosphere, where it’s clear that team members are given the freedom to make the space their own.

After watching the video, the viewer is left with a sense that Zappos is committed to their core values and making their employees feel like part of a big family.

Have fun with it

Watching paint dry. Waiting for grass to grow. Seeing a waffle fall. Okay, that last one is oddly entertaining. But you can’t just put a waffle in your video and call it a day. No one wants to watch a member of your HR team reading off a script or a PowerPoint slide of your company values. Been there, slept through that.

If people think your videos are super boring, they’re going to assume that working there is too. Find a way to make your videos more creative! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Get more team members involved
2. Incorporate some company jokes
3. Bring in company pets for starring roles

Brainstorming video ideas is much easier (and more fun) when you involve the people who actually make up your company. And once you’ve got a great video concept in mind, get your teammates involved in the actual production! Make them the stars of the play.

“Brainstorming video ideas is much easier (and more fun) when you involve the people who actually make up your company.”

Try this recruiting video from Google on for size. They were able to create an authentic video that showcases their interns after just 1 week of working there.

By sharing the personal stories of interns, this video effectively communicates that just because you might not be a permanent Google employee, it doesn’t mean you aren’t part of the team.

Make your video shine

Creating HR videos is always a group effort. Your team should feel like they’re playing an important role in the success of your video, just as they’re playing an important role in building your company. No fancy camera? No professional lighting? No excuses. Pull out your smartphone. Get outside. There’s no reason why you can’t make an effective HR video today!