Remember to give your brand some sizzle reel

“In a world …” The voice of God from those trailers is burned into my mind. So for me and many of us, there’s nothing like a good sizzle reel for building buzz and excitement. It works for movies and it can definitely work for your brand.

A sizzle reel (also sometimes called a demo or highlight reel) can build momentum around your brand for internal and external audiences. Sizzle reels are short, grab attention, and sustain it. You can share more about your business in a way that sticks with current and future customers. 

A good sizzle reel will also get your own employees fired up, and help keep them aligned with your brand’s messaging. 

Why make a sizzle reel for marketing?

• Because of how fun they are, reels are highly shareable, which helps your brand find new audiences.
• Sizzle reels pack a LOT of visuals, sounds, and emotion into a short timeframe, which means they are likely to pique the viewer’s curiosity and be watched and rewatched. They evoke emotions that push people to dive deeper into what they just watched. This helps your audience feel more engaged with your brand. (The Wild Turkey reel above is a great example of this. Did your brain feel the warmth of the flames? Did you imagine the smell of smoke?) 
• A great sizzle reel can help your team connect not just with external audiences, but with itself. A great example of that is this reel from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt:

• Video continues to be consumers’ favorite type of content to see from brands.
• And, wiewers typically retain much more of the information they see in a video vs. information they read.

What kinds of sizzle reels are there?

The sky’s the limit when it comes to dreaming up fun sizzle reel ideas, but here are a few tried and true ideas:

Introduce your brand: Quickly bring viewers into your brand’s story by focusing on the sensory elements, or the emotions of the main characters in the story. This helps viewers understand your brand’s vibe and values through visuals and sound. 

Share social proof: Sharing testimonials or positive reviews puts potential customers at ease and helps turn existing customers into fans and ambassadors. (The Vanderbilt video above weaves in emotional testimonials to achieve an authentically inspirational feel.) Internal audiences can benefit from stats that convey positive change.

Demo a product: Build hype around a product. Show off features and how the product stands apart from the competition.  

Document an event: Provide an overview or recap, or inspire some FOMO that will ensure people don’t miss out on the next one. 

Get shared and loved by celebrating your brand’s wins, clarifying your message, and motivating your people with a killer sizzle reel. We’d love to help.