How to Use a Sizzle Reel to Boost Your Business

The trailers are one of the best parts about going to the movies, right?

Everyone loves getting a sneak peek of upcoming movies, and their trailers build up the hype. What if we told you trailers aren't just for movies and you can build the same hype for your business? Sizzle reels are about to be your new best friend.

Let's break down sizzle reels, how businesses use them to market, and how to make an awesome sizzle reel with Animoto, the online video editor.

What is a sizzle reel?

A sizzle reel is a short promotional video that highlights anything you want. Some may call them demos, highlight reels, or trailers, but they're all basically the same.

A good sizzle reel will use audio, video, and text to share important information with viewers and cause some excitement. Grab their attention, and then keep it.

Why do businesses use sizzle reels?

Sizzle reels are often used in the entertainment industry to demo their talents for producers and casting agencies. But, sizzle reels also have enormous potential for businesses.

Imagine a highlight reel for the use and benefits of your products or services. Or an exciting behind-the-scenes glimpse into your business. Or a video to boost your credibility and prove your worth.

Video marketing is the way of the future. In fact, video marketers get 66% more qualified leads per year. And as the attention spans of consumers reduce over time, short-form content is becoming more important.

The benefits of sizzle reel video marketing

Sizzle reel video marketing has a bunch of benefits, so let us break them down for you.

• They're shareable. If you share your sizzle reels on social media, they'll be sharable to the masses. Viewers can like, comment, or send to their heart's content.
• Start a conversation. Videos can be powerful tools when it comes to conversating and storytelling. A sizzle reel allows you to control the narrative.
• They're emotional. Sizzle reels allow you to invoke excitement, wonder, and other emotions from your audience, which can lead to more engagement with your business.
• Video is naturally more engaging. There's a reason people watch over a billion hours of content on YouTube every day.

Video marketing is a force to be reckoned with. Learn more about the benefits of video marketing here.

How long should a sizzle reel be?

Sizzle reels are best kept short. People's attention spans are shorter than you think.

Sizzle reels can be as long as 5 minutes but are usually around 1-2 minutes. Sharing your business's mission with visual branding? Keep it short. Showcasing a product demo of a complex item? Feel free to stretch it out.

Consider your audience, sharing platform, and the nature of your content to pick the perfect duration.

4 sizzle reel ideas for your business

Chances are the wheels are already turning and you're dreaming up a sizzle reel for your business. But if not, here are some ideas to help get you started.

Demo a product

Use a sizzle reel to demonstrate your best-selling or most misunderstood product. Detail its features, show it in action, make it look stunning, and create some hype. Show off the features that differentiate your product from the competition.

Boost your credibility

Share some positive reviews from previous customers. Using customer testimonials is a great way to build credibility for your business.

Introduce your brand

Sizzle reels are great for telling stories. Introduce viewers to your brand, your mission, and how you got to where you are now. Genuinely connecting with your audience can foster lasting relationships.

Document an event

A sizzle reel can be used to recap a successful event your business hosted. Maybe a product launch went well, or you had a successful Black Friday sale. Build some excitement around your business's most important moments.

How to make a sizzle reel video with Animoto

If you're concerned about the learning curve that comes with video marketing strategy, don't be. Animoto makes video editing easy and fun.

You'll become a video marketing connoisseur in just four steps with our video editor.

Pick a template

Animoto has many templates to pick from. Pick a template that will best showcase your sizzle reel with your purpose and content in mind.

Showcase important information about your business:

Build anticipation for your next event:

Upload your content

Once you've picked your template, drag and drop your content into the Animoto online video editor. If you're still missing any content, you can browse through our massive stock library from within the editor.

If you didn’t record yourself speaking in your video, you can include a voice-over as well. Check out our complete guide to using voice-over to learn the different ways you can record, upload, and add your voice-over to your video.

Customize your sizzle reel

Now for the fun part. Animoto gives you plenty of options to customize your video. Add text, music, and transitions to create the look that you want.

If you’re on a Professional or Professional Plus plan, make sure your sizzle reel reflects your company by using a Saved Brand. This allows you to use your fonts, colors, and logos in your video.

Start collecting feedback

If you want your sizzle reel to really sizzle, you should start collecting feedback before you post. This will help reduce the risk of posting a video that is confusing, has typos, or simply misses the target. With the Professional Plus plan, you can use the Commenting feature to collect and respond to feedback all within Animoto.

First, you generate a private feedback link that allows multiple reviewers to leave time-stamped feedback on your video. Once you’ve gathered your feedback all in one place, it helps you to better understand what works and what could be improved with your reel. Check out this how-to guide to learn how you can start collecting feedback in Animoto.

Export and share

Once you've made your sizzle reel, it’s time to export and share it with your audience. You can share your video to a variety of social media channels directly from Animoto.

5 tips to create a catchy sizzle reel

Now that you know how to make a sizzle reel in minutes with Animoto, here’s how to make it stand out.

Keep it short

As long as attention spans remain short, your sizzle reels typically should too. Keep your sizzle reel short, and you'll keep your audience’s attention. Again, the optimal video length depends on your product or service and your audience, so use your discretion.

Know your audience

Create sizzle reel videos that cater to your audience. For example, certain customers may only be on specific social media platforms. With Animoto, you can easily create videos with different aspect ratios to fit different platforms.

Consider your purpose

Know the intention behind your sizzle reel and the metrics that you’ll use to measure your video’s performance. Are you a new startup that’s trying to build brand awareness? Are you supporting the launch of a new product? Consider creating multiple sizzle reel videos to test against each other.

End with a call to action

After you give your viewers information and excitement, tell them what to do next. End your sizzle reel with a strong call to action.

A sizzle reel example to inspire you

This sizzle reel by The Influence Agency does a great job at reflecting the marketing agency's work concisely. They highlight the types of services they offer and some big brands they have worked with. This sizzle reel is well-produced and gives this agency credibility.

Ready to try?

Animoto's online video editor makes it easy and fun to create exciting sizzle reels that will intrigue and excite viewers.

Sizzle reels can promote so many things, and if you're not using them to promote your business, you're missing out.

Get started with Animoto today and make an exciting sizzle reel.