10 Behind-the-Scenes Content Ideas to Humanize Your Brand

Many businesses obsess over presenting a perfectly curated image. But this ends up making them impersonal, abstract, and hard to connect with. 

To build authentic connections with your audience, you must be willing to pull the curtains back and show off those messy quirks and somewhat embarrassing moments that make your company human and relatable. Sharing behind-the-scenes (BTS) content is one of the best ways to do this.

In this article, we'll share 10 behind-the-scenes ideas to help you become more authentic and human. They’ll also help boost your brand awareness!  

10 Behind-the-scenes content ideas to share

Looking to include BTS content in your marketing strategy? Here are 10 simple but effective behind-the-scenes content ideas to try. 

1. A day-in-my-life 

Why make it: Day-in-my-life videos give your audience a first-hand and unfiltered view of what the typical day at your business looks like — from an employee’s point of view. 

It's a great way to show your business’s core values and perks in action. Say one of your perks is remote work; an employee can show what working from home looks like and how your business supports remote work. 

These videos double as employer branding social media content. You can also use them as part of your recruitment strategy to attract A+ content. 

2. Meet the team 

Why make it: This is a chance to show the people behind the work and build a stronger human connection with your audience. 

Think of it as breaking the “fourth wall” between your brand and its audience. It helps them connect the dots between your presentation and those who made it happen. Now, they don't just see brand outputs like a new social media post or design; they can associate it with the person(s) who worked so hard to make it happen. 

3. New employee introduction 

Why make it: Introduction videos from new employees help your audience get familiar with the latest addition to your team. They can easily understand who this person is, what they'll be handling on the team, and some personal information about their background. 

It's really important if the employee will be handling audience-facing communication, like hosting a webinar or podcast, or even sending emails. That way, when they show up in front of your audience in an official capacity, they aren't strangers, and the audience can trust them easily.  

4. Office tour videos 

Why make it: Got a cute office space? Why not show it off to your audience? You can combine it with a “meet the team” film, so the audience sees where everyone works from — plus their favorite spaces in the office. 

Office tours are great for showing off some of the perks of working with you. Got an unlimited snack bar or virtual golf course? Don't skip these on the tour — they might just help convince that A+ talent to apply for a role at your business. 

5. Bloopers or mistakes 

Why make it: Bloopers or mistakes help humanize you. They are also funny — and who doesn't love a little humor?

Brands often present themselves as perfect, abstract elements — but the reality is far from that. That perfect social media clip probably required 10 takes and retakes to nail the seemingly perfect scene. These “mistakes” can be repurposed into content for bite-sized clip channels like TikTok or Instagram. 

You can share bloopers before launching the main video as a teaser. When the main thing drops, your audience can relate to it better because they understand all the messy bits involved in creating that perfect picture. 

6. Employee takeover 

Why make it: Employee takeovers are when employees directly share content on your official channels — whether that's LinkedIn, Instagram, or TikTok. 

On Instagram, for example, the employee can take over IG Stories and document their day as they complete different tasks. At the end of the takeover, you can save the Stories to your profile so people can watch them anytime. 

This type of video boosts your engagement on social media platforms. The employee hosting the takeover will likely share it with people in their network — helping you reach a wider audience. 

7. Process videos 

Why make it: This is a chance to show the inner workings of a project and how it all came together. You can document phases of the project as a series, depending on its complexity. 

For example, if you were hosting a one-week event, you could document the planning for each day. But for a short TikTok clip that went viral, you can show the process as bite-sized content. 

Whatever your approach, make sure you're only sharing parts of your process that you want people to see — and you share it when the project is already live. Without this, it's easy for your competitors to steal your process for their own projects. 

8. Before and afters

Why make it: These types of clips focus on transformation. They work well if you don’t want to share the details of your process, but still want the audience to understand how much work went into the final project. 

It’s also super easy and cheap to create. All you need to do is capture footage at the beginning of the project and at the end. Since the content is bite-sized, you can share it on multiple platforms like Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok. 

10. Employee Spotlight 

Why make it: This is similar to a “meet the team” clip — only that this time, the spotlight is on a specific employee. This type of content doubles as employee advocacy and can be shared on brand and personal channels to reach a wider audience. 

The important thing is to focus on who the employee is beyond their job. Yes, they should talk about what they do at the organization. But beyond that, create time for them to share their hobbies and other interests to make the audience connect with them as a person. 

What is behind-the-scenes (BTS) content? 

Behind-the-scenes content (BTS) is about capturing the preparation phase of an event, product, feature launch, or milestone. The goal is to show all the work (and people) that went into achieving business success. 

While traditional clip marketing tries to present the brand as this perfect, well-put-together and abstract element, BTS content does the opposite. They show off all the messy and quirky moments that make your business more human. We're talking — last-minute disappointments from your event venue, the freelancer that called in sick, and how you struggled for a replacement, the moments where you almost gave up because nothing seemed to work — the whole nine yards. 

All of this makes your business seem authentic and relatable — and creates a deep emotional connection with your audience. When they see all the work, people, and struggle that went into achieving success, they are more likely to appreciate your hard work and feel like a part of your achievement. 

Why do behind-the-scenes videos work so well? 

Here's why many brands include BTS content in their marketing strategy. 

1. It builds trust  

Behind-the-scenes content pulls the curtain and allows the audience to see exactly what goes into creating the brand that they love. This reduces any guesswork or speculations about your brand, making the audience trust you more. And, when your audience trusts you, they are more likely to buy from you and become advocates. 

2. It's easy to make 

Behind-the-scenes content doesn’t have the logistical overhead costs associated with regular video production. You don't have to pay for a location, buy expensive equipment, or hire a special crew for it. 

All you have to do is include the creation in your workflow. For example, during event planning, you can ask employees to record their day as they interact with each other and complete different tasks. 

 3. It lowers the barrier for employee advocacy 

About 72% of engaged employees would post about their company if content were created for them. BTS films can serve as a content library for your advocacy program. 

Instead of asking employees to make their own employee-generated content about your brand, you can record BTS content during a project and let them share these with their audience. It lowers the participation barrier for employees who aren't confident enough to make content themselves. 

Tips for creating engaging behind-the-scenes videos

Here are some best practices to help you create engaging BTS content that connects with your audience: 

• Prioritize bite-sized clips as these can be shared on multiple platforms, like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. They are also easier to create. 
• Embrace imperfections and humor. Focus on sharing imperfect moments that make you authentic. 
• Don't overshare. Set up an internal review process to determine what's worth sharing and what should be kept in-house, so you don't expose important secrets to competitors. 
• Encourage your team members to participate and share their experiences. 
• Don't just share for sharing's sake. Ensure that your behind-the-scenes content strategy connects with the rest of your marketing plan, so that everything stays in sync. 
• Add captions and voiceovers to give context and improve content performance on social media channels. 

Create memorable behind-the-scenes videos with PlayPlay

Never created a behind-the-scenes clip? No problem. PlayPlay lets you get started quickly and have your first BTS clip in minutes. 

Let's show you how. 

• First, sign up for a PlayPlay account. You get a free trial as a new user. 
• Choose a behind-the-scenes template from our extensive template library. 
• Upload your recorded footage, and then customize it. Add your logo, colors, and other brand elements. 
• You can also add sound, GIFs, and other engagement elements from our media library. 
• Review the final results. If it's all good, download and share the video with your team. Need feedback first? No worries. Copy the link and share it with your team. 

Now, it's your turn! Get your free PlayPlay trial and start creating engaging BTS content today.