9 Video Presentation Ideas to Keep Your Audience Awake

Let’s be honest: we’re all bored to death of dull, static PowerPoint presentations.

In fact, most people switch off just 10 minutes into a traditional presentation. Despite this, Microsoft PowerPoint is still the first port of call for 89% of people when they need to make a slideshow.

Next time you need to put together a presentation for your team, consider doing things differently. Video presentations are dynamic, engaging, and better at keeping your audience’s attention than a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation.

Why should you use video presentations?

The numbers are clear: people like video. In fact, 78% of people report watching online video content every week, with 55% watching videos every day — so it’s a format we’re all used to. And according to Social Media Week, viewers retain 95% of a message when they learn it through a video, which makes it a great tool for business presentations.

Here are four more benefits of using video presentations over traditional ones.  

They’re easy to digest

The length of a traditional professional presentation depends on the presenter’s delivery and how long it takes an audience to read your PowerPoint slides. But since you’ll always know exactly how long a video presentation is, you can easily slot them into meetings without fear of running over. And your audience is much less likely to switch off if they’re told how long the video is before it starts.

Video lends itself very well to short-form content — and video presentations are no different. A short video can easily be sent out in an email to deliver a quick message. Learn more on video email marketing in this blog post.

They’re dynamic

A video presentation can (and should) include music, images, GIFs and dynamic transitions which help keep your audience engaged far more than a static PowerPoint. These visuals and moving graphics reinforce your message and drive home your audience’s understanding.

Curious about how to effortlessly create engaging videos? Look no further than PlayPlay's video presentation maker. Our tool empowers you to craft professional videos in no time.

They’re persuasive

Visual information is processed faster than text. So it makes sense to reinforce your message with visual cues such as arrows, icons, and fonts of different colors and sizes. With a video presentation, you can also use music to complement your message and help persuade your audience to take action.

They’re accessible (any time and anywhere)

In this new world, we’re all getting used to WFH and WFA (work-from-anywhere) policies. So it’s more important than ever to find new ways to transmit information to your staff, customers, and stakeholders. A video presentation is easier to share online than a traditional one, and can be watched multiple times — so there’s no need to worry if your team doesn't pick up everything the first time around. Discover how to make a presentation with our best steps and tips in this article.

9 video presentation ideas to keep your audience from snoozing

Video presentations are versatile and can be used for a whole variety of purposes. While a PowerPoint presentation risks putting your audience to sleep before you get through the first three slides, a stand-out video will wake them up and drive your message home.

And, as an added bonus, if public speaking’s not your strong point, no worries. You can just hit the play button and let the video do the hard work.

Here are 9 video presentation ideas you could try for your business.

#1. Product launches

If you have a new product to show off to your customers, don’t put them off before they’ve even seen it with a slide deck that puts them to sleep.

Instead, bring your product to life and impress your viewers with an engaging video presentation that showcases its features and benefits and drums up the excitement it deserves. Discover all the tips on how to make engaging videos.

Take a look at this example from financial services company Acorns, announcing their new debit card. They do a great job of using interesting graphics to keep viewers engaged, and on-screen text to complement the audio narration and reinforce the message.

#2. Sales presentations

Sales teams want to get your prospective clients excited about your products. But let’s be honest: your run-of-the-mill business presentation full of dry data doesn’t make that easy. Even for the most rehearsed and confident presenters.

With a video presentation, however, you can incorporate infographics, music, and even humor — all while transmitting that all-important message. Since video presentations are easy to send online (or host on a dedicated landing page), you can even use them as part of your sales outreach efforts.

Account-based marketing with Terminus (in 3 minutes!)

This really original sales presentation by SaaS marketing tool Terminus uses a combination of visual aids, animations, graphics, and plenty of humor to highlight their product’s features and real-life benefits for their target customer — in a way they’ll likely remember.

#3. Onboarding for new recruits

Onboarding presentations are an important tool for familiarizing new hires with the people and processes that make up your company. However, first days can be overwhelming and your new recruits may not necessarily retain everything the first time. You can make things easier on them by sending a link to an online presentation that they can easily refer back to when needed.

Welcome to the Future - Discover STATION F's New Onboarding Video

Video onboarding presentations also allow you to inject a little humor and give new recruits a taste of your company’s personality — like in this excellent example from Station F.

#4. Q&A sessions

Another great video presentation idea is to record Q&A sessions and edit them into a quick presentation. By displaying the questions as text, interspersed with short recorded answers, you can create a compelling video that’s naturally divided into digestible chunks.

Student Officer Q&A Highlights - Queen's Campus - Durham Student's Union

In this video presentation by the Students’ Union at Durham University, the questions make for natural breaks in the video, and the addition of music helps to tie things together for the viewer.

#5. Explainers or tutorials

Honestly, how many times have you sat through a presentation on how to use a new tool or piece of software, and remembered practically none of it once you got back to your desk? With an explainer video presentation, you don’t need to worry, as you and your team will be able to look back over it as many times as you need to.

Trello | Take A Tour Of Trello

Trello uses video storytelling to demonstrate how their tool could be used by a real business. Not only is this technique far more engaging than simply walking through the features, demonstrating it with a real use case gives viewers a much better idea of how they could apply it to their own workflow.

#6. Internal announcements

You can use video presentations to keep employees up-to-date on new hires, projects, acquisitions, or anything else they need to know about. Their format means they’re easy to distribute company-wide even in large organisations, without needing to gather everyone together.

NEAT Method Acquisition Announcement!

This presentation announcing NEAT’s acquisition by Whitmore could work as an internal or external announcement, and the combination of useful information and humor makes for a compelling video that keeps people engaged.

#7. Project highlights or upcoming projects

If you need to share the progress of a project with internal or external stakeholders, a video presentation is one of the most engaging ways to do it. You can share key statistics, facts and information without being too dry. Video presentations are also a great way to communicate visually about upcoming projects.  

Coca-Cola Content 2020 Initiative Strategy Video - Parts I & II

For example, take a look at the internal video marketing strategy of Coca-Cola. The cute, animated presentation design and the use of text to reinforce the voice-over narration work to keep the audience focused and engaged.

#8. Quarterly or annual business results

Just the words “quarterly business review” are enough to make all but the most seasoned business analysts start yawning. And long, number-heavy presentations are an easy way to guarantee a sleepy crowd during a keynote. With video, you can create a dynamic presentation that highlights those key statistics, interviews and quotes through animation, images and videos to keep your audience engaged (and awake).

Shell's first quarter 2021 results presentation | Investor Relations

In this video, Shell shares their first quarter 2021 results with a combination of live narration, visual displays of data such as diagrams and charts, and brand-consistent graphics.

#9. Event promotions

Got an upcoming event and want to get the word out? An event video presentation is easy to send out online, and lets you share key details about the event in a digestible format.

The World's Largest Online Advertising Event | Ad World 2020

This promotional video for Ad World’s 2020 conference uses music and fast, eye-catching graphics to grab its audience’s attention, and presents key details about the event in a way that drums up anticipation. You want to create as much buzz as possible around your next event? Test viral video marketing!

Next time you need to deliver a presentation, consider ditching the boring PowerPoint and creating a dynamic, engaging, and interactive video presentation instead — your team will thank you.

And creating effective presentations that engage your audience doesn’t have to be complicated — with the right tools. With PlayPlay’s intuitive video creation platform, you can create your own professional-quality video presentations in no time, with no editing expertise needed. Plus, the colors, logo and fonts are all customizable so you can make sure they’re in line with your branding. Why not start your 7-day free trial in time for your next presentation?