WHY HAVING 'SLAM DUNK' COPY POINTS IN YOUR VIDEO IS IMPORTANT

Thirty seconds isn’t a lot of time to make sure your video message is airtight — some commercial spots are only six seconds long! Even worse, it’s been reported that you have only three seconds to capture a viewer’s interest before they continue swiping!

This can seem like a very daunting and scary thing to have to worry about — but you can be very strategic in what you show in those first seconds to make every frame count! With that in mind, it's important that your copy and voice over are clear, concise, and conveys your message as quickly as possible.

The first step in creating airtight copy is to narrow down the top two or three things of importance that you want to convey. Let’s call these your “slam dunk” copy points, i.e. the things that you think will make buying a ticket an obvious choice, or total “slam dunk.”

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

      ~ What is special and unique about this show?
      ~ What are the things that will appeal to audience members most?
      ~ Is there a special short-term promotional sale to mention?
      ~ Is this a popular show that is returning to your theatre?
      ~ What is the thing that makes buying a ticket so undeniable to pass up?

These are the things you want to mention in your copy and voice over.

For example, maybe one of the things you want your audience to know immediately is that the show you are promoting is a Tony Award Winner. It would make sense to add “Tony Award Winning” within the first three seconds of your video, perhaps both in the Voice over and in some very bold text shown on-screen. Perhaps the other important thing you want them to know is that this show is starring a very recognizable person — so maybe you want to mention, “starring this very popular actor, who originated the role on Broadway!” with an image of them.

The important thing is to “front load” your video with your “slam dunk” copy points — because chances are, most viewers won’t make it past seven to ten seconds into your video. Don’t leave your “slam dunk” copy points until the very end where they might be missed!

Lastly, don’t forget to include a clear call to action in the video — this can either be an end card specifying an action to take, or perhaps a URL running throughout the entirety of the video. After you’ve made it obvious why they need to buy a ticket, make sure to make actually buying the ticket as easy as possible!