How to Make a Corporate Video in 7 Steps

Hello there, soon-to-be-savvy corporate video maker!

Have you been tasked with creating corporate videos to ease internal communication? Or to boost your marketing strategy and help consumers get to know and trust your brand?

Whether you're thinking about shooting in a studio, traditionally, or testing the AI deep sea (🤖), this step-by-step guide covers everything. Keep reading to discover:

• What makes corporate video creation different from other types of videos.
• What to consider when producing your corporate videos depending on the method you choose.
• Examples of corporate video productions you can easily replicate.

Let's show you how to navigate these corporate video creation waters like a pro.

Step #1: Define your objectives and target audience

Understanding your audience in relation to your video content will shape the direction of the video.

Here are some questions to help get your thoughts on paper: 

• Write down your video's purpose: Want to promote a new product, explain a complex process, or build brand awareness? A common purpose or goal is a great way to get buy-in from all stakeholders. 
• Write down who you're making this video for: What does your audience know about your topic? And what could you tell them to bring value and help them take the action you expect? When you know your audience upfront, creating content that resonates and engages is far easier.

Step #2: Develop a script

Having a script ensures a clear and organized message delivery. 

You've taken the first step required for writing a winning script when you've clarified who's your audience. And you've got plenty of tools to help you take the following scriptwriting steps too:

Define the goal of your corporate video

Do you want to inform, educate, or entertain your audience, or are you looking to promote and sell a product or service?

Outline the top 3 points you'll want to present in the video

How will you reach your goal? Will your top 3 points be process steps, product features, or company values?

Determine how long should your corporate video be

Will you make it a one-minute video ad, a series of 2-3 minute micro-videos, or an extensive 15-minute tutorial?

Decide what type of corporate video you'll create for your specific goal

Will it be a video for internal communications, a training video, a promo, a testimonial video, a brand awareness or explainer video, or a recruitment video?

Choose how you'll write your script

There are three ways you can write the script for your company video:

1. Use a readymade corporate video script template to customize for your specific video project. 

2. Use this simple table to jot down visuals and audio details for each scene in your corporate video:

3. Use an AI prompt to generate your script in ChatGPT or a video maker like Synthesia that generates scripts with AI and divides them into a scene-by-scene video template.

Write your first script draft

Depending on your chosen scriptwriting method, you'll now have to:

• Customize the template if you downloaded a readymade template.
• Fill in the rows if you've picked the table format.
• Write the prompt in ChatGPT or give some inputs to Synthesia's AI script generator.

Review and edit for clarity

Check your draft to make sure:

• It's written in an engaging and compelling way.
• You've planned the right visuals for each scene.
• The visuals and audio contribute to delivering the key message and driving the call to action.

Scriptwriting best practices for corporate videos

Consider the following tips for setting your corporate video production for success from the scriptwriting stage.

✔️Craft a compelling script that builds your message effectively and relies on a strong narrative.

✔️Use an AI video maker like Synthesia to generate your script based on your input: You tell it the topic, audience, objective, and tone, and it'll do all the work at the click of a button.

✔️Use jargon that resonates with your target audience.

✔️Pick information that fits your audience's knowledge and awareness level. 

✔️Think of images that support instead of overshadowing the narration, especially if you experiment with animated videos.

✔️Use a proven script template from this selection of 8 video script templates for all types of videos: Explainer videos, product launches, product demos, listicles, and how-to videos.

✔️Create scalable corporate training videos with these 9 epic training video script templates that cover compliance, safety, upskilling, and onboarding videos.

Step #3: Plan your visuals

There are three ways to plan the visuals for your corporate videos: 

• The fast and easy way: First, you quickly jot down ideas you might need for each script section — for example, "stock footage of woman running in slow-mo." Then, you can take it one step further by finding and saving those assets in one folder. 
• The advanced way: You hire a video production company to create storyboards and animatics for your video content and even generate you detailed shot lists with every camera shot that must be filmed for every scene in the script.
• The AI way: You use an AI video maker with customizable templates and stock footage to whip a storyboard and visualize your script.

Step #4: Create, film, and source your video's visuals

Go through your corporate video script, scene by scene, to produce or collect the visuals you already detailed.

• Determine which visuals you must create from scratch and which you can download from stock libraries.
• Determine the required resources — equipment, props, actors, and permits — and budget.
• Get the stakeholders' approval.
• Assign roles in your team.
• If you create visuals from scratch, decide if you'll shoot in a studio or a specific location.
• If you source visuals from stock media, choose what sources you want to use. You can use stock media websites like Shutterstock, Getty Images, iStock, etc.
• Or you can use an all-in-one video maker with a built-in media library — Synthesia's AI corporate video maker gives you access to millions of royalty-free images, videos, icons, and shapes.

Step #5: voice over your video

Voice-overs can be done in three ways:

1. By hiring a voice actor: You audition and hire a voice actor, hand them the script and a brief, and get the voiceover in return. Be prepared for the potential complications of hiring the same actor if you need to adjust your voiceover at a later time.

2. Doing it yourself: You or someone in your team reads the script, and you record it with free software — Voice Recorder for Windows or QuickTime Player for Mac — or any other third-party paid software. Expect the quality to be satisfying to a certain degree, and use the software recording's editing options or free audio editing software like Audacity to polish your voiceover.

3. Using text-to-speech technology: Use standalone TTS tools — Natural Reader, Google Cloud Text-to-Speech, or Balabolka — or an AI video maker with built-in TTS. You'll eliminate almost all time, cost, skill, and language barriers and get high-quality voiceovers. Synthesia AI can generate voiceovers in minutes in your web browser, letting you choose between 120+ languages and 400+ text-to-speech voices.

See how it works 👇

Step #6: Edit your video

Use video editing software to edit your footage according to the script:

• Trim and crop all the footage.
• Organize your visuals in the editing timeline. If you've picked a customizable video template, fill in the placeholders for images and video and add new scenes to your template if needed.
• Incorporate your company's branding elements, such as logo, tagline, and color schemes, to reinforce your brand identity throughout the video.
• Color grade your visuals by adjusting the color, contrast, brightness, and overall look of the video.
• Incorporate visual effects, motion graphics, or text overlays to enhance the viewer's engagement.
• Clean up the audio by removing background noise, adjusting volume levels, and ensuring the voiceover or dialogue is clear and easy to understand.
• Add subtitles or closed captions to cater to a broader audience and consider the need for translating your video into different languages.
• Add background music that aligns with the mood and tone of your corporate video.
• Add call-to-action elements, such as clickable links or contact information, to encourage viewer engagement.
• Check pacing and transitions to ensure that visuals are in sync with the narration. 
• Finally, review the video to ensure it aligns with your initial objectives and effectively communicates your message.

Step #7: Export your video content

You've made it to the last corporate video production step! Once you're satisfied with the editing and have made all the necessary adjustments, export the video in your desired format.

• Choose the output format, resolution, and quality settings: You can typically select standard video formats such as MP4, MOV, or AVI, among others. Adjust parameters such as bitrate, frame rate, and video codec.
• Initiate the rendering process: Wait for the software to process all the edited video footage, effects, audio, and other elements to create the final video file. Depending on the video length, the video effects' complexity, and your computer's processing power, it could take just a few minutes or a little longer.
• Export the video: You can download the video file to your computer or generate a link to share the video online.

Scale your video production with AI

Creating a captivating, high-quality corporate video involves careful planning, execution, and post-production finesse. 

Try this free demo to produce your first AI video in the next 5 minutes. Or head over to our video template library, where you can find 150+ templates for all sorts of corporate use cases, from marketing videos to recruiting videos and investor presentations.