As the recruitment industry adapts to the ‘new normal’, video pitching is going to be something we do a lot of now, every single day. But even before the entire business world went remote, video pitching was popular amongst forward-thinking recruiters – because it works.
How you approach a video elevator pitch needs to be quite different from a regular elevator pitch as you don’t have the benefits of having your prospect locked into a face-to-face or phone-to-phone conversation.
With video, your prospect can stop watching at any time (or choose to ignore you completely, with no repercussions), so you need to work harder to engage them from the second they hit that ‘play’ button.
So here are the four simple steps to creating your video pitch…
4 steps to creating a video recruitment pitch
There are four main steps to creating a video elevator pitch to send to your recruitment prospects:
- Write your script
- Record your video
- Add a CTA
- Create a short, engaging email/InMail that will make your prospects click to watch.
Here’s how to approach each step…
Step 1. Write your script
Unlike a regular elevator pitch that you’d deliver on the phone or when you’re networking in person, a video elevator pitch needs to focus on the person you’re reaching out to and appeal to their needs and challenges.
For this reason, your script should be structured as follows:
- Present pain point
- Offer a solution to that pain point (your services)
- Back up your claim with evidence.
For example:
“I can see you’re looking to hire C# developers into your business right now. As someone who specialises in the tech niche, I know how difficult it can be to get these guys on the phone! However, I have a really strong tech candidate network and have already placed X devs this quarter alone. Would love to have a quick chat about your requirements to see if I know anyone who would be a right fit for your team.”
Keep your script short and to the on point. It’s easy to get carried away and rhyme off every success story that you and your agency has had, but that’ll just cause your prospect to lose interest and stop watching before the end.
Simply highlight a pain point you know they will be having, tell them how you can offer a solution and throw in an impressive stat or two to prove you understand their needs and know how to help them.
Keep it short and punchy with quick snippets that’ll pique your prospect’s interest and stay in their minds well after the video ends.
Step 2. Record your video
When you’re ready to record your elevator pitch, you need the right setup that looks professional and that you’re comfortable using.
Use video software that lets you record your face and your screen at the same time so you can show some visualisations of how you recruit or present your stats in a more memorable way. I use Soapbox, Loom and Zoom to create my video elevator pitches - they’re easy to use and free!
To make your video elevator pitch stand out, try using some props. You don’t need to wear a top hat or oversized glasses (unless that helps push your personality across). Even just something simple like holding up a piece of paper or a whiteboard with your prospect’s name on it is a powerful attention-grabber.
You can then take a screen shot of you holding the board as a personalised freeze frame at the start of your video pitch – enticing them to click play!
Step 3. Add a CTA (call to action)
No video sales pitch is effective without a CTA. If you don’t connect the dots for your prospect and outline clearly what they should do if they’re interested in working together, they won’t take any action and you won’t convert them to new business.
So at the end of your video, tell your prospects how to get in touch if they’re interested (for example, by replying to your InMail or clicking a link that directs them to a landing page).
Just ensure that your CTA is quick and simple to do so you get your prospect over the conversion hurdle while your pitch is still fresh in their minds.
Step 4. Write your email/message
The last step of your video elevator pitch is sending it to your prospect in an email or InMail message. This needs to include a written message that entices your prospect to click on the video.
Just like your elevator pitch, keep your written message very short, simple and concise. Put the focus on the video by writing something like, “Here’s a video that explains why I’m reaching out”.
Use simple language and remove any jargon or buzzwords that come across too salesy (like ‘exclusive recruitment offer’ for example) – just let your video do the selling for you.
And that’s it - you’re done. Wait for the leads to roll in.
The A video elevator pitch is a great way to warm up a prospect before you pick up the phone to them. If you’re hungry for more ways to grab your prospects attention, download the eBook below to learn how to turn cold calls into warm calls.
