Most business promo videos fail before the camera turns on — because nobody decided what the video had to prove. Here's how to get one that works, what it commonly costs, and what to skip.
A promo video that tries to say everything says nothing. The ones that work prove one thing: we're fast, we're careful, we're local, we've done this a thousand times. Pick the single claim your best customers would make about you, then build every shot around proving it — not saying it, proving it.
The test: if your video's script could run over a competitor's footage without anyone noticing, it isn't about your business yet.
A solo videographer commonly delivers a short business promo for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars; production companies commonly start at five figures. AI-assisted production has opened a middle lane — concept pieces and explainer-style promos at a fraction of shoot costs — legitimate where the video doesn't need your real face and real premises, wrong where it does.
The homepage, your Google Business Profile, and the top of your social profiles — the places where someone deciding about you actually looks. A promo video is an asset, not a post: it should sit where every new customer passes, not scroll away in a feed after a day.
One true claim proven on camera, a real look at the work or place, one human face customers will actually meet, and a plain next step at the end. What it should skip: mission-statement voiceovers, stock footage, and every adjective that could describe any business.
Enough to get one good anchor piece — commonly a few hundred to a few thousand dollars from a solo videographer. Spending five figures rarely makes sense until the business has proven what message converts, which the cheaper video is how you learn.
For explainers and concept promos where nothing needs to be physically shown — often yes, at a fraction of the cost. For anything where customers need to see the real place, real work, or real people — no, and audiences increasingly notice. The honest answer is per-project, not ideology.
Commonly 30–90 seconds. Under 30 struggles to prove a claim; past 90, viewers leave unless there's a genuine story. If you can't fill 60 seconds proving your one point, the problem is the point, not the length.
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