The perfect website, part three: photos and videos

This is where art meets copywriting. We want the site to look beautiful, and every photo has to support the story the copy is telling.

Then we want a video that tells the whole story of your brand and makes people feel they need to learn more right now.

Photos and video are also the most involved part of the process. Copy and a shot list can be written from anywhere. Real photos, the kind a serious professional should have, need a photographer, people on camera and a location, which means coordination and time.

Plan it once, shoot it in a day

Clear, consistent messaging makes production much simpler. I like to write everything down and schedule a single shoot day: location scouting, a planned shot list, checklists, wardrobe and props ready before anyone arrives.

On the day there’s a videographer, one person directing to make sure every shot gets captured, and the people on camera. Simple content can be shot by one person with a tripod. Anything with several people goes better with a separate director.

It’s a lot of work, and it’s where everything comes together. A great video makes all the difference in Facebook and Instagram ads, and it helps people who arrived from a Google search understand why they should choose you. A weak one just burns the budget.

I’ve planned and reviewed a lot of shoots, and I know how to organize them to get done efficiently. More importantly, I know how to write scripts that sell.