Telling your story through an parent profile is a great way to reach out to an expectant mother considering adoption. But if you really want to make a splash, video is the way to go.
Video profiles are more dynamic and entertaining and enable you to create a more immediate, emotional connection. By weaving together your story, photos and music, a video can give an expectant mother a more complete portrait of your life and your reasons for adopting.
And the best part of it is you don’t have to be a Scorsese or Soderbergh to create one. Thanks to tools like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker, creating an adoption profile video has never been easier.
Not to mention getting it out there where an expectant mother can find it. YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine after Google, with more than four billion videos viewed every day. So how do you get your video profile to stand out and get noticed?
Here are a handful of tips to get you started.
Keep it short.
No doubt you have a lot to say. But people online have notoriously short attention spans. So don’t go overboard. Keep your adoption video short and snappy — 2-3 minutes tops.
Through photos and a bit of copy, your video should give viewers a glimpse of who you are and help them visualize what kind of parents you would be. It’s meant to be an appetizer, a taste, not an entire meal. If you want to tell your entire life story, this isn’t the place to do it.
Choose your photos carefully.
Your photos are the most important part of your video. Pick them with an eye on making an impact. Find shots that are simple and self-explanatory — that tie back to the main points of your profile, tell a story, or capture your distinct personality.
Close-ups and casual shots are best. Be sure to choose photos that are recent and look good — that show you in the best light possible (literally and figuratively speaking) and showcase different facets of your life.
Hook viewers early.
Put your most interesting photos at the beginning of your video. Grab viewers’ attention early with a montage or an unexpected pose or detail. Be warm and welcoming, and don’t worry about looking silly. This is your chance to have some fun and get yourself noticed.
Some viewers may not stick around to watch your entire video, but if you draw them in with an catchy opening there’s a greater chance they’ll stay until the end.
Keep the pacing light and breezy.
Make your video upbeat and energetic. Increase engagement through short, fast edits. Change your photos every three seconds or so — long enough to let viewers absorb the image, but not too long as to drag down the narrative.
The content of your adoption video should be family and child-centered. It should present you as down-to-earth, easy-going and approachable — the kind of people that would appeal to an expectant mother and want to get to know better.
Make your captions short and punchy.
Keep the focus of your story on your pictures. Use captions sparingly, as a way to anchor your main points. Structure your narrative around them,but don’t overdo it. When viewers click on a video, they’re not in the mood to read.
Too much text can be distracing. Plus it will weigh down your story. Write the captions in a simple font, either white on black or black on white, for maximum impact.
Use background music to create a mood.
Choose music that sets the right mood. Try to find a soundtrack that reflects the pacing and tone of your story or that says something about you.
Avoid anything that takes attention away from your pictures or overwhelms your story. Music should be in the background to drive your story forward — and that’s where it should stay.
Make your contact info easy to find.
If users like you, they’ll need to know how to reach you. So at the end of your video, don’t forget to include a call to action — “contact us any time” — along with your contact information.
Post your address or number on the screen long enough so that interested viewers can write it down and follow up. And, just to be safe, also include it in the description accompanying your video.
Distribute your video widely.
Posting your video on YouTube isn’t enough. To help them find it, you need to use the right keywords. Phrases such as “adoption video” “adoption profile video “ “we’re hoping to adopt” alongside your name are a good place to start. But because most searches are geo-specific, be sure to include your location in the title, description and metatags.
To reach an even larger audience, once your video is done don’t forget to link it to your online adoption profile, website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media accounts.
Creating an adoption profile video is a great way to capture your personality and set yourself apart in the eyes of expectant parents. Through the use of strong pictures, short text and good background music, a video can help you tell your story in an engaging way and make an immediate impact with your viewers.
What do you think makes a strong adoption video? What kind of experiences have you had? Share your comments in the section below.