How to Create Video Content With No Equipment

Let's say you've been tasked with developing a video content marketing strategy for your company.

Creating a video marketing campaign requires some creative thinking and strategizing, but is straightforward enough.

The one problem you're likely going to face is this: How to create a lot of video content in a short amount of time without blowing the budget?

Cameras, actors, studios, video editors - producing video content is a costly and time-consuming task. Plus, you have no idea where to start.

In this blog post, you will learn how to create video content faster and cheaper using AI, and actually get good results.

The problem: Creating video content is costly and time-consuming 💸

Let's break it down.

Pre-production, which involves concept development, script writing, talent and location scouting, permits, etc., is usually included in the whole package deal. But if separated from the rest, the prices range around $75-$200 per hour.

The amount of time it will take to develop a concept and write a script depends largely on the video content you want to be produced. The more complicated the idea, and the more changes you want to make along the way - the longer the wait.

Production is the main step of video creation and one that requires the most time and resources. Professional cameras, lights, monitors, rigs, actors, studios, supervisors, microphones, and more - all of these components add up to a cost of about $1000-$5000 per minute of video.

If you're lucky, a shoot can be wrapped up in a day. But what if you need tens or hundreds of videos made..?

And finally, the post-production stage. You either need to buy and learn to use editing software or hire a professional video editor. That can add an additional cost of $75-$150 per hour of work.

With the bare minimum, you're looking at over $2000 for a 2-minute video.

Now you're probably aware of all the benefits of video, but are you or your team ready to spend this much money on a single marketing video?

And if you need to make many videos a month, do the math...

The solution: AI video production 📹

No, this isn't the plot of a sci-fi movie, and no, AI can't fully replace all stages of video production (yet 😉).

But, AI video makers can help you significantly cut down on the time, money, and effort that goes into creating engaging video content.

AI video tools come in a few shapes and forms, but they can be broken down into 2 distinct categories:

• AI video editors, which usually have features like automatic face detection, footage organization and, color grading
• AI video generation tools with avatars, which generate photo-realistic talking avatars with an in-built text-to-speech engine

The most versatile and helpful tool for any video marketing strategy is an AI video generator with human-like avatars and a text-to-speech engine.

One such tool is Synthesia, and we'll be using it to guide you through the process of creating a video from start to finish in a browser.

But first...

What kind of video content can you make with Synthesia?

Here's the thing: no AI video generation tool is good enough for making cinematic videos for YouTube or marketing videos for social media just yet.

But come back in a few years, maybe we'll have an article titled "How to make cinematic videos with AI" 😉

However, there are a few video content types that are the perfect candidates for AI video generation tools.

1. Product marketing videos

Video marketing is a broad discipline, and includes everything from social media videos to videos on web pages.

Here are a few product marketing videos types that can be replaced with AI videos:

Explainer videos

An explainer video is a way for a business to... well, explain the value of their product/service.

Write an engaging video script for the AI presenter to narrate, add in a few screen recordings or product images/videos, and you're good to go!

See a product explainer video example created in Synthesia:

Customer testimonial videos

Written testimonials are a great way to demonstrate social proof.

Video testimonials are an even better way to do that.

One caveat - it's incredibly difficult to get video reviews. 😭

Instead, opt for creating video testimonials using real reviews transformed into a video format.

Landing page videos

When was the last time you have seen a landing page without video content?

Both your target audience and search engines love video content on websites. In fact, using videos on landing pages can improve conversions by 86%.

Choose a format that works best for the page and the targeted audience; that can be an explainer video, a tutorial video, or a promo video.

2. How-to videos

Also known as tutorial videos, how-to videos come in different shapes and sizes, depending on the video's purpose.

Product onboarding videos

Create content with clear step-by-step instructions to help your customers get started with your product.

Here's how we would approach this:

Knowledge base videos

Video is a great format for visualizing step-by-step instructions, which can otherwise be boring and confusing to read.

See an example of a knowledge base video:

Customer onboarding videos

Creating bite-sized personalized content for your customers is a great to get them acquainted and comfortable with your product.

Here's an example:

3. Instructional videos

Producing, filming, hosting, and updating video content as part of a Learning & Development program is no easy task.

By using an AI video tool, you can create short videos for training, and update the videos at the click of a few buttons.

See an example of a training video made in Synthesia:

How to make video content with AI

Most AI video generators have a text-to-video function, which generates video based on the text you type.

And in essence, it's that easy - you type in text, and the tool generates video.

But to make truly high-quality content with AI, and to transform a good video into a great video, you need to put just a little more effort into it (still faster than traditional video production, though).

Here are 5 actionable tips on how to create a video using Synthesia.

Step #1: Write a video script

Every great video begins with a good script.

Focus on the most essential information, and keep it short - no more than 3-4 sentences per video slide/frame.

Step #2: Choose a template

Video templates are a great tool for anyone who is not a pro video editor or doesn't have an eye for design. 👀

Find a template that fits your specific use case from the 55+ video templates available on Synthesia.

Alternatively, you can create your own template with branded colors, shapes, and logos to produce on-brand video content consistently and at scale.

Step #3: Type in your text

This is probably the easiest part of making videos in Synthesia.

Take the video script you created in the first step, copy your text, and paste it slide by slide into the script box on the video canvas.

The text-to-speech engine will automatically recognize the language of the text and choose a voice, but you can easily choose another voice if you'd like.

Step #4: Add visuals

You have your video layout and narration, but now it's time to add some flavor in the form of visuals to make your video pop. 🍾

There are 4 ways you can visualize a scripted video in Synthesia:

1. AI presenter

Remember the text-to-speech narration you generated from text in the previous step?

Well, you can also choose a human-like, photo-realistic AI avatar that will act as a presenter and narrate that script.

To add an AI avatar, click 'Avatar' on the top of the video maker.

2. Text on screen

Duplicate the most important parts of your narration with text on the screen to keep the video viewers engaged.

You can go for the standard presentation-type bullet points, or elevate them using a few handy tips & tricks:

3. Stock footage

Stock footage is especially useful if you are explaining a more abstract concept or using metaphors in your script.

Browse Synthesia's large collection of stock photo and video content, or upload your own, if you have anything relevant.

To use photos and videos in Synthesia, go to 'Media' and browse the selection of stock footage, or upload your own.

4. Screen recording

If you're making a tutorial video or need to demonstrate a step-by-step process, screen recordings are essential.

To create a screen recording in Synthesia, go to 'Record.'

When you're done recording, you can crop, trim or loop it.

Step #5: Generate

Now that the hard part is over, all you need to do is click 'Generate', and the tool will work its magic.

Once that's done, you can share, embed, download, or edit the video whenever you want - turn it into a YouTube video, embed as part of your elearning course, or share with colleagues.

Are you ready to scale your video production?

Now that you know there are easy and quick ways to make engaging videos, you can try it out for yourself. You don't need to worry about having the "right" camera or the "right" sound equipment - you only need some text.

Start scaling your content marketing with Synthesia and create your free AI video now to see how it works.