Infomercial Infomercials Infomercials

As Seen On TV products are everywhere from Walmart to CVS and even grocery stores.  You can get your Pajama Jeans or water balloon devices anywhere! But have you ever thought, ‘I have never seen that on television?’, because I think that all the time. Infomercials are everywhere, they are commercials.  The reason you don’t always see infomercials is because the Direct Response Television spots are long forms of infomercials, they typically run overnight and are usually a half hour to an hour long. The infomercial industry has grown and is now worth over $200 billion dollars.

Where did the term infomercial come from? Meaning information and commercial, the term was originally used only for television advertising and is now used to show products and present them in a show type setting. Infomercials are made to get a direct response from the audience and are made with a direct call to action that is presented throughout the video. Also, with infomercials, you can not forget the flashy catchphrases.  Everyone remembers the “Set it and Forget it” Ronco Rotisserie Chicken, or”you’ll be slapping your troubles away with the SlapChop!”  All infomercials have that special slogan!

Infomercials use extended periods of time to present the problem and a solution (which is always their product).  They also give tons of benefits for why you should buy their product. Then the famous call to action, “buy one today and get a second one free!”  The beauty of buying a long form DRTV infomercial spot is you have more time. You will be able to show many different scenarios on how the product could be used and repeatedly drive home the incredible deal you are receiving if you by now.

There are a few keys to making infomercials stick and make them great. Here are just a few things to keep in mind when creating your infomercial.

1. Make sure your spokesperson is very familiar with the product.
   
   Bonus points if you can actually be excited about the product. When we shoot our product videos, we love having the inventors on screen because who knows the product better than them?  You can always hire an actor to do the job for you, but many times this may be out of budget or just not necessary.  Just look at all the inventors on sites like Kickstarter.com.  They are not actors, but they are excited about their product and people can relate to that.
2. Your Product Price
   
   The mark up is a huge deal it is how you make money.  Many people come out the gate with either way too low or way too high prices on their products.  Doing a bit of market research to see if there is really a draw for your type of product is a must.  This seems like a scary phrase to many people, especially businesses bringing their first product to market.  Market research really just means talking with people and trying to see what people will pay for your product.
3. Timing is everything.People might think that airing their product around the holidays is a good thing, but maybe the best times to launch your infomercial is the first of the year or summer!  This goes back to doing some research and figuring out when exactly people might want to use your produc t(ie, a winter coat might not be the best idea for pitching in July).  Although you may want to air your informercial during a certain season, getting the conversation started with a video production company should happen many months before to make sure you have your infomercial ready when your audience is ready to buy!

There are always things to think about when you are creating your next video whether it is a new infomercial or it is a quick product video.  Make sure you take the time to think about every step in the process and make sure you leave time for all of it to happen.

Have more questions about getting an infomercial created?  Please give us a call and let us help you! Info@wemakevideos.com or (615) 852-5869

• Question about this article? Call Amy or Nick any time at 615-852-5869 for more info.