Astra Motion

Founder & CEO

Servier

Freelance Motion Designer

My name is Hlib and we make fcking awesome SaaS product videos.
Formerly a competing powerlifter (RAW, sq 282.5kg, b 180 kg, dl 300 kg, bw @-90).
I lead the team of 10 talented Ukrainians (scriptwriters, designers, animators, sound producers, etc).

The new product PRICING video by n8n.
Wait, what?? Pricing video?
Let's break it down!

It's the first time in my career I see someone is showing pricing tiers directly in their product video. 

Usually nobody wants to do it, because 
- since it's a high end video, they spent some money on it and want it to serve for at least a year, but the pricing might change during that time;
- they don't want to scare people off from the first touch ever

(but I personally think it's a good idea to be direct and honest upfront, and even tried to convince a couple of my clients to try the same in our videos... All refused)

While these guys woke up and chose to make a new WHOLE NEW VIDEO around just that. 

What's interesting, even though technically it's a "follow up video about some updates", they still made it work as a standalone video. 

You can see the first half of the video has a pretty standard structure for everyone who's not familiar with n8n before: [Problem] -> [Solution] -> [Demo] -> [Social proof]. 

It means, they managed to inform old users AND attract new ones, in one sitting. 

This is how you spend your resources guys :) 

I don't want to go over the design and animation. All flawless! Made by an external agency (who knows their name, tag them below!)

______________________________
p.s. and if you want a similar product video, DM me!

Hlib Trazanov

Founder @ Astra Motion | Video Marketing for SaaS/AI

I made 23 video breakdowns publicly.
Plot twist: you don't always need the [hook]. 
(it depends on the buyer journey)

Yesterday I got asked an interesting question:

"The video structures are always different in your breakdowns. When to start with a [Problem], vs another type of hook and straight to [Solution]?

After creating 50+ product videos in the last 90 days,
here's my rule of thumb:

1. If it's an ad, it can be something like this: 
[Persona callout + Dream outcome - Biggest pain] -> [Solution]... 

Example: "Are you a financial audit team, that wants to 2X audit speed, without email pingpong and excel chaos? Meet XYZ..." 

-> The persona callout stops the scroll very well. And the ad platforms know who to show it to. Good one.

2. For social media posts, yeah, it can be as simple as [Problem] -> [Solution], because the audience is very cold. First touch. 

3. For the demo videos on the website, you can avoid hooks at all, and start with "Meet [Solution]", 

-> because they already have a decent context about you (to get to your page, they had to click your ad / follow your posts / or google you directly).

So, pretty much, it depends on the buyer journey stage (where they are, and how much context they have about you already).

If you want to see more hook examples, I have another LinkedIn post about that (link - https://lnkd.in/d-DKv8ST)

Follow for more info about product videos!

We made this video for Srva in ~7 days .
(from start to finish)
It's not typical...

but it's a living proof that you can achieve impossible things when you have:

a) a talented team of Ukrainians who hustle 24/7, including weekends. 
b) an AMAZING client like Lawrence Patrizio.

Lawrence needed to present something to his investors and early users ASAP. 

Like REAL asap. 

And we didn't have:
- any Figma designs we can "reuse"
- a defined style
- a finalized value prop

All had to be developed on the fly. 

In a week, we showed him THIS. 

And yes, normally a 45-60 sec video takes 3-4 weeks to produce (2.5 weeks for a 30 sec video, in this case), and some technical aspects could be improved given more time.

But in todays quick AI era, it's more important to GET THE VIDEO TO ACTUAL WORK faster (bringing in investors and early users already), instead of perfecting some background animations and adding small details :)

Hope you enjoy it!

I'd say it's our best video so far. 
Done in 3 weeks. 

It's our second video for NeuralSeek. 

First video - general overview of the platform (link here https://lnkd.in/d-cES_WE). 

This video - targeting CISOs and Chief Risk officers, with specific Governed AI use cases. 

Since the target audience is a bit older, we had to slow down the pacing and add a voice-over. It turned out majestic!

We also suggested to start the video with a very interesting hook:
[Social proof + Dream Outcome - Pain]

"Here's how leading enterprises build AI agents in minutes, without risking security, compliance or trust."

Because right after security, what is the next thing the target audience cares about the most? - Right! "Who else is using this?"

So, we're earning credibility by showing other enterprises already using our product, giving context what our product does, and removing the pain... -> all within the first 5 seconds.

Overall, we did the ideation, scripting, storyboarding, voice-over, animation, music & SFX. 

Hope you enjoy it! :)

I finally can share this product video
we made for Lisan.
(approx 1.5 months ago!)

Type: product launch video
Length: 41 seconds
Script Structure: [Intro] -> [How it works] -> [Dream outcome] -> [Key Features] -> [Social proof] -> [CTA]

This video is for potential investors and for the website, so we skipped the "problem" part completely (because if you're reading my posts, you know this target audience has a different buyer journey, and they have context about the company already.)

So we used this "extra time" to show more [social proof].

I think it worked! :)

____________________________________
p.s. DM me if you want a similar product video!

Our latest 20+ videos 
have an avg ~70%!! engagement rate.
Here's the 2 things we do to keep viewers engaged.

I was explaining those "engagement principles" to one of our designers the other day. 

It took me 7 mins to record that voice message :) 

I'll try to do better this time!
(as I thought this info can be useful for you too)
____________________________

An "interesting" video is just 2 things:

1. Hook the viewer in the beginning.
2. Keep them watching as long as you can.

With hooks it's more or less clear. 
(I've got a whole another post with examples - https://lnkd.in/d-DKv8ST) 

My personal 2 favorite kinds of hooks are:

1) Strong visual hook that provides CONTEXT immediately (aka - what is it about?) 

For example, where we show a full size main dashboard first, and only THEN dive into the details.

It tells the viewer a lot: "ok, this is a software, this is how it looks and for who. I might keep watching"

2) Dynamic typography animation. 

Where we engage the viewer into reading a dynamic text of some provocative phrase.

Example: Don’t build another app… Build an autonomous software. That runs itself. (all animated as just text on screen word by word)

It pulls them in. And if the first phrase didn't perform well, you can easily change it to the new one and test the video again. 

Alright, we've hooked the viewers. What's next?

Now, when it comes to "keep them watching", it's all about contrasts. 

- jumping from white theme to dark theme
- from one BG color to another
- jumping from text -> graphics -> text -> graphics.
- zoom in -> zoom back out

Basically you always want to give the viewer something new to look at. Closer -> further. White -> black. Text -> graphics. etc. 

I always see a typical mistake in the beginner video creators work. They might design and animate it technically well, but the whole video is sitting on a single blue background, with blue interfaces on top. And it just makes it too "black n white". Eyes get tired. And bored.

Look at the Base44 video for example (link to the post - https://lnkd.in/dfFCQ5Py). How they jump from color to color, from text to graphics, from AI footage to UI animation, etc. It's a masterclass in aesthetics and engagement.

Hope it was helpful! 

I might record a video about this one day, with examples, so it's even more clear!

Look at this cursor animation!
(from our newest videos)
It became our signature move at Astra Motion :)

I personally love it so much.

It adds "depth" to such a flat 2D environment. Everything just becomes more premium-looking and "high effort" because of this.

We were definitely not the first ones who started using this 3D cursor.

But we slightly improved it, and now it's our mini signature move -> by that, people can recognize that the product video was made by our team.

And overall, this style fits our brand name so well (Astra Motion... = something spacy, futuristic vibes).

p.s. I will publish a lot of new videos in the next couple weeks. 
Stay tuned!

Our clients ALWAYS have a choice. 
(so dramatic!)
By choosing between 2-3 video styles.

Imagine you're a startup with no defined branding. 

And you want a product launch video.

At this point, the video can be ANYTHING (endless style options).

So instead of spending weeks trying to understand "the essence of their brand" (and unintentionally become a branding agency)...

...we just give them a couple of options to choose from!

It allows us to move forward quickly.

Script -> Style -> Storyboard -> Animation

And, it's STILL useful for the bigger brands too!! 
(because even if they have branding guidelines, there are still many ways you can play around them)

So this is a very interesting step. 

This is EXACTLY where the style of a product video is shaped.

The 2 hacks we used,
to 3X!! demo requests on the website,
with a product demo video.

First - the type of the video should be DEMO (not promo, not explainers). With little to no hooks. You get straight to the product as soon as you can.

Website is a place where people came here for a reason.

1. they either watched your ad
2. saw your social media posts
3. or searched you directly

In all three cases, 
they have an intent AND some context about you. 

So, the worst thing we can do is to run them through the long "problem" intros in our homepage video again...

"Did you know that 80% of customers don't do XYZ and they struggle with... blah blah" - THEY ALREADY KNOW IT!!

The customer journey is different here. 
You don't need to stop their scroll. 
You need to CONVERT them at this stage. 

So show the damn product!

That is the reason, the most performing videos on a landing page are demo videos! 

- It can be screencasted demo recorded by a founder, 
- or a super fancy animated demo video like we do.

It doesn't matter that much. 

Most importantly, no long problem hooks, and get to the product asap.

At max, if you still want to keep the hook, make it short and very direct:
[Persona callout + Dream outcome]

"Are you a transactional lawyer, who wants to review legal contracts 10X faster? - Meet XYZ"

Second - remove friction. 

If you want your video ACTUALLY help you, don't hide it under a million buttons to click. 

(the typical example is on the right below)

a) it's basically impossible to understand there's a video there.
b) it's an extra click to open it. Losing too much traffic. 

The easier it is to access it -> the more views it will get ->the more time they will spend on your website -> the less bounce rate.

(see the example we did with Overjoy on the left)

I hope it was helpful! 

__________________________________________
p.s. DM me if you need a product demo video

For the first time, I’m roasting a video. 
(this one’s made by Pipedrive)
So everyone can avoid this mistake in future product videos. 

In this video, Pipedrive is selling a CRM without EVER showing it…

90 SECONDS in, and as a new random viewer, I still don’t understand it’s a CRM in the first place and how it looks like / feels to use. 

I couldn’t agree more with a comment under their video on YouTube... 
(see the pinned screenshot in the comments).

And I think this video doesn’t achieve any goal. 

a) it didn’t hook the viewers well
b) it didn’t inform them enough
c) it didn’t make it in a sexy way that makes them wanna try it

But I don’t want just to roast without providing a solution. 

So, here’s what I’d do instead:

1. I’d remove the intro completely. 

This way we’d start with the [Dream outcome] hook: “Imagine a CRM that wasn’t just a tool but a team of experts”. That sounds like a good dream outcome and we can keep this VO sentence. We just need a stronger VISUAL hook to support it.

Some ideas:

a) show portraits of agents from the Matrix who transform into your team and fly into the platform (which perfectly leads to a solution)
b) AI generated faces of the most exaggerated and famous team of experts (like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos) turning into agents. That start operating for you. 
c) or a Timelapse of agents working automatically while you sleep at work (to spoiler the end result early), Idk

But you got the point. It has to be something stronger. More creative. The first seconds matter the most.

2. I'd show the platform early (full platform overview first). 

No matter what the hook is, I'd start the [Solution] by showing it’s a CRM first, how it looks like, and what it feels like to operate it. It can be done quickly, one or two scenes. Because new people don’t have context at all. We must give it to them first. Only after that we can go into details.

3. Less abstract BS, more demo. 

I’d forget about these abstract dots flying around pretending to be agents and showed more REAL stuff instead. 

Instead of showing  some random stock footage while it says "automating tedious tasks" - I'd show how it AUTOMATES TASKS IRL. 

- "connecting data points" - show the result of it INSIDE THE PLATFORM
- "makins sense of the noise" - show how it summarizes the notes, etc.

Literally show what you're promising. No need to be fancy here. 

Because people DON'T TRUST until they see it.

Bonus point:
I’d design more screens overall (for more dynamics). As I don’t want a viewer to watch an abstract rotating circle for 15 seconds straight.

TAKEAWAY: 

1. Hook them more creatively. 
2. Provide context early. Show the full product. Only THEN get into details.
3. No abstract BS, maximum demo. 

_______________
P.S. you can find our product videos on my page!

No LinkedIn posts from me tomorrow. 
Moving out of Austria.
Flying back to Spain :)

(just look at this beauty. The bird is a paid actor)

The summer is over. 

Now, one more grind season is waiting for me. 

This is what I’m gonna focus on:

1. Going upmarket.

- targeting even higher and higher league of clients. 

(I wish I could tell you the names of the clients we signed, but not yet 😊)

2. Pushing performance marketing direction. 

- Ads bundles (multiple hooks, resizes, etc). 
- Facing direct market feedback, and judge videos based on metrics (CTR, CPA, CPC), not just visual looks. 

3. Getting me out of production. 

- So I can focus only on sales, content, hiring. 

This is it for now. Not overcomplicating it. 

I wish you all a great winter arc. 

Let the grind begin!

No alternative text description for this image

Let’s talk about sushi. 🍣 
Do they have a product-market fit?

And why is it so hard to find it?

(what are the chances?)

1. Firstly, out of ALL ingredients in the world, you must find a “combination” that most people will enjoy: rice, fresh fish, nori, soy sauce. 

No more, no less. 

2. Even if you know the ingredients combo (the chances are already low), you can f*ck up their proportions. 

Now you need to figure out what amount of rice, what amount of fish, etc - makes the sushi “eatable”.

3. Now, even if everyone is cooking sushi with the same ingredients, with the same winning proportions, why do you LOVE sushi from one restaurant and completely HATE sushi from another one?

It’s ANOTHER layer. A specific STYLE of your cooking, that some people prefer more than others. 

So what are the REAL chances you hit everything right? (open question)

…

I was applying this analogy to my video agency the other day… 

Why didn’t people like our “technically perfect, well executed SaaS explainer videos” a couple years ago? 

and why do they enjoy them so much today? 

Same team, same production process, same niche. 

Just a different style, and slightly different application -> boom, everything’s changed. 

From “it’s impossible to sell” to “we’re fully booked for 2 months ahead”. 

The tiny things like this make the WHOLE difference. 

And I honestly don’t know how could we get here without some luck.

…

So, yes, sushi HAVE a PMF. But even if you already know there’s a demand for THAT TYPE of food, and you know all the ingredients, all the proportions -> only the style will make the whole difference. 

YOUR WAY OF DOING THINGS is exactly why people choose you over someone else. 

And this will be the tiny spot which dictates whether you win or lose.

Taplio

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