The difficulty in promoting an event that hasn't happened is that there is nothing to film. The venue isn't dressed, the speakers haven't arrived, the product can't be shown. A teaser has to make people think "I want to be there" while nothing yet exists. The good news is that this kind of video never depended on a shoot. It runs on the key visual, words, music and rhythm, all of which is post-production.
Length and structure
Fifteen to thirty seconds is enough. Viewers meet it in a feed or an ad slot, and nobody gives a teaser a full minute.
- First three seconds: the most compelling thing. A headline speaker, this year's theme, a question the target audience feels.
- Middle: three highlights, one image each.
- The details: name, date, place (or online).
- Call to action: register now, early-bird deadline, limited places.
The date and how to register must stay on screen long enough and appear in full on the last frame. Many people see only that final second.
What to use when there is no event footage
- The key visual: the print design taken apart and animated. The most common approach, and the most consistent in style.
- Footage from previous years: crowds, stage, speakers, audience reactions. This persuades best, which is why every edition deserves a good record.
- Speakers and guests: photos with animated names and titles, or a ten-second invitation each speaker records on a phone.
- The venue: photos or video supplied by the venue.
- Product and theme footage the company already has.
- AI scenario shots: for a first edition with nothing at all, AI video production can supply mood and concept shots. They must not be taken for the actual venue or past editions.
A series: different messages at different times
Registration runs for weeks and a single teaser tires quickly. Plan a series on one template:
- Announcement: theme and date.
- Speakers, as they are confirmed: one clip each, which speakers usually share.
- Agenda highlights: one topic per clip.
- Before the early-bird deadline: the cut-off.
- Countdown: a week, three days, one day.
- On the day: live moments filmed and posted by staff on site.
Once the template is set, each clip needs only new text, photos and a few shots. Listing the series with its release dates at the start makes production much smoother.
Versions
- Vertical: Reels, Shorts, TikTok, stories.
- Square or 4:5: social feeds.
- Landscape: video platforms, the website, newsletters, partners' screens.
- Clear without sound: most people scroll with sound off, so every point needs text.
For handling each ratio, see ad videos in multiple aspect ratios.
The details have to be right
A teaser can't be recalled once published. Before production, confirm the date, time, place, speakers' names and titles, registration address, ticket types and deadlines. Speakers' photos and names need their consent. If details change later, the video can be corrected and re-exported, but taking down published copies is for your team. Use music licensed for commercial use and advertising.
What to expect
A teaser raises the chance of the event being seen. Registrations also depend on the appeal of the event, the mailing list, campaign settings and timing, and a video can't promise sign-ups. A practical approach is two or three versions with different openings, then putting resources behind whichever responds best; see testing ad variations with AI video.
What to send
The key visual's source files (layered, ideally), the event details as text, speaker information, material from previous years, the version list and release dates. For the whole event, see the videos a corporate event needs; the overview is commercial video editing for businesses.
FAQ
The key visual is a single JPG. Can it be animated?
Yes, with limits. With layered source files each element can move separately. Ask the designer for the originals.
Not all speakers are confirmed. Can we start?
Yes. Finish the template and the confirmed parts, and add the rest later.
Can the teaser be reused at the event?
Yes. Extended and adapted to the venue screen, it can loop during arrival or form part of the opening.
