With the popularity of media-sharing site YouTube, more and more people are turning video production into a profitable venture. Michelle Phan, the make-up guru, who started filming her make-up tutorials with the laptop she was provided with by her art college on account of her scholarship, is now a multi-millionaire. From make-up tutorials, she has branched out into producing short films and Web series, which all generate millions of views – her humble beginning with video production has managed to create her a profitable network.

The thing about her videos, though, is she injects a lot of creativity in it – which is easy for her since she’s an artist. But, more importantly, she knows the basic yet important components of corporate video production. Since her YouTube videos have become a business empire, she always makes sure that her output meets the standards not just of her viewers but also of the business realm. Others like her have sprouted up in YouTube and even long established businesses that already enjoy great recognition outside the virtual world are turning to YouTube to further elevate their brand and reach out to new audiences.

In using YouTube as a platform for business, it’s imperative to take into consideration all the important components of video production, so a promotional or instructional video will be viewed by as many people as possible and leave a good impression. Provided below are six necessary components.

1. Storyline. The key here is to think slightly out of the box to better appeal to a new audience. Instead of the usual commercial film, create a storyline that’s actually for a longer campaign. Web series are so popular these days; California-based film production company, Wong Fu, frequently comes out with these series to promote a service or product but without really discussing what it is – it’s all strategic product placement.

2. Length of the video. For YouTube, everybody always says it’s a no-no to make it beyond twelve minutes, and that is true. There are behavioural and technological factors that make staying under twelve minutes work, and again, a good storyline is a crucial element. Naturally, you want to present your message in a creative way to generate your target reaction. If you cannot do that, create a series for the promotional campaign — make each episode ten minutes and leave a hanger. With this strategy, you do not bore your viewers; in fact, you leave them wanting more.

3. Editing. Make sure to edit, edit, edit for a cohesive and engaging final output. If you don’t know what should be edited, you can get an idea from reading through the comments under YouTube videos. Most of the time, negative feedback has greatly to do with lulls, or the inability to properly articulate a message, or distracting elements in the background.

4. Attractive visuals. This does not always necessarily mean good-looking people but rather images that make people stop and watch the whole video. A funnily dressed bloke can lock in viewers as effectively as a beautiful, smiling woman.

5. Catchy, familiar titles. Just like movies, YouTube videos need titles for viewers’ quick and easy selection.

6. Background music. They make great fillers and can support the “feel” of the video.  Just make sure that it’s not too loud and distracting.