Unboxing videos are so fun to watch! Read below to find out the steps to make yours fun for others and see an unboxing example, specifically from direct sales.
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Why make an unboxing video?
Oh my gosh! The unboxing video – so much pressure! Why should you put yourself through all that stress! 😂 Really, they’re not so bad. They can be a fun, easy thing to do, as long as you prepare yourself before hitting “start live.” On top of that, they draw in friends, family and new people – customers and team members alike! Honestly, they’re a really great way to talk about your product line and company in an honest, non-commercial way.
You can do an unboxing as a way to introduce:
- Your new business or show off a new starter kit
- A new product line
- A specialty holiday line
- A regular order – just to have something to talk about and build product awareness
Prep to do before the box arrives!
There’s a fair amount of work to be done before your box even arrives to your home!
- Decide what you’re ordering – is it a starter pack, a new product, a holiday line? Try to pick something that will be fun to talk about and share with others.
- Learn EVERYTHING you can about everything coming in the box before it shows up. As you see in my pic above, I wrote notes for me to read from as I went along. I’ve known others to have the product info pages up on their computer screen so they can read from that. I mean, I have a pretty good memory – but it’s not perfect, the product line is new to me, and, well, sometimes you just forget stuff in the moment of being live. 🤷♀️
- Choose a good spot in the house for your unboxing. If you sell kitchen products … then open the box in your kitchen. If you are opening a box of makeup and have a pretty makeup table at home, make the video there. I chose my living room/dining room space as that’s where I’d probably show a friend if they were in the house with me in person.
- Make sure you have good sound, light, and video. TBH, your phone camera is probably good enough. You could upgrade to webcams, microphones and such – but unboxings are supposed to be cozy, personal experiences. They are okay to lean closer to homemade than professional in appearance. For my video above, I ended up opening the blinds of 3 windows, turning on 3 lamps, two hall lights, and turning on that mini ring light. The reason it’s laying flat on the table is to combat shadows on my neck/chin from overhead lights.
- Have tools ready. How are you going to open the box – with your teeth? Will you be trying different lotions? Maybe you need a box of tissues close by. Is it a box of makeup? Maybe you need a mirror just off to the side.
Building excitement before recording
The box to be unboxed has arrived! Yay! It’s tempting to grab your camera and get started! However, the nature of facebook, it’s better to give people a head’s up that you’re about to go live. So – they know to look out for it – and they know what they’re in for if they hit “watch.”
Here’s some ideas on how to build up excitement for your unboxing:
- Take a phone screen shot of the notice your box has shipped. Share your excitement that “it’s on it’s way!”
- Possibly share company stock photos of what might be coming. This really works for a lot of different products. It’s okay to show it now – knowing you’ll be showing it in person in a few. Whether it’s a kitchen gadget, makeup, or whatever – people like to see stuff in person, being used by a person they know. They’ll tune in to see you use it!
- My picture up above is a picture of the actual box. I had so much going on that day, I knew I didn’t have time to open it – but I took a moment to snap a pic and share my excitement that an unboxing video was coming soon.
- About an hour or so before give people a head’s up that you’re going live soon. Let’s be honest, maybe someone saw your notice the day before, but they’re just not on this afternoon. Make a notice before so people who ARE on Facebook know to join you soon. It could be as simple as a straight announcement. For this instance, my husband made a funny joke – so I used his joke and my sense of humor to announce the impending live unboxing. The humor raised it’s rank in Facebook’s algorithm. Even people with no intention of watching an unboxing video saw the post as funny, thus inciting Facebook to show the post to more people in general. See pic below:
Those minutes while you’re live!
Yay! You took a deep breath, found the brave parts of your soul, and hit “record!” Go you! ….. Now what?
- Be yourself. People are watching because they know you and want to hear what you have to say. Be you.
- Don’t worry if the numbers of “live” watchers isn’t what you hoped for. The vast majority of views will happen *after* you’re done. Most people see it in replay. #truth
- Speak slowly and clearly. Okay, well, that’s what all the advice columns say, lol. There’s very little slow about me, soooooo, I can’t say I adhere to this one. 😜 But, try your best to at least project your voice so people can hear what you have to say.
- Take your time – but don’t go too slowly. Like, do a quick 1-3 sentence intro – then start cutting the box open. Make no mistake, this is an unboxing. People are eager to see what you have to show them. Do your best to always be in motion. I mean, sure, you want to talk about a product – so do that while you’re peeling off the packaging.
- Over and over I read that they say keep unboxings to 5 minutes. I’m not sure what they’re talking about. Of course, if your box only has one thing, that makes sense. If you’re opening a starter kit, or the holiday line of products, or some kind of bundle, I think it will take longer than 5 minutes. The direct sales unboxings I have seen are closer to 25-35 minutes in length.
- Show yourself using the products – taste the CBD, slice a ham with the kitchen knife, put on the lipstick, try on the necklace, show them how to use the thing you just pulled out of the box. People like to see how things work and how they look in a real setting.
- At the very end, thank them for watching! Then give them some kind of CTA – Call to Action. Maybe to hit you up with any questions they have. Maybe to watch out for your next video. Maybe to join your VIP group for customers. Whatever it is, let them know how they can support you. After all, if they’re seeing your video, it’s because they’re connected to you in some way. If they made it all the way to the end of the video – those are your peeps! They are your support people, happy to engage with you further. ❤️
Post-Recording Actions to Take
Whew! All done!
Okay, well, not really. You finished the unboxing, so now the real work begins!
- Be sure to go back and give each commenter a “reaction” button (like, love, laugh, etc) and reply to their comment. Even when people just type “replay,” I thank them for taking the time to watch. Besides building good will with the people that are connected to you and care enough to watch your videos, you also boost the algorithm with Facebook as the post engagement doubles when you respond to everyone who responds. Win-win.
- Possibly take some conversations to PM. Now, if people ask questions in the comments, I like to answer them there. It’s likely they are not the only one with the question, so I like others to see the answers. But, for people with questions that get personal, I say something like “PMing you now,” so everyone knows I’m taking care of their needs, but we can have a private conversation.
- Make a list somewhere of everyone that showed interest. You’ll have people interested in product. If you respond by answering their question and giving them a link, don’t leave it at that. Perhaps the next day, ask them in PM if they had a chance to look at the link and what they thought. Had you answered their question sufficiently? Was there anything else they needed to know? The heavy-lifting is in making the video. The fortune is in the follow up!!!! (If you’re in direct sales, I know you’ve heard that last sentence a million times. It’s no less true with unboxing videos.)
- Make a post about your unboxing video after you’re done. Maybe a post about something funny that happened. Or an insight you had. But something that’s more about you or your life, but mentions the unboxing. I’ve had people see the after-post, then searched out the unboxing video afterwards. Actually, I had someone see the “I’m going live soon” post long after the live and then search out the unboxing video. It’s like a trail of crumbs before and after. It increases the chances of your video being found.
Direct Sales Unboxing Example
There’s a million of unboxing videos out there, but mostly of products people bought from regular companies. Here’s an example of an unboxing of a starter kit for a direct sales company (Full disclosure – it’s me. It’s my unboxing. For more info on the company I’m talking about: https://joiya.life/liz. But let’s be real, you’re reading this blog because you already have a business, so take the example as it is – an example).
Feel free to watch it and make notes on what you can use for yourself when making your video for your prospects. Here’s some tips I have on weaving in conversations about product line, your company, and your business opportunity.
- BRIEFLY mention your company and a bit about them and their product line.
- Bust open the box and talk about a couple of the products.
- Stop for a moment and talk about how people can order, ways to get discounts.
- Get back into the box and talk about a couple more products.
- Pause for a moment to talk about the perks of being a representative – discounts, earnings from sales, etc.
- Get back into the box and show the rest of the products.
- Take a moment to talk about the bigger income earning paths available with your company (team building).
- Wrap it up! Perhaps share a bit of your personal journey with the company. Thank them for watching. Give them a call to action for how they can support you next.
More ways to build your business:
- Read my book, “From Knocking on Doors to Making Millions: Top Strategies for Direct Sales Success.” It includes tips and tricks from 24 top direct sales experts from across the nation and across the industry. So many sales and marketing techniques – you’re bound to find several that work for you
- Get the FREE Action Planner that goes with my book! It takes all the great info from the book above, and helps you form it into an action plan to help you reach your goals.
- Follow me on Facebook at Elizabeth Chritton, Business Growth Advocate. I plan on posting so many more how-to’s as time goes on!
- Join my Facebook group for fellow business owner support: From Goal to Go!
Thank you! Enjoy the journey of being an entrepreneur!!
