How to make an unboxing video on YouTube

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

While Christmas may be a Christian tradition, it’s got pretty universal appeal. Let’s be honest – who doesn’t love a festival centred on giving to your loved ones. Am I right?

But it’s not just the presents themselves that matter. In the quest to bring ultimate joy, Hallmark has revealed that Americans spend $3.2 billion per year on gift wrap, ribbon and boxes galore.

It sounds awfully wasteful, the presentation of our presents (try saying that fast 5 times) has a huge psychological impact. Indeed, Bustle reported that a 1992 study found:

'Gift wrapping, through repeated pairing with joyous events in people's lives, has utility in cuing [sic] a happy mood which, in turn, positively biases attitudes.'

Not surprisingly, the same rules apply when you as a brand hire a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) to do an unboxing video for you. Get the wrapping right and you can make a lasting impression on both your KOLand their audience.

But, should you as a brand pack for the video as you would for a paying customer (netizen) or should you spruce up the packaging for the video? We are firmly of the view that you should pack for a video experience – deliver all the trimmings like you would for any festive banquet. This is especially important when you consider that unlike conventional advertising, the audience is gifting 3-5 minutes of their time to watching a video about your brand; the least we can do then is to ensure the video is as pleasurable as possible.

So, with all of that in mind, here are the 4 must-dos for brands hiring an influencer for an unboxing video:

1. Fragile – take care

If you are asking a KOL to unbox something fragile for you, be sure you keep it safe. No one wants to watch a breakage disaster of Humpty Dumpty-esque proportions!

On that point, be sure to let the influencer know that the product has been “mummified” in bubble wrap so they can edit around this. Watching someone unwrap bubble wrap for 1 minute will simply bore your audience, without adding any actual value to your video.

2. Don’t go overboard

Call us Goldilocks, but you want the box to be just right. Not crammed with too much. Not giving too little.

Ideally, if you’re doing a make-up unboxing you want a maximum of 8 items. If there are too many items crammed in your KOL will either have to make a lengthy video (which will likely have a high drop-off rate) or they’ll have to skimp the attention given to each product.

As to video length, 4 minutes is generally ideal, unless you have asked the influencer to unbox a really cool toy.

Not convinced? Watch these two videos from TheNatStory to see how too many products can impact an influencer’s energy.

3. Be subtle

While we were spruiking about packaging above, this is not the time to emblazon your box with your logo, so much so that it looks deliberate. A better approach could be to use a company sticker instead of tape to seal your box. Or, you could hark back to the etiquette of old and put a branded “Thank You” card inside the box.

Not sure how you can possibly ship your product to the KOL in this manner? You can always do as one of our brands did and put the unboxing box inside your normal packaging. Remember, no one likes to think they’re being sold something.

4. Prepare spares 

Is there anything worse than sending a parcel to your family overseas, only to find out it got damaged like crazy in transit? Imagine then how you would feel if the unboxing video featured your box in all its dented glory. Always and we mean ALWAYS prepare spares.

5. Should you reveal the items in the package?

This has been quite a mix for us. We give the list of items, we take away the element of surprise. If we don't provide the list of items, content won't be well researched. It depends on the type of content and if your product needs a lot of research? 

For example, if your product is a make up kit that comes with a pretty box and the product can be easily identified, there is no need for revealing the content. Influencer could easily touch and feel it for themselves. BUT, if your product is a tech gadget that has 7 features, we'd suggest you to provide the product info upfront. 

Takeaways

While it’s true that it’s what’s on the inside that matters, our feeble human brains are wired to like pretty things. So, draw on that and ensure that your unboxing video is a special experience that your KOL can share with their audience… just like Christmas.

Need inspiration? Check out Rowan Atkinson’s epic wrapping efforts in Love Actually: 

Alternatively, and more sensibly, you can contact the friendly team at SushiVid who are always willing to share a chat (and maybe even a maki roll or two).

If you would like to find out more on different types of videos for influencer campaigns check out this article.