A showreel is a short video showing someone’s portfolio. It is created to attract and convert potential customers. It is also known as demo reel and sizzle reel.
When users visit your website or social media channels, it is very effective to display your showreel to convert them into customers. A showreel is the visual proof of your work with other clients.
Especially for digital agencies, case studies are very important. So they usually include these on their website. However, showreels are more attractive to watch rather than reading case studies one by one. You can list your services or clients on a webpage; however, they wouldn’t be as impressive as a demo reel.
A showreel is suggested being approximately one-minute long. It shouldn’t be over 2 minutes. In the showreels, they include the solution created by the agency, the work done by them, and usually the logos of the partners too. Therefore a potential customer watching the showreel can even see a client from the same sector. That will help the agency to gain trust from the person watching the explainer video.
Digital agencies are the core of digital marketing. Showreels show that you care for what you do for your clients. And if you create a good showreel, it will also show how creative you are, and help you to convert watchers into customers.
What is a Sizzle Reel?
A sizzle reel is a powerful marketing tool that can help to create excitement and generate interest in a product, service or brand. It is basically a short video montage that is used to showcase and promote a product, service or brand. It is typically around one to three minutes long and is designed to capture the attention of the viewer and create excitement around the subject.
These types of videos often feature high-energy music, fast-paced editing, and dynamic visual effects to create a sense of excitement and urgency. They can be used in a variety of contexts, such as at trade shows, conferences, and most especially online marketing campaigns. Many digital marketing agencies use sizzle reels or also known as showreels to showcase their successful projects for their current and potential clients. It is a fantastic way to display their unique features and benefits in a visually appealing way.
How to Create a Digital Agency Explainer Video?
As mentioned above, a showreel is a compilation of videos of a company’s or brand’s best work. So, this can be your starting point when creating your own showreel for your business. It can seem overwhelming to think about where to start; however, we’ve gathered all the necessary steps that you should follow for an engaging sizzle reel! If these steps seem time consuming or you don’t have the team to do it all though, best video production companies can always fill in the blank.
Perhaps one of the important steps before creating a showreel is to determine your purpose. Why do you think you want to have a showreel? Is it to showcase your skills, to promote your work, or to attract potential clients or job opportunities? Once you decide, it’ll become easier to craft a sizzle reel.
- Make sure you choose your best work
After determining your purpose, now it’s time to choose the best options regarding your purpose. Let’s say you want to create a showreel for your business to showcase your successful projects in a creative way. Then, all you have to do is to choose the best work you’ve done that you’re very proud of.
- Decide the length of your video
Sizzle reels or showreel videos can be as long as you’d like them to be. However, a short film-like video might lose its effectiveness and bore your audience especially if the editing isn’t great. So make sure your showreel is short and concise, ideally between 1-2 minutes.
- Edit until you’re satisfied with it
Review your showreel multiple times and refine it until it meets your expectations. It is important to make sure that the pacing and flow of the showreel are consistent, so we recommend you to remove any unnecessary or weak clips.
And now comes the best part: bring your work to your audience! Don’t forget to share your showreel on your website, social media accounts, and other relevant platforms to promote your work and reach your target audience. One last thing to remember though: make sure to optimize the video for the platform you’re sharing it on and use relevant tags and descriptions to help people find it.
What Are The Top Digital Agency Showreel Videos?
In this article, the showreels include the digital marketing agencies’ case studies. I have gathered the best digital agency explainer videos for you:
- RNO1
- Beyond
- Brave Bison
- Digital Business Lab
- Luminary
- Frank Digital
- Emote Digital
- Pastilla
- LOOP
- 9th Wonder
RNO1
With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, RNO1 is a west coast digital agency. They have been crafting digital experiences for various industries for a decade. While celebrating their 10th year anniversary, they prepared a video which they also use as their showreel.
Similar to other showreels, RNO1 shows some of its clients and case studies in a one-minute-long video. They start and end their agency reel with their own logo. RNO1 also displays the URL of its website as a CTA at the end of the video.
As they say in their sizzle reel:
We’re ready to make waves into 2022 and beyond.
Beyond
With offices in London, New York and San Francisco, Beyond is a design and technology agency that builds world-class products for the digital age. They can offer UX design, web design and web development for your brand. Thir showreel is a great example of digital agency showreels. The video starts with the logo of the agency. Then, there are short videos from different workpieces they have completed. And, the video ends with the logos of their clients from different sectors. The length is perfect. Not too short to miss what’s happening and not too long to bore you. Also, you can see their corporate colors, yellow, black and white, in the sizzle reel. It is a perfect agency showreel reflecting the company culture and work.
Brave Bison
Brave Bison is a digital agency with offices in London and Singapore. They’re well-known when it comes to influencer marketing, social media marketing, content marketing and video production. The brands they work with include The Hook, mutha, Canvas Arts and Cooking Wild. Their agency showreel, of course, includes the work they have created for these brands and more. Brave Bison has their high-sized logo “BB” on their masthead and they display their showreel video through this logo. However, when you visit other pages on their website, you will get a chance to see their agency showreel too. Also, the long version of their explainer video is available on their YouTube channel too:
Digital Business Lab
Digital Business Lab is a digital marketing agency in Hong Kong and Singapore. They specialize in social media strategy, influencer marketing and video production. They have shared their agency showreel on their Vimeo account. Also, you can easily play it on their homepage. It is not used as a masthead; however, it is still very reachable. Also, it will be the first thing you will see if you click on the “Videos” category on their website navigation. This explainer video is a wonderful example. Because it shows the work they have had with influencers and their successful social media marketing strategies. Although I am from a totally different culture and don’t personally recognize the people in the video, it is very clear that they are influencers. Also, they end the video with a call to action saying “Let’s talk”.
Luminary
Luminary has offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. They have experience in working with clients from a wide range of industries. Their services comprise UX Design, web development, web design, and digital strategy.
Although the video itself has common features, Luminary’s showreel has some differences. Their showreel has been shared on their YouTube channel. And on their website, you can reach the video on their “About Us” page. In the earlier examples, we have seen the agency showreels on the homepage.
It is totally up to you where you prefer to play your showreel. It is your portfolio and you are the one who knows your audience best. Luminary’s showreel is still a wonderful example.
Frank Digital
Frank Digital is one of the best digital agencies in Melbourne and Sydney. They can support businesses with a wide range of services: branding, content marketing, email marketing, mobile app development, SEO, web development, and web design. Their showreel proves that they just prefer to show what they did in the most impressive way. With upbeat music in the background, their showreel is one of the best ones to watch. It gives a detailed, fast-paced overview of their projects so that potential customers can quickly discover what they have to offer.
Pastilla
Pastilla is a full-service marketing agency located in Los Angeles.
The agency uses its curiosity, agility, and ideas to elevate brands. You can discover the potential of full-service marketing and build your digital experience with them.
Pastilla uses their showreel in their homepage background. The showreel demonstrates the agency’s prestigious clients including Microsoft, Golden Globe Awards, SAP, and how they connect their creative vision with their technical expertise. In addition, the dynamic editing and the rhythm make it one of the best agency showreels.
Emote Digital
Emote Digital is a digital agency with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Manchester. They deliver integrated solutions with beautiful results and they have in-house WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify developers and digital marketing services.
Websites are kind of their jam, which is exactly why they just re-built and redesigned their own! They believe embracing digital is very important, and they focus on building responsive, fast, beautiful websites.
As their showreel shows, they chose colours to better suit their modern approach and friendly personality. Their showreel video includes key points from the case studies they have recently had with their partners from various industries.
LOOP
LOOP is a digital agency with offices in New York, Berlin, Copenhagen and Sydney. They have experience with a lot of high-profile clients. And the showreel is a great opportunity for LOOP to display all their successful and colorful work at once.
Their explainer video is also on their homepage and reachable when you scroll down the page. Their masthead is also a short video depicting their previous work. However, you need to scroll down to see the “real showreel”.
9thWonder
9thWonder is an American digital agency in cities Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York. For their clients, they offer branding, content marketing, video production, SEO, social media marketing, UX design, web development and web design.
While displaying their showreel on their slider masthead, they say:
See what we’ve done. And imagine what we can do for you.
This is the exact point of showreels. The video is a small section of their capabilities for you to understand what they can do for your brand, product or service.
The main difference of this agency showreel is the song in their video. Have you noticed? It has lyrics. This depends on your choice and agency culture. If you visit 9thWonder’s website for a while, you will see the song fits their culture. So, the lyrics don’t bother in this agency showreel at all.
Key Takeaways from Digital Agency Showreel Examples
The examples above should inspire you to create your own showreel for your agency or business. With that said, we’ve also gathered the essential takeaways from the best examples. So, while creating your own showreel, you should definitely pay attention to the features below:
- The length of the showreel
- The music in the video
- Digital agency’s logo
- Partners’ logos from different sectors
- Some scenes & concrete numbers from the previous case studies
- The place it is displayed on your agency’s website (masthead is a wonderful and common option)
- Reflecting on your agency culture in the video
- Call to action while ending the video
Showreels are not a must, but they will definitely add value to your agency profile. It can even help your potential customers to be converted. Therefore, if you feel the need, don’t hesitate to get support from digital agencies about your sizzle reel.
If you are up for working with a digital agency for your agency showreel, you can check the best digital agencies near you.