Christmas concentrates attention, emotion and purchase intent into a short window, making it the ideal playground for video.

If ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, imagine the story you can tell with video. Unlike static formats, video can quickly capture attention, convey warmth and demonstrate value—exactly what shoppers need when making hurried decisions. When you layer strong creative with clear calls to action and smart distribution, video can lift reach, engagement and conversions across your channels.

Video can:

• Capture attention quickly across social feeds and ads
• Convey emotion and brand warmth (key to seasonal buying)
• Demonstrate products and gift solutions clearly
• Drive action with strong CTAs and timely offers

Set Clear Objectives Before You Hit Record

Success starts with clarity. Decide what you want each video to achieve and align your format, message, and media accordingly. Limiting each asset to one or two primary goals simplifies creative choices and makes measuring results easier. Example objectives include:

• Awareness: views, completion rate, brand lift, ad recall
• Consideration: watch time, site visits from video, and email sign-ups
• Conversion: clicks to offer pages, voucher redemptions, sales
• Loyalty: repeat purchases, referrals, user-generated content (UGC) submissions

Know Your Audience

Not all shoppers behave the same in the run-up to Christmas. Tailoring your content to audience intent and timing will increase relevance and performance. Map your buyers’ moments to your messaging and offers so each video meets them where they are.

• Early planners (Oct–mid Nov): research guides, gift lists, bundles
• Deal hunters (Black Friday/ Cyber Monday): urgency, price framing, comparisons
• Last-minute shoppers (mid–late Dec): fast delivery, click-and-collect, e‑gifts
• B2B seasonal buyers (Q4 procurement/client gifting): reliability, timelines, value

Choosing The Right Format

Your marketing plan should blend short attention-grabbing clips with deeper pieces that tell your story, build trust, and answer questions. Shoot once, repurpose often—framing assets for multiple crops and channels to maximise mileage without pushing up costs.

• Short-form vertical (6–30s): hooks and offers for Reels, TikTok, Shorts
• Product demos and gift guides (30–120s): features, benefits, use cases
• Story-led brand films (30–90s): emotion, purpose, community
• UGC and testimonials (15–45s): social proof that feels authentic
• Live sessions/Q&A: gift advice, product drops, limited offers
• Behind-the-scenes: packing orders, charity partnerships, team moments
• Animated explainers: simplify complex info (especially helpful for B2B)
• Tip: Film master shots in 4K and frame for 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 crops

Creative That Converts: Hooks, Heart And A Clear Next Step

Good creatives make people stop, feel and act. Lead with a strong opening, show realistic value quickly, and close with a clear next step. Embrace seasonal cues but avoid clichés—authenticity consistently outperforms generic stock visuals. Ideally, your videos should go something like this:

• Open strong (0–3s): striking visual, problem statement or seasonal payoff
• Keep it human: faces, eye contact and genuine reactions
• Show, don’t tell: demonstrate benefits in real gifting scenarios
• Brand early and lightly: subtle logo/colours/sonic cue within 3–5s
• Seasonal cues: inclusive visuals, warm textures and thoughtful sound design
• CTA clarity: “Shop the gift set”, “Book by 18 Dec for pre‑Christmas delivery”, “Use code FESTIVE10”

Channel-By-Channel Tactics

Each platform has its own rhythm, creative norms, and buying options. Tailor your edits, copy, and spending accordingly to unlock the best results, and ensure your landing pages and product feeds are ready to convert the increased traffic.

• Instagram/Facebook: Reels for discovery; Collection and Advantage+ Shopping for conversions; product tags and gift carousels linked from video
• TikTok: Trends, lo‑fi production, quick hooks
• YouTube: Shorts for reach; in‑stream for awareness; searchable gift guides and how-tos for intent
• LinkedIn (B2B): client gifting, year-end wrap-ups, case studies, charity initiatives; keep to 15–45s with captions
• Email: animated GIFs or a thumbnail with a clear play button; personalise subject lines and link to fast, focused landing pages
• Website: place video above the fold near the call-to action (CTA); add transcripts for SEO and accessibility

Make Your Videos Discoverable: SEO For Video

The best video won’t perform if people can’t find it. Bake SEO into your workflow. Keyword research, metadata, and structured data will extend your reach on YouTube and help your website rank for seasonal queries.

• Keywords: “gift ideas for [audience]”, “[industry] corporate gifting”, “last‑minute [product] delivery UK”
• Metadata: add keywords to titles, descriptions and file names
• Chapters/timestamps: especially for longer YouTube guides
• Transcripts/captions: improve relevance and accessibility
• Thumbnails: high contrast, 3–5 words max, expressive faces/product close‑ups

Content Ideas

Proven structures make production faster and results more predictable. You can use these simple blueprints to script and shoot targeted videos for everyday festive needs, from gift guides to B2B client gifting.

• Gift guide video (30–60s)
  • Hook: “Stuck for gifts under £25? We’ve done the hard work.”
  • Body: 3–5 products with 3–5 second demos; overlay price/benefit
  • CTA: “Shop the full list. Order by 18 Dec for pre‑Christmas delivery.”
• UGC/testimonial (15–30s)
  • Hook: “Real customers on their favourite [brand] gift”
  • Body: 2–3 short clips; subtitle highlights
  • CTA: “See more reviews and shop the bundle.”
• B2B corporate gifting (20–45s)
  • Hook: “Thank clients, not your admin team”
  • Body: options, customisation, delivery timelines, minimum orders
  • CTA: “Request a quote by 10 Dec for guaranteed delivery.”

Measurement And Optimisation

Keep on top of your results. Regularly check for attention, engagement and conversion. Use UTMs and simple tests to quickly back winners and cut losers.

• Attention: view‑through rate, average watch time, thumb‑stop rate
• Engagement: clicks, saves, shares, comments, sentiment
• Conversion: CTR to landing pages, add‑to‑basket, sales, voucher or offer code usage
• Incrementality: holdout tests, geo splits, brand lift studies
• Optimise by testing one variable at a time: opening hook, length (6s vs 15s vs 30s), CTA copy/placement, thumbnail design, offer, product

Checklist Before You Publish

A final check saves headaches and money. Use this checklist to ensure every video is accessible, legally sound, on‑brand, and ready to convert—especially with tight festive deadlines.

• Captions added and quality‑checked
• Branded intro/outro and on‑screen CTA included
• Licensed music and signed releases on file
• Mobile‑first crops (9:16, 1:1, 16:9) exported
• Metadata and UTM parameters set
• Landing page live, fast and tracked
• Delivery cut‑offs and T&Cs are clearly stated

Get Expert Help

Video marketing can be a powerful tool in your marketing mix, and we’re here to help. We have recently invested in our studios to help businesses like yours create videos that get results. You can read more about that here.

We’re dedicated to helping businesses engage with their audiences through impactful content. Our studio team can assist you in creating engaging, high-quality videos that connect with your target audience. Our experts will handle everything, from the initial idea to the storyboard, script, production, and distribution.

Home to well-known, trusted brands such as the Mirror, Liverpool Echo, and the Manchester Evening News, and with over one million followers on social media, we can share your content with our engaged audience.

Reach is the heartbeat of Christmas. From the first notes of Last Christmas to the glow of a neighbour’s lights, our readers are deeply attuned to festive cues and emotionally connected to the season’s spirit. From September to December 2024, our network had over 32.1 million page views on Christmas content*. We can put your business in front of our engaged audience in 2025.

Are you ready to elevate your business’s content strategy? Let Reach be your partner in creating compelling video content that resonates with your audience this Christmas. Contact us today to discover how we can help you tell your brand’s story. Complete the form below to get started.

* Source Amplitude 2025