Lecture
A promo video — this is a piece of advertising footage designed to promote a product, service, event or brand. Its main goal — to attract the attention of the target audience, spark interest and prompt a specific action (buy, download, register, attend an event, and so on).
For computer games, a promo video can showcase:
A promo video has no strict structure and is created for a specific marketing objective.
A trailer — this is a short promotional video that presents a game, film or other work, revealing its key features and stirring emotional interest in the viewer.
The main goal of a trailer — to intrigue the audience and motivate them to check out the product, purchase it or wait for its release.
Game trailers are typically characterized by:
| Criterion | Promo video | Trailer |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Promoting a product or event | Presenting the game and generating interest |
| Content | Any information important for advertising | The game's best moments, story and gameplay |
| Structure | Free-form | Has a clear dramatic structure |
| Duration | 15 seconds – 3 minutes | Usually 30 seconds – 2 minutes |
| Emotional impact | Not always the main focus | One of the core elements |
| When it is used | At any stage of the advertising campaign | Usually before an announcement, release or major update |
Example
Promo video for a game:
«The new update adds three heroes, five maps and a survival mode. Play for free today!»
A video like this delivers news and motivates players to return to the game.
Trailer for a game:
The viewer sees an epic opening, gets acquainted with the game world, watches tense battles, hears atmospheric music, and at the end the game's logo and release date appear.
A video like this creates an emotional impression and builds a desire to get to know the game.
A promo video sells the product through information, advantages and an advertising message.
A trailer sells the product through emotion, atmosphere and a spectacular showcase of its best qualities.
In other words, every trailer is a type of promo video, but not every promo video is a trailer. A trailer — this is a specialized format of advertising video with clear dramaturgy, whereas a promo video is a broader concept and can take any form depending on the marketing goal.
A good trailer answers three questions:
Used to introduce the audience to the game for the first time.
Duration:
30–90 seconds.
Objective:
create intrigue.
The main focus is on the gameplay.
It shows:
Contains pre-rendered cutscenes.
The goal — emotional impact.
Released at the same time as the game.
It should bring together:
A very short video.
10–30 seconds.
Used to build anticipation.
Almost every successful game trailer consists of five parts.
The first 3–5 seconds determine whether a person will keep watching.
These are used:
Example:
«The world has fallen… but the war is only beginning.»
Within 10–20 seconds the viewer should understand:
The longest part.
It shows:
The pace ramps up sharply.
The music becomes more powerful.
The editing speeds up.
The most spectacular scenes appear.
These must be shown:
For example:
Each subsequent shot should build on the previous one.
A bad sequence:
combat → a calm walk → a menu → a cutscene
A good sequence:
combat → a powerful ability → an explosion → a boss → victory
The editing should sync with the music.
Drum beats are often used as points for cutting between shots.
General recommendations:
Calm scene
3–5 seconds
Action
0.5–2 seconds
Final shot
3–4 seconds
It's forbidden to spend a long time showing:
Before recording, you need to:
It's better to draw up a shot list in advance.
For example:
Music defines the emotional perception of the trailer.
A common pattern:
Calm opening
↓
Gradual build-up
↓
Powerful climax
↓
Epic ending
The music should match the genre.
Horror
tense atmosphere
RPG
orchestra
Sci-Fi
electronic music
Arcade
energetic music
Sound effects heighten the impression.
These are used:
The main rule:
Every action should sound convincing.
Text is used sparingly.
It's better to show an action than to write about it.
If text is used, it should be short.
For example:
or
One hero.
One chance.
One choice.
An intro that's too long.
Showing only cutscenes.
The player wants to see real gameplay.
Lack of structure.
The video looks like a random collection of shots.
Editing that's too slow.
Today's audience loses attention within just a few seconds.
Poor recording quality.
What's acceptable:
For Reels, Shorts and TikTok:
The goal — to grab the user's interest before they scroll past the video.
Before publishing, make sure that:
The formula can be represented like this:
Attention → Interest → Showcasing the features → Emotion → Call to action.
If, within the first few seconds, the viewer understands what the game is, sees its best mechanics, feels an emotional response and at the end gets a clear next step, the trailer will very likely accomplish its main task — attracting an audience and boosting interest
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