Using Video to Reduce Email Communication

I've stopped doing lengthy pitches in my cold emails as I found that personalized 60-second videos are working better. Here's the 3-part structure I use for these video breakdowns that's getting prospects excited to talk: 1) Start with a specific observation about their business. Not "I noticed your website" but "I noticed your popup appears immediately when visitors land on your site, which is hurting your conversion rate." 2) Deliver 2-3 actionable insights they can implement right away. Make these simple but high-impact. For example: "Delaying your popup by 10 seconds has increased opt-ins by 200% for similar businesses in your space." 3) End with a clear, low-pressure next step. Don't push for a call immediately, instead: "If these insights were valuable, I'd be happy to share more specific strategies for your business. Let me know if tomorrow at 1pm works." This method is most effective when you call out their exact situation in the first 5 seconds of your video. One of my clients includes a slide that describes their ideal client's exact characteristics, when prospects see this, viewer retention skyrockets. This approach works because you're delivering value before asking for anything in return. You're demonstrating expertise rather than claiming it. And what I love about these videos is they take less than 60 seconds to record but convert at a higher rate than that of standard cold emails.

Most people send a plain text email after a great sales call. I send a video. The screenshot below is a real follow-up I sent after a prospect meeting. Instead of just recapping in writing, I recorded a 2-minute Loom video sharing what I learned, what I’m envisioning for their event, and why I’m genuinely excited to work together. In today’s world of noise and automation, a video like this is a humanizer. It gives them something to feel, not just something to read, and it gives them a powerful tool to forward to their internal decision-makers. The psychology behind this is fascinating. When someone sees your face and hears your voice, it activates the mirror neuron system in their brain, essentially helping them feel emotionally connected to you, as if they’re in the same room. That’s empathy. That’s trust. And trust is what drives decisions. Research shows that only 7% of communication is verbal; the rest is tone, facial expression, and body language. In a sales process full of text and data, the human brain craves the richness of video. It’s also about cognitive ease. According to research from Princeton and the University of Michigan, people are more likely to trust and act on information that feels easy to process. A clear, engaging video makes your message stickier. Add a little story, a little emotion, a little spark, and suddenly you’re not just another vendor in the inbox. You’re a trusted voice. Taking the time to send a video builds social capital. It says, “I care.” It says, “This mattered to me.” That emotional generosity has ripple effects in a referral-driven business. So if you’re trying to stand out, build relationships, and grow your business, try adding a short, heartfelt Loom video to your follow-ups. Whether it’s a cold prospect, a warm lead, or a longtime client, your energy is your edge. Presence beats polish every time. Link to how to use Loom is in the comments. Happy Monday ya'll, let's go scale our impact.

My new favorite workplace communication tool: Loom! If you haven't used Loom before, it's a free browser extension that lets you record and share short video messages with or without screen sharing. Here are my 4 favorite applications (that I use constantly): 1) Responding to long emails with lots of questions Replying to emails always takes way more time than I'd like. I've gotten faster and more concise than I used to be, but it's still a time suck sometimes. Now whenever I realize an email is going to take a long time to reply to, I fire up Loom. I can respond verbally to each question and turn a 20 minutes of writing an email into 4 minutes recording a video. 2) Excitement, warmth, and empathy Asynchronous communication is convenient, but feels cold and impersonal sometimes. Loom grants the asynchronous benefits of email, but with your friendly face and voice! It's my go-to when celebrating with a client about an offer or empathizing with them over a tough rejection or layoff. That extra bit of embodiment is worth it in the right moments. 3) Introductions It's always a bit awkward to introduce yourself to someone via email ("Nice to meet you! Uh well not actually meet you, but kinda!"). Loom let's you send a 30-second video intro to briefly share a little about yourself and express your enthusiasm about being connected. It's a great option for job seekers when reaching out to hiring managers or setting up virtual coffee chats. 4) Tutorials with screen sharing Trying to explain the precise steps to a task over email is super tedious. With Loom, it's so easy to record yourself doing the thing, and verbally talk through the instructions (and much more clear for your recipient). Our team uses Loom to record "playbooks" for various admin procedures and SOPs and it's a game-changer both to create them and use them. A few pro-tips if you're just getting into Loom: Don't worry about mistakes! I used to get nervous about filming myself and would re-record if I messed up but then I embraced the more informal nature of it (I think I've even once sent a Loom where my toddler interrupted to say hi lol). Keep them short. 30-60 seconds is great for intros, and then 3-5 minutes for emails and tutorials if you can. The free version has a 5-minute limit, which I actually found helpful as it forced me to wrap things up and not ramble! Use the comments feature when replying to Looms. You can leave timestamped comments on a Loom message which can make replying to someone else's Loom a little easier (if e.g. they ask a question at the 1 minute mark and the 3 minute mark). I was introduced to this fantastic tool 2 years ago, and I'm still shocked I don't see more people using it! Do you use Loom? What are your best practices or use cases for it? 

Everyone sends the same post-meeting email. Bullet points. Action items. "Thanks for your time." Delete. Here's one idea that came out of a recent AE Peer Group here at Sales Assembly: Turn your notes into a 30-second video summary instead. AI-generated slideshow with voiceover that hits the key points visually. Your champion can forward a video to their boss easier than a wall of bullet points. Here's the walkthrough 1. Export your meeting notes from Sybill or whatever you use. 2. Feed the transcript into an AI video tool. Add this prompt: "Create a 30-second slideshow summarizing our discovery call with [company]. Include 3-4 key slides covering their main challenges, our proposed solution, and next steps." 3. Add their company logo to slides. Reference specific stakeholders by name. Include one data point that matters to their business: "This could save you $200K annually based on your team size." 4. Track who actually watches. Most AI video tools show engagement data. You'll know exactly who watched what percentage. Try getting that insight from your text email. 5. Follow up based on viewing behavior. Watched 85%? They're engaged. Schedule the next call immediately. Watched 20%? Wrong message or wrong audience. Dig deeper on needs. Didn't watch? They want text, not video. Adjust your approach. IMO here's when it makes sense to invest the 5-10 mins to do this: - ENT deals worth $50K+. - Multi-stakeholder discovery calls. - When you need internal selling to happen. - Deals where your champion needs to brief their boss. When to skip it: - Routine check-ins. - Low-value transactions. - Contacts who clearly prefer text communication. Here are some AI video tools to try: Synthesia, Loom AI, or Pictory. Meeting notes are commoditized. Everyone sends them. Few read them. Video summaries force attention and create advocates. Might be worth a shot.