Employer branding video: hire an agency or let employees record?

When people think of employer branding video, they often think of an agency first. That makes sense: the result looks great and you don't have to worry about it. But there's a second route: colleagues who record themselves. Which one suits you? Here's an honest comparison.

Hiring an agency

What you get

• A well-produced film with good visuals, music and editing.
• A story the agency develops with you.
• Something that works for a campaign, a job fair or your homepage.

What to keep in mind

• You pay per production, and every new video is a new production.
• A shoot day takes planning: people, rooms, consent, scripts.
• On the day, people often speak more stiffly than usual.
• The film dates: the people in it may not work there in a few years.
• It looks like a production, so candidates watch it like one.

Letting colleagues record

What you get

• Lots of short videos instead of one long one.
• Stories per team, role and location.
• A natural tone that candidates believe.
• A library you keep adding to instead of replacing.

What to keep in mind

• The footage is less polished. That's the point, but it still needs a clean finish.
• You have to ask colleagues and follow up.
• You have to review every video before it goes live.

Side by side

• Cost: an agency charges per production, recording yourself usually means a fixed yearly fee.
• Turnaround: a production takes weeks, a first batch of your own videos can be live in a few days.
• Credibility: produced feels like advertising, a colleague on their own phone doesn't.
• Shelf life: a film dates all at once, separate videos can be replaced one by one.

Our advice

Use an agency for what it does well: one strong brand story for a campaign or your homepage. Use your colleagues for everything close to the job ad, which is most of it. The two don't rule each other out.