Master your message to make your practice stand out
And Cut video packages include two types of videos to build your brand: Meet the Practice videos and Procedure videos. Both feature you, your practice, your offerings, and what makes you stand out.
Within those basic parameters, your videos will be uniquely yours—And Cut doesn’t provide a standard script to follow, at least not all the time (more on that below).
So how will you know what to say when the camera rolls? Read on.
Will you tell me what to say?
What’s said in your doctor videos usually results from a collaboration between you, your video director, and And Cut’s marketing experts. But know that we never require doctors to work from a strict script.
For a refresher on why we don’t recommend sticking to a script line for line, read Relax, doc: It’s better to sound conversational than perfect. Since you know your practice and your subject matter well, we don’t generally create or use scripts for Meet the Practice doctor videos, because we find that most doctors look and sound more natural when they’re not using one.
For Procedure videos, or other doctor videos with more complicated subject matter, we may use a basic script to make sure all the relevant points are captured in your video. In those cases, And Cut will work with you and your staff (often, the staff member you’ve designated as the point person for your video project) to draft a script.
Introducing yourself
Meet the Practice videos highlight you and your practice. Naturally, you’ll need an introduction. When introducing yourself and your practice, consider these guidelines:
Lead with your name, your specialty, and your role.
For most Meet the Practice videos, we recommend introducing yourself using your name, your medical specialty, and your role at your practice:
Example: Hi, I’m Dr. Susan Smith, aesthetic surgeon and founder of Smith Surgical Associates.
Leave out education, residency, and most other biographical details.
Your medical credentials and other relevant biographical information are typically too wordy for a smooth, natural spoken introduction. If needed, these details can be included as on-screen text during your video, a caption, or supporting text online. That means you don’t need to state these details in your introduction, unless they relate specifically to a point you want to make later.
Highlight local connections only when it makes sense.
When your goal is to attract new patients to your practice, it makes sense to include local references in your introduction—I’ve worked with patients in Bellevue for more than 20 years.
If your goal is broader in scope and less tied to your local region—building your reputation as a thought leader or subject matter expert, for example—those local details aren’t as important, and may even detract from your message. Of course, each doctor video is unique, and we can work together to determine if and when to highlight local ties in your videos.
Introducing your staff
Meet the Practice videos allow you to highlight a star staff member, perhaps a lead injector or office manager. This gives viewers a sense of what they’ll experience when they visit your practice. When introducing a staff member, follow the same guidelines for introducing yourself: Include their name, specialty, and role at the clinic. No need to reel off their full CV, since any necessary details or credentials can be included as on-screen text or a caption, if needed.
Other talking points to help introduce your practice
If your practice is built around a specific procedure, consider telling viewers why you’re passionate about it.
- Why did you want to start offering this service for patients?
- Did patients ask for this procedure by name?
- Did you want to solve a problem you saw occurring over and over for your patients?
- Did you see a way to improve on an existing medical procedure?
- Touching on why you offer this procedure helps define the problem you’re helping to solve with this offering.
- What do your real patients say about your work?
- What type of feedback do you get?
- If patients are thrilled with their results, or you’ve received awards or accolades, let the people know!
- What makes you especially well-suited for this work?
- Are you specifically trained to perform this procedure?
- Do you have extensive experience, a deep well of expertise on your staff, or highly sophisticated equipment?
- Tell prospective patients why you’re hands-down the best choice for this specialized service.
Procedure Videos
Procedure videos are informative, useful, highly shareable videos packed with the information viewers want to know about your offerings.
These one to two-minute videos answer a question about a single procedure that prospective patients are eager to know: For example, How much does rhinoplasty cost? Or How long does tattoo removal take?
Procedure videos are highly versatile—they can be used to answer questions on review websites and social media platforms like Instagram, Yelp, RealSelf, and Facebook. They’re also highly specific to the topic at hand, because someone researching (say) rhinoplasty costs doesn’t need to hear about your other procedures, where you went to medical school, or why you chose this field. They simply want the answer to their question.
When you introduce your procedures to prospective patients, remember to avoid acronyms (or explain them, when they can’t be avoided) and medical jargon whenever possible. This isn’t the place for complexity. Structure your talking points around the most salient information, and know that viewers can (and often will) reach out to you with any follow-up questions they have.
Introducing your procedures
Because Procedure videos are shorter and more specific than Meet the Practice videos, it’s best not to spend time on extraterraneous information. Instead, get right to the heart of the question you’re answering.
Again, strict scripting isn’t required here, because you know your subject matter inside and out. But it is helpful to think about what you want to say ahead of time.
Here are a few prompts to help you uncover what patients want to hear in a Procedure video:
- When patients start researching this procedure, what factors should they keep in mind?
- When patients ask this question, what is something they are often surprised to learn?
- What common misconceptions or misinformation exist related to this question?
If you’re stuck, try this prompt to cut through the clutter and get to the central message you want to communicate.
Answer the following by filling in the blank:
When it comes to [insert the question you’ll answer in your Procedure video], what I really want to say is: _________________________________.
For example: When it comes to the cost of a rhinoplasty, what I really want to say is: It’s often more affordable than patients think.
Or When it comes to how long it takes to remove a tattoo, what I really want to say is: Treatment time varies greatly depending on the location, color, and saturation of the tattoo ink.
Completing the “What I really want to say is” exercise helps simplify your message and how you approach your Procedure video. The answer you reveal might even be a great way to begin your video.
Whether you choose to use a script or not, remember: Simple, clear, direct language holds viewers’ attention and helps your practice shine.
Ready to get started? Let’s make a video.