Most startups approach video the same way: something big happens (launch, funding round, rebrand), they hire someone to make A Video, it goes out, and then nothing for six months.
This is the project mindset. And it's why most startup video content underperforms.
The startups that are actually growing with video treat it differently. They don't make videos — they run a system.
Project vs. system
The project approach:
- Big budget, one video
- Months of planning and revisions
- All the pressure on a single piece of content
- No learning loop — you can't iterate on one video
- Six-month gap until the next one
The system approach:
- Monthly budget, consistent output
- Repeatable creative process
- Each video builds on what the last one learned
- Performance data drives the next concept
- Compounding audience growth over time
The difference isn't just philosophical. The system approach typically outperforms project-based video by 3-5x on cost-per-view over a twelve-month period. The learning compounds.
The three-tier framework
Here's the framework we use with clients. Every startup's video strategy should operate on three tiers simultaneously:
Tier 1: Anchor content (monthly)
One substantial piece per month. This is your launch video, product story, or brand film. High production value, strong narrative, designed to be the best thing in someone's feed that day.
This is what most startups think of as "video content." It's important, but it's only one-third of the system.
Tier 2: Social-native content (weekly)
Short-form content designed for specific platforms. Not repurposed clips from your anchor video — original concepts built for how people actually consume content on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube Shorts.
These should be fast to produce, opinionated, and tied to conversations your audience is already having. Think reactions, takes, behind-the-scenes, and quick tutorials.
Tier 3: Conversion content (always on)
Product demos, feature walkthroughs, testimonial clips, and comparison videos that live on your website and in your sales team's toolkit. Not sexy, but these directly drive revenue.
Most startups skip this tier entirely and wonder why their website conversion rate is 1.2%.
The compounding effect
The magic happens when all three tiers feed each other:
- Anchor content establishes your brand and creative direction
- Social content drives discovery and grows your audience
- Conversion content turns that audience into customers
- Customer results become material for the next anchor piece
After six months of consistent execution, you're not starting from zero every time. You have an audience, a library, a visual identity, and data on what works.
That's the difference between making videos and building a video engine.
Getting started
You don't need to launch all three tiers at once. Start with one anchor video and two pieces of social content per month. Run that for 90 days. Measure what works. Then expand.
The biggest mistake is waiting until you can do everything perfectly. The second biggest is doing everything at once without a system to learn from it.
Start small. Stay consistent. Build the engine.
