If you’re in a go-to-market (GTM) team—sales, sales ops, or revenue—you know the grind. Constant outreach, crowded inboxes, and prospects who barely skim your emails. You’ve tried templates, automation, and maybe a little A/B testing, but responses are flat. Enter Hippovideo. It promises to help you break the pattern by making video outreach dead simple. But does it actually change your workflow, or is it just another shiny tool? Let’s get into it.
Why Video Outreach? (And Why Bother Changing Anything?)
You’ve probably heard that video “cuts through the noise.” That’s only partly true. Most people don’t want another generic video any more than another bland email. But when done right, video can:
- Humanize your outreach (you’re a person, not just another sender)
- Show you did your homework (personalized intros, quick demos)
- Get to the point faster (show, don’t tell)
The catch? Video can be a pain—recording, editing, sharing, and tracking can eat up your day. That’s where Hippovideo claims to fix things.
What Hippovideo Actually Does (Not the Marketing Spin)
At its core, Hippovideo is a platform for recording, personalizing, and sending videos as part of your sales workflow. Here’s what it genuinely brings to the table:
- Browser-based recording: No need for fancy gear. Use your webcam, screen, or both.
- Personalization at scale: You can add custom text, intros, or even merge tags into videos for each recipient.
- CRM and email integration: Works with most standard tools (think Salesforce, HubSpot, Gmail, Outlook).
- Analytics: See who watched, for how long, and if they clicked anything.
- Templates and workflows: Build and reuse what works.
That’s the promise. But let’s get practical about how to actually use it, what’s worth your time, and what’s just noise.
Step 1: Pick the Right Spots in Your Workflow for Video
Not every sales touch should be a video. If you’re sending out 1,000 cold emails, personal videos for each one is a waste of energy. Here’s where Hippovideo shines:
- First-time intros to high-value leads: Quick, personal hello beats a wall of text.
- Follow-ups after no response: A short video can nudge someone who ignored your last email.
- Explaining something complex: Demos, walkthroughs, or answering tough questions.
- Handovers: Passing a lead to an AE or customer success? A quick video intro is a nice touch.
What to skip:
- Automated mass video blasts (they feel generic, and people can spot them)
- Over-produced, “studio” style videos—keep it human, not perfect
Pro tip:
Block time for video outreach, just like you do for call blocks. Doing a few in a row keeps your energy up and avoids context switching.
Step 2: Recording Videos That Don’t Suck
The tech isn’t the hard part. It’s being real but not rambly. Here’s how to keep it simple:
- Keep it short: 45-90 seconds. Seriously, nobody wants a 5-minute monologue.
- Use a script, but not a teleprompter: Jot bullet points, but let your personality come through.
- Look into the camera: It’s weird at first, but it feels more direct.
- Personalize the first 10 seconds: Mention the person’s name, company, or a detail from their site or LinkedIn.
- Show, don’t just talk: Share your screen to demo something if relevant.
What Hippovideo helps with: - Quick start recording from inside Gmail or your CRM - Auto-inserting recipient name on the video thumbnail (clever, gets clicks) - Simple trimming/editing—good enough, don’t overthink it
What to ignore: - Overly fancy effects or intros - Long-winded company pitches—focus on the prospect’s pain or question
Step 3: Sending Videos Without Breaking Your Workflow
You don’t want extra steps. Hippovideo plugs into a bunch of tools you’re probably already using.
- Gmail/Outlook plugins: Record and insert a video while you’re writing an email.
- CRM integrations: Drop videos into Salesforce, HubSpot, Outreach, etc., and track engagement.
- Direct links or GIF previews: Include a GIF thumbnail in your email—people are more likely to click.
What’s actually useful: - Tracking who watched and for how long (so you know when to follow up) - Getting notified when someone opens or clicks (yes, it still works in 2024) - Templates for common outreach situations (first touch, follow-up, demo recap)
What to watch out for: - Over-personalizing—at some point, it’s diminishing returns - Relying on video for everything—mix up your outreach
Step 4: Tracking Results and Making Adjustments
Don’t get sucked into vanity metrics. Watching rates are nice, but replies and meetings booked are what matter.
- Check the basics: Who’s actually watching? If nobody is, try tweaking your subject lines or GIF preview.
- A/B test intros: Does saying “Hey Sarah, I noticed X on your website” work better than a generic “Hi, I’m Bob from Acme?”
- Look for patterns: Are certain video lengths, topics, or times getting better responses?
- Follow up accordingly: If someone watched but didn’t reply, a quick nudge (“Saw you watched my video, any thoughts?”) can work.
What Hippovideo does well: - Makes it easy to see individual and team-level stats - Lets you share best-performing templates with your team
What’s less useful: - Obsessing over every data point—use data to spot trends, not micromanage every send
Step 5: Scaling Without Losing the Human Touch
It’s tempting to automate everything, but the whole point of video is to be personal. Here’s how to strike a balance:
- Personalize for key accounts: Spend real time on your top prospects.
- Use templates for the rest: Build semi-custom videos for groups (e.g., industry-specific intros).
- Batch record: Do a dozen quick videos in a row, then send them out.
- Share wins: If a certain approach lands a meeting, let your team know (and steal shamelessly).
Watch out for: - “Personalized” videos that are obviously generic—prospects can tell - Trying to scale to everyone—focus on where it moves the needle
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Skip
Works well: - Quick, unscripted videos that show you did your homework - Using analytics to time your follow-ups - Integrating video without needing a separate tab or tool
Doesn’t work: - Over-produced, marketing-heavy videos - Sending videos just for the sake of it (“Hope you enjoy this video!” with no value = delete)
Skip this: - Bulk video blasts to cold lists—save it for warmer or targeted contacts - Fancy features you’ll never use (stick to recording, sending, and tracking)
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
Hippovideo takes a lot of pain out of adding video to your B2B sales outreach, especially for GTM teams juggling too much already. Start by picking a few moments in your workflow where video really adds value. Don’t get bogged down in features or perfection. Send, learn, adjust, and keep moving. The best outreach is the one you actually do, not the one you over-engineer.
And if you’re skeptical? Good. Try a handful, measure the results, and if it helps you book more meetings or get better replies, keep it. If not, toss it. The tool’s just there to help—how you use it is what counts.