Genius, isn’t it? At the time of writing it has had over 21 million views, and truly deserves every single one.

So, what’s so good about it? Why does it connect with so many people?

Well, firstly – and perhaps most importantly – it’s entertaining. It’s proper laugh out loud funny. And that emotion – let’s call it mirth – is engaging. We like being entertained. We like to laugh. And if someone is making us laugh, then they have us in the palm of their hand.

But, importantly, the video is in control of what we’re laughing at – it’s clever, it’s witty and it’s satirical. But, it’s actually a lot more than just that. You see, the Dollar Shave Club video actually gets things right on a lot of levels for making an engaging, attention grabbing and retaining promo that will not only hold an audience right to the very end, but will actually produce those conversions to boot.

So, let’s take a closer look at all the things it does right, and along the way we’ll consider how these can be transferred across to your promo.

Take a look at the opening of the video again.

“Hi, I’m Mike, founder of Dollarshaveclub.com”.

He’s talking directly to the camera, which is to say he is talking directly to you as a person. He’s introducing himself first. In other words, he’s making a personal connection with his audience – you. It almost sounds too simple to be true. But it works. He holds your attention with his eyes as he continues to talk, and we listen.

Mike’s a rather eccentric and unusual character, but we nonetheless bond and identify with him instantaneously because he somehow seems real, human. We like him – right from those opening words.

The lesson – Make a personal bond with your audience from the outset, and retain it and develop it from start to finish.

Mike is constantly on the move in his video. And this works wonders for holding our attention. There is real action. Think about the script – as funny and as entertaining as it is, would it work as well if Mike were just standing there in front of a blank wall? No, it wouldn’t, it’s the whole animation of the video that captures us.

The lesson – Keep things moving and keep things interesting. You can do this with different camera angles if you want, and use graphics and/or cartoons. But, don’t bore your audience with just one shot of a bloke telling us to buy your product. We won’t.

“So what is Dollar Shave Club?” Mike asks rhetorically. What a simple piece of scripting, but it hooks us – we don’t know, tell us more, Mike. We didn’t care what Dollar Shave Club was just a moment ago – but now that question is implanted in our minds, we have to continue watching to satisfy our curiosity. And we’re more than happy to do so because already the video is just so darn good.

The Lesson – Plant the seed. Make us care about the product. Ask a question to the audience and then proceed to answer it.

The beauty about the Dollar Shave Club is that it actually solves a very specific, genuine problem – buying (and remembering to buy) lots and lots of expensive razors. The solution is in the offer – “For $1 a month we send you high quality razors right to your door.”

The lesson – Work out exactly what problem your product or service is solving, explain it succinctly in your video, and then say how you’re going to solve it.

The art of rhetoric centres around the idea of predicting objections to a presented argument – in this case “Are our blades any good?” – and putting them to bed immediately – “No, they’re f**king great.”

Again, the Dollar Shave Club’s promo does this with humour – the incongruous and unexpected swearing makes us laugh. But, it’s also a f**king bold statement to make, and, as such, we trust it. We believe it. Give me those blades right now!!

The lesson – Well, there’s two here, actually. The first is to be bold. If you’re product really is as good as you think, then say so. The second is to try and predict any objections to your argument, and dedicate a section of your script to overcoming them. This allays any fears about your product.

The “Us vs. Them” psychology is massively at play here. And again, Mike creates a mass enemy through the use of humour – “And do you like spending $20 a month on brand name razors? Nineteen go to Roger Federer.”

What Mike is saying is that the real reason why brand name razors are so expensive is because corporations have to hike up the prices to pay for celebrity advertising. We probably knew that anyway – but that just adds another level of personal connection with Mike and his brand.

The lesson – Try and position yourself as the knight in shining armour that will save consumers from things they naturally distrust or don’t like. Remember, you are the solution that we’ve all been waiting for.

Mike also wants us to know that he’s creating jobs. This might seem like it’s shaving almost too close to the bone, but it’s a fact, and that adds value to his product. He’s giving people work – and that’s priceless.

“What were you doing last month…? Not working… What are you doing this month…? Working…”

Later, Mike adds even more value, this time in hard cash in your back pocket – “Start deciding where you’re going to stack all those dollar bills I’m saving you.”

Mike is making a big push to emphasise the value added in savings – a big stack of extra dollar bills. It almost feels like he’s paying you, rather than the other way round (and this is a feat and a conceit that we forgive Mike, precisely because he’s so likeable and his video so entertaining and funny – indeed, the humour of the video is added value in itself).

The Lesson – Never overlook the obvious. No matter where it is that your product adds value – and that doesn’t necessarily have to be on the price – highlight it to the audience. Get a bit creative if you have to, and try and unearth some deeper value points that might otherwise be missed.

Mike’s call to action is to party. It’s fun. And there’s a dancing bear and disco lights and dollar bills being flitted around with a leaf blower. If you want to have as much fun at this party as Mike, then you better start buying his blades.

The Lesson – Again it’s about adding value. If you can use a metaphor then so much the better. But your potential customer must really feel like they’re going to have a good time by signing up with you.

“Shave Time. Shave Money.” You’ll remember that. It rhymes for a start. It’s neat. It’s a pun. It’s great.

The Lesson – Come up with a memorable strap line for your product or service. Something that indicates what your product will do, but also how users will benefit. It doesn’t have to rhyme or be as puntastic as Mike’s, but it has to convey the brand, the product and the added value all in one.

Want to know more about the benefits of great promos? We’ve got the perfect read for you right here – ‘Gaining Market Share With Targeted Promotional Videos’.