When Coastline Labs launched a series of talking-head videos to explain product updates, the team expected steady engagement. Instead, average view-through rates sat at 8%, support tickets about the same topics kept coming in, and recruiting ads featuring the CEO delivered clicks but no qualified applicants. Within nine months the company reworked its approach and built a system that supports marketing, sales, customer experience, recruitment and operations. Revenue grew 22% year-on-year and cost per lead fell 38%. This case study shows what changed, why it worked, and how an Australian mid-market company can copy the approach.
Why Straight Talking-Head Videos Were Losing Time and Customers
Coastline Labs is a Melbourne-based company offering cloud-based inventory software to retail chains and hospitality groups. In 2022 the product team recorded regular "update" videos - CEO on camera, product manager on camera, one long explanation after another. The intent was clear: explain features and keep customers informed. Reality was different.
- View-through rate (VTR) averaged 8% on hosted pages and 12% on YouTube. Average watch time was under 40 seconds for videos averaging 6 minutes. Support tickets relating to the same features rose by 14% after each release. Recruitment videos featuring people talking to camera attracted clicks but only 2% of applicants passed screening.
Qualitative feedback from customers called the videos “dry” or “too long.” Sales teams said prospects were not absorbing value points they needed for demos. Recruiters reported that talking-head creative didn’t communicate day-to-day work or culture well. Internally, creating each long video took a full day of blocking, filming and editing, diverting product and comms staff from higher-value work.
A Systemized Video Framework: Breaking Talking Heads into Purposeful Content
Instead of scrapping video, Coastline Labs adopted a system that treated video as a production line - a repeatable process tuned to specific outcomes. The team defined clear objectives for each video type: acquisition, onboarding, support deflection, recruitment, and internal operations. Each objective mapped to a template, timing, and distribution plan.
The new framework rested on four principles:
- Chunking: Break long videos into short, single-purpose clips that answer one question or demonstrate one task. Hook-Value-CTA: Start with a 5-8 second hook, deliver a concise value piece, finish with a clear call to action aligned to the goal. Repurpose-first: Plan each shoot to produce multiple outputs for different channels - 30-second social, 90-second product clip, 3-minute demo, and internal microlearning module. Metrics-Driven Iteration: Define KPIs for each clip and iterate using A/B tests and analytics rather than gut feelings.
The metaphor the team used was a cookbook: instead of improvising a single long stew, they built recipes for many quick dishes each designed to satisfy a different appetite.
Rolling Out the Video System: Week-by-Week 12-Week Plan
Implementation followed a 12-week schedule with clear milestones and responsibilities. The project team included a product comms lead, a content producer, a sales rep, a recruiter, and two support engineers. External contractors handled camera and motion graphics for the first three months.
Weeks 1-2: Audit and Template Design
Audit: Reviewed last 24 months of videos, support tickets, demo recordings and job ads to identify recurring topics and friction points. Template design: Created five templates (Acquisition, Onboarding, Support, Recruitment, Ops) with durations, tone, thumbnail rules and metadata checklists tuned for search and algorithmic reach.Weeks 3-4: Pilot Shoot and Distribution Playbook
Pilot filming: Recorded a single feature update using the new templates to produce a 3-minute demo, a 90-second explainer, and three 30-second social cuts. Playbook: Built a distribution schedule that matched intent. Onboarding videos went into the product UI and help centre; acquisition clips went to paid social and LinkedIn; recruitment clips went to Glassdoor and targeted Facebook groups.Weeks 5-8: Process Standardisation and Tooling
Shot list automation: Created a simple spreadsheet that generated shot lists and metadata per objective so producers could shoot for repurposing in one session. Edit speed-up: Adopted a template-driven editor system so each clip could be cut and finished in under two hours. Analytics dashboard: Hooked video metrics into the existing analytics stack to track VTR, average watch time, support ticket volume by topic, application quality for recruitment, and demo-to-sale conversion.Weeks 9-12: Team Handover and Scale
Training: Ran workshops for product managers and recruiters on short-form scripting and on-camera tips that improve authenticity without over-rehearsing. Handover: Moved production in-house for routine shoots and reserved external vendors for high-end pieces. Launch: Rolled out the first full slate of repurposed assets and started rapid A/B tests on thumbnails, first 5 seconds of video, and CTAs.The aim was to convert a slow, bespoke process into a conveyor belt where a 2-hour shoot returned five distinct, goal-focused assets.
From 8% View-Through to 46%: Measurable Results in Six Months
Within six months the program delivered measurable improvements across functions. Below is a summary of key performance indicators before and after implementation, measured on comparable campaigns and video topics.
Metric Before After 6 Months Change Average View-Through Rate (hosted pages) 8% 46% +475% Average Watch Time 40 seconds 2 minutes 20 seconds +225% Support Tickets on Featured Topics Baseline -32% Improvement Demo-to-Sale Conversion (leads using video assets) 12% 19% +58% Recruitment Application Quality (pass screening) 2% 14% +600% Cost Per Lead (marketing) $320 $198 -38% Time to Produce Routine Video 8 hours 2 hours -75% video marketing across the sales funnelThose numbers translated into real financial impact. Coastline Labs estimated a six-month ROI on the program of 3.2x when factoring reduced support load, higher demo conversion, and lower marketing costs. The recruitment improvements cut hiring time by an average of 18 days for technical roles, reducing agency fees.
5 Practical Video Lessons Australian Companies Should Take from This
Here are the most valuable lessons Coastline Labs extracted through experimentation. Each lesson has actionable steps you can use within an Australian business context.
1. Short wins over long lectures
People consume video like they snack - brief, targeted bites work better. Break content into sub-topics that map directly to user questions. For compliance-heavy or technical topics record micro-lessons under 90 seconds. That single change drove up watch time more than fancy production values.
2. Plan for repurposing from day one
Shoot with repurposing in mind: capture clean single-sentence answers, close-ups for social, and screen-recorded walkthroughs for help articles. A single 15-minute interview can yield five usable assets if you plan shots. Think of each shoot like a small bakery batch - you get more value the more you portion ingredients correctly.
3. Use templates but humanise them
Templates accelerate production but feel robotic if applied without personality. Create a “flex zone” in each template where the presenter adds a personal story or local example. For Australian audiences, mention local customers or regional terms to build trust.
4. Align video goals to business functions clearly
Don’t make every video try to do everything. If the target is reducing support tickets, focus the CTA on the help centre and include quick troubleshooting steps. If recruitment is the goal, show day-in-the-life clips and team interactions rather than leadership monologues.
5. Measure the user journey, not just views
Views are vanity without action. Tie videos to downstream metrics - ticket reduction, demo completion, qualified applicants, or trial activation. Use small experiments to learn which first-5-seconds retain attention and which CTAs cause the desired follow-through.
How Your Business Can Build a Similar Video Machine
Here is a condensed playbook to replicate Coastline Labs’ results over 90 days. Tailor timing and scale to your budget and team size.
Run a 1-week content audit to identify the top 10 questions across sales, support and recruitment. These become your pilot topics. Create 3-5 simple templates (30s social, 90s explainer, 3-5 min demo) and define a CTA for each. Keep the script structure to Hook-Value-CTA. Execute a single pilot shoot that produces at least three assets for each topic. Use a checklist to ensure you capture variants for repurposing. Publish assets according to a distribution playbook: help centre, product UI, email, LinkedIn, YouTube and paid channels as relevant. Use platform-specific thumbnails and captions for accessibility. Track KPIs that link to business outcomes. After 30 days iterate on the first 5 seconds, thumbnail and CTA for each asset. After 90 days, hand the process to in-house producers.
Analogy: building a video system is like installing an irrigation system. First you map the garden (what needs watering), then lay pipes (templates and distribution), then set timers (production cadence), and finally measure growth (KPIs). Watering once with a garden hose can help a plant, but a system keeps the whole garden thriving.
Coastline Labs’ transformation shows that talking-head videos do not have to be boring or wasted effort. With clear objectives, tight templates, and a repurpose-first mindset, video becomes a high-return asset that supports marketing, sales, support, recruitment and operations. Australian companies with limited budgets can start small, measure outcomes and scale what works - often faster than they expect.