Playing On FOMO Set A New Sales Record For My Staff: Video Promo Ideas

Selling yearbooks isn’t just about transactions—it’s about creating a sense of urgency, excitement, and yes, even a little bit of fear of missing out. Students need to feel like this book isn’t just optional; it’s the one thing that will capture their memories forever.

One of our most successful promos was a video that played directly into FOMO. We filmed students separately, each delivering quick lines like “Everyone is doing it” or “I got one because she did.” When edited together, the result was a funny, quirky spot that felt authentic and relatable. The payoff? That year, we reached our highest sales record to date.

Another great example is a Canva-made video we ran titled “Seniors, Answer Our Call.” The video began with the sound of a phone ringing and text that read, “Seniors, answer our call—order your yearbook and capture the memories.” It transitioned into a photo montage of senior moments, then closed with the line “We’re ready, are you?” before cutting to a final shot of graduation caps flying into the air. That nostalgic energy really resonated, reminding seniors they didn’t want to miss out on the memories of the big day.

https://youtu.be/OS_bIwuMuS8

Our most-viewed sales video. We sold 650 copies when our goal and average was 450. These video promos and funny staff videos we ran all year was the only major change we made. I attribute our success with some of these videos as a result.

Other Creative Promo Ideas

• The Regret Flash-Forward: A skit where a mom tells her son or daughter, “Oh no, I forgot to order you a yearbook!” Cut to a flash-forward of the student dressed up as a granny saying, “Boy, I wish I had a yearbook to remember my graduation.” The scene flashes to a parent on knees with arms in the air mouthing "Nooooo" with the tagline that reads: "Families, no one wants to have this awkward conversation. Don't let tis be you." The result it funny, memorable, and super shareable.

• Living Yearbook Pages: Playing off the fun icebreaker we did at the start of the year. (see my post on Icebreakers) We had student create yearbook pages in a quick video clip. Dancing was done by staff with word PROM appearing on screen, Chest Bumps were done by the football team with SPORTS, Drama worked up a fun dance and sang a quick line from their musical and CLUBS was displayed on the screen, and students with foam fingers, HOCO queen and king doing royal waves, and senior tag nerf gun group were filmed for STUDENT LIFE. The final tagline read "See it all in one place" and then Yearbook and logo was displayed before the last line "We bring the year to life." The result was hilarious.

Why It Matters

Students and parents need frequent, creative reminders to buy a yearbook. Between busy schedules, sports, and everything else competing for attention, it’s easy for the yearbook to get lost in the shuffle. Videos, posters, and social campaigns don’t just advertise the book—they spark emotion. Whether it’s laughter, nostalgia, or FOMO, those emotions turn into sales.