HeyGen for Small Businesses: Your Essential AI Video Quick-Start Guide

Welcome to Your Small Business AI Video Jumpstart Guide

Want to create more video content but feel held back by limited time, budget, or production resources? You’re not alone. The good news? With HeyGen, you can easily create, translate, and repurpose videos that look professional, without the high costs or long turnaround times of traditional production.

This guide is designed specifically for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want to grow their brands, reach new customers, and scale content creation. You’ll learn how to go from idea to finished video fast. No cameras, studios, or on-screen talent needed!

Don’t miss the hands-on video creation exercise in the Making Your First Video section. It’s designed to help you learn by doing and get up to speed in no time.

Top Use Cases: How Small Businesses Are Using HeyGen

HeyGen is more than a video tool. It’s a creative engine built for professionals who need to move fast, scale content, and drive results without sacrificing quality. From multilingual courses to social ads, here’s how small businesses and entrepreneurs of many kinds are using HeyGen to create high-impact videos at scale.

Why Video is Critical in Small Business Growth Today

The Challenge

• Hiring a team or outsourcing video creation is too expensive and time-consuming
• Filming yourself takes hours you could be spending on running your business
• You need content that works across platforms and languages, not just one

What AI Video Unlocks

Speed, Scalability & Cost Savings

Video course production timeline reduced from 4 weeks to 15 minutes per video by Anneleen Bru, cat behaviorist and online educator at Happy Cats

Localization

Marketing and courses in 6+ languages offered by Kung Fu Kendra by using HeyGen’s translation features

Personalization

Hundreds of real estate professionals at Ask The Agent generated significantly more new client opportunities by producing personal branding videos with HeyGen avatars

Want to dive in deeper?

→ AI Video Marketing Strategy eBook

→ 5 ways to be more efficient with your marketing budget eBook

→ Visit our practical guide for L&D professionals eBook

Making Your First AI Video

Introduction

New to video or trying out HeyGen for the first time? You’ve got this. This section will walk you through each step to help you make a great video, fast.

Like learning in action?

Pick a video type above to open a ready-made template in HeyGen and follow along as you go.

Overachiever?

We love it! Jump ahead to Step 4: Choose the Right AI Avatar Spokesperson and create your own AI avatar–your digital twin and future video star.

Not ready to dive in yet?

No sweat. Skim the steps now and come back to the full how-to when you’re ready.

Ready to get started? Begin with this 2-minute tour of HeyGen’s AI Studio Editor, and then let’s dive in!

→ HeyGen Academy: 101

broad overview of all HeyGen features

→ HeyGen Academy: AI Studio

deeper dive into video editing

Step 1: Set up your HeyGen workspace for scale

Smart entrepreneurs don’t start from zero every time–they build systems that scale.

With HeyGen, it’s easy to keep your videos on-brand by setting up a Brand Kit to use your fonts, colors, logos and assets automatically.

Just paste in your company’s URL to get started, or upload your brand elements manually.

In a hurry? No problem. You can always come back and finish this step later.

Pro Tip

Once your Brand Kit is armed with your brand's colors, you can easily update most HeyGen Templates to match. Just swap in your colors so every video stays on-brand, or hit the Shuffle Colors button to have HeyGen swap them automatically.

Step 2: Set Your Strategy

Before jumping into video creation, take a moment to clarify your business goal, audience, platform, and message. This will help you create videos that not only look great, but also work for your bottom line.

Business Goal

What do you want this video to accomplish for your business?

Examples: drive sales, explain your service, educate customers, boost engagement, build credibility

Target Audience

Who is this video for? What do they care about, and where are they in their journey with your business?

Examples: first-time visitors to your website, returning customers who need help with your product, DIYers who follow you on Instagram

Primary Distribution Channel

Where will people see this video?

Examples: Instagram Reels, YouTube, Shopify landing page, email newsletter, Facebook ads

Message or Hook

What problem are you solving, and how will you capture attention in the first few seconds?

Examples: “Ever wonder why you don’t see results after a tough workout?” or “Looking for your dream property, but don’t know where to start?”

Pro Tip

Need a second opinion on your strategy? Head to ChatGPT, Claude, or another tool of your choice and prompt with the following:

"I'm planning a marketing video campaign for [product/service]. My goal is [goal], my target audience is [audience], I'll distribute it on [channel], and the core message or hook is: [hook]. Can you give me feedback on how clear and effective this is and suggest any improvements?"

Explore more script templates and tips

→ Video Ads
→ Social Influencer Videos
→ How-To Videos
→ Product Explainers

→ Learning Courses

→ Explainer Videos

→ Webinars and Podcasts

→ Newsletters

Step 3: Write Your Script

Your script is the backbone of a great video ad or clear, effective learning experience.

For a promotional video or ad, here’s how to make it count:

• Start with a strong hook (the first 3-5 seconds matter most) that illustrates a common pain point or value proposition.
• End with a clear CTA (call to action), such as pointing to your website, a new offer, etc.
• Use simple, conversational language, speaking directly and clearly to your audience.

For an educational video, here’s how to get it right:

• Begin with context and relevance such as a scenario, question, or common challenge to show why the topic matters. This helps build motivation and learner buy-in.
• Keep it structured and focused, breaking the content into logical, easy-to-follow steps with a clear, steady pace.
• Use simple, conversational language, speaking directly and clearly to the learner.
• Reinforce key learnings and next steps by closing with a brief summary, an invitation to reflect on or apply the learning, or a clear pointer to the next module or resource.

Expert Tip

Want to move faster? Have a look at the following Best Practices page for guidance on using tools like ChatGPT to write your script.

Still not sure where to start? Here are a few sample outlines for inspiration.

If you’re following along in HeyGen, these scripts are already built into your template.

Access templates, including these scripts, here:

Learning Programme

Video Advertisement

Social Influencer Video

Explore script templates and additional tips for popular marketing video formats

→ Video Advertisements
→ Social Influencer Videos
→ How-To Videos
→ Product Explainer Videos

Best Practices: Write Scripts Better and Faster with AI

Running a business means taking on many different roles, so why not let AI help you write your video scripts faster and more effectively? Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini can help you create high-quality scripts in minutes instead of hours. Here is how you can make the most of them.

Step 1: Begin with a clear prompt

• Tell the AI what kind of video you are creating and what you want it to achieve for your business. Include details such as:
• The type of video (for example, educational course module, social media ad, etc.)
• Who it’s for (e.g. new customers, email newsletter subscribers)
• What you want the video to achieve (e.g. drive signups, answer FAQs, showcase your brand)
• The tone or voice (e.g. friendly, expert, fun)

Sample prompt:

"Write a 60-second video script for a luxury property listing targeting buyers from outside the city. The tone should be confident and professional. End with a call to action inviting viewers to book a virtual tour."

Step 2: Add key talking points

Want a more accurate, on-brand script? Include a few quick bullet points about what to highlight.

Example:

• Product/service name
• Key value proposition or feature
• Call to action

Sample prompt:

"Include these points: 123 Bayview Drive is a newly renovated 4-bed, 3-bath with ocean views and a chef’s kitchen. Perfect for remote workers relocating to the coast. CTA: Schedule your private showing today."

Step 3: Ask for the right format

Tell the AI how you will be delivering the video. This helps define the tone and style.

Example:

• A spoken script delivered by the founder
• Will be shared on Instagram Reels
• A casual, human tone

Sample prompt:

"Write this as a spoken script delivered by my AI avatar for Instagram Reels. Keep it friendly, clear, and engaging."

Step 4: Review and refine

Paste the script into HeyGen, preview it with your avatar, and listen. Does it sound like you? If not, refine it with follow-up prompts such as:

• Make it sound more conversational
• Add a hook that grabs attention in the first 3 seconds
• Turn this into a shorter 30-second version for social media
• Include a quick statistic about the neighbourhood
• Try three variations of the closing CTA

Explore scripting in more depth

→ How to craft high-performing video scripts with AI: A practical guide for modern marketers (eBook)

Step 4: Choose the right AI avatar

Your spokesperson sets the tone. Choose a ready-made Public Avatar, create a Custom Avatar that suits your brand, or for the ultimate personal touch, create your digital twin in minutes with HeyGen’s Hyper Realistic Avatar feature!

HeyGen offers several options for creating Custom Avatars. Click the links below to explore the details further.

Best Practices: Creating the Ideal Custom Avatar

Ready to create a professional, lifelike avatar with extensive customisation options? Explore the resources below for tips, best practices, and a quick overview of what you will need to get started.

When creating a Custom Avatar, remember: quality in = quality out. The better your photos, videos, and written prompts, the more realistic and polished your avatar will look.

Whatever is included in your Hyper Realistic Avatar training video – from gestures and facial expressions to vocal inflection – will be reflected in the final result.

Expert Tip

Use HeyGen’s Generating Looks feature to switch your avatar’s pose, surroundings or attire with nothing but a text prompt.

Want to explore this in more depth?

→ Step-by-step guide for creating Hyper-Realistic Avatars

Best Practices: Creating High-Quality Custom AI Voices

HeyGen has a massive library of stock AI-generated voices in over 175 languages, dialects, and emotional tones, but sometimes the perfect video calls for something custom. Below are three ways to create Custom Voices.

For the best voice quality, start with high-quality source audio. Here is how you can get an excellent recording:

• Use a high-quality mic or smartphone, held 6–8" away from your mouth

• Record in a quiet, noise-free environment

• Speak clearly, with natural pauses and a gentle touch of emotion

• Upload multiple samples with different emotional tones for greater versatility (for HeyGen Custom Voice Clones only)

Want to explore this in more depth?

→ Definitive guide to hyper-realistic Custom Voice Cloning

→ Add emotions to your Custom Voice Clone

Best Practices: Prompting Like a Pro

Prompting is the practice of carefully crafting and refining text instructions (called prompts) that are used to guide AI tools to create content from scratch, such as images, motion, or audio.

Prompting is a powerful skill for any AI creator. When paired with HeyGen, prompting unlocks countless ways to create high-impact videos where your imagination is your only limitation! Get ready to experiment and iterate.

Prompting Best Practices

Be specific

The more clearly you describe what you want (tone, appearance, gesture, emotion), the better the AI can match your vision.

Begin with a Clear Structure

Use a consistent structure: what, who, where, how. This applies to visuals, voice tone, and motion direction.

Include Context & Intent

Let the AI know the purpose: is it for a product demo, a social ad, or a tutorial? Providing context helps tailor the result.

Use Descriptive Language

Use adjectives that express emotion, style, or clarity (for example, “confident”, “minimalist”, “high energy”, “calm pace”).

Iterate & Refine

Do not settle for your first attempt. Even small prompt tweaks can lead to significantly better results across all media types!

Prompting best practices can vary slightly depending on what you are creating

Explore the resources below to understand each type in more depth and get the most out of your prompts!

• Prompting best practices, common issues and solutions
• Prompting best practices for generating looks
• Prompting best practices for adding motion

Step 5: Create and refine your scenes in AI Studio

Now that your script and avatar are ready, it’s time to bring your message to life in HeyGen’s AI Studio editor where it’s easy to customize, enhance, and polish every part of your video– no editing experience required!

• Design your scenes in minutes using the Brand Kit or Templates you set up in Step 1.
• Reinforce your message with on-screen text or visuals and trigger them to appear/disappear with Animations.
• Browse HeyGen’s stock media library for high-quality b-roll video, completely royalty-free.
• Use Premium Scene Transitions to give your video a smooth, professional polish.
• Add and customize Captions to make your videos more engaging and accessible.
• Translate your videos to reach learners, colleagues, and audiences across the world

Pro Tip

Create and A/B test multiple versions of your videos to improve performance, drive results, and boost conversions.

Ready to edit like a pro?

→ HeyGen Academy: AI Studio, a comprehensive video course covering HeyGen's editing features

Best Practices: Adjust Pronunciation, Emotions, and Intonation

Need your avatar to sound just right? HeyGen gives you powerful tools to fine-tune voiceovers for natural, accurate delivery that feels true to life.

Want to see how it works in real time?

→ HeyGen Academy: AI Studio - Pronunciation module

Strategies to Scale Your Impact

Whether you are entering new markets, testing what works, or tailoring content for different audiences, these advanced best practices and tools will help you scale your impact with precision.

Go Global with Translation

Learn how to translate and localise your videos into 175+ languages and dialects, with no dubbing or voice actors required.

Use HeyGen’s Brand Voice feature to maintain consistency in translated videos by customising how certain words are handled (i.e., brand name pronunciations, forcing or blocking translation for specific terms).

Enterprise and Team plan users can also make edits directly to translated scripts by using our Proofread feature.

Looking for some inspiration? Have a look at how Trivago used HeyGen to localise TV ads across 30 markets at the same time.

Support Change Management with Flexible, Updatable Content

Change is constant, and your learning materials need to keep up. Whether you are refreshing an entire course module or updating a single training video, traditional content production with re-shoots and editing can turn even a small update into a major effort.

With HeyGen, updating videos takes minutes, not days. Swap out scripts, edit text, change visuals, and generate new versions with just a few clicks. No more bottlenecks. Just fast, flexible video that helps your learners adapt as quickly as your organisation moves. Learn more about using HeyGen for change management.

Personalise At Scale

Add a personal touch to your email campaigns, sales outreach, or customer support with Personalised Videos. By using dynamic elements, such as the viewer’s name or details tailored to their interests, you can create a unique, more engaging experience for each person.

Interactive Avatar

Whether for sales, customer support, or education, Interactive Avatars transform one-way videos into dynamic, two-way conversations. It is a powerful way to boost engagement, personalise experiences, and drive action.

Looking for ideas? Have a look at how getitAI increases ecommerce sales with live, personalised shopping experiences.

Use Case #1: Learning Courses

Whether you are entering new markets, experimenting to see what works, or tailoring content for different audiences, these advanced best practices and tools will help you scale your impact with precision.

Customer Stories & Examples

Ideal For

Educators, consultants, coaches, wellness professionals, product education

Best Practices

Break content into easy-to-digest chunks

Keep each lesson short and focused, ideally 3 to 7 minutes, so it’s easier for your audience to follow, revisit, and retain.

Keep your script clear and conversational

Do not just teach—connect. Use everyday language, simplify technical terms, and bring ideas to life with stories or real-world examples.

Be deliberate with visuals

Use avatar presenters along with screen recordings, demos, or supporting graphics to make your content more dynamic and easier to understand.

Add simple interactivity

Encourage participation with quick knowledge checks, reflection prompts, or simple exercises. Even a single-question quiz can improve retention.

Update easily as your organisation grows

Use HeyGen to revise and refresh content based on feedback or product updates, with no need to re-film everything from scratch.

Key Features

• Animations: add animated text or visuals to highlight key steps, reinforce learning, and keep viewers engaged.
• Templates: streamline creation and keep things consistent. Don’t forget you can customize HeyGen’s stock templates with your brand’s colors!
• Generate Looks: use text prompts to adapt your avatar instructor’s outfit, environment, or pose to fit the subject or audience

Pro tip

If your how-to video needs extra visuals like screen recordings, make sure they align with your script. Start by writing your script, then use the preview button to play the audio while recording your screen in sync with the narration for the best timing.

Ready to dive in deeper?

→ Dive in deeper with our Practical Guide for L&D Professionals eBook

→ Visit our step-by-step guide on creating engaging learning courses

Use Case #2: Video Ads

Customer Stories & Examples

Perfect For

marketing brands, businesses, or services

Best Practices

• Keep videos short. Aim for under 60 seconds to hold attention and increase the chances your audience watches to the end.
• Lead with the value. Share your key message or benefit right away. Don’t wait until the end to tell people what’s in it for them.
• Match the your message to your goal. Adjust the video’s style, length, and call to action based on where it’ll appear, whether it's an Instagram Reel, a website landing page, or a customer email.
• Think mobile first. Most people will watch on their phones, so keep the framing tight, the pacing quick, and the visuals easy to follow.
• Make your edits pop. Use simple text animations, product shots, or customer examples to keep your video from feeling flat or static.
• Test and improve over time.Try different versions of your hook, message, or CTA to see what drives the most clicks, calls, or sales, then do more of what works.

Top Features

• Product Placement: add physical products to your videos with a click.
• Generate Looks: make your avatar more dynamic by switching their pose, surroundings or attire with nothing but a text prompt.

Pro tip

Here's a tried and true script structure from social media producer George “GG” Gossland of Favoured:

• Hook – Something visually weird or unexpected.
• Problem – What challenges is your viewer facing?
• Solution – How does the product or service alleviate those challenges?
• USPs – aka “unique selling point.” Show the features that stand out!
• CTA – Always give viewers something to do next.

Ready to level up?

→ Watch a step-by-step tutorial for creating video ads

→ Dive into HeyGen’s 5 ways to improve your video ads and performance ebook

Use Case #3: Social Influencer Video

Customer Stories & Examples

Perfect For

Businesses that thrive on social proof, including: product-based businesses (skincare, decor, etc.), service-based businesses (real estate, coaches, consultants), niche or passion-based businesses (pet brands, eco-conscious companies).

Best Practices

• Hook viewers fast. Aim to grab attention in the first 1-2 seconds with motion, bold text, or a compelling visual.
• Design for silent autoplay. Use captions, text overlays, and visual storytelling since many users watch without sound.
• Keep it short. Less is more. Aim for under 15-30 seconds on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. Adjust your script speed using advanced voice settings.
• Frame it for the feed. Use vertical (9:16) or square formats depending on the platform. Avoid landscape orientation unless you’re posting to YouTube.
• Lead with the “aha.” Highlight the transformation, benefit, or emotional payoff early, not just the product features.
• Make it look native. Use platform trends, faster-paced creator-style edits, or UGC avatars to blend into the feed.

Top Features

• UGC avatars: browse hundreds of AI-generated stock avatars with an authentic content creator feel.
• Captions: make sure your message gets through, even when the sound is off.

Pro tip

Here’s a high-performing content structure used by top creators across TikTok, Reels and Shorts:

1. Scroll-stopping visuals: open with bold text, motion or a surprising visual to halt the scroll
2. Relatable moment: reflect a real pain point or “I’ve been there” situation to build an instant connection
3. Transformation or payoff: show the value of your product in action
4. Creator POV: use voiceover or on-screen text to narrate with a personal, authentic tone
5. Simple CTA: make the next step obvious! (“Try this,” “watch more,” or “visit website.”)

Ready to dive in deeper??

→ Watch a step-by-step tutorial for creating social influencer videos

→ Dive into HeyGen’s ebook 5 ways to improve your video ads and performance