If you are in HR or talent and someone has asked you to “get a recruitment video”, the first question is always the same: what is this going to cost? The honest answer is that it depends on a handful of decisions you can make before you ever speak to a videographer. Make those well and you get a film that actually brings in applications, without paying for things you do not need.
This guide covers what moves the price of a recruitment or employer brand video, the typical shapes of a project, the hidden costs, and how to make one budget stretch across your careers page, LinkedIn and job ads.
The short version
- The biggest cost drivers are shoot days and edits, not the camera.
- One well planned day can give you a main film, short cutdowns and careers page photos.
- Real staff beat actors and scripts, and they cost less.
- Recruitment video usually comes from HR budgets, so plan it against cost per hire, not marketing spend.
1. What a recruitment video is actually for
A recruitment video has one job: help the right people decide to apply, and help the wrong people decide not to. That second part matters. A film that shows the real working day, the pace, the team and the culture filters applicants before they ever reach your inbox, which saves time for everyone.
That goal should shape the budget. You are not making an advert. You are making something honest and watchable that lives on your careers page, on LinkedIn, inside job ads and in the inbox of candidates before interview. My guide on what to include in a recruitment video goes deeper on content.
2. What moves the price
Shoot days
Half a day at one site is very different from two days across three offices. Time is the main cost.
Number of interviews
Each person on camera needs setup time, a relaxed chat and an edit. Four to six voices is typical.
Locations
One building is simple. Multiple sites, vehicles, warehouses or client locations add travel and setup.
Edits and cutdowns
A main film plus short vertical and square versions for social and ads. More versions means more edit time.
Photography
Careers page photos and team portraits shot on the same day, which saves you a second booking.
Extras
Subtitles, graphics, drone, music licensing and translations all add time.
3. Typical project shapes
Most recruitment video projects fall into one of these. Use them as a starting point for your brief.
| Project | What you get | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Single role film | A short film for one hard to fill role, with one or two staff voices | Specialist hires, trainee schemes |
| Employer brand film | A main film about working for you, plus cutdowns for LinkedIn and ads | Businesses hiring across several roles |
| Day in the life series | Short films following individual staff through a real shift | High volume hiring, graduate and apprentice schemes |
| Careers page package | Film, cutdowns and a set of careers page photos from one day | Businesses rebuilding their careers site |
| Always on content | Regular short clips through the year as roles open | Constant hiring, care, hospitality, logistics |
4. Rough budgets
Every brief is different, and I quote each one against what it needs, but as a guide to the UK market:
- A short, single role film from half a day at one site generally sits in the high hundreds to low thousands of pounds.
- A full employer brand film with cutdowns and photos from one full day usually lands in the low thousands.
- Multi site or multi day projects, or a series of films, run higher depending on scale.
Put that next to what an unfilled role costs you each month, or the fees on a single agency hire, and it looks very different. One film works for every role you hire for that year.
5. Where money gets wasted
These are the most common ways recruitment video budgets go further than they need to.
- Scripting staff. People reading lines look nervous and nobody believes them. A relaxed interview gets better answers for less time.
- Hiring actors. Candidates can tell. Your real team is more convincing and costs nothing extra.
- Shooting everything, planning nothing. Without a shot list the day fills with empty corridors and meeting room B roll.
- One long film and nothing else. Most people will see a 20 second clip on LinkedIn, not the three minute version.
- Booking photos separately. Careers page photos can be shot between interviews on the same day.
6. How to plan a shoot day that stretches
Before
Before
Before
On the day
After
7. How I work on recruitment video
I shoot recruitment and employer brand films for businesses across Liverpool, Merseyside and the North West. Every project is quoted against your brief, with no packages to squeeze into. I shoot photos alongside the film so your careers page gets team, workplace and candid shots from the same day, and I ask at the start where the video is going so it is framed for horizontal and vertical from the first shot.
Edits are usually back within 4 to 7 days depending on the size of the project, and I confirm the date against your hiring deadline before you book. If you want to talk it through first, I offer a free call. Email me and we will find a time.
8. How to tell if it is working
Recruitment video is one of the easier kinds of video to measure, because you already track the numbers that matter. Take a baseline before the film goes live and compare three months later.
| Measure | Where to find it | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Applications per role | Your ATS or job boards | More applications for the roles featured |
| Quality of applicants | Shortlist rate from hiring managers | More of the right people, fewer mismatches |
| Careers page time | Google Analytics or Site Kit | Visitors staying longer and clicking apply |
| Video views and completion | LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram insights | Cutdowns watched most of the way through |
| Early leavers | HR records | Fewer people leaving in the first few months |
The last one is often the biggest win. When candidates see the real job before they apply, fewer people start and then realise it is not for them.
Questions people ask
How much does a recruitment video cost in the UK?
It depends on shoot time, locations, the number of people interviewed and how many edits you need. A short single role film often sits in the high hundreds to low thousands of pounds, and a full employer brand film with cutdowns usually lands in the low thousands.
How long should a recruitment video be?
A main film of one to two minutes works well on a careers page, with 15 to 30 second cutdowns for LinkedIn, Instagram and job ads.
Should we use real staff or actors?
Real staff. Candidates trust people who actually do the job, and an unscripted interview comes across far better than lines read to camera.
Can we get photos on the same day?
Yes. Careers page photos, team portraits and candid workplace shots can be taken between interviews, which saves a second booking.
Who pays for a recruitment video, HR or marketing?
Usually HR or talent, measured against cost per hire and time to fill. It often helps marketing too, so some businesses split it.
How quickly can we have the video?
Usually 4 to 7 days after the shoot depending on the size of the project, confirmed against your hiring deadline before you book.
Do you film recruitment videos outside Liverpool?
Yes. I film across Merseyside, Cheshire, Manchester and the wider North West.
More guides for businesses: What to include in a recruitment video · Testimonial video questions · How to look natural on camera · How much does a business video cost
Hiring this year?
Recruitment films, cutdowns and careers page photos from one day
Quoted against your brief, shot with your real team, usually back in 4 to 7 days.