How much does a recruiting film cost? Price factors, budget examples and savings tips

A recruiting film — or even recruiting video — is a short, emotional video that shows potential applicants why becoming part of your company is worthwhile. Instead of anonymous job advertisements, you rely on real team spirit, atmosphere and personal insights. The goal: generate attention, build trust — and receive applications.

What is the point of this in practice? According to recent studies, over 75% of job seekers are more likely to opt to apply if they have seen a likeable video beforehand. Recruiting videos therefore help you to target exactly the talents that suit your company faster and in a more targeted manner

Many ask themselves: How much does a recruiting video actually cost — and is it really worth the investment? The answer: Yes — if it is strategically planned. The price depends on various factors:

• Turning volume: How many days of shooting? How many filming locations?
• Average effort: Is it animated, subtitled, dubbed?
• Number of people involved: Interviews, actors, speakers?
• format variants: Are there social media versions or subtitles in multiple languages?
• Music & licenses: Is music from an online library used or is something individual produced?

Exemplary price levels:

• Budget version (1 shooting day, 1 location, 1-2 people): approx. 4,000—8,000 €
  Ideal for smaller companies or individual job profiles. A short interview with an employee is usually filmed, combined with atmospheric sectional images of the workplace. A camera and a compact sound and light situation are often sufficient.
• Standard version (2-3 days of shooting, multiple employees & exports): approx. 8,000—15,000 €
  The sweet spot for many companies. Here is space for several team members in front of the camera, various scenes in everyday working life and also for several length variants of the film — e.g. one version for social media and one for the career page. Individual and high-quality.
• Premium version (multiple locations, drone, animation, music production): starting at 15,000€
  For larger campaigns, image building or international communication. Includes storyboard, professional narrator, animations and possibly multilingual versions. Visually complex elements such as FPV drone flights or motion graphics are also possible here.

Important: The price alone says little about the benefits. A recruiting video that reaches exactly your target group and generates many applications is significantly cheaper in the long term than a poorly converting job ad.

Savings tips:

• Have a film produced with several editing options (e.g. for trainees & professionals)
• Combine video with photo production to make the most of your budget
• Use real employees instead of actors
• Use existing events or meetings as a natural shooting background

How big is the effort for your company?
‍Less than you think. An experienced production team like us from Picture Colada takes care of the concept, filming, direction and post-production. In the best case scenario, all you have to do is give the briefing, coordinate filming dates — and provide coffee. Your service provider should take care of the rest.

Conclusion:
‍A recruiting film doesn't have to be expensive — but it should be professionally made. Because it appeals to the talents of tomorrow. And they often decide in just a few seconds whether to apply — or simply continue clicking on. Use a high-quality recruiting film to stand out in the jungle of applicants and thus speed up your success rate when filling vacant positions.

Tip:
‍Think long-term — once a recruiting film is produced, it can have an effect on many channels for years. And with good storytelling, it is not just a film — but a real door opener for new talent.

Interested? Have a look View our recruiting references at this link. 🎥