How to Generate Consistent Leads for Your Video Production Business
This is part two in a short series where I’m unpacking what’s actually working in my video business right now.
Last month was the best month we’ve ever had. Not by a small margin either. It was clearly different. And rather than just enjoying the result and moving on, I wanted to slow down and understand why. To identify the specific things that made the difference, so they can be repeated. And so you can apply the same thinking in your own business.
In part one, we talked about the power of repeat business. Long-term client relationships. Trust. Familiarity. The compounding effect of doing good work for good people over time.
But even strong repeat clients will not carry your business forever.
At some point, you need new opportunities coming in. Consistently. Predictably. Not because you got lucky. Not because someone happened to mention your name. But because you are doing something deliberate to make that happen.
That’s what this part is about.
The Danger of Depending on the Kindness of Strangers
There is a play by Tennessee Williams called A Streetcar Named Desire. Many people know it through the film adaptation starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh. If you are a filmmaker or a creative, it is essential viewing.
One of the central characters is Blanche DuBois.
When we first meet her, she appears elegant and self-possessed. She arrives in New Orleans dressed in white, carrying her suitcase, speaking with a refined Southern charm. She seems articulate, theatrical, confident. Like someone who is used to being admired.
She presents herself as someone above the chaos around her. Someone who belongs to a more graceful world.
Over time, that image unravels.
Near the end of the play, Blanche delivers one of the most famous lines in theatre history:
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
It is a haunting line. Poetic. Vulnerable. And deeply tragic.
Because what she is really saying is that she has no agency. She drifts from one person to the next, hoping someone else will rescue her. Waiting for kindness to appear. Hoping someone will save her from the consequences of not taking control.
That line has always stayed with me. And over the years, it has started to feel like an uncomfortable metaphor for a certain type of video production business owner.
Talented. Interesting. Capable.
And quietly dependent on the kindness of clients.
When Talent Is Not the Problem
I regularly meet video business owners who proudly say some version of this:
“We’ve never really needed to do marketing. Our work just sells itself.”
Every time I hear it, I get a chill up my spine.
Because I know what is sitting underneath that statement.
What it usually means is this:
They rely on referrals.
They wait for introductions.
They hope past clients remember them at the right moment.
They feel lucky when the phone rings.
And look, referrals are great. They are a sign that people trust you. They are earned. They matter.
But referrals are not a strategy.
When you depend entirely on word of mouth, you give away control. You are no longer choosing when work comes in, who it comes from, or how your business grows. You are reacting to other people’s timing, budgets, and priorities.
You are floating.
Hope becomes the plan.
And hope is not a business plan.
My Own Experience With This
For the first five, probably ten years of running my video business, I was largely dependent on the kindness of strangers.
I did not have a consistent, dependable source of leads that I was generating myself.
Things mostly worked. And it was not pure luck. I did good work. I treated clients well. That led to repeat business and referrals.
But underneath it all, there was always a quiet tension.
Not knowing where the next job was coming from.
Not knowing when things might slow down.
Operating on blind faith that something would appear.
And occasionally, things did go quiet.
About fifteen years ago, I went through a stretch where the business went quiet. No calls. No emails. Nothing. I talked about this in detail in one of my early podcast episodes, How to Survive the Quiet Times in Business.
Coming out the other side of that period, I made a promise to myself.
I would do everything in my power to not let that happen again.
The way you insulate yourself from those moments is not by hoping harder. It is by building and refining a source of consistent leads.
Predictability Changes Everything
There are no guarantees in business. Past results do not ensure future outcomes. That is always true.
But today, because of the systems we have in place, I can predict with a high degree of accuracy how many new leads will come into my business each week, and where they will come from.
That alone changes how you show up.
In my video business, those leads come from a combination of:
• Organic search
• Highly targeted pay-per-click advertising
• Networking and referrals
Every video business will have a different mix. There is no universal formula.
The key is not the channel itself. The key is turning something that works into a system.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Over the past year, I have seen this play out clearly with coaching clients.
One client decided to focus on a single niche. He also discovered that he had a real interest and aptitude for Google Ads. He taught himself the basics, built a campaign, then hired a specialist on Upwork to refine it and educate him further.
The campaign started producing results. As it did, he invested more into it. He refined it. He studied it. Over time, it became consistent and predictable.
Another client joined a local business networking group. Something similar to a chamber of commerce. Rather than treating it casually, he committed. He built relationships. He helped people. He showed up as a valuable participant.
That group became a strong lead source for him, both directly and through referrals.
In my coaching business, I have doubled down on one primary channel.
I could have spread my energy across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and everything else. But if I had done that, this podcast would not have the traction it has today.
Most people who come to me for coaching have been listening for a while. They resonate with the ideas. They trust the way I think. When they reach out, the relationship already exists.
That did not happen by accident.
Choose a Channel That Fits You
The starting point is identifying one lead source or one channel.
Ideally, it is something you are naturally suited to.
If you are analytical and enjoy systems, pay-per-click advertising might be a good fit.
If you are outgoing and enjoy meeting people, networking might work better.
If you are resilient and comfortable with outreach, LinkedIn can be powerful.
If you enjoy teaching and sharing ideas, long-form content might suit you.
For me, podcasting works because I enjoy it. I care about it. I am aligned with the medium.
That matters.
When you choose a channel that fits who you are, it becomes far easier to stick with it long enough to see results.
The Role of Focus
One of the biggest challenges here is distraction.
You commit to LinkedIn outreach for a few weeks. Someone mentions TikTok. You pause LinkedIn and jump platforms. TikTok starts to show promise. Then someone else mentions YouTube.
You keep restarting.
Nothing compounds.
The businesses that succeed do not chase everything. They choose one channel and stick with it until they reach competence, then mastery, or until it becomes clear that the channel is not right for them.
Focus is not a personality trait. It is a decision.
Why This Matters Beyond Money
There are two outcomes that come from building a predictable lead source.
The first is obvious. More business.
The second is just as important.
Peace of mind.
When you know that leads are coming in consistently, you operate differently. You make better decisions. You are less reactive. You are not negotiating from fear.
Uncertainty never disappears completely. That is the nature of business.
But predictability changes the emotional experience of running a company.
It separates you from the majority of businesses that are simply working it out as they go.
A Story About the Lottery
Recently, a friend told me he won one hundred dollars on the lottery. I congratulated him and asked if that was something he did regularly.
He looked surprised.
“Yeah. I buy a ticket every week. Don’t you?”
I told him I had only ever bought a lottery ticket once in my life. Just to experience it.
He was genuinely shocked.
The conversation highlighted something important.
I only want to play games where I can exert some level of influence over the outcome.
Relying entirely on chance has never appealed to me.
That is the difference between depending on the kindness of strangers and choosing not to.
Between surrendering to randomness and taking responsibility for outcomes.
Choosing to Be Chosen
In a previous episode, I talked about the idea of choosing to be chosen.
Accepting that chance exists. But also accepting that you can exert meaningful influence over your results.
This must apply to how you generate leads.
If you have survived so far by relying on referrals or luck, do not push your luck. Convert it into something more durable. Something you can control.
Build systems.
Choose channels deliberately.
Focus long enough for them to work.
Do not wait for strangers to be kind.
Take responsibility for creating your own opportunities.
That is one of the foundations of a sustainable video business.
And it is one of the biggest reasons last month looked the way it did.
Next Step
If this post struck a chord, and you can feel that pull to stop holding back and take your business seriously, this is the work I love doing with clients.
My coaching is for video production business owners who want clearer direction, stronger systems, and the confidence that comes from fully committing to the business they are building.
You can learn more about how the coaching works at ryanspanger.com/coaching when you’re ready.
