How Much Does a Business Video Cost in Minnesota? Look, I’m gonna be Honest With You.
Doing it live…
Here's the thing about searching for video production pricing online: you'll find a lot of answers, and almost none of them will actually help you. "$500 to $50,000" is technically accurate in the same way that "a car costs between $800 and $3 million" is technically accurate. True. Useless.
I've been making videos for businesses across Minnesota — and increasingly Florida — for over a decade now, and the pricing question comes up in virtually every first conversation I have. So rather than hide behind a contact form and make you book a call just to find out if we're even in the same postcode financially, let me just… tell you.
First, the honest bit nobody puts in writing
Video pricing is genuinely variable. I know that sounds like a cop-out but bear with me, because understanding why it varies is actually the useful information here.
A 90-second brand film for a local contractor is a completely different animal to a 90-second brand film for a financial advisory firm that needs multiple locations, on-camera talent, motion graphics and legal sign-off on every word of the script. Same length. Different planet, budget-wise.
What I can give you is a realistic picture of what projects like yours tend to cost in the real world — not the aspirational world of agency rate cards, and not the worrying world of "my nephew has a camera."
What things actually cost
Social media content — $500 to $2,000
Short-form video for Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube. Typically a half-day shoot, a handful of finished pieces you can actually use. I've had clients walk away from a single half-day with enough content to cover six weeks of posting. If you're a business that needs a steady drip of professional-looking content without remortgaging to get it, this is where we'd start.
Testimonial and case study videos — $1,000 to $3,500
Real people, real words, real results. In my experience these are among the highest-converting pieces of content a business can own, and they're also some of my favourite things to make — there's something deeply satisfying about helping someone articulate why they love what they do or who they work with. One to three interviews, shot on location, edited into something you'll actually want to share.
Brand and marketing films — $2,500 to $8,000
The proper one. The video that lives on your homepage, plays at your next event, and gets sent to every new prospect for the next three years. This takes time to do properly — pre-production conversations, a real shoot day, considered editing, colour grading, licensed music. Done well, it's the best investment in your brand you'll make this year. Done badly, it's an expensive reminder of why you should have taken more time choosing your videographer.
Corporate and internal video — $1,500 to $5,000
Training content, onboarding videos, internal communications. These don't need to be cinematic — they need to be clear, professional and watchable without making your staff want to chew their own arm off. I work with businesses of all sizes on this; the common thread is that the investment in doing it properly pays for itself quickly when you consider the alternative of explaining the same thing to every new hire in perpetuity.
Real estate and drone video — $400 to $1,500
I'm a licensed drone pilot, which matters more than people realise — unlicensed commercial drone operation is illegal, and that's a problem that can land (sorry) firmly in the lap of the agent or seller. Aerial and ground-level property showcase video for listings, developments and commercial properties. A well-shot property video consistently outperforms static photography for online engagement. This one is fairly straightforward to price — get in touch and I'll turn around a quote quickly.
Nonprofit and school video — $1,000 to $4,000
Mission-driven storytelling is genuinely some of my favourite work. If you're trying to move people, to make them feel something real about something that matters — that's exactly the kind of challenge I find interesting. I offer flexible pricing for nonprofits and community organisations. It's worth asking.
What moves the needle on price
Number of days shooting. More locations, more setups, more hours on site. Simple arithmetic, really.
Crew size. I operate lean and deliberately so — it keeps costs manageable without sacrificing quality, and frankly a smaller crew is often less intimidating for the people in front of the camera. Larger productions with multiple cameras and full lighting rigs cost more for good reason, but aren't always necessary or even better.
Motion graphics. If your video needs animated text, data visualisation or logo work, that's additional post-production time. Worth knowing upfront so it doesn't become a surprise.
Revision rounds. I build a standard revision round into every project. More rounds mean more time, which means more cost. The single best way to keep this down is a really clear brief at the start — something I'll always help you put together.
Rush turnaround. I can usually accommodate urgency, but compressed timelines have a cost. Plan ahead where you can.
A word about the lower end of the market
I'll tread carefully here because I have no interest in being snobbish about this. But I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't say it: a $150 "videographer" with a consumer camera and free editing software is not the same thing as a professional business videographer, and the difference will be visible in the finished product.
I've had clients come to me after a disappointing cheap project, needing a reshoot, and the reshoot always costs more than doing it properly the first time would have. Professional audio (bad sound destroys video faster than anything else), proper lighting, colour grading, licensed music, and an understanding of how to frame a story for a business audience — these things take real equipment, real experience and real time.
You get what you pay for is a cliché because it keeps being true.
So where does that leave you?
If you're a small or medium business in the Twin Cities investing in video for the first time, here's a practical way to think about it:
$1,500 to $3,500 gets you something genuinely professional that will represent your brand well and outperform anything you could DIY.
$3,500 to $7,000 gets you something you'll be proud to put on your homepage, show at an event, or hand to an investor.
Below $1,000 for a branded business video is possible, but come with realistic expectations about what's achievable.
Let's actually talk about your project
Every project starts with a conversation, and I genuinely enjoy that part — working out what someone actually needs, what story they're trying to tell, and how to get there without spending more than necessary to do it well.
No obligation, no hard sell. If you have something in mind — even a vague something — I'm happy to chat it through.
Prior Lake, Minnesota. Serving the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota and Florida.