How to make a new hire welcome video (with 10 prompts)
A welcome video gives a new hire a face and a voice before their first meeting. Here is a structure that works, ten prompts to borrow, and how to keep it quick.
Why video beats a welcome email
A welcome email says the right things. A short video lets the new hire see who is saying them. Tone, humor and warmth come through in seconds, and the person on screen becomes someone you can recognize in the hallway or in a meeting.
The goal is small: when the new hire opens their laptop on day one, a few faces are already familiar.
A structure that works in 30 to 60 seconds
- Say your name and role. One sentence.
- Say what you do with them. How your work touches theirs.
- Share one human detail. A hobby, a favorite lunch spot, a pet.
- Offer one thing. A coffee, a first-week walkthrough, a question you will answer.
Anything longer than a minute gets skipped. Aim for 30 seconds.
Ten prompts to start from
- What do you do here, in two sentences?
- What is the best thing about working with our team?
- What do you wish someone had told you in your first week?
- What is one thing outside work you love?
- Who should the new hire meet first, and why?
- What is a good first project to ask about?
- What is your favorite way to start a Monday?
- What is the best piece of advice you have received?
- What is something people are surprised to learn about you?
- What can the new hire ask you for?
Recording tips
Hold the phone vertically at eye level, face a window, and record in one take. A small stumble is fine and makes the video feel real. Skip music and editing.
Let people choose between recording on camera and skipping if they would rather not. A video that someone dreads makes a worse first impression than none.
Roll it out before day one
Collect the videos from the manager, the team and the people the new hire will work with, then share them together. In Mucho Gusto, a new-hire welcome playlist assembles this from your org chart so it is ready on day one.