There’s lots of pressure to perform well, create the perfect set-up, and have the confidence to post it online.
You already know how effective video content can be for your business – you just have a few questions and don’t know where to turn, right?
That’s why Fiona from Locus Coaching and I have teamed up to help you create high-quality video content with confidence!
We’re answering all your FAQ’s right now – you can also join my weekly newsletter to get more tips sent directly to your inbox – learn more here.
Q: Do I need to be a professional public speaker/presenter to be good in front of the camera?
A: Speaking is a skill, one that you need to a high degree if you are going to make a living actually speaking.
What Fiona has heard a lot is, “But I am only speaking to promote my business, no one expects me to be an expert speaker, as long as I cover all my points it’s fine – right? ”
“I mean anyone can speak – right?”
“It’s my message that is important – right?”
Well…
Ask yourself honestly, when you hear someone speak – are you only concentrating on the content?
The research says that in the first two minutes of any speech, the part that has the most impact is the delivery.
Then there is the fact that on screen you have only 3 seconds to grab the attention as someone is scrolling through.
The brain is attracted to varied tonality in the voice, eye contact and strong definite body language. If you are not speaking with energy and interest you run the risk of boring your audience and they will scroll on by.
Most people can speak but not everyone can naturally speak well in every situation and be heard.
When you are on screen and promoting your product or service you want to come across as natural and engaging.
But being on screen is an “unnatural set – up”, so you need to know what to “do” to come across as natural and engaging. It won’t be the same as when you are just having a conversation one to one in a room with someone.
Of course, the message is the most important thing, but it will be lost if your delivery is poor.
You yourself are also your message because people are looking to buy from you. The nonverbal part of your speech is the part that conveys your credibility, your sincerity, your expertise and inspires the audience to listen.
If you are a naturally born orator, you are probably not reading this, if you aren’t then learning some of the skills of speaking, and taking on the tool kit of the public speaker is a must if you want to grab the attention.
Q: Is it alright if I read it?
A: It can be so tempting to read it. When we are fixated on the script and the content rather than realising that our viewer needs to get an impression of us rather than what we are saying in order to want to work with or buy from us.
When you are reading – it always looks like reading – and who wants to look at someone reading. The vital part of putting yourself on screen is to make a connection with your audience.
Professional newsreaders and presenters use on-screen autocue devices.
There are some on the market for us to use as well. The problem is that reading from a teleprompter is also a skill that you have to learn and really requires a lot of work to give the appearance of talking naturally.
Fiona confesses that she’s turned off so many videos where the speaker was manically staring at what is clearly an autocue device with no change of expression in the eyes – so obviously reading.
Of course, there are times when reading can be very acceptable to the viewer; perhaps when you are giving an exact quote from someone else for example, or quoting some exact facts and figures.
However, would you trust someone who had to read out what they did and what their purpose was? Isn’t that part of who you are? Subliminally this can adversely affect your credibility in the eyes of the audience.
Q: Do I need to invest a lot of money into video?
A: Absolutely not, if you want to create a video for social media or for your vlog – then you can create a great quality video using just your mobile phone.
There’s no need to invest in expensive hardware such as a microphone or other equipment right away if you are a complete beginner.
You really should be focusing on getting comfortable in front of the camera first, and then as you gain more confidence, you may want to look into purchasing some more sophisticated equipment for your recording set up. But this is only necessary when you feel it’s time to level up your video content.
The real importance is not what equipment you have or how much it costs, but how you use it.
Be sure that no matter how much you’ve invested, that you’re setting yourself up for success, literally.
Start by making sure that your camera lens is placed at eye level. This creates the impression of a real life conversation and captures your audience’s attention.
Then, you want to speak directly to the camera and focus on looking at the camera lens. This creates that eye contact you normally have when speaking with someone sat across the table whilst sipping your coffee or tea.
You want to use your video content as a tool to establish a connection with your audience to build trust and a sense of communication.
Just as you would if you were meeting your client in person and look them straight in the eye, you want to look right into the camera and give them the same sense of making eye contact.
Finally, make sure that your camera is placed in a stable position and not wobbling. This means propping your phone up or using some kind of tripod if you have one.
In any case, you don’t want to be holding it in your hand or have someone else holding it, as our hands are not steady and a shaky recording is very distracting to an audience – not to mention it looks unprofessional, unless it was an intention for doing so and a very good reason, too.
Q: Do I need to know how to use professional editing software?
A: Nope! To be able to create engaging content videos you just need to show up and share valuable tips and information.
For this, you can simply record yourself on your phone in one take.
I always encourage this when people are just starting out.
Just simply point, shoot, and record for no longer than a minute.
While one minute might not seem like a lot of time, I promise you can share a lot of value in that time AND communicate the essence of your brand at the same time.
I encourage this one-take method for a number of reasons:
It makes the process simple and you won’t need to edit (meaning you definitely don’t need to worry about navigating any editing software)
It encourages you to keep your video brief, and to the point (no rambling, and just focusing on value)
It is short enough to keep your audience engaged and allow you to maintain an authentic conversation style
The reality is, when you’re a beginner you’re probably going to feel quite nervous on camera and this can make recording challenging enough – without mastering high-tech editing software.
My advice to my clients is always: keep it simple.
I understand wanting to create exciting video content that has lots of exciting special effects or features, but the truth is – lots of editing can come across disingenuous or artificial, especially if it is not done well.
When you feel more comfortable with creating video content then you still don’t need to invest in expensive editing software, you can use simple apps on your mobile phone (most of which have free versions available) that allow you to simply drag and drop your video clips.
As you can see, the key to creating great video content is YOU!
It really comes down to you showing up as your authentic self and with some direction from the experts, you can easily produce your own content right at home.
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