Are you interested in creating more video content, but you just don’t love the way you look on camera? You’re definitely not alone.
This is one of 5 barriers I’ve seen that have stopped people in their tracks from making more video content. Most people just do not love the way they look and/or sound. Including myself, and I’m in the business.
Then there’s the time commitment. Feeling uncomfortable. Unable to bring our authentic selves in front of the camera. Read on for the main reasons that people are not doing a better job of marketing themselves on video, and how you can get over all of it right now.
1. Get over yourself.
In my pre-family days as a competitive cyclist,I was on a team, had a coach, and we raced every week at the local velodrome. One thing our coach would remind us every time we got together – he’d say “Don’t forget! Everyone else around you is just as tired as you! Everyone is hurting just as much as you! So what YOU need to do is TURN IT UP when the time is right. If their mind is weaker than yours, you’ll win. Even if their legs are stronger.”
In marketing, especially when it’s time to get on camera and promote ourselves and our brand, nothing could be more true. Either get over yourself and overcome your insecurities or the others out there who magically seem to be 100% comfortable are going to win against you on video.
What helps me is knowing that I’m not alone. Most of us have things we feel insecure about, and usually those things come out on camera. But the only thing you need to worry about people judging is your authenticity. Be earnest, authentic, and do your best to provide valuable information and there will be nothing for anyone to judge.
Most of all, realize that you have a massive wealth of value to deliver. We all have our things that we do exceptionally well. We have our unique perspectives on things. We have learned hard lessons that others could grow from. You should never run out of content. So you’ve got a lot of video recording ahead. So step 1: get over yourself!
2. Record more videos
It’s all about repetition! You’ve heard this all your life – practice, practice, practice. Getting comfortable in front of the camera is DEFINITELY one of those things. And I’m going to need to practice what I preach here, too. So this is my commitment that I’m going to make in real time. I’m going to record one video per day for 5 days. The theme of these videos: Mark’s Video Tips For Average People. I’m committing to elaborating on each of these 5 tips all in separate short videos. Follow along here.
3. Stop scripting yourself
Of all of the tips in this post, this one might be the hardest. But it’s my opinion that scripts on teleprompters are killing your personality. I don’t blame the teleprompters. They’re great tools for making good videos. There are times when we need to record something truly important that warrants hours of time investment. But for getting into a rhythm of producing short 2 minute daily videos, we have to find ways to be more efficient with our time.
Also, teleprompters have other disadvantages. When we focus so much on words scrolling across a teleprompter, suddenly our personalities become robotic, our expressions are less authentic, and we’re not delivering our real selves.
Instead, put talking points on the teleprompter. Go through each one naturally. Don’t overthink it. Don’t worry about leaving things out. You can always record a follow up. Shorter videos are better anyway, so if you end up with 5 really short videos because you kept forgetting to talk about things, you’ll actually be better off for it. For your short form daily videos, I challenge you to avoid a teleprompter completely.
4. The one-take challenge
Stop wasting your time by recording, reviewing, re-recording, reviewing, re-recording, reviewing, re-recording…. Before you know it, it’s going to be 11 PM and you missed out on valuable time with your spouse and kids who went to bed without you telling them goodnight. There is no video out there worth time away from your family. So get them done, fast. Settle for imperfections and remember #1 in this list – you need to get over yourself. Challenge yourself to get your video done in one take. Challenge yourself to record and publish a video in less than 20 minutes. It’s possible. But only if you’re OK settling for some imperfections. If you keep practicing, you’ll get better. As my friend Epictetis always says, “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid”.
5. Talk loud, and don’t hide your personality
When I’m around my family, I’m loud, I’m animated, I’m a little crazy, and sometimes a bit juvenile. They know and love me for that (most of the time), and your audience will, too. I’m not telling you to try to be a comedian in your videos. I’m saying that we should all relax a little. Be yourself. Use your hands. Don’t filter your language. Forget about what you think people will think about you. If you have friends, they probably love your personality, and so will your audience. And if they don’t love your personality, then for these people, it wasn’t meant to be. Why would you even want to attract an audience that you constantly have to be fake around? That’s an exhausting proposition, and it will always lead to failure.
I want to conclude here with an ask – leave a comment and tell me what’s keeping you from recording more video content? Did you know that… While 51% of consumers are turning their attention to YouTube in 2022, only 35% of marketers are investing in the platform? That’s a direct quote from a really great article I read this morning. Shout out to Aubree Smith for a great read at Sprout Social.