In the first video of this series we talked about the 5 steps - Planning, Preparation, Production, Optimization, Promotion - you need to follow when you start with Video Content Marketing.
Now let’s move on to Step 2 - “Preparation”. Here there are 2 approaches again. The fully scripted and the bullet point approach. Fully scripted means that you write out every sentence. Bullets mean that you write out only 3-5 bullets and plan to talk to each one for a minute or so.
Most business YouTubers prefer the bullet approach because they can show their personality more. But that takes practice… AND you need to be somewhat charismatic. They often say that it takes them 20-30 videos before their quality and comfort level are good enough. And it also requires quite heavy editing when you’re not fully scripted… which adds to your timeline and cost.
With the bullet point approach, it’s not uncommon to shoot a 10-15 minute video, send it to a video editor, and end up with 3-4 minutes of tight video content. Because if you drag on for too much or go off on too many tangents, your audience will disengage. Especially when you’re first starting out and they don’t care much about you yet. Later on, when you have a loyal following and they like your personality, you can start being more casual, going behind the scenes, and showing even more of your personality because they’ll really care.
We recommend the fully-scripted approach, especially if you’re coming to the studio because we can make sure you look great and you won’t feel stressed at all. You don’t have to remember what you said, or think about what you’re GOING to say. It’s all there for you, so you can relax and start moving your hands, and have fun with it. So you’ll be more dynamic.
Again, the goal is to make the execution as simple and comfortable for you so you’ll get in the habit of doing it.
Now the problem with doing scripted videos from your home or office is that you might have to deal with “eye travelling”. That’s when the viewer notices that your eyes are moving because you’re reading from a screen that’s too close to you. Whereas if you’re in a studio, the teleprompter is much farther so eye travelling is NOT as noticeable.
So if you’re at home, it depends on how comfortable you are in front of the camera. If it’s not coming naturally to you, you can fully script your videos, and use slides so people don’t necessarily see you reading off a script. And as you get more comfortable being in front of the camera, you can transition to bullets and showing yourself more and more.
It’s a learning curve, and the more you practice the better you’ll get. Some successful business YouTubers have been producing videos at a rate of one per day, and it takes them months to get comfortable! Of course, you don’t have to make such a huge commitment… starting with 1 video a week is perfect!