How long do you want your video? How many people will be featured in it? Where will they be and what will they be saying? These are a few questions that need to be answered before you can press record. Each video should have a central theme and one focus topic. Just like you split your website content into topics, your videos should be focused. Avoid shoving too much information or subjects into one video, instead create multiple focused videos.
Script for videos
The length of your video should reflect your goal. Keep in mind that about 45% of people tune out after just one minute according to visible measures. If you need to make a longer video, think about breaking it into sections to be more manageable for viewers.
Take your time and write a draft or two so that you’re confident in your message and its clarity, you may even want to have someone read through and proof your script before practicing. Have the people staring in the video practice until they’re comfortable and hitting the overall length you want. Once people start feeling comfortable and you’re confident that your message is clear, you can start filming.
Assemble the tools
You may not have the coolest camera or the latest editing software, but you don’t need them to make a quality video. These are the four things you need.
Clear sound you can even use a smartphone to record sound
You may be wondering how you can get a good quality video from your smartphone, but the cameras on recent phones are phenomenal. Apple ran an advertising campaign that just used images and videos shot on iphones. Check out this video that was shot with an iphone camera.
Now that you have what you’re going to say and how you’re going to record it, it’s time to actually start filming. Take into consideration buying phone numbers noise and lighting when you start recording as those two things can’t really be edited out. Consider using the rule of thirds to get the most visually appealing angle of your subject. Think you got the perfect shot? Take a few more, it never hurts to have more footage to work with and could be hard to get that same angle, lighting, and appearance later when you realize you need it.
Edit & publish
It’s a common misconception that you need spendy software to edit your videos to perfection. But in fact, there are a ton of free editing programs available, here are 20 to get you started. As you’re editing, make sure your message is still clear. When you finish editing, have a few different sets of eyes check it out and provide feedback before going live.
Youtube is a great platform to share videos that people may be searching for
Tutorials, instructional, and other IS Lists educational videos perform really well on this platform. The graph below shows the likelihood that someone will watch your video based on length.
When you’re ready to post, upload your video(s) to youtube, vimeo, or a similar service for easy embedding on your website and social sharing. When you’re finished you’ll have a high quality video that you didn’t have to break the bank to produce.
