I’ve been creating travel and drone videos on Youtube since 2020, below are six lessons I’ve learned that will help you to make better videos.
1. Help people
No one gives a crap about you. Sorry. It’s not personal, but most people don’t want to personally know you.
The sooner you can help people, the sooner you can make it less about YOU and more about the VIEWER, the faster will follow and will love you. People are bombarded constantly with incredible amounts of content. They are weeding through it for things that will educate, inspire or entertain them. I focus on educating people IN inspiring and entertaining ways.
Think: Edu-tainment
This is what has worked for me. By GIVING first vs. selling first or asking for something first, you can create a true fan of YOU and your work.
2. Talk to the camera like its your BFF
It is not a corporate presentation. The world is a boring place filled with lots of boring people. Don’t be one of them.
Imagine on the other side of the camera is your best friend. Your bestie. The more YOU and the more PERSONABLE you can be, then the more relatable and likeable you will be. Which leads to..
3. Be you
It’s the ONLY thing that differentiates you. Want to know how many other people talk about travel? Just me. HAHA. NOT. One ga-jillion people talk about travel.
But NO ONE talks about travel like me. Because they are not me.
The faster you can realize your secret sauce that differentiates you from everyone else is YOU.. and the harder you can lean into that, the faster you can differentiate yourself.
No one is you. Only you are you. DO NOT forget this.
4. Be consistent
This rule apply for all platforms. For instagram, for facebook, for youtube, for twitter, for tik tok, for linkedin. For everywhere.
Is the last time you posted a few weeks ago? It’s not enough. And it’s not consistent. Give people a REASON to subscribe and follow. Why would I subscribe to something that happens 12x/year? Can’t I just check in at the end of the year and then binge watch everything?
Create content and consistently put it out. Just because you created five things doesn’t mean you should blast them all at once. Find a schedule that works for you and STICK to it.
I see consistency as both a professional thing to do as a creator and a CREATIVE CHALLENGE.
5. Create a community
These are SOCIAL media platforms. Key word? SOCIAL. If you think you’re just blasting… you’re wrong. I spend equal amounts of time listening as I do talking.
Engage with people. Ask what they want to see and hear. Create FOR your audience because without them, let’s be real: you’re talking to yourself.
You are NOT a creator without an audience. But why stop there? Don’t just have a following, have a COMMUNITY.
6. Your camera gear doesn’t matter
You don’t need a pro camera. Or a light. Or a mic. Or a laptop. I shot the first100 videos on my YouTube channel using just my iPhone and edited them on my iPhone.
My champagne is fancy. My gear is not.
Bottom line
Creating for video gives you the opportunity to have someone become your BIGGEST FAN. A picture says a thousand words, but video? Video says 10,000 words. If someone is willing to watch YOUR FACE talk and help them, especially in LONG FORM (5+ minute video content), they will become a much bigger fan of you than they would looking at a single photo you took of your avocado toast.
There is no denying it. The future is video content. So get out there and turn on your camera.