From Edie: Learn YouTube best practices for writers—how to film engaging videos with strong lighting, sound, backgrounds, and hooks that attract and keep viewers watching.
by Samantha Evans Tschritter @LoveSamEvans
From background to pacing to content, learn how to record videos viewers want to watch
1. Video Set-Up Checklist
Background:
- Turn on your camera. Examine the background.
- Remove clutter.
- Think of the background as the props on a stage. Do you have books or awards or marketing swag to display?
- Use props—a coffee mug, candle, flowers, throw pillows—bonus points if the colors match your brand. (That’s another vlog.)
Lighting:
- Eliminate shadows
- Avoid harsh, overhead light, which creates dark circles under your eyes.
- Use a ring light or try facing a window with sunlight coming in.
- Utilize sheer curtains.
- If all else fails, the lighting across your face is the priority.
Appearance
- Does the color of your clothes wash out or darken your complexion?
- Wear your brand colors if you look good in them.
- Does the style of the clothing match the feel of the video—casual, formal, inviting, clinical, spooky, whimsical?
- Ladies, wear make-up.
- Gentlemen, apply facial moisturizer prior to filming and consider eye-liner—just enough for your eyes to stand out.
- Check your hair for fly-aways, bumps, or bedhead.
2. 1/3 : (This 1/3 principle is demonstrated in the attached video.)
- Record yourself horizontally, unless you’re specifically recording a short
- When you record yourself, try to take up only 1/3 of the screen to attain the correct proportion for future shorts.
- Position yourself on the left or right, not in the middle. This leaves room for text and images during video editing.
3. Music
- Do NOT play music in the background. Copyright blah, etcetera, blah.
4. Background Noise
- Testing, testing: Speak into the camera. Does the sound quality change if you move or turn your head?
- Check the sound quality. I use blue tooth headphones to sit further back. Decent microphones are available for $20-$99.
- Does your video-editing software have a noise-reducing option?
- Voice-overs sound crisp if you put a blanket over your head—and no one needs to know you tried it. 😂 (I did NOT use that method for the attached video.)
- Close doors, put your phone on do not disturb. Avoid sitting too close to humming appliances—space heaters, air conditioners, air fryers, refrigerators. Even certain lights buzz.
5. Batching Content
Video set-up takes time—clothes, make-up, background, and lighting. Record more than one video at a time.
Minor adjustments to your appearance:
- Grant the illusion of recording on different days.
- Help when editing multiple videos during the same time frame
- Simplify scheduling shorts
Simple ways to alter appearance when batching content:
- A scarf
- A tie
- Suit coat
- Sweater
- Hair up—hair down—hair somewhere in between
- A hat
- Turn the camera for a background change.
6. Script-bullets
Do you work best from a script? Notes? Bullet points? Know yourself and lean into your strengths. I actually garnered these ten tips from watching the video, backwards from how I typically operate. When you watch the video, see if you can find the places where using an outline could have served me better.
For “Best Video-Recording Practices” I hit record and started speaking to demonstrate that the best practice for recording a video is—to record the video. I also left several shots out that I would otherwise have deleted—thinking out loud about what to say next and muttering about killing my husky. My goal was to help you feel at ease if you’re just starting out recording videos.
7. Fiction
Regarding a Youtube channel, many fiction writers say, “What would I talk about?” I demonstrate multiple ideas in “Best Video Recording Practices.” Here are some ideas to think about. Create a playlist for each book or series—whether the book is published or not, this will gain interest.
Example:
Playlist and book title: Lakeshore Mysteries, Book One: The Lakeshore’s Secret
Video Ideas:
- Plot teasers
- Optional endings
- Optional chapters/ deleted scenes
- Character profiles (one video for each character)
- Setting—quirks and unique features of the chosen setting that lend to the plot. Five feet of snow in May, in Pequot Lakes, MN? Many people can’t fathom that. Flowers blooming in November? The setting of your book is more unique than you realize.
- Plot holes—talk through problems on camera
- Writer’s block? Work Tasha out of laundry room on a live or recorded video. We’re talking to ourselves all the time anyway. Might as well hit record.
- Reels for upcoming events
- The writing process
8. Non-Fiction Ideas
- Break chapters into multiple video segments and discuss the concepts
- Interview people related to your target market
- Read excerpts from your book
- Trailer
- Deleted chapters
- Why did you write your book?
- The writing process
Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, STICK TO YOUR NICHE. Don’t insert random videos about gardening, weight loss, or vacations. You will lose your audience. Once your channel is established, consider an “About the Author” playlist that represents no more than ten percent of your content.
9. The First Seconds
Every video intro needs four components right at the start:
- A hook. The best-performing reels have three hooks within the first three seconds. Yes, you heard that right. Three hooks in three seconds. Video hooks can include:
- A compelling statement
- A question
- Music
- Captions
- Headers on the screen
- Video movement—walking into the frame, zooming in or out
- A fun video transition
- Compelling editing
- One sentence description of what the video is about
- Introduction
- Faster speech than in the rest of the video
Example: Did people say dumb things to you when you grieved a loss? My name is Samantha Evans Tschritter. I am the Grief Advocate: Unedited and in this video, I’ll share sucker-punch comments and how to respond when a well-meaning person says something hurtful.
These words, spoken quickly, help the viewer determine the video is for someone in grief. We’re not trying to trick people beyond our target audience to watch the video. This strategy doesn’t serve long-term growth. We’re not pretending to be someone we’re not. We’re presenting our content with confidence.
10. Keywords
Youtube, as well as other social media platforms, pay attention to the first words spoken and typed on the screen. Be intentional about the first words spoken in your video.
Does This Help? Overwhelmed?
This is a lot to take in. Even though I know what to do, I’m still learning how to put all these pieces into practice and I don’t always get it right. Just remember:
- You’ll get better with practice.
- Your story matters. God laid those topics and themes on your heart for a reason—the world needs to hear them.
- Don’t get discouraged. Take baby steps toward progress.
“Best Video Practices” was designed to demonstrate how you can record a compelling video with very few tools. Make sure you subscribe to Youtube: @Writing_Unedited so you don’t miss future content.
TWEETABLE
Don't miss the rest of this YouTube for Writers Series!
Tschritter currently resides in Simpsonville, South Carolina with her husband, their three teen and preteen daughters, cats named Pitter and Patter, and their Siberian husky whom she lost the vote to name Onomatopoeia. Nothing refreshes Tschritter’s soul like gardening. She gardens to work through plot holes, writer’s block, character development, and book ideas. Tschritter spends a great deal of time gardening. You can find her on social media at Linktr.ee/LoveSamEvans.
No comments:
Post a Comment