This is a guest post by Sean Platt of Ghostwriter Dad.
A lot of writers make the mistake of assuming video isn’t for them.
This makes sense, were writers. We build our worlds with words not images, right?
Well, yes. But whatever future we’re writing for ourselves will need to be fueled with intelligent marketing, and video offers raw potential like little else.
I made the same mistake, but I’m not making it anymore. Video is already BIG, but it’s going to get BIGGER. Once Google finds a way to index video the way they index copy, it’s game over.
The Time to Start Learning How to Use Video is NOW
Smart writers will get comfortable on video before then. If you don’t develop the skills necessary to capitalize on video, you’re locking a lot doors for your writing career.
If the idea of doing videos makes you uncomfortable, I understand. The same was true for me. I recently recorded a metric ton of videos (over 60 in one week) and so my comfort level is now growing, but when I first started I may as well of been standing on my front porch naked.
Turns out, the cure for getting over your fear of making videos is to make over 60 in a week.
Video is good for you, good for your audience, and good for your future. The best way to get it done is to look in the camera and do it.
The Easy Formula for Making Videos in Minutes
Watch this example of a video I did for my own site to get a feel for just how simple video can be while still being effective.
Follow the soft template below to build a video library in less than 15 minutes per day, then tweak the template to your unique needs, personality and business model.
1. Start with a short script so you know what to say.
This doesn’t have to be detailed, and really shouldn’t be. All you need is a few bullet points so you don’t get lost and can start with a general idea of what you’re going to say on camera.
2. Hit record and let your device run for a minute or two.
Somewhere around 90 seconds or so seems to be the sweet spot for amplifying your views on YouTube. Though your finished video should be no more than a couple of minutes, allow five for recording time.
3. Keep your videos on topic and don’t ramble.
Offer a single tip and keep it specific. If you think of other things to say, keep them in your head, then write them down as soon as you stop recording so you can use your ideas for future videos.
4. When you’re finished with your video, upload it to a video sharing site.
This shouldn’t take longer than three minutes. Once that’s done, spend another three minutes creating a powerful title and description for your video, using appropriate keywords and tags so it’s easy for people to find you.
5. Spend your final few minutes connecting with others in your industry.
Once your video goes live, this is essential. Search by keywords to find other people in your niche, then network intelligently by leaving comments, friending them, and liking their videos.
Follow this formula and you should be able to put out a video each day without it having a dramatic impact on your schedule. Find a regular rhythm, and the video marketing you were once too timid to try can suddenly soar ahead as the most powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal. Need more inspiration? Check out these effective videos made by other writers.
Are You Using Video?
It’s your turn – are you using video to accompany your writing and blogging? Share your video strategies – if you have a favorite video of yours, be sure to link to it and tell us why it’s your favorite in the comments below!
About SeanP
Kikolani covers blog marketing and blogging tips for personal, professional, and business bloggers to succeed in search and social media marketing. Kristi Hines is a 
This is my weak spot, Kristi, but I know I have to get over my video making phobia. These tips will help. It’s on my list to try picking the best tips from my old posts and making them into videos just to see what it looks like, even if I don’t share the trials.
Sharon Hurley Hall recently posted 3 Steps Every Freelance Writer Needs To Take To Prepare For The Summer
Glad you liked the tips Sharon – it’s my weak spot too. Just wanted to let you know I forgot to change the author bio – Sean is the author of this one, not me!
Hi Kristi,
I love the list of videos you have here! All really great info and inspirational.
I really like the GhostWriterDad video. I actually do brainstorm writing just as he mentioned for 10 minutes non-stop. However, I’ve never wrote 4 questions prior to doing so… will definitely try that out!
Tim Brownsons video about not giving up was brilliant. You know I’ve had an online business since 2008 and have been blogging since 2010 and I’ve seen a lot of talented people fall off the face of the earth, even after starting to see some progress.
If you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen. It may not look they way you had planned, but if you stay on path you will eventually get there. Who knows, maybe it will be better than what you expected.
Thanks for posting this!
Michele Welch recently posted The Naughty Entrepreneur Checklist: 40 Reasons Why You Are Not Seeing Results
Hi Michele. GhostWriterDad is actually the author of this post – I just forgot to change the author box out.
Got it.
My bad Sean. Great stuff. Just take everything I wrote and direct it to you. LOL
Cheers!
Michele Welch recently posted The Naughty Entrepreneur Checklist: 40 Reasons Why You Are Not Seeing Results
Thanks Michele!
I couldn’t help but reply with:
GhostWriters in the sky?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%28Ghost%29_Riders_in_the_Sky:_A_Cowboy_Legend
When the first video didn’t have the face of a lovely quarter-Japanese lady, I figured this was a ghost, err guest post.
Kevin Kimes @ Online Business Advice recently posted Don’t Fear The Panda
I guess I’m confused when you say “once Google finds a way to index video the way they index copy, it’s game over.”
Why would it be game over?
Demian Farnworth recently posted A Mildly Unorthodox Method to Developing a Wicked Vocabulary
Hey Demian!
It will be game over because with the amount of search video gets, and the way people respond to it, text will lose its advantage. Right now it stands above video in search because Google doesn’t have the indexing down. Once they do, it’s a different dance.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Videos are awesome Kristi.
A friend of mine got amazing Google ranking for his new 10 minutes videos clips that reviews and affiliate product. Do you know what, he got 1,002 visitors within 12 hours. I never really give in for videos because I love writing, maybe. But today, with the way you presented everything, I’m going to start marketing with videos right away. God will bless you for sharing this wonderful post.
Yeah, I know someone who is doing some crazy cool stuff within the financial space. He goes for highly targeted keywords for stuff that’s in the news. He gets his videos done and indexed immediately and ends up on Page One (almost always) for high traffic searches. His short 5 minute daily videos are helping his business grow at a ridiculous rate.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Absolutely correct! One of my favorite journalism classes was a multimedia class where we learned to work with SoundSlides, Audacity and iMovie.
Nice post,
Sylvia
I would LOVE to get great at Screenflow. I just created my first few videos using it, but it didn’t feel natural to me yet. Hopefully soon.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Hi Sean!
What’s great about video is that the shorter, the better! So a video can be created in no-time! And if you have a script, it will require very little editing. We’re still slowly delving into video, but it has always proved to be an excellent method to get information out there.
Such GREAT tips!
Thanks Morgan.
I agree on a script, though when I try to do a video from a script I sound a little too stilted. I need to work on ways to sound natural without reading or memorizing.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Sean, thanks a lot for including me mate I really appreciate it.
I agree with what you say too. The quality of traffic I get from YouTube is better than almost every other major source. On the whole, people that click through from my YouTube channel stay longer and check out more pages than from places like Facebook and Twitter.
And also with programs like iMovie it’s now so easy to make video and make it so it looks ok and even professional, that there really is no excuse for anybody to neglect it.
Tim Brownson recently posted The Best Self Development Books of 2011
So true. They stay longer because they’re bonded to you. I have the same experience.
Ideally, I’ll be shooting raw video and passing it off to another member of the team for final editing and branding. I can’t justify spending a lot of time not writing, but I do want to hop on the video train as soon as possible. My biggest problem with it so far is just staying consistent.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
HI Sean,
I agree that mixing video in with full text posts is important. It breaks things up and surprises your readers who are used to text posts from you, and it also serves those of your readers who learn better with a visual medium.
I was one of those who felt very uncomfortable when I first started making videos. I now provide one trick for my readers… if you are on Facebook, use the Video Messaging option to answer any messages you get, or to send a new message to one of your friends.
It gets you more comfortable with video and also helps you stand out on Facebook amongst all the noise!
Thanks, Sean for the reminder and tips about using video on our blogs!
Dr. Bob Clarke@Part Time Networker recently posted Facebook Video Messaging: Stand Out From Your Competitors!
My pleasure Bob!
I tried experimenting with video commenting a couple of years ago on my first site, but it majorly bombed!
I’m still a bit uncomfortable with video, but WAY better than I was. And once I get back home (I’m on vacation now) I plan on making video a daily part of my routine so I can get super comfortable with it.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Excellent tips and tutorial Sean; timely too.
One thing I plan to do is a combination of video and text within the same post(s).
I frequented one blogger that did it, and all his readers including me really took to it.
Dennis Edell@ Direct Sales Marketing recently posted Never Stop Pushing Your Business Forward
That’s similar to what I want to do.
The Ghostwriter Dad site has a separate video channel that we added. I’d like to make videos for the video channel, then transcribe and blogify the videos for site copy. If I can make it work I think it will be a time efficient way to appeal to two different groups.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Thanks a lot for the awesome post Sean!
Wow! 60 videos in one week is a lot.
Do you edit your videos? How long does it take?
Also, what do you think about doing videos with powerpoint presentations? If great, can you recommend any tutorials on that?
Onibalusi Bamidele recently posted 3 Ways to Measure Link Quality
Yeah, it was a crazy amount. I had major deadlines to hit, but I’d rather not do it again.
No, I don’t edit my videos. I look into the camera and shoot them in a single take. It usually takes a couple of times, but I never spend longer than 10 minutes on a single video.
PowerPoints are a GREAT way to make videos. I use Keynote for the Mac and it’s what I do for all my client work, though I’ve not yet done it myself (working on that now).
I don’t have anything specific to recommend, but you can find a ton of different tutorials on YouTube.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
I really enjoy doing videos but got away from them for some reason. I can see that was probably a mistake and thanks to these reminders I am all ramped up to get back into it. Thanks for the motivation, very appreciated.
My pleasure. Glad you’re getting back to it!
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Hi Sean,
Doing videos have never been an easier task for me. I fear a lot, I feel uncomfortable and I become stiff. I even can’t pose to photographs, I get a strange feeling.
But recently since I am reading a lot about using the power of videos for marketing, it seems that I can never escape making it, if blogging is going to be my profession.
Well, I have actually made about a couple of them and they are in my Youtube stream. Still the ice is not broken completely.
I must try to do 60 a week LOL. Thanks for the solid tips.
Jane.
Jane@Blogging Tips recently posted 7 Hard Truths About Blogging You Need to Know!
Just go with one a week until you’re all warmed up. You could also do text or image videos, though they’re more complicated. But you’re right, if you want to maximize your potential online, video must be part of the program.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Anyone who plans on making a lot of videos, and needs to have notes in order to keep speaking (like me!), should look up SeeEye2Eye.
A strange little gadget that uses mirrors to put a portion of your screen up over your webcam. Hard to describe…. It’s meant to let you look people in the eye for teleconferencing, etc, but also works with teleprompting. You could put your notes there instead, and read while looking right at the camera.
Kevin Kimes @ Online Business Information recently posted Don’t Fear The Panda
Oh, that sounds awesome Kevin. Thanks! I’ll have to check that out.
Video marketing is still on my do to list, but honestly I don’t see myself doing in the near future. There are still many things I need to get done before that.
Cristian @ Blogging Tips recently posted 69 sexy things I learned about blogging in 2 years
Great post, Sean! I use video extensively to complement my blog and I find some readers prefer that. I think it is because they see the person behind the blog posts.
Ana | Traffic Generation recently posted How to Make Google Crawl Budget Work in Your Favor
Yup, there’s nothing like that extra bonding with your audience. I noticed it immediately and it’s made me want to shoot another batch badly.
Videos are great and attractive and all that. I just find them very time-consuming to put together. Maybe I am a stickler for decency I don’t know. I find that I don’t like the way it turns out and start over. Several hours later I give up completely and go back to text and image posts. But, if you have a gift for creating good videos I hear a lot of people are successful with them.
Ray@dolphin tutorials recently posted Google Pagerank Update June 27, 2011
I think there’s value in letting people see you’re human. And the sweet spot is under two minutes, so you can try a few times and still end up with a decent video without having to spend more than 10-15 minutes on it.
You don’t have to be great to get going but you have to get going if you want to be great!
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
Video is definitely not for everyone. However, you can’t deny the power that it can have. I personally have difficulties being in front of a camera and I don’t articulate myself as well as if I were to take the time to sit down and blog. From my limited experience in video I do know that interaction and visitors on page times can go through the roof!
Nick LeRoy recently posted Should SEOs Optimize Their Web Properties EXCLUSIVELY?
Yeah I also believe that video is not for everyone. But I can say that the power of video is powerful. It can attract a lot of people. I am also camera shy. I always got my tongue lock every time someone is capturing a video of me. But I know that having a video will greatly increase attention and will help us introduce ourselves to our readers.
julianoswald recently posted Steps In Wealth Management
I’m with you. But honestly, if you just muscle your way through it, it will get easier. I’m not suggestion doing 60 in a week, because that’s sorta dumb, but spending an afternoon getting comfortable with the format could pay off for you big time in the long run.
Sean recently posted The 9 Mistakes Most Writers Make That are Keeping Them Poor
One suggestion I can tell keep your viewers watching on your video is “Keep it short”
No one would want to watch a video 20-30mins long.
Video marketing is very effective! It’s essential for all business out there..
The idea to to do 60 videos in one week seems to be an outstanding way to almost numb yourself to the fear of making videos! This is my favorite tip in this whole post! I remember Robert Plank teaching something like this also – great minds think alike.
Having videos post regularly is great, as it gives your readers a nice variety, and times you just want to sit back and watch something rather then read through text, which at times, if you have been reading all day, you may miss out the important stuff, hence using a video to promote and give your message can be quite effective.
I don’t use videos as much, I need to start to take time out and hit the record button.
Wasim Ismail recently posted Solve a problem, money will come…your next Business Idea
This is so huge. It’s about to get really interesting, because the biz world is about to really get this. I agree.
Ryan Critchett recently posted The Currencies Of Social Media
I reckon that is where my problem lies, every time I’ve done a video I’ve done it ad lib, no script. Takes a lot longer that way. Reckon I may try a script next time.
Sire@Buy Online Lotto Tickets recently posted How Good Is The FlexSqueeze Theme, Really?
A unique and great tip you have in here Sean! Loving it!
RonLeyba recently posted Concerts In The Philippines – July 2011
I think people should know their strengths and weaknesses. Great writers who are camera shy would naturally avoid video, while so-so bloggers might do way better with video but have trapped themselves type blogging every week because they haven’t explored anything different.
Andrew Scherer recently posted Gary Vaynerchuk and Crush It! Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
I love this. Surely, I learn something. Video is a very effective medium to reach out to users and the tips will be a hit.
Andrew @ Blogging Guide recently posted What Have Blogging And Gardening Got In Common?
This is a great article Sean, and I loved your video too!
I too think that video is so important, and I got on the video bandwagon in early 2009 with my raw food site. It just made sense to show people the recipes in the kitchen. But now that I’m doing more marketing and web design work, I’m finding videos to be even more important. It’s hard to explain technical things in words, but visuals just work.
Nathalie Lussier recently posted Swipe Files to Idea Gardens: Evernote Review
Nice article, and while agree that video is something that many people don’t realize is fairly easy and totally within their grasp, I would personally tend to advocate podcasting over webcam vlogs for creating loyal fans. Over the last few years I’ve become such a huge fan of so many podcasts and I’ve seen what they can do first-hand for a site’s popularity and reputation in general.
I honestly feel that what we now call “podcasts” *will be* the future of what we now call *radio*, except the power belongs to everyone rather than a few select companies with enough money to broadcast. Digital audio technology has developed similarly alongside digital video recording technology; both audio and video content are now easier than ever to produce in a professional way.
freddy k@finallyfast recently posted Just like the employees at Finally Fast, our blog is an eclectic mix of posts and topics. Here you can find tips on dept negotiation, tax advice for home offices, business news, and anything in between. Make sure to check it out. http://finallyfastblog.com/
Yup, I’m a writer and still know a picture’s worth a thousand of my words!
One of the first things I’m going to do this fall is hire a full-time video person. The future of much of my business hinges on smart marketing and video is the kid in class who always has the answer.
60 videos in 1 week sounds extreme but manageable.
One question, though: I do not see a microphone in the videos. Are they just off camera, or do you get that quality of audio just with the laptop microphone? I always assumed that I would need better equipment. If not, that would be better.
Keith@ Norman Rockwell Art recently posted Jul 10, Midwest Museum of American Art displays one original Norman Rockwell painting
Hey Keith,
Almost all of the time I just use the build in mic. On the rare occasion that I use a plugin mic, it’s the Snowball. I believe it cost $49 and it’s well worth it. I’m using it to record audio versions of some of my books.
Another reason why I like doing videos than writing is that you can express yourself better in videos. With written words, your tone cannot be easily conveyed. But the advantage of written blog posts when it comes to SEO is still hard to overcome.
Noel Addison@Web Development Ventura recently posted Everything You Do Is Marketing