Rachel, our Virtual Assistant team member who specializes in video editing and vlogging, shares these 9 must-know tips if you're starting out as a vlogger.
Make your content matter: Think about how-to videos, interviews with industry influencers, comedy sketches -- anything that will be valuable and easily digestible by your views. Determine if you want to do a script or ad-lib.
Focus on progress, not perfection: The show will develop itself as you get more comfortable with the process. You can always edit or re-shoot, but you don't want to focus on perfectionism. Before the camera goes on, pause for a moment and take a few deep breaths.
Every great entertainer has a pre-show ritual: Listen to your favorite pump-up song. Drink plenty of water. Take a walk around the block.
Consistency counts: Set a day and time for posting content and stick to it. You can even ask your Virtual Assistant to help keep you accountable by sticking to a schedule. Followers appreciate conistency!
Imagine your audience: Be comfortable, genuine and energetic. Use pacing and inflection to tell your story, in a conversational style. Imagine your peers in front of you-- and how you would keep the tone professional. If you're going for a more relaxed style, imagine that you're presenting to a room of friends and family.
Engage your audience - even if it's an imaginary audience: Ask questions and encourage your audience to post answers in the comments section. Take breaks and pauses to allow for the audience to think. Remember this is a dialogue, not a monologue.
Watch other vlogs for inspiration: Take notes of what you like an don't like. Still, be sure to speak in a way that relects your style and brand.
Don't be another talking head and use b-roll footage: Ask your video editing Virtual Assistant to edit in footage of you doing something that relates to your topic, in real life. B-roll draws the audience in and helps them feel more connected to you.
Check the orientation of your camera: This impacts the final look of the video when posting to different sites. As a rule of thumb, most videos are shot in Landscape mode. However, square video mode has become more popular with Instagram and Facebook. Check your phone or camera settings to see what aspect ratios you can shoot in. Shoot in the highest resolution your camera is capable of. Many phones offer 4k quality shooting for up to ten continuous minutes. 1080p is the second-best resolution, but still a satisfactory quality. Most, if not all, DSLR and Mirrorless cameras these days come with 4k and 1080p capabilities.
You can also work with your Virtual Assistant to develop and market your blog. Utilizing the power of outsourcing and working with Virtual Assistants to manage and market your vlog os just the beginning. In a future post, we'll talk about how to work with your team of Virtual Assistants to put your vlogging content creation into overdrive. Vlogging will catapult your growth-- especially when you have a smart, savvy Virtual Assistant team behind you.