Headline

Important!
Bring your completed worksheet to the event.

Hi, I’m Carl Bussler, the video production manager for Steve Harrison. My team and I will be assisting you at the upcoming event to film your YouTube videos. This is a great opportunity to get publicity and share your message with others. YouTube is the third largest search engine, and last year Internet video viewing was up 35%! 

Overview

There are three phases to creating your YouTube videos:

  • Before The Event. You read the instructions on this page and submit your Video Worksheet including your scripts. The worksheet must be handed to the video crew at the event. If you want to use a teleprompter, you MUST send us the scripts electronically before the event. We will load your scripts into the teleprompter before you arrive. If you make changes to the script before you arrive, we will not have the means to do extensive editing to the script on site. If you bring a new script to the shoot, we'll need to take extra time during your one hour to load the script into the teleprompter.
  • At The Event.  You come to the event and we record your videos during your scheduled session. You have an hour to shoot, but you can come to the appointment one hour prior to practice and ask us questions.
  • After The Event. In a few weeks, we'll prepare your individual videos and send you a link to download them. If there are no changes, you're ready to start uploading them to your website, YouTube, Vimeo or other video hosting service. You can use them to promote your book or service, or send links to radio and TV producers to book shows.

Format of Your Videos. Your videos will each be approximately 90 seconds long and show you talking about some aspect of your particular subject (keep reading for how to select the best subjects). Under the image of you talking, we'll display your name, the title of your book (if any) as well as your website (if any).

Sample Video Format
What a finished video looks like.

Before You Arrive

Schedule Your Appointment

Schedule your appointment by visiting this website.

You will receive a confirmation email and a reminder email three days before your appointment. This is a one hour time slot. We've found this to be more than enough time to record your 5 videos, even with multiple takes. Keep in mind that you can come to the 'green room' an hour before your schedule appointment to practice, ask questions and 'get in the zone' for your video shoot.

Write your scripts.

Download and complete the video worksheet.

What should I talk about in my video? People visit YouTube and other video sites to be informed (discover a solution to a problem) or to be entertained.

Ideally, they will be on subjects for which many of your potential customers are searching (meaning they get "high search volume") BUT for which there are relatively few other videos ("medium or low competition"). 

After all, it doesn't help you much if you select phrases for which nobody is searching. However, if you select a very popular phrase then it will be difficult for your video to stand out from the competition. 

For example... imagine you've written a book called The New Mom's Guide to Weight Loss After Pregnancy. There are lots of people doing videos on broad keyword phrases such as "weight loss plan" because it has 450,000 searches per month in Google.  If your video is particularly good, perhaps you could stand out from the pack. But the competition is very fierce.

You'd have a better chance of standing out from the pack by targeting a more specific phrase such as "weight loss after pregnancy" which has relatively low competition and 18,100 searches per month in Google.  Plus, since that's the subject of your subject of your book, the person who searches for it is probably a very good prospect for you.

How to pick subjects for your videos.

1. Brainstorm possible subjects for your videos.

Here are some ways to brainstorm possible subjects of your 90-second videos:

1)  What are the 15-25 most frequently asked questions about your particular subject?  When you tell people about what you do, what are the questions they commonly ask?    Example: "What's the key to writing an effective press release?"

2)  What are the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to your subject?  What's the #1 mistake people need to avoid?   Example: "The #1 mistake to avoid when writing a press release"

3)  What are the biggest myths surrounding your particular subject?  

4)  What are the top things people want to know how to do related to your subject?   Example: "How to write an effective press release"

2. Brainstorm keyword phrases (aka "tags").

Also make a list of the 25-50 best keyword phrases (YouTube calls them "tags") which your ideal customer might enter into Google or YouTube when searching for info on your topic. The keyword phrases you select are important because we'll include them in your titles and descriptions.

One easy way to come up with relevant keyword phrases / tags is simply to go to YouTube and look for the most popular videos on your particular subject.  Then click on "Show more" under the video itself, scroll down and look at the tags. Consider using some or all of them for your own videos.

3. Use Google Keyword Tool to assess popularity and competition.

Again, in an ideal world you select keyword phrases for which lots of your potential customers are searching (meaning they get "high search volume") BUT for which there are relatively few other videos ("medium or low competition"). 

If you find that challenging, we suggest selecting some of each type of phrase -- some high search volume, others with low competition but for which your ideal prospect might search.

To help you with your tag (keyword) search, you can use the Google Keyword Tool. I discuss this in more detail in the video.

Google Keyword Tool

What should you say on your videos?  Just remember that your video must have a beginning, a middle and an end.

  • Beginning: State who you are, what you do, and what the viewer will learn in this short video. You might also start with a question (e.g.  "Have you ever wondered ___________? or "Would you like to ______")
  • Middle: Discuss the problem or topic.
  • End: Give a single piece of advice. Give a call to action (do you want them to visit a particular web site to download a free report, buy a product, or sign-up for something?)

Here are some possible talking points, continuing our fictitious example:

Do you have a puppy who just won't stop biting?  If so, you're not alone.  I'm Mary Smith, author of Dog Training Made Easy and as a dog training consultant I've trained over 700 puppies in the last 20 years.  Here are three quick tips to get your puppy to stop biting, First, _______________  Second, _____________  Third, _________________   For more free dog training tips, grab your copy of my book Dog Training Made Easy or visit my website at www.DogTrainingMadeEasy.com

Once you're happy with your scripts, email them to videoteam@rtir.com.

Bonus

Here are some tips by Mary Giuseffi, a nationally recognized image consultant and on-air personality, on how to look and perform your best in front of the camera.

  • Be Your Best Self! Smile, relax and chat with a “friend” on camera using a conversational tone.
  • Concealer is a must for everyone when lighting is challenging. 
  • Make-up should be natural.  Lips should be glossy without a lot of tint.  The right shade of lipstick will make your teeth their whitest. Guys can use lipbalm.
  • Select a color that conveys your message.
  • The camera likes a clean uncomplicated outfit.
  • Your clothes need to fit you well and be pressed. Clothes that are ill-fitting give the impression of sloppiness.
  • Your posture must be good – a great shoulder is key!  If you don’t have one – create it well with fitting foundations (for women) and the addition of a natural shoulder pad for both men and women.
  • Hair is very important for on camera.  It frames your face.  Men and women should keep their style simple, soft and neat, but not overdone – your hair speaks volumes to your audience.
  • Get a manicure! Men and women need to have hands that look attractive and well kept. Women look best in a French manicure. It is less distracting for the viewer.

Mary Giuseffi

Mary Giuseffi

For more information on achieving your best look for online video, you may hire Mary for image consulting by contacting her at marygiuseffi@mac.com. Your best look is her business

At The Event

One may arrive one hour before your appointment to practice, ask us questions, and 'get in the zone' for your upcoming video shoot.

When your time arrives, we'll introduce you to the camera crew and the director. They will help you with the actual recording of your videos.

After the Event

In a few weeks we'll send you a link to download and review your videos. If there are no changes that we need to make, you can start uploading them to YouTube, your website, Vimeo or any other video hosting site.

If you're uploading your videos to your YouTube account, you'll want to add descriptions and tags, which will increase the likelyhood of people finding relavent content.

The two main things to keep in mind when crafting your descriptions are:

  • Start your description with your main keyword phrase followed by your web site address (URL).

    • Fictitious Example: Stop puppy biting by getting help at http://www.dogtrainingmadeeasy.com

  • Add a few more more sentences which are as descriptive as possible, and use as many tags (keywords) as possible. This makes it easier for people to find your video. You can also include more URLs throughout your content.

Here's how your full description might look for our fictitious site on puppy biting where we're trying to optimize the phrases "stop puppy biting" as well as "dog training"

Example:

Stop puppy biting by getting help at http://www.dogtrainingmadeeasy.com - Mary Smith is a dog training consultant and her new book provides proven dog training methods including how to stop puppy biting once and for all.

This is an example of a YouTube video. I've drawn attention to a few critical elements.

Example

Please read the following instructions and watch the video I’ve created in order to maximize our efforts. In the video I'll be discussing the key elements that increase your video's ability to be found by your potential audience: The subject of your video, the tags (keywords), the title, the description and the structure of your video. I can’t stress how important these are.

I’m also going to discuss how to choose the subjects and tags (keywords) for your videos, as well as how to structure the video. You’ll learn what to include in the beginning, middle and end of your videos.

The video is only four minutes long and I urge you to spend the time watching it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions, send an email to videoteam@rtir.com or call me at 484-477-4222. We look forward to seeing you at the event!

Our equipment, software and setup

We are using the following equipment and software to record and edit your videos. HVR-A1U

Camera

Sony HVR-A1U

HVR-A1U

 

Lights

Interfit Super Cool-Lite 5 and 6

Lights

 

Teleprompter

We're using the new iPad with Teleprompt+ application as our prompter, along with professional grade prompter glass.
You must send us your scripts before you arrive for us to make use of this option.

Prompter

 

Computer

27" iMac

iMac

 

Software

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut