This one goes out to all my fierce, course-creating entrepreneurs who struggle to get in front of the camera. If you’ve ever completely mind-blanked, deleted 574 takes before deciding you like just one, or just generally get the shivers thinking about chatting to the camera – I got you.
Let’s face it (insert wink emoji), not every one of us is a natural on video, but that’s not enough of a reason to stop you from creating the course of your dreams. You’ve got knowledge, you’ve got an audience, and you’ve got goods to deliver!
Before you start rolling your eyes, let’s talk about WHY it’s so important to show up on camera these days.
Face-to-camera content comes part in parcel with any form of online business (hello, showing up as your authentic self), but it’s also a major component of online courses. Video is huge for a number of reasons, including:
- Gaining the attention of ideal clients
- Building deeper connections with your core audience
- Driving online engagement and shares across social platforms
- Conversion to sales
- Course completion success rates
Yep, sales and course completion success rates. Let’s look at a few stats.
- people retain 95% of a message when they watch it via a video, versus only 10% when reading it.
- 90% of users say that seeing a video about a product/service is helpful in the decision process.
So, if you’re one of those insanely talented people who just HATES getting on video, I’ve got 4 tips to help you feel confident on camera before you start filming your course.
- Practice on your socials.
It’s that old adage we all know and love – practice makes perfect – except people aren’t even expecting perfect. The more you’re on camera, the easier and more natural it becomes. Jump online for some engagement, tell a story, or just share a bit of your day. Start small, and the more you share, the more you’ll show up authentically. - Script your stuff.
Many people who suffer the stage fright associated with jumping on camera often say they “completely blank” on what they were going to talk about. Jot down the things you want to cover on-camera before you hit record, even if they were small, to keep you focused. - Look at the camera.
A small but mighty detail is in where you’re focusing your gaze. To simulate an in-person experience, try to focus your eye away from yourself while recording and look directly at the camera on your computer or phone. This definitely takes some practice, but again, the more you do it, the more natural it will come across. - Find your good lighting sweet spot.
As basic as this sounds, good lighting brings up the quality of your video. If you don’t know it yet, sit facing a window that’s throwing bright light and use that as your sweet spot for filming. It’ll illuminate your face, lift your presence and have you going hey, girl, heyyyyy when you replay it back.
