If you would like to spread the word about something you’re doing, YouTube is an amazing resource that you can’t afford to ignore. Here’s a quick story to demonstrate this:
I wanted to offer folks a few tips on starting a business, while also raising awareness of our new Start-up Clinic workshop.
I spent about one hour putting together a rough script, about two hours filming and three hours editing. The result was my How to Build a Start-up video which has been viewed over 10,300 times. Not bad for six hours work!
Here are a couple things I learned from this:
Simple editing makes a huge difference
I used iMovie ’08 to add a simple intro, music and transitions. It adds credibility to the movie and makes it more fun to watch.
The content is everything
Make sure you have something valuable to say, before you hit the record button. No matter how slick the editing is, if you what you’re offering is of no value, people won’t view it or link to it.
Use variety
The first half of the video is me teaching in front of a blackboard, the second half is a simple screencast. It gives the video more substance and interest which means viewers get more value.
Focus on YouTube
I’d rather use Vimeo because it’s beautiful, but the truth is there’s a lot more people on YouTube. If you compare 90 views on Vimeo to 10,367 on YouTube there’s just no comparison.
Get a mic
Next time, I’ll spend a few bucks on a cheap lapel mic so the sound is clearer. However, if you’d like to get started today, just do it. No need for a mic initially.
Use Mousepose
When I did the screencast section, I used a simple tool called Mousepose.
If you’re showing people your screen, they obviously can’t see where you’re pointing ;) so you need a simple way to highlight areas of the screen. If you’re not on a Mac, Dragnifier does roughly the same thing.
Let Twitter know
I used Twitter to spread the word by letting people know I had posted the video. I don’t know exactly how many views this generated but I’m sure it helped.
Share your stories
That’s it – if you’ve had success with video on YouTube, please share any tips you’ve learned.
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