7 Tips For Beginning Video Bloggers
Video blogging, or vlogging, is a great way to share information. It’s actually pretty inexpensive to get started and setting up a vlog (I still don’t like that word) is easier than you might think. Here are 7 tips I think anyone wanting to start a video blog should know about.
Get Some Equipment
Some of the best video bloggers use cheap, yet sufficient, software and hardware to get the job done. The camera of choice these days seems to be the Flip Mino HD, which shoots in 720p (the low-end of HD, but still HD) and retails for around $199-229 depending on storage capacity. I’ve got one and it works really well. The only little gripe I’ve got is with the touch controls which could be a little more responsive. Of course, there are other camera options such as using the built-in camera on your computer or phone. Some people might even include some screencasting (recording what happens on your computer screen) in their video blog. Don’t forget that still photos can be incorporated into your vlog as well!
If you have a Mac, you’ve already got some great entry-level editing software called iMovie. It’s easy to use but can be a resource hog on laptops or machines without lots of RAM but that’s just the nature of video editing. If you want to produce even more professional videos, check out Apple’s Final Cut Studio or Adobe’s Premiere Pro.
One way to really spice up a video is to include green screen effects. You can build a nice green screen for very cheap. Some techniques I’ve seen or heard about include using green paint, taping green tag-board together and tacking to the wall or hanging up a green sheet or shower curtain. You’ll just need to watch out for shadows produced by folds or glare produced by tape. Even iMovie has some basic green screen effects.
Choose A Subject
When it comes to video blogging, you don’t have to rack your brain too hard to come up with a subject. Even the most mundane activity can be interesting as a short video. If you’re making a personal vlog, you can talk about your car or your house, pets, hobbies or even food. If you’re making a vlog for a specific niche, like design, you may consider doing a how-to series, tutorial or rant on a specific topic.
On a side note, it may take some getting used to seeing yourself on screen. Nobody likes the way their voice sounds when they hear it on video, but you’ll get over it. Do some test videos that you don’t have to show to anyone just to get used to things and learn how to use the hardware and software.
Keep It Short and Sweet
It’s important to keep your videos short and to the point for many reasons. The goal with vlogging is not to make a feature-length film, but instead to produce short clips that tell a story either individually or as a whole. These days, people who watch videos on the web have short attention spans so don’t film your fish swimming around for an hour. It may be interesting to you, but probably not to the rest of the world. Also, video hosting sites have limits on how big and how long your videos can be. YouTube, for instance, allows uploads of 2GB in size that are no longer than 10 minutes long.
Make a Transcript for SEO
This is something people often overlook. Search engines like Google are smart, but they can’t tell what you are talking about on your video unless you give them some help. It’s a good idea to post a transcript of your video on the same page you display it so it will have a better chance of being found organically. If you upload it to a site like Vimeo, don’t forget to add the proper tags and a good description as well.
Add Music and Sound Effects
Good music and sound effects can make or break your videos. Just think what all those commercials would be like if they didn’t have the stock door creaks, kid laughs and typing sounds. A well placed sound effect can help drive a point home nicely while a good soundtrack helps to set the proper mood.
People Are Interested In People
This is probably one of the most important things you need to remember when vlogging. The most interesting subject to people is other people. People are curious and any peek into the life of another person is going to make for a popular topic. If you already run a popular blog, people will be interested in things like where you work and what your office looks like, what kind of equipment you work on, what the town you live in looks like and that type of thing. Just remember not to be stupid. You don’t want to give away things like your address.
Upload Overnight or While You’re Gone
Finally, depending on the size of your video and the speed of your internet connection, uploading can take quite a while, especially if you’ve shot something in HD. It’s a good idea to upload video overnight or while you are out running errands because it may slow your internet down to the point of being useless.
Chime in below with any tips or tricks a beginning video blogger should know that I might have missed!
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5 Responses 7 Tips For Beginning Video Bloggers
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Hmm… video blog. I always thought it’s something complicated. Thanks for this informative post. I’m gonna try it out.
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Love this article! It’s a good overview of the basics of vlogging.
Two parts that really resounded with me – “Nobody likes the way their voice sounds when they hear it on video, but you’ll get over it.” and “The most interesting subject to people is other people.”Video online is exploding right now and it’s getting easier and easier. It makes you awesome! I encourage anyone thinking of trying it to jump right it and start vlogging.
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Ah, I was looking for good vlogging tips. I mean, six out of the seven reinforced what I already had in mind, but the “transcript” one is a good idea since I was planning on having a supplemental blog. It certainly makes me feel a little more at ease since I have a Flip camera (not an HD one, though) and some very simple editing software. My only thing I have to ask is where people get their music and sound effects from? I’m very very very new to video editing, heh…
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I reckon I am gonna get me a flip cos my first couple of iPhone video efforts are way lo-fi to say the least. Awesome point about SEO too – kind of obvious once you hear it but hey, I didn’t think of it did I?
How about screencast? It’s a great idea of making video with the tools you mentioned but cameras and video editing software are indeed a dear investment for vlog beginners. Personally I recommend making screencast with screen recording software. And personally I use Democreator for PC and Screenflow for Mac. With less cost but easier to start your vlog.
regards,
Adward