By Kathryn Taylor Musseau
Fourth in a four-part series
Welcome to a series created to help you discover your virtual diva and stand out online. This issue explores The Reviews!
Congratulations! You’ve done it. Your content is out in the world.
That’s a relief, right? Not exactly: there’s still work to do. Like most projects or performances, the show isn’t over until the reviews are in. So here are ways to assess how you’ve done. We’re looking for successes and how to get the most out of your content.
Watch your video(s)
It’s very common to avoid watching your performance. However, to improve, it’s essential to do just that. I recommend you replay the complete video, which will help you overcome self-consciousness in watching yourself. When you’ve finished, ask yourself these questions:
- Did I enjoy watching that interview?
- Was the content good?
- Can I state the message in one or two sentences?
- Was my conversation natural?
- Did I use a lot of fillers such as: ah…um…you know…like…
Keep in mind that no one will watch the production with your intensity, and many of the things you see will simply bypass others. But do get used to watching and hearing yourself.
The deep dive
Remembering all the things we’ve covered in this series of articles, watch your video a second time, take notes, and answer these questions:
- How were the lighting, sound and set?
- What did I do well?
- Where would I like to improve next?
- How were the camera angle, body language, appearance, pace, and eye contact?
- Did I look at the camera?
- Did I appear relaxed and speak clearly?
- Did I answer questions with complete statements?
Social media potential
Finally, watch one more time for social media and promotional content and identify time-stamps for clips and quotes. Again, one of the easiest ways to do this is to work with your subtitles.
Subtitles
Subtitles are a written summary of the video content. If you use Facebook or YouTube, they are posted in your Studio. Review your subtitles for errors in spelling and punctuation. Services like Rev.com save time, or you can choose to do this yourself. Subtitles make it easy to identify your most powerful statements. Time-stamped summary highlights posted with your videos give viewers the option to choose what they want to watch. Subtitles also provide an excellent overview of your content, which you can use in blogs, newsletters, and posts.
Analytics
You will need regular content to gain a good overview of analytics, but if this is your path, make sure you visit your platform analytics regularly. Facebook, YouTube, and Google offer analytics, and there are helpful third-party programs like vidIQ and TubeBuddy that also provide insight. Your own web platform, such as WordPress, may also offer great resources. Gradually, you’ll learn your best content and what brings better engagement.
Repurposing
Your live videos are filled with content that can be repurposed. For example, lift audio files from video to create podcasts. As well, with programs like Headliner, you can easily create great clips for social media posts. Keep this in mind because repurposing is powerful and helps you get the most out of the content you create.
How did you do? Ask your audience.
Always ask your viewers for input and suggestions. Done is better than perfect. By getting your content out into the world, you begin the process of learning and improving. Perfection as an end goal may never be reached, but great live content will always move you forward. Finally, as an added benefit, going live eliminates the need for editing and other time-consuming tasks. It’s a win in every way!
I have many tips I share on www.youtube.com/kathryntaylortv if you’d like to check them out or subscribe.