Tripod, the Tricycle Creative podcast, is for anyone interested in being a better Digital + Content Marketer. Hosted by Ross Herosian (a Marketing coach, content creator, and entrepreneur) episodes are a mix of helpful Marketing tips, social media updates, inspiring interviews, and his own unique perspective on how to promote and grow your business.
Elsewine Rietveld is a recovered “deer in headlights” when it comes to making videos and speaking in public. She was so terrified to record her first video that she walked straight out of the room and never hit record. Over time, she has developed an effective method for getting comfortable on camera and making a real connection with your audience. Today, we’re diving into why video is so important for your business, tips for people who are not confident on camera, her PIRATE technique of doing live video, and busting the myth that you need fancy, expensive equipment to get started with video. Let’s get pedaling!
What is your best tip for when someone is not confident on camera?
Elsewine’s biggest tip: start small.
As a student, Elsewine was scared to stand in front of her class to present, so she decided to train herself to become more comfortable by joining the debate club. It took time and a lot of practice before she started to feel more comfortable and manage her nerves.
Don’t worry about taking the biggest, most expensive course out there. Remember, it’s about starting small. Write a list of short topics that you can share. For example, tip videos are easy to create and push out to your audience. You’re the subject matter expert; you know your topic inside and out. To get started, find where the lens is on the device you’re using to record the video. Then look at the lens as if your best friend or your ideal client is sitting across from you. Think of it as if you’re just speaking to one person and sharing a tip. Next, keep your video really short so you don’t go off on a tangent or forget what you wanted to say.
Want To Be A Better Marketer?
Join my FREE community where I share tips, strategies, and how-to’s related to digital marketing, content creation, and social media.
Inside my free online community, I help solopreneurs and small business marketers who are struggling with their digital marketing.
+ Improve your marketing skills
+ Increase your digital marketing knowledge
+ Expand your support network
Can you explain the P.I.R.A.T.E. technique of doing live videos?
It’s an acronym for the six steps that will help make it easier for you to go live.
P stands for Prepare
This step ensures that you’re ready to go. For example, putting your phone on mute. If you’re recording on your computer, make sure the cat is downstairs or the dog is not barking. Check your lighting, your background, and that the sound is working before you start recording. Write down three or four bullet points about what you’re going to talk about just to jog your memory if needed.
I stands for Interaction
It’s extremely important to interact with your audience when you’re live. Otherwise, why not just record a video? Elsewine’s been on a Facebook Live where the host said, “Well, I’m not going to look at the comments because that’s not convenient for me.” They decided to ignore the people who were engaging and asking questions, so the Live just fell flat. If you really feel you can’t engage while going live, either don’t do it or have someone with you to answer the questions.
R stands for Read
Generally, Elsewine is against reading because you should know your topic and not need a script. She always tells people to make eye contact with the camera when they speak to people. However, if you are doing a live video with comments active, she recommends reading the comment, saying the name of the person, reading the comment, and then looking back into the camera and answering the question.
A stands for Ask questions
You want to have a few simple prompts prepared that will get your audience to engage with you or to think about engaging. It can be a simple call and response type question like, “Which do you find scarier: speaking to an audience or speaking on camera?” People can type their answer in the chat or raise their hand.
T stands for Timing
There are two elements to perfecting timing. First is that you are in charge of the timing. So, if you want to talk about the subject for a little bit, it’s totally okay to say something like, “I’m going to explain to you the power technique and then I will answer your questions.” This is helpful because it’s easy to get distracted when you’re talking and see a question pop up mid sentence.
The second timing element you have to deal with is the 25 second time delay (lag), especially when you’re on Facebook Live. For example, if you’re on the first topic of your presentation and ask the audience if you have any more questions or otherwise you will move on to topic number two. You will want to wait a few minutes before moving onto topic two. It’s best to say something like, “I’m going to wrap this up in a minute or two. So if you have questions, please put them in the chat now.“
E stands for Expectations
Be prepared for something to go wrong. Not from a place of doom, but to be flexible and prepare for anything to happen. It could be something as simple as the dog barking or someone ringing your doorbell. This way you are prepared for things to go wrong and can simply acknowledge it and make light of the situation.
Need Marketing Help?
- book report
- comfortable on camera
- content marketing
- Elsewine Rietveld
- small business
- small business marketing tips
- social media strategy
- social video
- testimonials
- tricycle creative
- Tricycle Creative podcast
- tripod
- TRIPOD Marketing Podcast
- tripod podcast
- Video
- video content
- video marketing
- Video Production