Creating YouTube or Online Teaching Videos
Are Videos Worthwhile? There's so many out there.
There is a lot of free information on the net. So why your audience want to listen to you?
Offer something special
Something that’s loads better than what is out there on the net. It’s got to be special.
- information/advice you cannot get elsewhere
- perhaps you have expertise in an area others don’t. Rare knowledge or experience to share.
- or perhaps you are doing a one-off special video
- You’re offering some advanced training.
- a wealth of information all in one place (rather than scouring the internet here there and everywhere).
Something practically worthwhile
If whatever you are offering will help people, then they will be willing to join. But the important thing is that you have a GENUINE desire to want to help people. And those of you who just want to blag through it all just to earn some money – you will be sure to fail.
All the great YouTubers for instance that I listen to have 10s of thousands of subscribers. No doubt they are earning quite a nice sum from Google Ads etc – but I don’t begrudge them for earning all of that. Have you seen how much effort they put into those videos?
They go the extra mile. So should you.
Be yourself & be honest & dependable
Some YouTubers have masses of followers because the people delivering them seem like genuinely good honest people who want to help.
Don’t be scared to show your personality. Have fun. Enjoy your time with your participants and they will come back to listen to some more. You may even develop a loyal regular audience.
Use your video to transform ideas and visions.
Top Tips
Add dynamism to your voice
Add inflection to the way you speak – especially towards the end of a sentence, finish on a high tone not a low tone.
Inflection = the modulation of intonation or pitch in the voice.
Get your IT sorted
Poor IT is a nightmare. A nightmare for you as you will get flustered. A nightmare for your audience who will lose the will to live trying to understand what you are saying. So, set up things well in advance. Invest in some good audio and video equipment.
If you then do a webinar with a hazy video or poor audio, don’t expect your audience to return. I suggest:
- Video – Logitech Brio or Logitech C920
- Microphone – Blue Snowball
Split the video into sections
And signpost those sections with a transition slide or something. Add a movement noise or sound to that transition to “waken” you audience and keep things alive and dynamic.
Make it a series of webinars
Rather than doing a 8 hour webinar, how about splitting it up into 4 x 2 hour seminars. And offer them for the same price. In this way…
- You won’t be exhausted in the end
- Your attendees wont flag or be exhauster neither
- £100 for one webinar might seem to many as a bit expensive. But £100 for 4 webinars seems a bargain.
Ask what they want to know
At the end of the day, the purpose of your webinar is to deliver on what your audience wants to know.
So, to make sure your webinar is fit for purpose, why not ask them? Get them to sign up via a button, which not only signs them up but takes them to a webpage where they are asked the question “What 2-3 things would you like to get out of this session” and the space to reply via a comments section.
Make space for a Q&A session
If you limit the numbers, not only will you have a more interactive time with many of the attendees, but limiting the numbers means that you’re saying your webinar is exclusive. And exclusive means something special – which will whet the appetite for many.
So, sometimes restricting the numbers can get a full house compared to unlimited numbers.
Make it engaging and enjoyable
- Use Zoom’s chat facility for your audience to post their thoughts.
- or make use of the whiteboard.
- Use interactive methods like polls and quizzes where you can. Create amazing polls with Google Forms.
- Break out rooms.
- If using Zoom, check out Padlet
Inject humour. Don’t just talk through a PowerPoint. Mix it up. Engage with your audience. Answer their queries. Break up the session and use several educational methods.
Give them something to leave with
- This might be something as simple as a certificate.
- Handouts and Workbooks.
- A free online learning course you have developed.
- An e-book you have written.
Make them feel like they’re leaving with immense good value. And make sure it is genuinely worthwhile. You are not here to fake it – you won’t get very far if you’re offering something which looks good on the outside but hollow on the inside.
Get some feedback after the event
Rather than doing a 8 hour webinar, how about splitting it up into 4 x 2 hour seminars. And offer them for the same price. In this way…
- You won’t be exhausted in the end
- Your attendees wont flag or be exhauster neither
- £100 for one webinar might seem to many as a bit expensive. But £100 for 4 webinars seems a bargain.
What price do I set?
Only you can decide. If you know your specialty well (which I hope you do), then you must have some idea of what others are charging. Use that or something lower as a starting measure. People wont join if you’re too expensive. If you’re too inexpensive, you could be underselling yourself. Remember, the aim is to deliver something where EVERYONE is a winner.
Some Great Videos
Roger Love, the professional voice coach, gives some quick tips on how to make your voice more attractive. I love his analogy - your voice is like a keyboard. Most people only play a small range of their piano keys. But with training, you can choose wherever to play.
Here, Roger actually shows you how to be your own vocal coach and modulate your voice.
