It’s no secret that short-form videos are taking over social media. TikTok built their platform on the concept, and others like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are learning and changing due to TikTok’s success.
But just because short-form videos are, well, shorter…that does not mean they’re easy to produce or implement in your own strategy. Which is where Angela Myers of Angela Myers Creative comes in. She sat down with my friend and content marketer Christoph Trappe to discuss short-form video on the Business Storytelling Show: what is it, how brands can implement it, what makes a good story and more.
Special thanks to Christoph for allowing me to share his conversation on K-Stream.
The latest guest on the K-Stream Podcast, Dr. Efrain Lopez, better known around the web as Dr. ELO, helps people and businesses get more comfortable with live streaming. He posts tech reviews, hacks and tutorials on his YouTube channel.
In addition, he hosts weekly live streams on social media for Be.Live and on his personal channels.
In the conversation we chat about:
Dr. ELO’s live streaming business and how he got started
How he managed to get a regular live stream series with Be.Live (hint it took posting 150+ videos before he got a call)
How he organizes his live streams
The “F&#$ the Tech” mentality
The importance of email lists
I think the highlight of the episode is the “F&#$ the Tech” mentality. I asked Dr. ELO about this because in one of his previous streams, I noticed he was wearing a t-shirt and ball cap with that exact message printed on them.
“That is a mindset,” says Dr. ELO. “People get caught in gear acquisition syndrome, which we call GAS, and they don’t start doing content.”
Dr. ELO elaborates on the “F&#$ the Tech” mentality.
It’s easy to get caught up in having the best gear and correlating that with good content. That’s not always the case. If you have a good story or message and a decent smart phone, you can make something great.
“You need to start ugly. You beautify your streams little by little and with experience.”
He started out creating beard content – product reviews, beard science, tutorials, and more. He grew the Bluegrass Bearded YouTube channel to more than 2,000 subscribers and was able to monetize the content through product reviews and sponsorships. Then he began to notice his audience was interested in his creative video expertise. He began receiving questions on his editing techniques and equipment. That gave him the idea to start Ken the Content Coach.
Ken is still very much a part of the beard community, but now spends most of his time helping other content creators build and monetize their own YouTube and TikTok channels.
As a veteran of the U.S. military, Ken appreciates community and camaraderie. He says he’s found that with content creation. Check out the clip below to hear him speak on that.
In this interview we discuss:
Not waiting until the absolute perfect moment to post your first video
Listening to your community when it comes to creating content
The importance of understanding and creating short-form content
What to do when you just don’t feel like being creative
If you’re in the social media marketing space, you likely know the importance of adding subtitle overlays to your video content. It’s rare that social users stop and tap on a video to hear the sound, so having subtitles is key to getting the message across.
As I began building the social media channels for the K-Stream Podcast, I was searching for ways to do this without spending a ton of time on it. I wanted to share clips from my episodes, but of course considering the majority of the audience listening with the volume off. Then, I stumbled upon Kapwing.
This a great little browser-based platform for designers, offering tools for creating graphics, animations, editing video, creating memes, subtitling and more. Absolutely recommend if you’re a content creator on a budget. It’s amazing what you can do with the free version of the program.
In the video below, I go through a brief walkthrough of how you can add subtitles to video clips using the free version of Kapwing. Note that there are file size limits on the free version, but if you’re creating videos for social channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, your videos are likely on the shorter side anyways.
Let me know what other free tools you’re enjoying these days!
If you’re a remote live stream producer reading the above headline, you’re likely thinking “well, duh.” But, in my experience, some of my virtual event guests are rather comfortable just moving forward without tech checks and rehearsals. And while I think it’s great when people are comfortable with technology, we as producers must insist on having those tech checks and rehearsals. The flow of a good show depends on it.
Yes, the technology piece is essential. We need to be able to see and hear our guest speakers clearly. That means ensuring they have solid internet connection, good lighting, good audio, etc. However, one key piece of any event is the flow, especially when it’s all virtual or hybrid.
Things like transitioning from speaker to speaker, how to introduce presentations or videos being shown to the audience – all of that contributes to a good flow. And good flow comes from rehearsing.
If it takes too long to transition from one slide presentation to another, or your host is fumbling over who to introduce next, it’s very easy for an audience tuning in via internet to load another webpage or pull up their inbox and start doing other things.
“The show that didn’t go well…we didn’t have a rehearsal,” says Anthony Burokas, a 20+ year broadcast producer and founder of IEBA Communications and Stream4us. “As much as people think ‘Oh yeah, yeah, we’ll just go online. It’s just like Zoom.’ It’s not just like Zoom. This is television.”
Burokas has been producing almost only remote live events since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, mainly for corporate clients. Hear Anthony talk more about the importance of rehearsals in the clip below.
And oh by the way, these aren’t the normal events speakers are used to. They can’t see the audience. They are not in the same room as the other speakers they’re communicating with. Sometimes they’re relying on remote producers talking into their ear for the first time to give them queues, or they’ve never done an event in front of a webcam, so they aren’t sure where to look.
Kimberly Flowers, founder of Remote Producer Live!, a fully remote production company that helps entrepreneurs stream online shows, really puts an emphasis on the prep work with her clients.
“Going through those steps really help the client feel confident in our ability to really support them at the level that they need,” she says. “And [we’re] taking that load off of their shoulders so they can focus on being the content creator and just focusing in on being a host.”
Again, it’s comforting as a producer when you get a guest speaker that is tech-savvy. It’s great when they can work a webcam and know how to turn on a specific microphone as the audio input in the streaming software. But as Flowers mentioned during our recent conversation, remote productions can throw a lot of new things at people that they’re not used to seeing, so they have to get used to the remote live environment before they’re thrown into the virtual spotlight.
We hear the word “live” and something goes off inside of us that says “be nervous.”
What if I told you that going live is easier than producing a recorded video?
For almost a year, I have produced live streams nearly every weekday. I also produce my fair share of recorded videos that are produced and published at a later date. Regardless of the subject’s experience, the live videos almost always come across more authentic, conversational and natural.
When we know something is being recorded, we know we have multiple tries to get something right. So, naturally, at the first slip up, we think we need to do it again. Going live forces us to just keep going, just like we would in a conversation with a friend or colleague.
And that’s the kind of experience your customers likely want. When they interact with your business, they want to feel like they’re dealing with a friend. Live streaming can help evoke that kind of emotion.
Here are a few ways to get a little more comfortable going live if you’re still hesitant:
Use Help
There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself some help during the live stream. I’m not saying you should memorize everything you want to say. Use notes. Refer to them while on air. No one minds if you need to look off camera once in a while. Again, it’s more natural. Reading a script word for word is not.
Call on an Expert
You also don’t always have to go live alone. Bring on a guest to add another layer of conversation. It’s much easier to be conversational when you’re talking to someone else. Use a subject matter expert to help you.
Practice Makes Perfect
Yes, it’s cliche. But it’s so true, especially when it comes to streaming. Most folks that regularly stream and speak on camera will readily admit that their first few attempts were less than stellar. It’s okay! You’ll only get better as you do more.
Related video clip: Content marketer Christoph Trappe, Switcher Studio VP of Sales and Development Marc Gawith and I talk about authenticity and audience connection with live video. Full video here. Full podcast here.
Episode six of the K-Stream podcast features my good friend and former colleague, Wallen Augustin. Wallen is a marketer, entrepreneur and podcast host. He and his wife, Jane, host the Savvy Dialogue podcast, and Wallen has owned and operated his creative production company, Wallen Digital, for around four years, all while maintaining a separate full time job.
We could have likely talked for way more than an hour, but in the time we spoke, we covered:
Starting a production company helping small businesses get their message out
Using lessons from marketing jobs to create compelling video
Shifting from producer to consultant during COVID-19
Starting a podcast
Building relationships through podcasting
What it’s like hosting a podcast with his wife, and more.
Hope you enjoy. Please follow Wallen @WallenAugustin on most social channels, and be sure to check out his website at www.savvydialogue.com.
In my latest podcast, I spoke with Chris Carson, founder and CEO of SteadiReadi, a video production and live streaming company based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
We hit on so many great topics as it pertains to streaming, video and running a production company, but one topic in particular that stands out is why Chris gives so much knowledge away for free.
We hear social media and entrepreneur stars like Gary Vaynerchuk preaching this all the time, but it’s easy to debate internally whether or not this concept actually works. If I give this away for free, will it really result in more business in the long run? Will it really open up the door for new professional relationships?
“It has…changed everything for my life and for my business by doing so,” says Chris. “I think that when we all win, we all win. Whatever that looks like.”
Check out the video below for more, and please check out the latest episode of the podcast for the full interview with Chris.
His passion for video and streaming is unparalleled, and I really think that comes across in our conversation.
In this clip, I talk with CEO and founder of DMVStream.com, B.J. Koubaroulis on how failures paved the way for learning and eventual success for his sports live streaming business. From attempting to stream a lacrosse game using a laptop and Jetpack hotspot, to now running hundreds of feet of ethernet cable from a production truck, B.J. has come a long way in his productions.
In my experience streaming, you absolutely need to be comfortable with the “fail forward” concept. Inevitably, no matter how many times you’ve done it, every stream comes with its own unique setup, challenges and surprises.
But with experience comes learning how to be prepared and better respond to challenging situations, should they arise.
Since COVID-19 forced many businesses to implement telework policies in mid-March 2020, I’ve been producing live streams to Facebook and LinkedIn almost daily. Here’s a look at the short list of equipment I use to keep my streams online and running in high quality.
Of course, I have the standard laptop, mouse, power strip, but specific to streaming, I’ve added a few tools that have put my mind a bit more at ease producing at-home streams for worldwide audiences.
I’ll first mention that I mainly use Switcher Studio to produce my streams. If you haven’t checked them out, please do. I’ve been using the product for 3+ years, and it just keeps getting better. But Switcher only works with iOS devices, so I use an iPad Pro 2018 as my main production hub.
To help with strain on my neck, I decided to get something that would raise my iPad to eye level, so I bought a Koolehaoda monopod. I also know folks that buy light stands for this sort of thing, but the monopod saved a few bucks. This Ulanzi tripod mount keeps the iPad in place.
To better ensure I don’t lose connection while I’m live, I wanted to somehow get an ethernet connection in my basement. My main home WiFi modem/router is a floor above my office space. I was very close to drilling holes through my floor, but then I discovered the TP-Link AV2000 Powerline Adapter.
This adapter uses the electrical wiring in your home to establish ethernet connections in different areas of the house where you may not be able to simply run ethernet cable. I highly recommend this piece of equipment for at-home streamers. I haven’t had a stream drop since purchasing in August 2020.
And since I use an iPad for my production hub, I need to get an ethernet connection to it. The Anker USB 3.0 Hub with ethernet converter paired with Apple’s USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter takes care of that. What’s great about this setup is I can also get power to my iPad using the Apple adapter. I could also bring in external audio sources to the Anker Hub if I wanted, as it has three USB ports.
I won’t go into camera setup, as a lot of the streams I produce involve remote guests and not me as an on-camera host, but maybe for another post.
But that’s it! I would consider those items to be my essentials in creating reliable, quality live streams from my basement.
Any questions? What does your home setup look like? Let me know in the comments!
