Nobody wants to appear awkward or self-conscious in a video they post for the world to see. But this is a common concern for people who are new to being an on-camera personality.
A critical part of attracting and audience with your video presentation is to look authentic and professional.Authenticity comes from being prepared, knowing what you want to say and presenting it in a manner that appeals to your target audience. and you need to be genuine because you’re about to become the face of your business.
Write yourself a script that includes a brief description of yourself and your business. Include a little bit of history to add legitimacy and credibility to the company and your product. The write out the message you want to convey to your audience.
If you have had experience with public speaking, then you are already ahead of the curve. If so, then your script should be bullet points that remind you of what you need to say and allow you to improvise so you don’t sound like you’re reading.
If you’re are nervous, then practice in front of your camera and review your presentation, revise it and try again and again until you are comfortable with yourself on camera. The key is to practice until your feel relaxed and no longer sound like you are reading a script. You can also screen the rehearsal video with friends or colleagues and ask for their feedback. Don’t be afraid to add humour and leave in the odd flub or stumble to let the audience laugh with you. Humour is a great way to break the ice and relax a little.
To look genuine, you need to be comfortable on-camera. If you have trouble remembering what you want to you will start looking away from the camera you will appear “shifty”. Well there is an easy way to help you remember your message and stay focused on your audience.
You could consider a teleprompter. That’s a dice that will display your script in front of the lens of the camera without the viewers seeing it. It allows you to read your script or bullet points while looking directly at your audience. There are many of these on the market today that are quite affordable.
The one I use works with my iPad, called OneTakeOnly Pad Prompter: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1211187-REG/onetakeonly_147001_pad_prompter_for_lightstand.html.
There are many others available but I would avoid the ones that use a smartphone because they are too small for the purpose. You will also need an app to enter your script and display it on the prompter hardware. I use Teleprompt+ 3 available for Apple and Android. it has good reviews but still has the odd bug, which I rant about on our YouTube page ;). What I liked about it is that it will import text from a word processor file, it has desktop, smartphone and tablet versions. It give you control of the text size, colour, justification and scrolling speed to suit presentation style. And it allow for remote control from another smart device, third party hardware and even Apple Watch. And it offers synchronization between devices using common cloud based resources like iCloud, Dropbox and Google Drive. Again, there are other options that might suit your budget better.
Finally, and most importantly is how you look in your video. Select a location that would appeal to your customers and dress the part as well. Make sure the set is quiet so there are no distractions. It’s preferable to film indoors for the control of sound and lighting as well as the consistencybetween different takes and video presentations. Remember that you are creating a visual brand or look for your company.