Your First Video Starts With One Shot
Grand Finale: The First Video
After ten parts of talking about why you’re not showing up on video, we’ve reached the point where there really isn’t anything left to discuss.
You know you don’t need to be perfectly confident. You know people aren’t studying your flaws the way you are. You know being uncomfortable isn’t an emergency, and your audience would rather see an actual person than some polished performance.
So now you have to make the freaking video.
☕ What Have You Believed About Video?
You’ve believed you needed to be more confident, more polished, better prepared, better looking, better at speaking, and less awkward before you could show up.
Maybe you’ve blamed:
Your face
Your voice
Your age or weight
Your hair
The lighting
Not having the right equipment
Not knowing how to edit
Not knowing what to say
Some of those things might make a video prettier or easier to make. None of them is a requirement for pressing Record.
At some point, preparation becomes procrastination with better branding.
☕ What Have You Really Been Avoiding?
Being seen before you feel ready.
That’s underneath a whole lot of the excuses we’ve taken apart in this series. You don’t want people to see you learning, stumbling, looking uncomfortable, or making something that clearly looks like one of your first videos.
But being new at something isn’t embarrassing. It’s how getting good at something starts.
Your audience isn't demanding that video #1 look like video #100. You are.
You can show up before you’re good at it and start getting better, or keep avoiding it and keep getting exactly the results that not showing up has been getting you.
Strong coffee isn’t made by staring at the beans.
☕ What Happens When You Finally Hit Record?
Probably far less than your brain has been predicting.
You’ll make a video. Maybe the first take will suck. Maybe you’ll stumble over a word, make a weird face, forget what you were saying, or discover that apparently your hands have their own language.
And then something important happens: you’ve made a video.
The thing you’ve spent all this time anticipating is now something you’ve actually done. Make another one and you’ve got two reps. Keep going and eventually video stops being this enormous EVENT and becomes another way you communicate about your business.
Your audience gets to watch that happen, too. They get to see you improve, become more comfortable, and find your voice.
They don't need you to arrive perfectly brewed. They can watch you get stronger.
☕ What Do You Actually Need to Make Your First Video?
Your phone and decent light. That’s it.
Face a window, use a lamp, or go outside. Put your phone around eye level or slightly above so you’re looking slightly up instead of filming from underneath your chin.
A few basics:
Clean the camera lens.
Face your light source instead of putting it behind you.
Prop the phone somewhere stable if you don’t have a tripod.
Frame yourself comfortably without acres of ceiling over your head- center of the screen is best.
Look at the camera dot instead of watching yourself on the screen.
No fancy camera. No studio. No elaborate lighting setup. No shopping spree disguised as “getting ready.”
You already own enough equipment to make video #1.
☕ What Should You Say When You Hit Record?
Pick one thing you know really well. Answer a question customers ask all the time, correct a mistake you see people making, explain something people misunderstand, or give one useful piece of advice.
Do not write yourself a speech and then attempt to perform it. Give yourself three bullets:
How you’re going to start (hook) (DO NOT SAY HELLO)
how you will introduce yourself (in a memorable way)
The one thing you want them to know
How you’re going to finish (DO NOT SAY GOOD BYE)
Then imagine one person sitting across from you over coffee and talk to that person.
If you stumble, keep talking. If you lose your thought, pause and start the sentence again. The ums, breaths, silences, and false starts can be edited afterward.
Your job while recording is to say something worth listening to and sound like a real person saying it.
Then post it.
And for video #2? Do the same thing. Then #3, #4, and #5.
You don’t need another course before you make them. You need reps.
We’ve spent this entire series getting everything else out of your way. Now there’s only one thing left between you and your first video.
The Record button.
Look at the dot. Talk. Post the video.
Then pour another cup and make the next one.
☕ Ridiculously Easy Hooks to Use on Your First Videos
For the finale,here are hooks that make it ridiculously easy to choose one thing you already know and turn it into a video. These can work across the buyer’s journey.
Awareness
If you're dealing with [problem], here's the first thing I'd check.
Before you [common action], stop and look at this.
Most people think [common belief]. Here's what they're missing.
If [specific frustrating situation] keeps happening, this could be why.
You're making [problem] harder than it needs to be if you're still doing this.
Customer Recognition
You're [specific frustrating behavior] again, aren't you?
You know that moment when [very specific customer situation]? Here's what to do next.
If you've tried [solution A] and [solution B] and still have [problem], listen to this.
You're staring at [thing] wondering whether to [option A] or [option B]. Start here.
You keep putting off [action] because you're worried about [specific concern].
Expertise
If you asked me about [topic] over coffee, this is the first thing I'd tell you.
I see people make this mistake with [topic] all the time.
Before I recommend [solution], I always look at these three things.
Here's what I wish every [type of customer] knew about [topic].
After working with [type of customer], there's one thing I want you to stop doing with [topic].
Trust & Nurture
I used to think [old belief] about [topic]. I don't anymore.
A customer asked me [common question] this week. Here's what I told them.
Here's something we do differently at [business] and why.
There's a reason I won't recommend [common option] to everybody.
One thing I wish more people understood about my industry is [truth].
Consideration
[Option A] or [Option B]? Here's the difference that actually matters.
Before you hire a [provider], ask this question.
If you're considering [product/service], don't choose based only on [obvious factor].
Here's who [product/service] is perfect for—and who probably doesn't need it.
If you're comparing [option A] and [option B], look at this before you decide.
Conversion
If you're ready for [desired result] but keep getting stuck at [problem], here's your next step.
Here's exactly what happens when you book/buy [offer].
If [objection] is what's keeping you from [action], here's what you need to know.
You don't have to keep [painful workaround] to get [desired result].
If you're done with [pain point], this is what we created [offer] to solve.
