Are you afraid to be on camera? Do this.

Do you know you need to be on camera, but you're afraid to actually do it? Today we're gonna talk about how to get past that fear with some specific tactics.

Ooh, I'm excited. My name's Amara.

I'm Jeff.

Oh, we're supposed to say our last names.

Sarris.

Oh. Maybe one day.

I was like, Amara, you're saying yours.

I'm like, let's not bring that up on this. Anyway. Welcome to the Useful Not Famous cult.

This is the show, I forgot my notes. This is the show where we teach you how being useful helps build your brand and your business. So,

And it's a show where I wear a shirt that says the name of the show so then when we do clips later we don't have to put it on the screen. I wasn't even talking to the microphone.

So anyway, as I was saying, I was like, I was gonna wear my hoodie, but it's a 1000° in here. So anyway, how does the show work?

Oh, yeah. I don't remember, it's been like a month. So, we've been so busy, but yeah.

So, we do

Which we're gonna talk about in our second section, what we've been up to.

We do three five minute segments. The first one is why, second one is what, and the third one is how. So, why?

The why on this one's a little funny because we're talking about being afraid to be on camera. So, I guess the answer to the why is, why do you need to get over that fear?

Because it's worth it. No.

Well, like one of the things, like that came up this week, just sort of unrelated in everything that we do. There's there's been a study recently by someone who's very prominent in the SEO space, search engine optimization, where he outlined every single company, like major company, and their outlook on search right now.

And almost 100% of them said their business has shifted where the scales are shifting towards social media more than search almost for the first time. Like we're just we're at an inflection point right now where you need to build that real estate, that social media real estate if you want to survive in the future.

Absolutely. Well, the easiest way to do that is by becoming the local resource for your town, city, township, county, whatever the hell. There's so many words for it.

I had no idea until we started working with realtors so much that there are so many names for a little plot of land that is different from the one next door, from the one next door.

Borough?

That was the one I was looking for.

There's one there was another weird one.

Poopbutt?

That was it. Okay, go on.

Yeah. So, we are a little rusty, little rusty poopbutt. I feel like that's like a cartoon character.

Anyway, so the way to be like the way to-

Can I actually jump in for one more thing? I just want to say what we're talking about here is being basically a local news reporter. We've talked about this before, we've talked about scoops.

We're getting super tactical in this episode. But just think about this one thing. How many news reporters are there in the major metropolitan area that you live?

And now, how many are in exactly where you live? Those numbers are small for a major metropolitan area because there's fewer and fewer news outlets in existence.

Exactly. Well, and the news covers a larger area. It doesn't just literally cover this tiny little town, borough, township, whatever.

But what do we do? We trust who's giving us the news. This is just This is baked into our experience with radio and then television.

Exactly. So, building that trust is Well, by trying to build the trust like that, that is the easiest way to get trust and keep trust, as long as you can keep it. So, we are talking about specifically two different tactics that we primarily use with our Top Bananas, and that have been very, very successful.

I guess backing up a little bit, we are always shifting and evolving with our strategy with people. Or I guess, the tactics that culminate into our strategy. So, actually really quickly, what's the difference between tactics and strategy?

Well, I guess strategy is long term. It's long term thinking and its outcomes, and tactics are individual things that you do within a strategy. But I just wanted to say, what's a Top Banana?

Oh, a Top Banana is our client. So, that's just how we have fun.

Yeah, we fly all over We fly all over the country and film with realtors in their market.

Yes. So, we are always looking for We always have the same strategy in place, which eventually we'll talk about that in a whole episode, because that has shifted and evolved quite rapidly recently.

And it's gonna be very it's gonna be the future of this podcast is going to be that system, because we have codified it now.

Yes, which I'm really excited for. But that's been quite a lot that we've been working on, in addition to everything else. So, part of this machine is figuring out our tactics to make up the entire strategy, specifically in the social media realm, video realm.

So, the two that will absolutely establish you as the digital mayor in your area are scoops and out-and-abouts. Now, technically they are both scoops because they're both delivering in real-time news or news about the area.

Yeah, because when you think about news, a journalist creates the news. It's not that something just happened. The journalist has chosen to write about this thing, whether it's current, whether it's in the past, whether it's in the future.

It's chosen and created as news.

And I promise we're getting to our time. I promise we're getting to being afraid on camera, but we just want to set everything up first. So, the first type of scoop, which we call scoops, that is a green screen style news report, which we're going to talk all about how to actually make these in the last section.

But this is basically just you with images or whatever behind you and you're delivering the news on whatever one specific news story it is.

Yeah, in your poopbutt.

Yes, sorry, in your poopbutt township, city, whatever.

I like if we just clipped it right here, and it was like, what? Why did he just say that?

Oh, don't tempt me with a good time. I'm the clipper. So that is one style where you're delivering a news story in a very educational, pretty dry format, I would say, because it's not the most engaging, but it is very important.

Because you don't watch, well, you watch the news because it's engaging, but that's a whole other bag of hammers to deal with.

And I was just gonna say if it's engaging, it depends on the person. And that's important. You want You want to

Holy hell, some people are so fucking boring.

But yeah, you want to be a character. You want to be someone on camera. Like, we're we're touching on a lot of different things we'll dive into more and have dove into on this podcast in the past.

But things we'll dive into more in the future. But specifically, the fear of being on camera now, this is where scoops and out-and-about scoops, we sort of we sort of interchange the words. We tend to call out-and-abouts out-and-abouts and then green screen scoops, but they both fit under the same umbrella.

And scoops are a really great way to break out of your camera shyness because you, which we'll talk about later, I keep teasing it, but you record these in your home away from everybody else, and you are allowed to mess up. Like mentally, you will tell yourself you're allowed to mess up because you're just in your house and no one else is watching you.

Oh, I thought you were saying something.

No.

And then the other type of local content are out-and-abouts, which these are literally going physically outside to the business, place, whatever that you're talking about in the video and filming there, filming B-roll, which is the sort of scene setting stuff. So, it's the stuff that you're not in, but it's like, let's say you're going to a coffee shop, it's the shot of the outside of the coffee shop, it's the shot of your cup on the table, like it's all the pretty stuff that makes it way more visually engaging.

Now, this is a little bit more advanced, the out-and-abouts, especially if you are not comfortable being on camera. I actually conquered one of my fears today. It wasn't even really a fear.

Like, I love being on camera.

Maybe we should jump to the next section where we talk about this, where it's more the personal.

No. So anyway, so I guess we will jump to our next section.

So, today I was recording content for a secret not so secret, cuz everyone's like, "I found your profile!" I'm like, "Fuck." but a secret profile where I'm making local content for our town that we live in. And one of the things, because I didn't realize what day or time it is, it's the start of football season and you have never missed a Bears game in your entire life except for twice and you can name both times and we'll save that for another episode.

So, Mr. Sarris was here, watching his beloved Bears and I was out filming content. So, I had to film out in public by myself, trying to be energetic and engaging like I normally am when I have someone else there to help film, direct, all the things.

It is very nerve wracking when you're by yourself and then you see people walking by in your peripheral. It does mess with you a little bit because you lose your train of thought, because your immediate reaction is like, "What is this person like Don't look at me, I'm busy." But then I was like, "I don't care. Like, I want people to come up to me." So, I was trying to have the most open, boisterous energy, cuz I was like, "No, I want people to recognize me and be like, 'Hey, are you blah?'" Cuz I have been recognized already.

Yeah, that's something we haven't even talked about because you This is only about two months old and it's growing fast. It's there The accounts are surpassing like your personal and things like that on

On Instagram, not TikTok.

I mean, no, no, no, because you have I have a lot. It's growing fast. Like she's done a lot on TikTok personally, but the TikTok is growing even faster than Instagram.

So, it's all growing very effectively and that means we've had some people recognize her in person, and it's not It's not just "Oh, I think I follow you on social media." It's not a think. It like the last one was "Do you do videos on [insert brand name]?" As in like, this is a brand and a platform and you're the person who does the videos for that platform, which is like this is what we build.

We build brands, so it's not It's not limited to just you. Like in the future, there could be other people, there could be other adjustments, but this is we're building something bigger than just you.

Yeah, definitely. So, that was something that I overcame today, and I actually was excited to have more people recognize me and see me recording because then you're always gonna have that person who's like, "What are you making?" where they ask that. And then I was so excited and ready for that person.

Not a damn fucking person came up to me today. Nobody even looked my way, nobody batted an eye and I was carrying like shit with me. I had my little camera thingy.

But yeah, I was very disappointed. But anyway, I feel like I guess a tip that I could give just to wrap up this portion I was gonna say part and then I said port. To wrap up this portion is I already lost it.

Oh, no. Okay, here's the tip. Are you ready?

I'm just building anticipation. So, the tip I have if you are recording content on your own as a realtor is keep making content. Make so much content that you are just bored of being on camera almost.

Like, you get so used to it that it's just second nature. Like, you can turn it on immediately. That's something where we've made so much fucking content, we can just turn it on immediately.

We have an idea of what we want to make in the moment. We can just roll with it, whether We both have different ideas of what we want to make, so sometimes recording together is a little difficult,

Oh yeah, we've learned we have to film our own things.

Yes, but that's fine. Then we have two fun videos out of something. So, just make so much content that you It's just second nature.

Like, you're ready to make a video where you're just walking around and you're like, "Oh, I could just talk about this right now. Let me whip out my Osmo or my phone or whatever." so I think that's probably the best tip I can give, which it does take time, just like with anything with organic content like how we do. It takes time to build that audience, but once you do, people will recognize you outside.

Like, all of my stuff is organic. Everything that we've always done for everybody is organic, and it works.

Well, and like you said, so this is the how to get over it. It's these tactics are how you get over it. So, you have two very narrow specific tactics when you do them together, you don't have to have every video be an out-and-about.

You can have these at-home scoops. Yeah. But this So, this together is the little unlock for someone who like, it's great if you have someone to film for you and if you need someone to film for you, you know where to find us.

Your time is up.

So,

Yeah, it's great if you have someone film for you, but you can do this yourself. It's another job. It's like you're a realtor, a small business, local small business, I mean what you do isn't content and marketing.

Like,

It shouldn't be anyway, because you need to actually be making your money from your business.

And you want to put out good content, which is a whole other topic.

Well, yeah, but this is for the DIY.

Well, before you set the timer,

Oh, too late.

I have one more thing.

Aha.

If you are so terrified to be in front of camera,

I'll give you an extra minute and a half.

Thank you. If you are that terrified to be on camera and be out in your community filming, my main question is always, why? What are you scared of?

Why are you terrified to have people see you? The most ironic fucking thing about all of this is that is the entire point of making social media content is so people find you, so they see you, so they're aware of you. Why are you afraid of people being aware of you in the moment?

That's not bad. That's amazing. If somebody comes up to you while you're recording, just be like, "Oh, hey, just 1 second.

Let me just finish this really quickly." They're probably gonna watch you, but, okay, cool, they get to see how the sausage is made. That doesn't matter. Or what?

Then you kiss their babies, sign their whatever.

Yeah, that's what happened like two days ago.

I know.

But what is the worst thing that's gonna happen if you get recognized? Oh, my god, that could be a potential client, it could be a lead, like, or just somebody who's a really big fan of yours that you get to meet in the moment. Like, what's the worst thing that's gonna happen?

So, just stop getting in your head so much and stop building it up, because you're making it way more than it actually is. And there's gonna be a day where you wish somebody recognized you. It's gonna be like you're a washed up celebrity from like the 2000s, where you're gonna be like, "Nobody recognizes me anymore."

So, and that's the thing. People will there will be some people who will be a little in awe of seeing you. But just like this Useful Not Famous, you're not famous.

Nobody cares. Nobody knows who you are. A few people will recognize you, and ideally a few more and then a few more.

And then all that is that's building your potential cold like outreach. Like, these are leads. You're trying to get leads and you're trying to warm them up.

And if someone sees you and it's like, "I know you. I follow you. I've watched all of your videos.

I've I've sent every one of your videos to my fiancé because you're deciding where we go." Like that's what the person like the one person said.

Yeah. So, anyway, that is my biggest advice. Just who cares?

Who gives a fuck? Just go out there, think about the long term, not the short term. Don't think about your discomfort in that very moment, because that'll be gone as soon as you're done recording and think of the long-term benefit.

That video will be out there forever. People can find it forever. Like, don't focus Yeah, don't focus short-term, focus long-term.

So, anyway. Is all your stuff inside? Cuz it just started raining, I think.

Is it?

Well, good luck. Anyway. So, now we are on to our final section, which is the how.

So, getting back to I guess what I just talked about was how to be on camera in a way, just don't be worried about it, I guess. It's easier said than done.

Well, it's But it's stoic It's stoicism. It's just there's no utility in worry. We're always worried about what other people think.

And the disappointing secret is we worry about what other people think about us and the truth is they don't.

Isn't that even more depressing?

Like, nobody's worried about No one's thinking about you. No one's thinking about how you're dressed or how you're walking or what you sound like. Like, sure, there'll be moments.

Like, you might trip and fall and someone might be like, "." That's it. No one's Nothing matters. Everything's just a blip on the radar.

Damn right. So, my little blips, let's talk about how to actually make this local content.

So, we highlighted two different types of scoops. The one is called scoops and that's the green screen video content. And then the other one is out-and-abouts.

So, first let's start with the green screen videos. These, like I said, you are gonna record in your home. You want to have good lighting, good even lighting on you, so don't use a window.

I know so many people say you can use a window. Don't use window lighting, get an actual light that's made for video, so then you have a nice clean surface, because that's gonna be very, very important when you green screen yourself out.

But if you're not buying a light, have the window next to you. I have to say that because people are gonna turn on a light in their room, and that will be horrible.

Well, yeah, it has to be for video light.

Yeah, you either have a cross Like, if you're watching this right now, we have a light coming from my right, Amara's left. And you need to have some sort of cross light, a light at about 45°. If that's your window, fine.

If it's a light, even better. If it's a lamp, no. Okay, go ahead.

So, anyway, buy a video light, anyway. So, then you're gonna record yourself delivering this local news. Now, you want to make sure it's very quick, very tight and very engaging.

It has to be something that people actually want to watch. So, you have to have a really good hook at the beginning. Something that we found works really well is posing a question to people.

A question that they didn't even know they had, that works phenomenal. Then you solve the question, you answer the question later on in your little spiel, and then you have your brand closer, which if you don't know what a brand closer is, it's basically just who you are, what you offer and why people should follow you or what to do next.

So, if you have any questions about that, throw it in the comments below or I think we have a whole blog post on that as well.

We have a whole episode.

Okay. Oh, yeah. We have a whole episode on that too.

So, it's everywhere. Or you can just ask us, which is very direct.

It's important though because you'll find that a lot of people who do news things, like people are catching on to it, a lot of people have no reason for someone to know who they are. They don't They don't inject brand in at all.

Yes, which is very important. So, then also super important is where do you find the local news?

And I wanted to say, too, with this, what makes a good story.

So, yeah, what makes a good story is something that's very interesting. So, you kind of have to get the read on your community a little bit and it'll It's so funny because all of the news sources in your area will kind of tell you what people already find interesting, because they've already done this research and they need to appeal to all their readership.

So, that's a really good metric if something is actually interesting, see if other people have reported on it already. That's not to say that something won't be interesting or a good news story, but that's a really good metric for current things. If you're trying to make the news, try to figure out where people in your area really like to go to make a news story out of it.

So, that's something that I've started doing, because we're very light on news in our town. It's very chill. And also I don't want to talk about car theft and shit like that, like that doesn't Well, car theft, this was like one time ever, but just that kind of stuff that like negative sort of stuff, I don't care like I don't want to talk about that, because that's not my thing.

I want to talk about what's coming into town, what's maybe leaving town, like all the things that we can all identify with that's a positive.

And I just want to add one thing. What we're doing is one town.

Yeah.

But you service multiple towns, not you, you the listener, service multiple towns and area, you're you're gonna find news you're gonna find your news outside of just the boundaries of your town, because you want to appeal to more people. We are very finely focused on a single town.

Yes. So, you can I do recommend focusing more so on one town if you can, or one to two, but do whatever you feel like.

Well, I just wanted to say, but everything else is in relation to that town.

Yes, so that's something that we do with our thing is, "Oh, this is only 15 minutes from town," or "Oh, just about an hour drive, you can find this just outside town." So, that just manufacturing the news if you don't have as much news going on, it works really well, also, as long as you do it well. So, where do you find news then?

That's another really big question. Everywhere, there's so many different places. I mean it's

End of story.

It's like endless, like you can find it in Facebook groups, you can find it in meeting minutes for your local government, you can do actual news sources and things, like patch.com is really popular, too, because that just covers basically the entire United States. So, you can find it everywhere. We are though working on a system currently to make that so much simpler and so much easier, which is part of the reason why we haven't been recording, because that's like another thing we're working on.

Yeah. Yeah, so then you can turn to us and we will supply you with everything you need to do it. All you have to do is do it.

Yeah, so you don't need to set up RSS feeds, you don't need to go everywhere under the sun to find the news, because it is very difficult curating your own news. But just from using the system for us and our Top Bananas, it has been incredibly easier

Yeah, for them.

Yeah, to get these stories, cuz they don't need to find it on their own, we don't need to hunt through all the fucking newspapers in the area, like we have a really good curated selection. So, I'm very excited for that.

And I want to throw one more thing in. If you know anything about how we operate, we've always been anti-script. This shifts when it comes to a news story.

A news story needs a hook, it needs some meat in the center of the sandwich, and then you need to have sort of your closer and payoff. Like there's a very specific format. So, what we do actually now is for the news specifically, we come prepared with 100% of it.

So then our Top Bananas don't have to find the news, they don't have to figure out how to write a great hook, they don't need to figure out us like how to tell the story in 20 to 30 seconds. All of that is done and that's that's no easy task. It's not just quick and simple.

It takes it takes work to finesse and figure out how to do that right. So, that's why this is something that we're going to be offering to the broader public outside of our Top Bananas.

Yes, so we're very excited about that. So, back to the green screen scoops, just to round this out. So, you have your lighting source, you're gonna curate your local news in the way that we just told you.

Then what you do is you record yourself. Now, you want a clean backdrop behind you and again, this is gonna be a very Well, not again. This is gonna be a very quick overview.

It hasn't been that quick, but a quickish overview. We're not going into the super nitty gritty of, how do you do green screen, how do you do this? Because

We're gonna have that in the future.

Yeah, that'll be a future episode. We don't have time for that right now. But, just for the sake of ease and so this isn't a 70 minute long podcast,

Well, yeah, and even beyond this podcast, everything else that we're building as educational resources.

Yes. So, clean backdrop behind you, because you want it to be easy for whatever software you're using to green screen you. You want it to be as easy and quick and efficient as possible.

So, if you have lighter colored hair, if you have like a white poster behind you with stuff, it'll get stuck around your head and it'll look like you have a really weird deformity or you're wearing a stupid tiara. So, trust me, it's happened because we have the text that you can see behind Jeff's head. That is where I record my scoop and I have had a letter E over my head before and I was like, "Okay, I need to shift a little bit." So, anyway, learning process.

So, and that was just my error. That was user error. That wasn't the software that I use.

So, clean backdrop behind you, make sure you have so much energy on camera that you're actually engaging to watch, because so many fucking people, I've said it again, like I've said it before, so boring. So, just you don't have to be like coked out of your mind energy, but you have to be like la, dah. Like, just more engaging versus just like, "I'm reading this off the teleprompter," or "I'm a HeyGen AI," which has a whole other story.

So, that's it for green screen scoops, Mr. Sarris.

I was just gonna say because we just say turn the metaphorical volume up on how you perform, like as a normal everyday person, now you're in performance mode, just a little cranked up, maybe 20%, but just a little more.

Yeah, that's what I do. That's what everybody does. So, well, good performers do. [27:04 S1: Like me.

I know my strengths. So, then the next the second type of video content, those are the out-and-abouts.

Can I just jump in for one second? What do you recommend for green screen? Because they need software.

For editing? Descript, 100%. I use that for everything now and it is honestly changed the game.

Like, it's amazing. We should put a link in the description. We should also do that for the other episodes where I talked about putting a link in the description.

No, I think I did.

Oh, okay. Thank you. So, Descript is really amazing.

You literally press a button now, it's under their AI tools currently, before it was under Underlord, now it's their AI tools section and they it will literally green screen an entire video in like maybe a minute at the most and that's like a 20 minute video. It green screened in seconds, like a minute, seconds, whatever.

So, definitely check out Descript.

I thought you were gonna say something. No, I'm looking to see I think I have an easy link. I was just trying to find it real quick to say it.

So anyway, we'll have that link in the description below. So now, moving on to out-and-abouts. Now, these you should plan these out very meticulously, because when you're out in public, you will forget everything you've ever known about everything, trust me.

Your stress response will kick in, you'll get very nervous, because if this isn't something that you typically do, or you don't do a lot of like public speaking or things like that, you'll kind of blackout almost, where you won't remember everything that you were like, "No, I'm totally gonna remember this," or "I'm gonna be prepared." Plus, you're gonna need to film B-roll.

So, once you're especially if you're filming by yourself, filming yourself talking to camera, and then filming B-roll, by the next video, you're gonna kind of forget what your whole flow was going to be. So, for these, we actually do recommend not scripting out fully, but having your hook, having a bulleted outline of the three things that you want to highlight.

So, this is again, another thing we're working on. But in the out-and-abouts, what I like to highlight is, where is this in relation to everything else in town? So, if it's in your downtown area or you have two downtowns, which downtown is it in?

So it could be like, "Located in downtown Poopbutt." Sorry, that was the moniker for whatever. But, "Located in dah, this place has this." You need to tell them what they're going to get for going to this place. Excuse me.

So, let's say it's a Mexican food restaurant. So, "Located in downtown, we're here at [Mexican food restaurant name]. They have amazing dah, but the thing that most people don't know, there's actually a speakeasy in the back." And then you want to provide what makes this place unique versus other places in the area.

Personally, I think that's how you should do it.

Well, and that's contrast. You said "but", like that's important. Like, how did we even hook this episode?

It was What did I say?

"Are you afraid to be on camera?"

Yeah. "Do you know you need to be on camera, but you're afraid to do so?" That's contrast.

Exactly. So, you want to be like you just want to set it up where it's something salacious and engaging and just newsworthy, essentially. So then you're gonna have that whole little outline and again, just like a word or two in your outline, because if you're looking at it at a glance on your phone, you don't want to be like, "Okay, the located in the downtown…" No, that will absolutely not work.

You'll be there for 6 months. Just do it on the fly. You live there.

You already know what's good. Like, just talk about what you actually like about it and don't work yourself up over it. Even if you forget something, okay, cool, record it again.

That's the beauty of it.

I like even thinking, I think you just came up with something. If it's If you have your hook, and then after your hook, you just say, "And this is what's good." Like, you're telling yourself like what's You don't have to keep it in there, but like, "Now, I'm gonna say what's good. This is what's good.

This is what's…" Like just a thing that you know like, "I just need to say what's good. What am I saying? I'll figure it out." But,

Yeah, that's the beauty of editing is you can take absolutely everything out or leave everything in. It's up to you or your editor, whoever.

Yeah, and for access to Descript, you can go to whatismaven.com/Descript and that's actually a link that helps support the show if you end up signing up.

Oh, okay. Cool. Thank you.

So, that will make it so much easier when you're recording in the moment. Also, if you need to, write out your shot list for what you need for your out-and-abouts. I always recommend three specific shots.

One is the sign of the place where you're at, if you can, if there is a sign. If not, totally fine. Move on to the next ones.

I was gonna say, or the outside, like the front door, you know?

The second is the outside of the establishment or the place.! So, if you're at, let's say a park, you want to get just a panning shot of what that park, what the overall vibe is like. Now, obviously you can't pack all of that into one video, because it's a video.

You have to go experience it in person to really feel what it feels like. But as much as you can translate to the viewer on camera, pick that one spot where you're like, "Okay, this looks really good. This is what captures the vibe and the essence as much as possible of this place." So, those two.

And then finally, you want to get some close-up shots. Now, this will depend on your camera and your equipment. We use DSLRs for our Top Bananas.

Well, we mix between that and then a couple other things. But anyway, that will provide such amazing, beautiful depth for specific shots. But the DJI Osmo actually does a really good job now.

So you want to have this mixture of close-up shots, but then further away shots, because it also keeps the visuals really engaging for people to keep watching. So, stick to maybe three to four pieces of B-roll per video and that'll just make your life super easy. Even if it's literally panning this way on the restaurant and then you pan that way on the restaurant.

Don't put those clips side by side, but instead you could put one of them at the beginning, one of them at the end, and then you just need two more shots. So, if there's like a cute little patio, get a little shot of the patio. If you can go inside, which I do recommend, but we'll take it one step at a time, but then maybe a shot of the inside.

Then you can do that other panning. So anyway, there are tons of different ways that you can go about it, but I feel like that'll probably be the easiest system that you can adopt where you can do it yourself or bring whoever with you.

And you can, this is a this is a little cheat. So, you're going to film the B-roll, the actual scene. You should be out in front or inside when you're doing your talking part.

But you could do it from your car. We've used this, too, for people who were more comfortable in that scenario. And that works as well.

The only thing, you can't make everything look the same. "Oh, she's in her car again. Oh, he's in his car again." You need to use utilize the B-roll and utilize your hooks and the way that you are boisterous on camera to make sure people don't say, "I've seen this one already." So, that's that's part of the magic of being in the in the spot, too, is like, I live here and then I'm like, "I know that place," in a half second in a video.

That's part of your hook is where you are in the world and if someone knows where you are, and it's like no one talks about where I am, they want to see what you have to say.

Exactly. So, either like we strongly, strongly recommend being in front or inside the place, because people will in your area will be like, "I know that!" But if you can't, like Jeff said, record in your car and then just make sure you get B-roll of the exterior of the place and overlay that when you're like, "We're at [place] today." Put that B-roll over it and that will also work.

And now one last thing, length of video.

Oh, yeah. That's another thing. As quick as possible without being like "Lalalala." So, on the Who would ever do that?

On the early days of TikTok, you only had 60 seconds, exactly. If you talked even a second longer, like, it just wouldn't be in your video. So, that is the TikTok that I am used to and that was how I started, where I had to talk so fucking fast, I would Sorry.

I would literally be timing myself like, "Okay, this section's 8 1/2 seconds. This is 5. This is that." And I would just try to talk as fast as possible, and it was art history, also, which is probably very difficult.

That's the one I wanted to say is this is early for you in content creation, so you were doing full essays on a topic and trying to jam them into 60 seconds. Now, you wouldn't do it quite the same way. But at that time, that was that was part of the challenge and part of the stick, too.

People would be like, "I had to watch it six times. I can't even understand what you're saying, you're talking so fast."

And that was part of it, where I was like, "Yeah, give me your views." But anyway, that was a whole separate tactic. So anyway, still try to make your video as quick as and engaging as possible, but you don't need to motor mouth everything. I do, because I like that style and I find it the most upbeat and engaging, but I'd say probably stick to 30 to 45 seconds at the very most.

You can go longer, but if you're not skilled in making content, I highly recommend keeping it as brief as possible, cuz like you can make a 3-minute video and make it engaging. That is a whole other set like skill set.

If you're watching, if you're listening to this because of the hook though, no, you can't.

That is true.

Like, to be honest. Like if you're afraid to be on camera, you are not skilled enough to make a 3-minute video engaging.

Well, yeah, and I've exactly. Like there are 3-minute TikToks that I've watched where I'm like, "Oh, my god, I watched the entire thing." But that person has spent years refining their craft and making it an actual like video. So, stick to 30 to 45 seconds and that's perfect for you, too, because then you don't need to be standing out in front of the place that long.

So, just as quick and tight as possible, but also still giving people some reason to watch the video. So, we have worked with people where they're like, "This is this and I like this." Can you romance it a little bit more? That's like That will just help make a better video.

So, it's like, "Located in downtown, Taco Bell has seven different seating areas. They offer chalupas, gorditas, and then they have the Baja Blast, one of my personal favorites."

I thought they were gonna have 7-layer nachos. Oh, no. Seven seating areas?

They also have 7-layer nachos. But beware, the bathrooms are kind of a shitshow.

And you

My name's Amara and I make video content just like this.

So anyway, just something like that where

Remember yesterday?

Okay, let's not talk about that on the podcast.

Yeah. Also, we are at 40 minutes, so I think we need to wrap here.

So, that's all I was gonna say is just literally that simple, that straightforward. That's the best thing I can offer.

If you're actually this far into this though, we need you to do something. We need you to either take a photo, screenshot, whatever you do, and like tag us and post this to your stories, so we know you're actually here, because that's that's that's something. We need to know people are out there.

You know, we don't know if anyone is out We have an idea, but you know what I mean. Generally, we don't know and it's super helpful because the only way this can grow is if you share it with other people. The podcast is very different.

The beauty is we own this 100%. Like where we own it so much that we didn't show up for a few weeks. But this is so different, and something we'll talk about in the future, is you need to own your distribution.

You need to use social media, own what you do from there. And that's everything we're talking about moving forward and how we are going to be educating people to actually turn cold leads into warm leads into customers.

Yep. On that note, we gotta eat dinner and back.

Yeah, we do.

All right. Bye!

Bye.