Full Transcript for 151 - Why Video Feels So Hard (And How to Make It Simpler)

don't have enough ideas. 00:02:28.600 --> 00:02:34.120 Now, if that's you, you stare at the camera, not knowing what to say because you haven't planned in advance. 00:02:34.199 --> 00:02:36.439 But there are tons of tools for that. 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:38.439 You can try Answer the Public. 00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:40.600 It's a social listening tool. 00:02:40.839 --> 00:02:47.480 It will tell you what people are searching for on search engines, social media platforms, and even AI. 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:48.839 And you can try it for free. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:54.360 Or you can go straight to AI and use ChatGPT, Claude, or maybe Perplexity. 00:02:54.519 --> 00:02:57.800 They'll give you more ideas than you could possibly use. 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:02.040 Another thing I hear all the time is I don't have time. 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:05.240 Now, this is huge for everyone, even for me. 00:03:05.399 --> 00:03:09.480 And it's usually because people wait until they need a video. 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:17.000 Then they have to come up with an idea, record the video, and edit it so they can post it on LinkedIn or other social media. 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:20.680 Now, what happens is three hours later, they've got nothing. 00:03:20.920 --> 00:03:24.920 Those are three surface problems that people struggle with. 00:03:25.079 --> 00:03:27.879 And every one of those has a fix, as I've mentioned. 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:34.439 But here's the thing: the way to solve all of them is to develop the content creator mindset. 00:03:34.600 --> 00:03:42.600 Once you do that, you will see content all around you all the time, not just as another task that you have to do. 00:03:42.759 --> 00:03:48.680 So let's talk about the content creator mindset, which is something that I teach and I talk about at conferences. 00:03:49.079 --> 00:03:51.480 I've divided it into five parts. 00:03:52.280 --> 00:04:01.720 See the story, shape the strategy, stack the ideas, shoot with simplicity, and most important of all, shift the focus. 00:04:02.040 --> 00:04:03.800 That changes everything. 00:04:04.040 --> 00:04:06.040 So let's start with see the story. 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:10.040 Content is already happening around you all the time. 00:04:10.280 --> 00:04:11.959 You just have to notice it. 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:20.439 A couple of summers ago, I was sick, and as I'm laying on the sofa, I see my husband walking outside with a dish in his hand in the pouring rain. 00:04:20.519 --> 00:04:26.759 So I ran over to the sliding glass door, and there is my husband standing on the patio, grilling a steak. 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:29.879 Umbrella in one hand and tongues in the other. 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:33.639 So I went back to the sofa, grabbed my phone, and recorded it. 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:41.480 I had no idea what I'd do with it, but it seemed so ridiculous, I knew I could use it somewhere. 00:04:41.800 --> 00:04:49.960 Now, a couple days later, I realized that Mission Impossible, the

latest and supposedly the last Mission Impossible, had just opened in theaters. 00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:57.879 So I added the theme song to the video and I called it Mission Grill Possible: what a man will do to get his stake. 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:06.600 And the last time I looked at it, it had over 9,000 views on YouTube, and it also got lots of engagement everywhere else, including on LinkedIn. 00:05:07.080 --> 00:05:12.360 I saw something interesting, probably relatable, and again, kind of ridiculous. 00:05:12.600 --> 00:05:18.360 So I knew it could be something down the road, and that's the shift. 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:32.040 When you start thinking like a content creator, you start seeing interesting, relatable, sometimes funny moments, and you record them, even though you have no idea what you're going to use them for in the future. 00:05:32.199 --> 00:05:37.080 That's the b-roll footage that makes video much simpler later. 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:38.920 I'll give you one more example. 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:50.520 If you watch the series Severance, you know that the characters are always walking around this wild company in long white hallways that seem to be a maze that goes nowhere. 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:56.199 Now, I found myself at a medical building and the hallway looked just exactly like that. 00:05:56.280 --> 00:05:58.199 And I thought, you know, that's interesting. 00:05:58.360 --> 00:05:59.400 Let me just record it. 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:01.720 No plan, just let's record it. 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:04.680 Then the use of it found me. 00:06:05.080 --> 00:06:12.120 Now, even if you're not an Earth, Wind and Fire fan like I am, I've seen them three times in concert, and I don't do concerts. 00:06:12.280 --> 00:06:15.480 You're likely familiar with their hit song, September. 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:25.080 So when September 21st rolled round, I was scrolling on TikTok and every other video was using Earth, Wind and Fire September as a soundtrack. 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:34.439 So I thought for a little bit, I grabbed a cap cut template that I'd save, three guys dancing, and I put my hallway video behind them. 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:39.560 Suddenly there were three guys dancing down a Severance hallway to September. 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:43.640 It took me only a few minutes because the footage was already on my phone. 00:06:43.879 --> 00:06:47.240 That's where recording things as you see them pays off. 00:06:47.400 --> 00:06:49.800 It's there when the right moment comes along. 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:51.720 Next comes stack the ideas. 00:06:51.960 --> 00:06:54.520 An idea pops in your head, capture it. 00:06:54.680 --> 00:06:59.879 If you're like me, if you don't write it down someplace, you're likely to forget it, especially the best ideas. 00:07:00.040 --> 00:07:07.240 Now, I sometimes come out of the shower and run into my office and write a note on a whiteboard just so I don't forget. 00:07:07.560 --> 00:07:10.439 But most of the time I rely on post-it notes. 00:07:10.520 --> 00:07:15.720 I jot ideas down and I sort them on my whiteboard by type of video. 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:22.840 You might use a voice recording app that's something that I sometimes use in my car, or a notes app on your phone. 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:26.680 It doesn't matter how or where, whatever works for you. 00:07:26.840 --> 00:07:29.480 The important thing is that you just do it. 00:07:29.960 --> 00:07:33.640 This fixes the running out of ideas and the time problem. 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:37.560 When it's time to record, you're not starting from scratch. 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:43.080 You pick a few ideas from your stack of ideas and record them all in one session. 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:46.920 Okay, next comes Shape the Strategy. 00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:51.480 This is the part that most people skip, and it's answering three questions. 00:07:52.120 --> 00:07:53.480 Who is this video for? 00:07:53.720 --> 00:07:55.480 What type of video is it? 00:07:56.120 --> 00:08:01.000 Maybe educational, maybe behind the scenes, and why are you making it in the first place? 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:02.280 What is the goal? 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:07.640 Answer those three questions before you hit record because every video should have a job. 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:13.240 I do a deep dive into this in episode number 146 on this podcast. 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:15.800 The fourth one is shoot with simplicity. 00:08:15.960 --> 00:08:17.720 Stop overthinking production. 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:18.759 Use what you have. 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:28.120 If you're just getting started, use your phone and talk the way you actually speak, not the way you'd write a report or an article or even a LinkedIn post. 00:08:28.280 --> 00:08:33.879 Now it's simpler to write a short script or jot down some notes and record one line at a time. 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:37.720 It helps you stay on track and avoids rambling. 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:43.080 And when you make a mistake, as we all do, just re-record that one line again. 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:47.000 It saves you a ton of time in the editing process as well. 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:50.039 And number five is shift the focus. 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:55.319 That one ties everything together and it will change everything for you. 00:08:55.559 --> 00:08:59.159 People feel awkward on camera, they overthink their videos. 00:08:59.319 --> 00:09:01.399 It's because they're thinking about themselves. 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:04.039 What are people gonna think about them? 00:09:04.199 --> 00:09:06.599 And the truth is, nobody cares about you. 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:09.159 They don't care what you look like or sound like. 00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:13.719 All they care about is if your message is relevant to them. 00:09:14.599 --> 00:09:22.360 When you shift the focus to the person watching to what they need to know, it will help change everything. 00:09:22.599 --> 00:09:25.879 You're not performing for people, you are helping them. 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:27.879 Now, thanks again for joining me today. 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:32.279 If this episode was helpful, please share it with a friend. 00:09:32.439 --> 00:09:33.719 I bet they'll thank you. 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:35.319 And I'll see you next time. 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:37.159 Want to continue the conversation? 00:09:37.319 --> 00:09:41.799 Connect with me on LinkedIn or find me on Substack and let me know if you found me through the show. 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:47.159 And if you find content marketing school valuable, please follow the show and leave a five star review. 00:09:47.319 --> 00:09:49.719 It's the only way I'll know that I'm on the right track. 00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:52.919 Thanks again for joining me, and I'll see you next time.