Filming your Vlog

Your First Vlog – The What, Why and How?

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There’s no doubt that the hardest vlog to record is your first one. Leaving aside the fact that you might well be understandably nervous when you first put yourself in front of a camera, there’s an even pricklier issue to contend with – what to include in it.
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While a poor or mediocre introductory video need not ring the death knell for your vlog, everyone knows the cliché about creating a good first impression rings true.

If you want to hit the ground running, your first vlog needs to be as engaging and slick as possible.

So here are some suggestions that you can put into practice to ensure that your first vlog is captivating instead of cringeworthy.

Tell People About You

While your vlog doesn’t necessarily need to be about yourself in order to be successful, it’s simply human nature to wonder about the person that’s behind something of this nature, particularly when his / her face appears in every video.

Thus, a good way to start any vlog series is by telling people a little about yourself.

It doesn’t need to be excessively personal, it just needs to be enough to fill people in on who you are.

Tell People Why You’re Vlogging

Next you should instruct people on what topic(s) your vlog is going to focus on, and possibly more importantly, why you’re vlogging in the first place.

Most vloggers don’t have any cachet to begin with; their opinion or ‘voice’ doesn’t necessarily carry any particular weight.

Your first vlog should essentially explain to the audience why on earth they should listen to you.

After all, there are literally millions of other things that they could be doing on the Internet.

Three Key Content Qualities

All vlogs should obey the following rules as closely as possible;

Firstly, they should be short, sharp and to the point. No-one wants to watch and listen to a vlog that goes on for an inordinate amount of time. Consider jump cut editing.

Secondly, the content must be engaging, and ideally fast paced. Dreary, waffly and torpid content will not get you anywhere.

Thirdly, the content needs to encourage people to return. This is possibly the most nuanced of the three, but a good example of a technique to achieve this is posing viewers an open-ended question, and promising to give your take on it in the next video.

Social Media

Get a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, YouNow and any other form of social media profile that you can, and encourage people to subscribe to them in your vlog – perhaps add a link to your social profiles at  the end of each video.

Engage across all of the social networking sites to help promote your first vlog.

Engage across all of the social networking sites to help promote your first vlog.

This is one of the primary ways that people obtain an Internet presence, by creating their own mini social media ‘empire’.

Optimise Video Quality

Finally, a minor point, but a key one. Quite simply, film your vlog in the best quality video that you possibly can.

There’s no point in having exceptional video content and execrable video quality.

If you follow these simple tips in creating your first vlog then you’ll have made a good start in attracting viewers to your channel.

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Andrew Kerby

Lead Web and ICT Consultant at KBY Design
I am the founder and editor of New Wave TV. View my recent posts by clicking the tab above or you can follow me on twitter @andrew_kerby.

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