8 Tips For Making Great Videos
Whether you are an ESL Video Content Creator with BlaBla, a YouTuber, a TikToker, or any type of video maker, making great videos is the key to your audience’s heart. Ready to rock them? Let’s get started!
Here are 8 tips to make great videos that keep your followers coming back:
1. Speak Clearly
The first thing viewers perceive after clicking on your video and seeing your face is your voice. It’s important to make sure they hear you loud and clear. If your device is far from you, try placing a microphone somewhere nearby. Sound quality makes a big difference when it comes to a professional and an amateur video.
2. Eye Contact
“Look into the camera like you mean it! ” Well, not like a death stare unless you’re filming a horror. But seriously, this is exactly what works. It creates a real connection with the audience if you look into the camera while talking. I know it feels weird looking at a machine as if it’s a human being, so just imagine your audience is hiding behind that little camera and responding to everything you said. If you constantly look around and break the eye contact, you might seem less confident, shy, nervous, and not comfortable with what you’re talking about.
3. Smile
Always remember to smile!
4. Proper Lighting
Try recording at day time and/or next to windows. Beware of too much lighting which can make your face look over-exposed — nothing but a white figure, oops! If you are using your phone to record videos most of the time, consider investing in a $20 ring light to put on a tripod stand or phone holder. Many social media influencers are using it to make beautiful, evenly lit, professional-looking videos and photos.
5. Clean Background
Find a background that is not overly distracting when recording at home or outdoors. A plain coloured wall is the best and safest choice. Avoid having lights coming from the background towards the camera…trust me, you don’t want to cause serious damage to your audience’s eyes.
6. Choose An Interesting Topic
Wow, this is not the easiest thing, especially if you’ve been a Video Content Creator with BlaBla for a while and you feel like your creativity well is running dry. But actually, it’s not as hard as you think. For those who have a background or experience Teaching English as a second language (TESL), you might find it easier to talk about exams or grammar-related subjects. For those who don’t have such background or simply wanna switch styles, the things you can teach in a short video 15s to 1min long are only limited by your own imagination.
At BlaBla, you are welcomed to cover almost any topic, as long as they help users gain new English skills. Here are a few common categories:
Exams, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Grammar, Idioms, Travel, Food, Culture, Daily Conversation, Sports, Business, Academics, Hobbies, News…etc.
Still need inspirations? Fret not, we got your back! BlaBla has recently put out a new “Topics of The Week” section in the app, which is expected to be fully updated every week. You’ll be able to see topic recommendations such as “Recommend a book”, “The funniest joke I’ve ever heard”, and “Me and my pets”, and more. Most of the time you might find many similar topics already being covered by others. Keep in mind that topics are not the key to a successful video. It’s the message you deliver and how well you deliver it.
Check out this video for more details!
7. Have A Goal To Deliver A Message
Every video has to have a goal to deliver a certain message, otherwise, it’s an awkward selfie you accidentally recorded as a video :) A message can be the introduction of a new idiom, an interview tip, or a story you want to share. Even with the most cliche topic, you can still stand out with a unique message.
For example, if you’re covering western holidays like Christmas, instead of introducing the history of it, why not share a personal anecdote or a new gift idea? What’s your family tradition for the holiday? Was there an unexpected drama? Did you get the present you want? Then, highlight your message with new vocabularies, idioms, grammar, and phrases that will be beneficial for your audience to learn about. Boom, there is your video.
Try looking at the things you like to do every day and the new things you picked up. They almost certainly always have a story to it.
8. Use Different Styles of Delivery
Yes, how you deliver your message makes a big difference. What works best largely depends on your topic and content. Just imagine in 2 videos, one person talks about travelling from his/her bedroom, and the other from Vegas, which one would you watch?
Here are some different styles you can use to spice it up:
- Introductory: Simply explain a concept.
- Conversational: Demonstrate a point by talking with friends, family, or partners.
- Role Play: Yes, you can do it all by yourself!
- Edited Movie: Showcase your secret video editing skills and turn your video into a movie! You don’t even have to be in it if you’re lazy.
- Switch Between Indoors & Outdoors
- Video Series: Create a themed series and make small, engaging video episodes!
Hopefully, by the end of this article, you now have some inspirations. Now go ahead and make them videos like a pro!
