Web Video Production in 3 Easy Steps

What’s holding you back from creating your own web video channel (and distribution network)?

Does it just sound like too much work?

That’s what held me back from diving in. But then I started following a group called ‘The Young Turks‘ and realized that quality video production doesn’t require hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment or staff members to bring a show to life. The Turks started three years ago when founder Cenk Uygur decided to act on his feeling that web video would rival TV in terms of audience size. Using a small budget and some pretty simple camera equipment, Cenk got the show rolling and now rivals top CNN shows in popularity.

You probably have everything you need to launch your own show and begin building an audience for yourself, your business, or even a charitable cause.

Here’s three steps to make it happen today…

Step 1: Website Optional (But Highly Recommended)

Starting your own web channel on sites like YouTube and UStream are completely free. You can even customize your channel with images and colors to make it represent your individual ‘brand’.

But remember that at the end of the day, you want people visiting a space you control if the end goal is to promote yourself and/or sell a product. Otherwise you are helping YouTube alone gain from your content.

To be fair, sites like YouTube do pay their top content providers for including advertisements, but these paid shows are not the norm. You must be invited to participate and the rules for being considered require a huge number of fans and subscribers.

There is an easier way.

If you embed your player of choice into a website or blog, you can build a powerful distribution network that benefits you directly. Be aware of how important it is to distribute your videos once they’re created (what’s the use of making content that no one will see?). So, go out and buy a domain or use a free hosting site like WordPress or Blogger to embed your videos onto. YouTube and UStream make it simple — all you must do is copy and past the ‘embed’ code for your channel onto the site wherever you like.

Step 2: Webcams are Fine, Camcorders are Better

One of the little known secrets about online video is how easy it is to get rolling. Your show can be up in 5 minutes or less — really!

In fact, I recommend you start simple and cut a few shows to get your feet wet before worrying about perfecting the format. Having the guts to press ‘broadcast’ is the biggest obstacle for most would-be producers.

Here’s how to start:

• Set up UStream and YouTube profiles (1 to 2 minutes each)
• Press ‘Broadcast Now’ on UStream (30 second ‘test’ broadcast)
• When finished, click on ‘Your Videos’ (UStream records your broadcast) and scroll down to ‘upload to YouTube’ (2.5 minutes, max)

There, you’ve just successfully created a show and syndicated it on your YouTube channel! That’s the first step towards sharing the awesome videos you make in numerous places, increasing the chances people will see them. Once you have a few videos under your belt you can think about upgrading to a better camera (I use a Canon HF10 HD camcorder) but it’s completely unnecessary in the beginning. Save your money and focus on content first.

Now to round things out, copy the ‘embed’ code either from YouTube or UStream and paste it onto your website/blog sidebar. Congratulations, you are a growing online video star!

Step 3: Storyboards & Scripts are a Good Supporting Cast

By now you see how easy it is to create the online channels that will house your show, but what about the actual show itself?

Speaking about one topic for an extended period, hell even just 5 minutes, can drag on and become uncomfortable without a clear direction. For this reason I recommend creating a storyboard or show outline to keep the show moving and gain the interest of potential fans (3 to 7 seconds, that’s how long you have to win or lose someone’s attention). Outlines are easy to make.

Here’s one of mine:

• Topic of show:
• Subtopic 1:
• Resources (articles, websites, quotes):
• Hook (reason you should care):
• Talking Point 1:
• Talking Point 2:
• Talking Point 3:
• Subtopic 2:
• Resources (articles, websites, quotes):
• Hook (reason you should care):
• Talking Point 1:
• Talking Point 2:
• Talking Point 3:

Where can you find resources, quotes, and show ideas? I recommend Copyblogger and the Ad Age Power 150. These two resources will provide you with ideas for content creation, execution, and distribution. That’s a good way to wrap up this post too. Remember not to let technology be a barrier in your pursuit of an audience, and leverage the hell out of all the free software and online video hosting services available to you.

Tagged as: Web Video