by Camila Porto | Jul 15, 2022 | Digital Marketing |
Who has never felt that butterflies in the stomach or the famous “white” when trying to record a video? The fact is that many people are looking for answers to know how to lose the shame of recording videos, how to let go in front of the camera and even how to lose the shame of recording stories for Instagram.
Despite being a key content format for anyone looking to work with digital marketing and social media, you might also want to get over the fear of recording videos to feel safer in public. The fact is, you don't have to lose the fear of recording videos just to make money.
Learn more: All about videos on social media here on the blog
In general terms, you already know that videos are super important for anyone who has or wants to have an online business. Even if you are not a digital entrepreneur, to promote your business on social media, videos on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube can help you attract customers. Check out what to do to record videos without fear or shame and tips I applied to lose the fear of recording.
How to lose fear of the camera?
Sharing my experience with videos, I can assure you that you basically need two things: persistence and detachment. When you start recording your videos, the first ones will be horrible. You will feel shame and your first desire will be to erase. This is the good side of videos on social media. You can erase and re-record as many times as you like.
Another skill that you will find that you acquire as you persist and record new videos is detachment. We know people are very critical on social media. However, there are many more positive people who will thank you for the content of your video. So letting go of negative reviews will be much easier over time. Because positive reviews will help you maintain consistency.
How to let go in front of the camera?
The main tip is repetition. Just like in a sport, practicing will make you more skilled at a new activity. You can imagine that the camera is a person and literally talk to them. You can imagine that the camera is a person you are explaining something to. It may seem strange, but it helped me a lot in the beginning.
Another way to loosen up is to record the video with someone. This person can work as an interviewer or guide you in what you need to say. One of the tips that I will detail below is to have a script before recording. That person can guide you to follow the script and you won't stray too far from the topic of the video.
How to lose the shame and fear of recording videos?
Now I'm going to share with you some practical tips that I use myself when I record my videos. Some are weird and some are funny, but like you, I'm not very comfortable in front of the camera. But with a few simple tips, recording videos will get easier.
One thing is fact. The more you know about something, the easier it is to talk about it. So, if you want or need to record videos, dedicate yourself to learning as much as possible about the topic you are going to talk about. It seems obvious, but many people want to teach something they don't know. This ends up appearing in the video. So prepare yourself before turning on the camera.
Especially when you are starting out, having a script is very important to help you be objective and not be “traveling in mayonnaise”. You can use journalism's famous LEAD to guide you in what you need to say. For example, let's say you want to talk about makeup. Using the Journalism LEAD, you will answer some questions:
- Who?
- What?
- When?
- Where?
- Because?
- How?
Because you, who knows, are afraid or ashamed to record videos, there is a high chance that, like me, you procrastinate recording your videos. I solved this by blocking my schedule. In my case, every Monday, starting at 16 pm, I dedicated myself to recording my videos.
With this tip, you are already organized, avoid making appointments and your mind already knows that the moment of truth will come. By scheduling a fixed time, you get ready, organize your itineraries, take care of your look and don't procrastinate. Choose the day and time that works best for you. My tip is to choose quieter times. Learn more in the next tip.
If you've ever recorded videos, you must have suffered from what I call the “play curse”. You press play to start recording and what happens? The neighbor starts the drill, the dog starts barking, the ambulance passes. In my case, it's the train. So, when blocking your schedule, choose quieter times if possible. Sooner or later. This helps to avoid interruptions.
Despite being a detail, the look chosen to record can interfere with the quality of your video. Avoid wearing very flashy or patterned pieces, especially small prints. This creates interference in the video, which can draw the viewer's attention to your outfit more than what you're talking about.
Try to use neutral colors like white, black, gray and pieces without prints. Another tip is to avoid t-shirts with writing on them, this can steal the content's attention to what's on the t-shirt. Another tip is to take care of your face shine, whether you're a man or a woman. Women generally wear more makeup, but I recommend men and women to use a powder to remove shine from the forehead and nose.
As stated above, persistence is one of the keys to recording better and better videos and feeling less afraid or ashamed to record your videos. To help you, a tip I've always used is to establish an anchor, a reason to record your videos. I even write my anchor and put it in front of the camera so I don't forget.
My anchors are a mantra I made: “I love videos and videos love me”. Whenever something goes wrong on the recording, I say it to relax. Also, without demagoguery, I record videos to earn money and maintain my business. Therefore, earning more is one of my anchors.
How to lose the shame of recording in public?
Recording videos is something that frightens many people, as is public speaking. With the tips you've seen so far, I believe a little practice and organization will make things easier. Don't worry so much about criticism, it will come. Over time you will see that the praise and incentives are greater than the haters on the internet. Don't call them.
Now, a way to loosen up and have a closer experience of recording in public is to do lives. Lives are great for training and losing the fear of recording. With lives on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube, you have the opportunity to chat with your followers and let loose. Follow the same steps I mentioned above to get a bigger return on your live streams.
How to lose the fear of recording stories?
Despite being short videos, up to 15 seconds, recording stories also makes many people afraid and ashamed. The great advantage of stories is that they are more informal. You don't need a lot of equipment to record. Also, if it doesn't look good, just delete it and do it again.
Learn more: 5 tips to increase your views on Stories
A tip is to make a script of what you will talk about in each stories. That way, you don't ramble on and your followers don't lose interest in what you're talking about. Another way to loosen up in stories is to use filters. They help you save time on makeup and “hide away” if you're too embarrassed to show up.
Equipment for recording videos
Recording videos these days is simple. Any cell phone now records videos with good video and sound quality. If you want to start putting together a movie set, I have some tips. In addition, I separated a video to show you what equipment I use. Check it out below:
In general terms, to start recording your videos you will need:
– A camera or webcam. I use the Logitech c920. It's already out of stock, but any Logitech one is good.
– USB microphone to record lessons. I use the Samson C03U that I bought in the US. Here are several, look at the reviews to help you choose.
– Lavalier microphone to record videos. If you're going to use your cell phone, there are cell phone lavalier microphones too.
These were some tips that I believe will help you to lose the fear and shame of recording videos. Always remember that practice will help you get better and better. Finally, my tip is: combine practice with organization. You will see that it will help you a lot. Finally, get rid of fear and focus on constructive criticism. There are a lot of people repressed on the internet that don't deserve your attention.
