Making a great YouTube video isn’t just about the content in the video itself. Video marketing and production involves plenty of other important components that can help you reach your video goals. So, with that in mind, we at Render Perfect Productions wanted to make a post by post guide on how to make a YouTube video. This is step one.
Competitor Research
The best place to start as you learn how to make a YouTube video is with a little competitive research. Look at how your competitors are using video content in their marketing strategy and use them as a source of inspiration as you create content. You can also find their content gaps and fill them with your own content; for example, if you notice your biggest competitor doesn’t have video FAQs, that can be a great way to stand out and add value for your potential customers.
To get started, create a list of your competitors, and then review their YouTube channels. Look at which of their videos have the most views and comments to see what your target audience is engaging with. As you review them, see if there are themes you can learn from – patterns that unite the most popular videos, topics that don’t get a lot of traction, and so on. This process will help you understand what resonates with your audience before you invest resources into creating your own content.
Keyword Research
YouTube keyword research is an SEO tactic you can use to find the best search terms to include in your video content. Simply adding intentional, researched search terms to your video title and meta description can drastically improve your video’s performance.
You can start by making some assumptions about what your audience is searching for. For example, a decking company might already know people will search for “DIY deck repair” or “how to restain a deck.” Do a bit of research on your own by searching for these terms on YouTube. If you see videos from your competitors, you know you’re on the right track. As you review them, see if they have a lot of views, are high quality, and answer the question appropriately. This will help you see where there are opportunities to create better content that could rank higher in user searches.
As you incorporate your search terms, consider including a written copy of your video transcript in the description to maximize your possibility of showing up in search results.
Create a Tone
There’s a reason movies are categorized into genres. Imagine this: you’re watching a horror movie, and you’re on the edge of your seat in anticipation of the next blood-curdling moment. But just as you expect a dramatic, terrifying scene to unfold, the movie takes a comedic turn. Suddenly you’re watching two characters exchange quippy dialogue, and the thrill is totally lost. Talk about a mood killer. The same thing can happen in marketing videos.
As you consider your video, think about the overall mood of the piece you’re creating, and how all the video’s elements – music, lighting, voice over, even the color composition – come together to create that mood and reflect your brand. Be sure the tone of your video is consistent throughout and reflective of your overall goal. You can start this process by simply brainstorming a list of words to guide your process; create a video that’s motivational and inspiring, one that’s serious and tear-jerking, or one that’s high-octane and fast-paced. Whatever direction you choose to go, establish that before you collect footage so your video reflects the mood you’re trying to create.
Find a Location
If you’re filming on location, for example, at your office or home, location scouting can be a pretty simple task. Simply set up your camera in various places to find the best physical spot for your shoot; as you preview options, consider what’s in the shot’s background and the lighting to find the optimal location – but more on that later.
If you’re shooting off site, allow yourself plenty of time to find the right location. Consider whether you need access to electricity depending on your equipment setup, how the natural light affects the shot at that time of day, and how crowded the location is. Be sure to scout on the day of the week and time of day you plan to shoot to collect enough data on your location. For example, if you’re filming outdoors at a local park, plan your video shoot during school hours, so you have the place to yourself. Finally, some locations require permits to collect footage, so be sure to do your research and ask for permission if you’re using someone else’s business or a public facility.
Scripting
The last thing you want to do is show up on location with no idea of how the end video should look. Overcome this avoidable problem before you capture your footage by taking time to create a script and a storyboard. Begin by writing your script. Your script might include on-camera dialogue actors say, or voiceover that’s layered on top of footage in post-production. Either way, keep your script simple, and keep your sentences short. When someone is reading text, they can go back and re-read it if a sentence is long or complex; however, when watching a video, viewers aren’t likely to rewind a video to listen again. You get one shot to make a lasting impression, so be sure your message is simple, concise, and clear.
Next, take your script a step further as you create a storyboard. A storyboard is like a comic-book-style overview of your video. It shows how different shots come together to tell a single visual story. You can create a storyboard using software like Storyboarder, or you can simply sketch out your ideas. You don’t need to invest a lot of time and resources into this process; the goal is to have a high-level overview of the content and flow of your video so you can produce it well and tell a cohesive story.
Both storyboarding and script writing should take place before you collect footage so your team has a shared vision for the final result.
About Render Perfect Productions:
Render Perfect has been built from the ground up to service growing businesses and help them realize their full visual storytelling and digital marketing potential. We’ve created a service offering and skill-set that spans video production, post-production, motion graphic design, 3D animation, web development, and video marketing strategy. Our insight and experience allow us to help clients make better planning decisions and get more out of their video production effort.
604 E Joppa Road