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The SITS Girls

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5 Elements of a Great Vlog

· laurielyons

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Have you taken the vlogging plunge yet? Are you still a little intimidated to put yourself in front of a camera? Here are 5 elements of a great vlog that will help you create fun, professional and entertaining videos to add to your blogging bag of tricks.

5 Elements to a Great Vlog

5 ELEMENTS OF A GREAT VLOG

Adding video to your blogging repertoire is becoming more and more important for several reasons.

  • It allows your readers to see and hear you.
  • It allows your personality to shine through.
  • SEO benefits. YouTube is the second largest search engine.
  • Brands are not only welcoming to vlogs, but often WANT this to be a part of a campaign. This is happening more and more as the internet becomes more video driven.

1.) SOUND

One of the most important elements of a video is sound. If people can’t hear what you are saying, they won’t watch it. It’s like trying to read a blog post with different fonts and colors going on – clicking away will be the result if you can’t be heard.

Using an external microphone is probably the best way to get the most desirable sound but smartphones do amazing things these day. It’s all about placement. Make sure background noise is minimal.

And don’t forget the camera on your computer. Webcam has excellent visual and sound quality. You just need a warm and inviting place to record, with little background sights and sounds going on

2.) LIGHTING

Lighting for video is much the same as with still photography lighting. Natural light is best. Facing the light makes a pleasing presentation. If the lights are behind you then your face becomes dark, lost in the shadows. Not what you’re going for at all.

Nor do you want bright lights, like the midday sun, shining directly on you. It gives you a very eerie look. Think Edward in Twilight. Not something we want either, unless you’re Bella. Or a vampire.

Lighting tips:

  • If you’re shooting outside – shoot early in the day, late in the day or when it’s overcast for best results.
  • If you’re shooting inside – be careful of windows and lighting. If there is too much light coming through the window, try covering it with a white sheet. This works like magic for your video. Remember, lighting needs to be in front and not behind you.
  • Using trial and error is a great learning tool. If it’s not the best, make adjustments and try again!

3.) EDITING

There are several video editing programs available. Three of the most common are Windows Movie Maker and Windows Live Movie Maker (for PCs) and iMovie (for Macs). To make editing easy, especially when first getting started with vlogging, try recording in small clips and piecing them together during the editing process. Add transitions, text and music to your videos to add some entertainment, but less can sometimes be more.

There are several tutorials available online for all three programs. Google to get started on how to edit using Windows Movie Maker and iMovie. Or better yet, go to Danielle Smith for some great vlogging tutorials.

4.) LENGTH

Length is another key aspect to videos. The shorter your video is, the more likely people will watch it. 4 minutes or less is the best way to keep people watching and coming back for more.

Don’t do a long intro at the beginning of your video. Get to the point immediately.

Use a title slate in the opening and closing of your video so that your site URL and Twitter handle will always be shown, but will not take up a significant amount of time. This will also brand your video and help direct people back to your site.

5.) ENTERTAINMENT

Remember that a vlog is just like a blog post, you want to engage your audience. You don’t necessarily have to be a stand-up comic extraordinaire, but you do have to find a way to grab their attention and keep it.

You can wow them with your mad editing skills, your fun personality, or your story-telling ability. Whatever the case, just as we all want to read well-written posts, we all want to watch well-done videos.

The beauty of a vlog is to let the world see the unique personality behind the words on the blog. To watch mannerisms or hear the cute accent or southern twang (that would be me) is a bonus you don’t get with a written post. If you need some ideas to get you started I suggest watching MamaKat and I Make Myself the Queen. Well done, entertaining and a wealth of learning from both of these

Now that you know the steps to create a killer vlog, get your cameras out and start recording. And don’t forget to have fun!

KEEP READING

Looking for more info? Here are a few posts related to vlogging that you’ll find helpful:

 

About laurielyons

Laurie has been a wife for too many years to count. She is the mother of three mostly grown children. Her last year as a homeschooling mom will come to an end in 2014. Life is changing for this entrepreneur turned blogger and author of her first E-book. She often feels like the odd man out in the blogging world because she is in her fifties, but her love of social media and writing keeps her hanging in and always learning. You can find Laurie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog, Beyond My Blue Door, where she writes about life and the many lessons learned along the way. Oh, and she can hardly wait to become a grandma!

About laurielyons

Laurie has been a wife for too many years to count. She is the mother of three mostly grown children. Her last year as a homeschooling mom will come to an end in 2014. Life is changing for this entrepreneur turned blogger and author of her first E-book. She often feels like the odd man out in the blogging world because she is in her fifties, but her love of social media and writing keeps her hanging in and always learning. You can find Laurie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog, Beyond My Blue Door, where she writes about life and the many lessons learned along the way. Oh, and she can hardly wait to become a grandma!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Chris Carter says

    Those were awesome tips Laurie!!! I need to look at those editing programs you mentioned, and consider all the other elements more seriously as well.

    Thanks friend!

  3. GiGi Eats says

    These are great tips! I have been making VLOGS for 2 years (post them every Tuesday!!) at this point, and entertaining and having a niche is KEY 🙂 Also, keeping vids short is definitely important too because people’a attention spans on the internet are very short.

  7. Jenn Rian says

    Thanks so much for sharing me, Laurie! I’m sure we’ll have a whole series of awesome vlogs to share after our trip to SITS Philly! 🙂

  8. Tiffany says

    Thanks for the awesome tips! I am definitely on the task of growing my YouTube and I’m grateful for all tips and guidance 🙂

  9. Julie Jordan Scott says

    So glad to read Laurie’s instagram wisdom. I need to be more consistent. I’ll occasionally remember to treat instagram more as a business tool, but then… I forget. Consistently! Ahhh, thank goodness for reminders!

    • Laurie says

      It’s hard to build all platforms at once. Concentrating on a few is best but YES add video! Thanks for reading Julie!

  11. GiGi Eats Celebrities says

    My brain —- My brain is always coming up with new vlog ideas! I find making videos and editing them far easier than writing blog posts, which is why I make them weekly! 🙂 You need to really have a niche though. I think people’s problems are that they just don’t know what to talk about when they start vlogging. For me, I talk about nutrition and food but…. It’s more comical than anything else 🙂 That seems to get people’s attention!

      • Laurie says

        Not sure why that posted twice. I’m sure it wasn’t anything I did. 🙂 It is easier (in some respects) to video. Sometimes I REALLY need a better camera or another person to help, however. Sounds like you have it down Gigi. I agree, comical is a real attention grabber and I agree that most people don’t know what to vlog about.

    • Laurie says

      Practice, practice, practice. Seriously, just play around with it, you know, just for fun. Video yourself and then go back and watch it. Do it again and again and pretty soon you will not only stop critiquing yourself but you may even find you like what you hear and see. I wish you the best!

  16. Laurie says

    I am so happy to hear you are considering adding video to your blog. It’s fun to do and changes things up a bit. You’ll be awesome! Let us know how it goes.

  17. Yvonne I. Wilson says

    Great info! I have been considering adding the vlogging element to my blogging, but still a bit shy 🙂 This post has given me a push towards doing it soon rather than later. Thanks for sharing and have a great day!