111 - 5 Ways to Level Up Your Videos (Without Spending A Lot More Time or Money)

Are you ready to make your social media videos more professional without spending a lot more time or money? You might be surprised how easy it is.  

In this solo episode, I share 5 easy ways to level up the quality of your social media videos. It's not about spending hours editing or a ton on equipment. It's about being intentional with your video creation process. 

Top Takeaways

🔹Making videos more polished doesn't require fancy equipment.

🔹Using a script or notes can streamline the recording process.

🔹Cutting dead space improves viewer engagement.

🔹Camera angle affects how confident and approachable you appear.

🔹Using a simple strategy can reduce anxiety and improve delivery.

🔹Investing in an external mic significantly enhances audio quality.

🔹Recording one line at a time saves time during the editing process.

🔹Most people are more forgiving of poor video than poor audio quality.

🔷 Thank you for listening. If you found this episode relevant don't forget to hit that Follow Button to keep learning and growing with us.

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⏬ If you're spending 2-hours to create a 2-minute video DOWNLOAD my FREE 5-Step Time Saving CHEATSHEET today!

Go to ContentMarketingSchool.org/5stepvideo

➡️ Need more? Check out the 300+ videos on my YouTube channel Click here for my YouTube channel

💙 Find me on Bluesky @annetterichmond.bsky.social

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Transcript

Annette Richmond (00:10.424)
Hi, I'm Annette Richmond. Thanks for joining me for this episode. Let's talk about leveling up your short form videos. Making your videos more polished and professional doesn't mean spending hours editing or fancy equipment. It's about being intentional with what you are already doing. Now today, I'm going to share five ways to make your social media videos look sharper and clearer.

and feel more professional without investing a lot more time or money. So the first tip is to use a short script or notes and record one line at a time. Now, I know there's a lot of pushback on this, but I recommend writing a short script or at least jotting down some bullet points. Now, some people say that using a script makes people sound forced and robotic.

But that's often because they write a script the way they write and not the way they speak.

Annette Richmond (01:46.958)
What often happens when people just turn on the camera and start talking is that they ramble. And when it comes to social media videos, nobody wants to listen to three minutes of you or me saying something that could have been said in 60 or 90 seconds. Now, the reason I mention this is because having a script or bullet points and recording one line or phrase at a time will streamline your

process because when you record one line at a time, if you mess up, all you have to do is re-record that one line, not the entire thing. And this saves time editing. And the bonus is your delivery is much sharper.

Tip number two, cut the dead space. Removing dead space is one of the first things that I tell my clients. If there's nothing but your face in silence the first few seconds of your video, people will just scroll on, which is why you need to cut those three to five seconds of dead space before you start talking.

Annette Richmond (03:02.005)
You also need to cut those few seconds between phrases too. That means cutting the video as soon as you stop speaking and starting the next clip, just as you are starting to speak again. Because even a few seconds pause on a 60 second video or 30 second video seems like forever. So removing those few seconds here and there will make your video feel much more polished and professional.

Annette Richmond (04:27.245)
Tip number three is to set your camera at the right angle. A mistake many people make is using the wrong camera angle. If you're not aware, recording while looking up at the camera, if it's perched too high on your monitor, for example, makes you look smaller and less confident. By the same token, looking down at the camera, which often happens if you're recording on a laptop, can make you appear domineering and unfriendly.

Annette Richmond (05:30.605)
Keeping your camera at eye level works best as it appears that you are looking at the viewer, which makes you seem more confident and approachable. And while we're talking about camera angles, getting too close to the camera can make people feel like you are invading their space. So go for at least shoulders up in your frame unless you are leaning in on purpose. I do that sometimes when I pretend like I'm sharing a secret.


Annette Richmond (06:58.061)
Tip number four, to become more comfortable or at least more comfortable looking on camera, use my BOCA, Banish On Camera Anxiety strategy. It's a very simple 14 day challenge. Record one two minute video on your camera every day. Share one tip or technique or an idea that you might share with a client. Don't publish them, don't even look at them.

On Day 15, rewatch from the oldest to the newest, and you will be surprised probably to see how much more confident and natural you look. Recording knowing that nobody's going to see your videos takes the pressure off being perfect, and doing it for 14 days helps to start it just becoming a habit.

Annette Richmond (08:17.933)
Tip number five. I always say that all you need to record social media videos is your camera. And that's true. But the fastest and easiest way to level up your video quality is getting an external mic. And I recommend getting a wireless lavalier. Now I've tried the wired versions that attach that you plug into your phone and found them to be such a hassle to put on and take off that I rarely use the mic at all. which is why I recommend getting a wireless lav. And today there are many options at all price points. 

Annette Richmond (09:18.573)
Neewer, spelled N-E-E-W-E-R, has a new budget-friendly wireless lavalier, which is great for newbies. My favorite is the Holleyland Lark M2, which is a bit pricier, but one of the cool things about the Holleyland is the mic clips on magnetically. So think of it kind of like a cookie, with the mic pieces being the crust and your clothing being the filling. A wireless lab will

A wireless lav will instantly make your video more professional. And while it might not seem logical, people are generally less bothered by poor video quality than they are with bad audio. So let's just give it a quick recap. To polish your social media videos without adding time, editing, or spending a lot of money, use a script or notes and record one line at a time. Cut out the dead space.

Set the right camera angle, practice using my BOCA strategy, and invest in a wireless lav You don't need to be perfect, you just need to be intentional. And that's how your videos go from...

Annette Richmond (10:36.813)
You don't need to be perfect. You just need to be intentional. That's how video goes from something you dread to something that you just do. Now, thanks again for joining me today. If you know someone else who could use some help with video, share this episode with them. I bet they'll thank you and I'll see you next time.