The Rise of Original Content

Recently, companies like Mailchimp and Wistia have started to produce their own ‘Original Content’ by setting up in house studios where they create films, series and podcasts aimed for their audiences.

But where does this ‘Original Content’ differ from normal ‘content’?

The main difference that I’ve noticed is in the budget, there is a lot more time and money spent in creating these productions, they’re a lot more polished, they tend to be longer than your average 2-3 minute video and aim to attract an audience at a different time of day.

Mailchimp’s ‘Mailchimp Presents’ aims to compete with Neflix and Amazon Prime by creating content for business owners and entrepreneurs to watch when they’re not at work, by creating content about their audience. There are series such as ‘Second Act’ which follows 5 people who choose to go on a new path in their career, as well as ‘Taking Stock’ a series about stock photographers.

It’s content like this and Wistia’s own ‘Brandwagon’ (a talk show for marketers) and ‘One Ten One Hundred’ a series about how different budgets afford different levels of creativity, that really help build brand recognition. (I personally am hooked on Brandwagon, watching each episode as it’s released, and then listening to the podcast version when it comes out a few days later.)

But how can smaller businesses create content like this?

Firstly I think you need to invest in the right creative people, whether it’s a videographer who can spend a few hours a week with you creating new content, or somebody editing your podcast for you, it’s worthwhile spending the time to find the right people to help you create the best possible content you can. Gone are the days when you can stand out by creating a video from the front seat of your car, because everybody is doing it.

Do what you can with what you’ve got, and try to create something outstanding.

One of the first things I notice when I’m watching any video is what’s in the background. Especially if there’s something messy, distracting or out of place. A great example would be cables coming out of a TV, a pile of paperwork or any general mess.

You may have recently noticed that I’ve put some effort into making the background in The Video Show constant. I’ve had the Chesterfield for a while, but a few posters and wooden boxes in the background and it looks a whole lot better than a random background or white paper background. 

In this episode of The Video Show I discuss the importance of the background of a video, how you can make yours look amazing and how Evelyne Brink creates great backgrounds for her clients. 

Do you have a set background in your videos? If so, how do you arrange it? Is it always set up in your office? Or do you re-build it every time?

The full interview with Evelyne is below.

It can be hard to find the time in your schedule to make regular videos. In this episode of #TheVideoShow I talk to video coach Evelyne Brink about how she finds the time to make videos regularly, and I give my ideas too.

In my opinion, a lot of the problem is people don’t have fun making videos. It should be something that’s enjoyed and looked forward to.

If you’re not getting this feeling on your own, why not work alongside a colleague (or if you’re working alone, someone who also runs their own business). That way you’re accountable to each other, and can have a laugh a long the way.

There’s loads of other tips in this video, so take a look and let me know how you create regular content!

In this episode of The Video Show (213) it’s all about pattern interrupts. 

But what is a pattern interrupt? 

If you’re scrolling through reams and reams of video content, but then something different catches your eye, it’s a pretty good chance they’ve done something to stand out. Something to interrupt your regular pattern. 

That’s what I tried to do with my giant head at the start of the video. 

I’m going to try over the next few weeks to keep creating different pattern interrupts in my videos, and trying to notice what other people do in their videos to get them seen. 

What do you think would make a good pattern interrupt? Let me know in the comments below…

In this episode of The Video Show, I talk about what I need to know when shooting a video or a video series for a business.

Often they don’t talk about who they want to target for the videos, so they aren’t sure where to post the videos, when to post them or even who to get involved in the video production process. 

From my point of view it’s very important to find out as much as possible to get the best results. It all starts with what you want the viewer to do, think and feel after watching the video, and we can work backwards from there. 

If you have a question for a future episode of #thevideoshow, post it in the comments below.

I’ve tried time and time again to create a behind the scenes video myself. But I always get stuck because I’m obviously concentrating on creating the content I’m there to create, and shoot the videos I’m there to shoot. 

I’ve managed to get it down to three potential solutions:

1. Create lots of little social media videos, where whenever I get a few seconds, just make a short video on my phone and post it directly to my various channels. 

2. Turn those little videos into something bigger. This would mean making an over-arching behind the scenes video and being quite general in why I’m there and what I’m doing. 

3. Get someone else to do it. Hiring another video company to make a video for me and then using that footage to create a great looking behind the scenes video. 

What do you think? Post your solution in the comments below!