Video Formatting for Value with Nick Creedon

Are you publishing video content? More importantly, is your business benefiting from it?

If your videos aren’t impacting your audience, you’re doing something wrong.

The good news is, there’s a simple rule you can use to format your videos so they leave lasting impressions on your target market.

I sat down with video content expert Nick Creedon to learn all about the 3-Step Max Impact Model and now I’m here to spread the wisdom.

Max Impact Model Step 1: Simply create.

We tend to think it’s all about the equipment and video quality, but in reality, what matters most is the technique.

So what’s one technique you can learn pretty easily? Framing. Framing is essentially planning out the shot you want to get before you hit record. Some things you should consider are whether you’re shooting landscape or portrait, what you want to include in (and exclude from) the background, and where your main focus is going to be.

Another key technique is all about the flow of information. What are you going to say, how are you going to deliver it, and in what order is it coming in? Map out the video flow before you get started and do a practice run-through so you know the flow feels natural, not just for you but for your viewers.

Another technique for video content is nailing the duration. It’s all about hitting a sweet spot where you’re not dragging on for too long that you’re losing attention but giving enough time for all the information to really sink in.

Finally, turn up the energy. You’ve heard it once and you’ll hear it again I’m sure, but energy is contagious, so if you’re filming and your voice goes monotone and you’re not really expressing any emotion, your audience is going to get bored.

On the other hand, if you’re high energy, if you’re engaged, and excited, your audience will feel the same.

Max Impact Model Step 2: Connect.

To build an audience and earn their attention, you need to connect with them. Now, I understand most people are camera-shy to start. But if you want to form genuine connections with the people watching, you need to shake off that shyness and work towards building up your camera confidence.

It’s worth noting that camera confidence really is the foundation of all impactful video content. Once you’ve got that confidence up, all the other steps to the Max Impact Model will come a lot easier for you.

Essentially, when you’re camera confident, the more “rough around the edges” and authentic your videos are, the more people buy into them.

Max Impact Model Step 2: Convert.

So you’ve made your videos, you’re feeling good about them, and they’re officially out in the world. But they’re not performing as well as you’d hoped? What could be wrong? More often than not, your videos aren’t converting because you’ve put too much thought into how you’re coming across and have therefore created content for yourself, rather than for the people in your audience.

Videos that achieve the highest impact are from people that have been tested their market themselves. We often assume someone else’s theory will work for us, but the truth is, your audience is completely unique to you, so you need to first, get to know who’s watching and second, test what performs and what doesn’t. It’s highly unlikely that your first take is going to be your biggest hit.

So you’ve got the Max Impact Model down pat. What’s next?

There are four stages of being a video content creator, and to help you find your next steps, you need to assess where you’re at.

1. Starter: You’re at the start of your video content journey are don’t really know where to start.
2. Saver: You’ve created a handful of videos but you’re not quite ready to share them with the world.
3. Share: You’re putting videos out and you’re actively creating and publishing on all platforms, but they aren’t really converting.
4. Expert: Your videos are doing exactly what you want them to do.

If you’re reading this, you’re more than likely in one of the first three stages, in which case, start with step one –just start creating! Remember, don’t overthink technology, focus on technique; test and learn, be authentic, and aim to create some kind of variety in your videos.