Month: January 2025

Before you hit record on your next YouTube video or video podcast, here are some easy mistakes to avoid in creating polished YouTube videos!

You might not even realize some of these topics are mistakes, but if you’re making them now, they could be hindering your ability to grow on YouTube.

I prefer polished  over perfection, but there are some simple recording mistakes that COULD trip you up and hinder your ability to grow on YouTube without you even realizing it…

VIDEO: Avoid These Recording Mistakes (Beginner-Friendly Tips)

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It’s natural to want your videos to be perfect—you don’t want to embarrass yourself or look unprofessional. You want to sound good, look good, and feel confident. But the reality is, perfection isn’t human. No one maintains perfect eye contact in a real conversation, so forcing it in your videos can actually make them feel awkward rather than polished. Instead of striving for perfection, focus on being presentable and authentic. A well-polished video that feels natural will always connect better than one that feels overly staged.

Remember that when you’re looking at your screen instead of the camera, viewers don’t actually feel that direct connection. Instead of forcing unnatural eye contact, focus on looking where it feels natural—just like you would in an in-person conversation. This is what makes video marketing so powerful; it creates a sense of real connection that other forms of marketing can’t replicate. It’s the next best thing to being face-to-face with your audience, making your message more engaging and impactful.

Here’s what to do:

– Look at the camera lens periodically, just as you would make eye contact during a normal conversation

– Allow yourself to look at your notes or glance away naturally

– Avoid the common mistake of staring at yourself on the screen while recording

Related: How to Talk and Feel Confident on Camera to a Camera: Beginner Tips

Plan Your Packaging Before Your Content

This might sound counterintuitive, but creating your title and thumbnail before recording is crucial for success. Think of it like product packaging at a store – the outside needs to attract attention before anyone discovers what’s inside.

Your videos will be more polished, more presentable, and better received by your audience if you create your title and thumbnail before you hit record. Planning these elements in advance helps you stay focused, structure your content effectively, and ensure your video aligns with what will attract viewers.

The thumbnail grabs people’s attention, while the title sparks interest. Together, they create intrigue and curiosity, making viewers feel like there’s a gap they need to fill. Your ideal viewer will be compelled to click and watch the video to satisfy that curiosity and find the answers they’re looking for.

When planning your video’s “packaging”:

– Create an attention-grabbing thumbnail that works in harmony with your title

– Write a title that generates genuine interest

– Design both elements to create curiosity that can only be satisfied by watching your video

Understanding Your Audience’s Perspective

Even if you know what your audience needs to learn, you have to make them care about it. Before you hit record, take the time to figure out why this topic matters and why your perspective is valuable. Think about it from your ideal viewer’s point of view—what they need to see, what they want to hear, and how your content can truly resonate with them.

You can’t go wrong with your video when you craft it specifically to meet the needs of your ideal audience. Before you hit record, challenge yourself to come up with a strong title, an engaging thumbnail, and clear reasons why this topic—and your perspective on it—matters to your viewers. By doing this in advance, you can naturally weave these elements into your video, making it more compelling and impactful.

Recording without considering your audience’s viewpoint is a critical mistake. Before hitting record, ask yourself:

– What does my audience want to know about this topic?

– Why should they care about what I’m sharing?

– How can I present this information in a way that resonates with their needs?

The Script vs. Riff Debate

You need to feel confident and comfortable with how your words come out, and for some, having a word-for-word script is a helpful first step. Others may find that a strict script adds pressure, making them feel like they have to get every word perfect, which can lead to stress and anxiety. There’s no right or wrong approach—whether you script, outline, or improvise, it’s about what works best for you. However, one thing is certain: the first part of your video needs a strong hook. When a viewer is intrigued by your title and thumbnail and hits play, your opening moments must grab their attention and keep them watching. The first 10 to 30 seconds, or even the first minute, are crucial in keeping your audience engaged so the time and effort you put into your video truly pays off.

I’ve included a collection of powerful hooks inside the YouTube Roadmap Planner to help you grab your audience’s attention and keep them engaged.

It took me a few years to realize that there’s actual psychology behind creating intrigue, interest, and curiosity gaps. Whether you script your videos word for word, use an outline, or prefer to improvise, knowing how to craft your first 10 to 30 seconds to make it truly hook-worthy is absolutely invaluable.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to scripting. What matters most is finding a method that helps you feel confident and comfortable on camera. However, certain elements of your video deserve special attention:

– Your hook (first 10-30 seconds) should be carefully crafted

– Key points and important information might benefit from scripting

– Complex explanations often work better with at least an outline

Riffing can leave a lot of room for errors, mistakes, and extra editing, which is why it’s important to approach it with intention. Instead of relying on improvisation to save time, focus on developing the skill of crafting clear, cohesive sentences on the fly. The goal is to minimize mistakes or seamlessly turn them into natural speech, reducing the need for excessive editing and making your content flow more smoothly.

 If you go into your YouTube analytics and check a video you’re really proud of—one you spent a lot of time on—you’ll see how much of that video your audience is actually watching. The average view duration will tell you how long people are sticking around, whether it’s 3 minutes, 4 minutes, or more. If your retention rate is around 20% or lower, it’s a sign that improving your video scripting skills could be really valuable. Learning how to structure your content to keep viewers engaged will help, and once you master that skill, you can riff more confidently and naturally without losing your audience. Scripting may feel limiting at first, but it’s an essential tool to develop before you can effectively improvise on the fly.

Technical Checks Before Recording

It’s never been easier to record your videos directly into your computer. For example, I’m using Ecamm Live to record straight to my computer, with both my camera and microphone connected. It only takes a few seconds to hit record and quickly double-check that the video looks good and the audio sounds right. Even if you’re recording with a camera and a lapel mic, you can still ensure everything is working by watching the audio meter as it moves, confirming that the microphone is picking up sound. This way, you avoid wasting time and can prevent the need to re-record.

These simple but crucial checks can save hours of frustration:

1. Verify your microphone is on and working

2. Check camera battery levels

3. Test audio levels

4. Review your background for distracting elements

5. Ensure all equipment is properly connected

Check What’s Going on Behind You in your Frame

This is a mistake I continue to make time and time again, and if you watch all of my videos, you’ll probably spot it every few videos. The mistake is not checking what’s going on behind you in your frame. It’s something that can easily slip through the cracks, but it’s important to make sure your background is clear of distractions.

Just make sure you don’t have any weird or unwanted items behind you that you didn’t intend to have in your video. Before you start, do a quick check—while you’re checking your mic and ensuring your camera is working, also confirm that everything happening behind you is what you expect.

Make Your Videos Work for Your Business

If you don’t have a strategy in place before you hit record on how your video fits into growing your audience or business, there’s a good chance it won’t help either. This can be as simple as having a lead magnet or freebie to mention throughout your video and using it as a call to action at the end. If you’re using YouTube to build your audience and your business, you must also be using YouTube to build your list.

If the video you’re creating doesn’t align with any of your lead magnets or list-building efforts, at the very least, include a call to action that directs viewers to what they should watch next. Point them to the next obvious video on your channel, keeping them engaged with more of your content. Ideally, you can do both—mention your lead magnet and suggest another video related to the topic. You can link the next video in your end screen, where it will appear as a clickable thumbnail for viewers who watch until the end. You can also guide viewers to a playlist to keep them engaged with more content.

For new viewers discovering your content for the first time, it’s crucial to guide them strategically. Direct them to more of your valuable content through carefully curated playlists, and most importantly, connect them with a lead magnet to build your email list. These strategies are part of our comprehensive approach inside Video Brand Academy, where we regularly discuss such topics during our monthly meetups.

Every video should serve a purpose in your overall business strategy. Before recording, determine:

– How this content fits into your audience growth plan

– What lead magnet or freebie you’ll promote

– Which related videos you’ll reference

– Your specific call-to-action for viewers

Ready to Level Up Your YouTube Game?

If you’re ready to create more polished, professional videos that actually grow your business, I’d love to help you take the next step. Inside Video Brand Academy, we dive deep into these strategies and more, helping creators like you build their audiences and generate consistent revenue through YouTube. These tips have been incorporated into the YouTube Roadmap Planner, which includes detailed checklists for both pre-upload and pre-recording phases, along with worksheets and step-by-step guides for developing your YouTube strategy, spiderweb strategy, and various growth techniques to help you expand your audience, generate consistent revenue, and successfully YouTubify your business.

Visit Video Brand Academy to learn more about how we can help you YouTube-ify your business and create videos that truly connect with your audience.

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