avatarRebecca LeBard

Summary

The website content provides guidance on creating an engaging YouTube profile video to showcase a writer's work on Medium, using a combination of video clips, static images, and voiceovers, and suggests leveraging available tools and resources for video editing and animation.

Abstract

The article "Create a Winning Profile Video for YouTube" offers insights into enhancing a writer's online presence through the use of video content. It emphasizes the importance of creating a video profile that highlights a writer's contributions to Medium, including topics covered, successful stories, and achievements such as top writer status. The piece advises on the practical aspects of video production, such as using smartphones for recording, employing a small tripod for stability, and ensuring the video is shot in landscape mode. It also suggests diversifying shots, using voiceovers, and incorporating the Ken Burns effect for still images to add visual interest. The article recommends tools like Apple iMovie and online animation platforms like Powtoon for editing, and encourages writers to film content related to their writing topics, such as a timelapse of painting for an artist. The author invites readers to experiment with different styles, from interviews to animations, and to share their finished videos for mutual support and exposure.

Opinions

  • The author believes that sharing a video linked to a writer's Medium profile can significantly enhance social media engagement and drive traffic to their stories.
  • Video profiles are seen as a dynamic way to convey a writer's identity, writing topics, and successes, making them more relatable and memorable to their audience.
  • The article posits that with the widespread availability of smartphones and easy-to-use editing software, creating a high-quality profile video is accessible to most writers, regardless of their technical expertise.
  • The author suggests that varying shots and including a mix of video footage and static images can make a profile video more engaging and less monotonous than a single, continuous shot.
  • There is an emphasis on the importance of editing techniques, such as the Ken Burns effect, to create visually appealing content from static images.
  • The author encourages writers to be creative and personalize their videos by including content that reflects their writing themes, thereby offering a genuine representation of their work and interests.
  • Sharing and collaboration within the writing community, particularly through platforms like the Illumination YouTube channel, are recommended as a means to gain visibility and connect with other writers.

Create a Winning Profile Video for YouTube

Great ideas for creating great videos

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

Many of us use social media to drive people towards our Medium stories or profile. We post the link to our most recent story, share, and then wait for the clicks to come through. We all know sharing a link with an associated image is more likely to be clicked on, but have you considered also sharing video? Some writers on Medium are creating videos to enhance sharing their profiles. This evergreen content can be added and pinned in their social media accounts including Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

A video profile tells an audience about your contributions to Medium, such as the topics you write on and your most successful stories. You can also highlight your accomplishments such as top writer status or the number of stories you have had created. This video can be uploaded to YouTube and shared to allow easy sharing. The publication Illumination now has a growing channel dedicated to featuring the videos of writers in their community you may also contribute too.

Where do I start?

You are probably already prepared as most smartphones can take videos and photos of sufficient quality to create a video for sharing. A small tripod, sufficient to position your phone ready for recording, can be purchased for only a few dollars. Do not forget to turn your phone sideways before you record — you need your video to be in a landscape format.

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

Vary the shot

You don’t need to just sit in front of the lens and talk for the length of the video — and you shouldn’t. Take a variety of shots and static images that can be shown with a voiceover. These can be edited together using easy to use software such as Apple imovie. There are many tutorials on how to use this software or similar on YouTube or you can sign up to a course on Skillshare.

Include yourself

Again your video does not need to be a piece to camera. You may feel more comfortable in a dialogue or you can record a voiceover to other images of yourself. These could include footage of yourself at the computer writing or a photo of your hands on the keyboard. Adding a Ken Burns effect to still photos in editing software can be used to add motion to your photos and give the appearance of a camera panning or zooming in.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Consider the types of articles and whether you can take photos or videos of you doing the types of things you write about. I have published some articles curated in fitness and lifestyle. When planning an author profile video I listed some ideas for footage and static photos to capture for when I talk about this writing. These include myself running or a close up of my feet in running shoes on the ground.

Do you write about something you create — like painting? Consider filming a timelapse of yourself at work and add some background music and text about yourself.

Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash

Style

I have mentioned collecting photos and video footage to edit. But, what if you aren’t familiar with using imovie or similar? There are many tools for creating animations online, such as Powtoon, that make it easy. Or you can film it as an interview.

Now what?

Check your equipment, choose your style, make a list of any static images or footage you need to capture and get started. And once you have uploaded your video, please let me know which of these tips you used and add the link to your video as a response — I would love to check it out and will share mine too.

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