Content Creation Carnage
This week's issue is a work-life blog: me telling you about my (somewhat limited) experience of content creation. This is still very much the start of the journey, but it can only go up from here. This blog post is a continuation of the first issue, so if you haven't read that one, give it a read.
Next Steps
As you would have read in the first volume, with the eBook complete, it was time to move on to the next stages: website development and social media exposure. Shopify stood out to me as a selling platform from all the adverts I had received in the past, and, as for Instagram, I knew it was a platform which my target audience would be on and beneficial for getting reach.
I reluctantly downloaded Instagram on my laptop while starting the design of my website and proceeded to set up my account. With the website completed, I made a post on my Instagram to announce the release of the eBook. The next step: creating content. Unfortunately, I had to download Instagram on my phone for this stage.
The First Video
I knew my first Video would be garbage, everyone's is. However, this is where I knew I had to take action. Spending hours watching "How to make videos" tutorials would not help me. Looking back, my first video should have been released before the eBook, but this is not the time for regrets. It was now or never; I had to film a video, no matter how embarrassingly garbage it would be. I put on a nice outfit and started filming in my dining room. I had planned to simply record myself speaking into a camera and ramble about my eBook. If you want to see how that one turned out, here it is.
The Studio
Every YouTuber and influencer has a studio. The challenge here was finding my own. Taking action, I set out to buy a tripod and a ring light to fix up my videos, but this did not solve my issue of a lack of a studio. I searched far and wide around my house and found some cupboards where I hung up some ties, a suit and a shirt, in addition to some shopping bags. This will be where my videos are filmed until I find something better.
The Craziness
Believe it or not, talking on camera is much harder than it seems. It is easy to watch a reel and think "I could make that", but trust me, it takes ages just to make a one-minute video... Unless I am doing something wrong. With all the mistakes and bloopers in my recordings, one of my friends came up with the idea of creating a blooper video. Of course, I agreed, and that video can be found here. Some of the outtakes in this video are recorded with a couple of my friends, or should I say, a new production crew? Inviting my friends to join me has certainly postponed the loss of my sanity from all the filming and editing.
As for the style of video I have adopted, I realised it was easier to shout at a camera than to talk normally to it. I'm sorry if my voice hurts your ears (not sorry). Writing a script and following it would most likely be a good idea, however, I find myself improvising and shouting a fair amount of my content.
The Business Phone
With Instagram on my phone, my worst nightmare became a reality. While I wouldn't look at other people's profiles, I still found myself psychotically checking the stats of my account: "How many views did this video get?" and "Did I get any new followers?" were constant questions going through my head. This, combined with the poor quality camera on my Samsung phone, prompted me to purchase a new phone for business. The phone of choice? A second-hand iPhone 12: the best investment since the £ 50 laptop. With this phone, I can focus better on my work as it has no distracting notifications, as well as record better videos and delete Instagram from my personal phone.
Looking to the Future
Of course, this is only the start of the journey. I have a few ideas for scaling in the future (top secret for now, I'm afraid), but the current plan is to build up my audience and continue posting content. In short, the current plan is to post bad content until I get good.
Lessons Learnt
Take Action
Don't spend all your time creating ideas or consuming content: that is stalling under the illusion of learning. The best learning and growth come from practice, which can only be achieved through taking action.
Don't Give a Crap
People's opinions are irrelevant; don't worry about them. You are on an incline, and you will only get better with consistency and discipline. If anyone says anything hateful, just shrug it off; they're probably wrong. And remember: you will never find someone criticising you who is doing better than you in life.
Keep it Fun
If you have a passion for something, the work will feel fun. You will feel a strong sense of fulfilment. Others won't understand why you enjoy what you do, but that's ok. Do what makes you happy. Of course, there are times when you don't want to do the work (trust me, I hate editing my videos), but this is where discipline is your best friend.
So there it is, the journey thus far. Stick around and see where it takes us. If you have any content ideas, let me know in the comments. And finally, please subscribe to the YouTube channel, follow the Instagram and BUY MY EBOOK!