ANTEATER’s Menu of Foolproof Video Recipes
We all know what it feels like to have a great idea and want to get rolling immediately. We’re sure this idea is going to have a big impact and move the needle. But, we also know that it’s easier said than done when you’re a founder. It’s so easy to get distracted by everything else you have to do!
In our experience working with founders who want to make video work for them, one of two things happen:
They never really get started, because they’re too busy with other important things.
They create video in fits and starts, lacking the consistency they need to build a reliable pipeline into their business.
The key? Get inspired. Creating content you are personally inspired by is the secret sauce. If you’re inspired by what you make, then producing video is genuinely fun to do.
You’ll be authentically driven and entertained by what you’re putting out into the world, and that’s something you can’t fake. Not only will the act of making video feel better, but you’ll also be so much more likely to make time for it if all the friction is taken away.
Good news: Inspiration isn’t just a state of being, it’s a daily practice.
GREAT news: You’re a founder. You rule at making things happen one step at a time.
We respect your time, so here’s everything we’ll say ahead of time:
We’ll talk about why inspiration is important, and the three roadblocks founders need to conquer here.
We’ll break down our four favorite video recipes (and a secret risky category that anyone starting out should avoid).
We’ll give you a single, tactical next step to get you moving on making your next awesome video.
The Roadblocks to Inspiration (and how to get through them)
In our experience, there are three roadblocks to finding inspiration. Believe it or not, they’re usually something we put in front of ourselves.
You’re trying to make content that you don’t actually like.
You’re trying to make content beyond your means.
You’re stealing your own joy via comparison.
Let’s break those down a bit further.
Roadblock #1: You’re trying to make content that you don’t actually like.
We all get caught in the trap of what we ‘should’ be making or doing from time to time. And of course, as a founder, a big part of your video content strategy will rely on creating videos that connect with your community in some way.
But forcing yourself to make videos you don’t like or care about is a surefire way to fizzle out just a couple of weeks in. The stuff you’re talking about should ignite you.
You know the stuff about your business that you want to take home and talk about for hours and hours, but often keep inside for fear of meeting blank stares? THAT stuff. That’s the stuff you need to be talking about.
This is the quality goldmine of content that will not only bring out your unique thoughts, but also your personality. It’s not just what you’re talking about, but the way you’re talking about it, that matters.
The solution: Find content that you like, that speaks to you, and emulate it.
In a minute, we’re going to break down some content styles and link to some of our favorite examples to get that inspiration going. You can even skip to it if you’d like to, or scroll for a while on your phone and take some notes about content that really speaks to you.
Roadblock #2: You’re trying to make content beyond your means.
Professional video editors typically take between 30 minutes to and hour to edit one minute of video like this. More if they’re making the graphics from scratch. That’s thirty minutes to and hour of work to edit a single short, never mind a batch of them to last you the month.
If you’re thinking about introducing intense graphics, B-roll, or splicing multiple angles together, that’s a heavy lift which will cost you WAY too much time, money, or energy (or some combination of the three).
This also applies to the number of people you need to create your short. If you’re filming yourself, then you have full control over the situation, and can ensure it takes as much or little time as needed. But when you introduce other people into the equation – such as with interviews or on-location filming – that quickly eats up time and energy.
The solution: Understand what you are equipped and excited to create right now, and work within those means.
Take an honest look at a few things:
What excites you when it hits your phone screen?
How much time, money, and energy do you have to dedicate to the practice of making consistent video?
What are you genuinely comfortable and excited to do on camera?
Do you have an editor to help you manage videos with an intense editing requirement?
Do you have a second person to film?
Do you have the right equipment to capture great video and audio outdoors, or are you meant for indoor filming right now?
How often do you want to be releasing video?
What is the goal of the content you’ll be releasing? Do you want people to follow along with you, are you just sharing information, or is there a product you’re directly selling?
An honest audit of these factors will help you to figure out whether a particular style of video works for you. And that’s when we get into selecting the right video style to start creating great content.
Roadblock #3: You’re stealing your own joy via comparison.
Gary Vee has over 4 million subscribers on YouTube alone.
Alex Hormozi is almost at 3 million subscribers on YouTube.
Justin Welsh has 633K followers on LinkedIn.
But they all have one number in common… 0.
They all started with nothing, and built up over time.
This is why, at ANTEATER, we talk about a non-viral approach. Sure, going viral can be incredibly exciting, and at times fetch you some awesome leads. But going into content creation with the expectation that you’ll go viral and pick up millions of followers is the fastest way to cut your joy of the process off at the knees.
Feeling the joy of creating awesome stuff is vital to continuing, so we’ve got to protect it. The second we start comparing our progress to people who have been creating for almost a decade, we’ve lost.
Solution: Focus on you.
Remember that the goal of being a creator CEO is to put out great content that brings qualified leads into your pipeline. Reaching a lot of people is great, but reaching fewer extremely interested people who are going to hit you up? Gold.
And to nail that niche virality goal, you’ll need a few recipes to help you along. That’s where the ANTEATER Menu comes in, so let’s break it down.
ANTEATER’s Menu of Video Recipes
There are a lot of different video recipes out there, and many we recommend to our clients, depending on what they need. But we definitely have a few favorites:
Recipe 1: The Podcast Clip
With podcast clips, there’s no need to do a long video, you can literally start in the middle of a thought. In fact, this forms the perfect hook. The viewer feels like they’re joining you in the middle of a conversation with someone else, and they want to hear the end of it (usually to see if they agree or disagree).
Hint: This doesn’t have to be a real podcast. You can emulate the setup easily by looking just to the right of your camera, as if you’re speaking to someone. It helps if you have a microphone in view of the camera, and a pair of headphones on.
Recipe 2: The Talking Head Video
Exactly what it says on the box. You, being confident, looking at a camera, and answering a question you’ve been asked by someone that week. The great thing about these shorts is that – if you have a functional smartphone - you can do them at the drop of a hat.
Pick up the phone, open up the front-facing camera, and let it rip. If you want to batch record, you can invest in a nice webcam and just record a bunch of them all at once in Zoom.
Hint: if you’re super self-conscious about talking directly to a camera, start recording yourself and sending video messages to friends and family members. Just do it. Hit record and tell them the grocery list, to remember to lock up, let ‘em know you love ‘em. The goal is to get you comfortable talking on camera, which makes all the difference.
Recipe 3: The ‘Behind the Scenes’ Look
The idea of a ‘behind the scenes’ short is granting access to somewhere your viewers wouldn’t usually get to see. It’s an effortless way to create immediate interest, because even if a viewer doesn’t usually turn in your circles, we all love to look behind a lifted curtain.
Some of the best examples of ‘behind the scenes’ content include:
Clips from exclusive conferences
Stakeholder interactions (customers, coworkers, board members etc.)
In-meeting clips (which can be faked, much like Hormozi’s clip above).
Hint: Ask yourself what your community would be interested in seeing or knowing that they don’t usually have access to. If you’re able to, provide that access, and you’ll immediately have their attention.
Recipe 4: The Call-to-Actions
You could be encouraging short-form viewers to watch a longer video you’ve posted, encouraging them to engage with your software, or even just asking for a follow. Across the board, a great call-to-action makes the prospects who matter to you want to engage with whatever you’re offering.
That means it’s got to be two things:
It’s not just about the conversion. You’re still offering your viewer something valuable and interesting, even as you ask for their interaction.
It’s light on the demo, heavy on the story. Your prospects can investigate features for themselves. Your job is to tell them a story that feels connected to the real world and relates to the problem you’re solving for them.
Hint: Make it clear what you want your users to do. People are being bombarded with information all the time, so clearly highlight a next step for your viewers to take if they want more of what you’re offering. A link to hit, a button to press, or a newsletter to subscribe to.
Recipe 5: The Risky Ones
These are the recipes we wouldn’t recommend founders start out with. We dive more into this idea in our recent breakdown of the 5 levels of video creation, but the gist is that many of these hit on that second roadblock: pulling creators outside of their means.
Anything that’s going to require shooting in multiple locations, has a heavy graphics or editing requirement, features animations, or tells a complicated visual/contextual story will take a lot of work.
TLDR
Overly gimmicky videos or high-production videos with major time or energy investments can only drag you down. When you’re starting out, building trust is key. You’ll be able to do this best by:
Committing to providing goodwill content. That’s no-strings-attached, free, genuinely helpful advice and insights.
Working within your means so that you can produce content consistently, rather than in fits and bursts.
Creating content that actually excites you to make!
And with these recipes in your arsenal, you’ll be ready to make awesome videos that feel great to send live and bring the right people into your pipeline.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it.
The best way to start making great video for yourself is to build a swipe file of your own recipes. These recipes will provide the frameworks you need to create content that both you and your community will enjoy. Or, if you want to, you can borrow our mural to get started:
If you’ve just started making video:
Sign up to our FREE email course to get the coaching we give our clients condensed into 4 beautiful days, all to get your first 10X-ed short filmed and live.
If you’re looking to get more out of your video practice:
Get in touch with J. Ryan for a quick, helpful chat to plan out your next steps. Seriously, we made him promise not to sell you anything.
