Music Publicity Tips: Use Video to Your Advantage

Today video is so very accessible and you should be using it to your advantage at every step of your career. Whether you are performing, making new product, at a rehearsal or just introducing yourself - use video and YouTube at every turn.

First up, if you don't have a video camera, I suggest picking up a Flip Cam. They are small, light weight, inexpensive and can be plugged into any computer for quick uploads. They're available at any electronics or office supply store or online at http://www.theflip.com/

Secondly, a recent article by Ksenia Oustiougova a simple and great "how to" for recording a promotional video for online use.

"More and more businesses are realizing the importance of having a video presence online, but often lack the knowledge on how to do it right. We will give you points and advice on how to create the most effective video – doesn’t matter if you do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.

First, don’t film your own talking head, show your prospect in pain:

* Talking head is a leftover from broadcast TV where the viewer was passive. In contrast, computer users create their own experiences, thus being active.

* In an eye-tracing study, viewers of a talking head video spent most of their attention outside the video (on road sign in the background, player controls, etc.); in videos of moving objects and in animations the focus stays sharply on the subject.

* Historically in movie making, by showing the main character in pain you create empathy and anticipation in the audience; by beginning with an explanation of who you are, you bore your audience to tears – they don’t care for you.

Second, don’t tell what you do, show what you do:

* This is a classic for all stories, from 1 minute videos to 2 hour movies. “Telling” means you gave dry information and haven’t involved the viewer emotionally; “showing” means you used specific details to describe the action, letting the viewer experience it - and that makes the viewer believe in your story.

* Compare the following script examples for effectiveness: “We are experts at automating enterprise contract management” VS “A sleek vacuum-like machine (bearing company logo) rolls onto a landfill full of old paper, sucks it all up, spits out neat numbered stacks on the now clean ground.”

Third, leave the last frame on a call to action for a few seconds:

* Don’t leave it on black background, do leave your website on the bottom, a phone number to call, and an e-mail to contact you at.

* Don’t leave just an 800 number with an answering machine on it, rather choose something where people can interact with you right away, like a twitter account name, a Facebook page or an e-mail.

Fourth, do these little technical details correctly:

* Put a play button on the player, so people know this is a video and not just an image (you’d be surprised how many people don't do this - as simple as it sounds).

* Put the length of the video into the player or next to it, so people know if it is 1 minute, 20 minutes, or 1 hour, and can make a decision.

* Do NOT put the video on autoplay, allow people to play and pause the video as they want.

* Have a volume control button, people hate it when they can’t control the sound.

* Best, put video on YouTube and embed the code into your web site page instead of putting it up on your own site – this will let people share it easily. And, YouTube player already has all the controls built in - volume, play button, length of the video - so this will make the job easier for you."

Lastly, you can find examples of good videos all over and I suggest taking some time to do just that. Put a list together of your favorites and why they strike you.

Here are some from BSM: