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INTRO: I'm Amy Porterfield, and this is Online Marketing Made Easy.
AMY PORTERFIELD: Hey, there. Amy, here. Welcome back to another episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast. Today is a Shorty episode. I'm coming at you to talk about live video. Specifically, if you need to do more live video— like, you just know, “I need to do more live video”—then this is the episode for you.
One of the reasons you're likely not doing more live video or just really video in general is that when you do video, it's complicated. Let me set the scene. Years and years ago, for me to do video, it meant that I had to go find a tripod, and I didn't know where the heck it was. I had to find the right lighting. Was it natural lighting, or was it too bright? Did I need to go find a ring light? And at the time, I didn't even have a ring light, so I had a fake ring light, and was that going to work? It never worked as well. How am I going to set up the lighting? What is my background going to be? Am I going to use my laptop or I'm going to do it from my iPhone? Or what am I going to do in terms of getting this all to work? And it just was always a pain in the butt. Doing video for me was a pain, and so I didn't do it often.
Now, if any of you are shaking your head like, “Yes, I get it,” then this is the episode for you. Because in order to do more video, which if you think about it, Instagram, not too long ago, came out and said, “We are not an image platform. We’re not all about the pictures. We are a video platform.” Like, they came out and said, “We are prioritizing video.” And we already know that Facebook prioritizes video; LinkedIn has live video now. I mean, video is definitely where it's at.
And coming from a girl that you all know, I don't love doing tons and tons of video, but I do it because I do love connecting with my audience. I do love being able to deliver a message in a way that really lands and makes an impact. And I know that that is video, beyond just a static post with an image and some text and all that good stuff. I know that videos where it's at. And I want to stay in the game, I want to keep driving the business forward, I want to keep growing a bigger audience, connecting with the audience I have, serving at a big level, and video is necessary for that. So instead of me hating it and making it a big issue every time, I've just made it easier, and that's what I want to talk to you about today.
Now, if you know me then you know at my home in Nashville I have a room that's just for video. That is not what we're talking about today. You do not need that. I'm thirteen years in. I've been able and feel very lucky to have a room in my house just to record video. You do not need that. For years and years, I did not have this, and I was still doing video. Like, when I started doing it more consistently, I didn't have a room in my house just for video, okay? So you don't need that.
But here's what you do need. Number one, you need an easy setup, something that you set up, and you always can just go to the same place to do video. Whether it be at your desk in your home office or at the kitchen table or wherever you want to do it, have a place that just always works. So that means that you can't just rely on natural light, right? Having a place in front of a window is awesome if the lighting is right during the day. If it's really bright, it's not going to work. If it's starting to get dark, it's not going to work. So I would rather you find a place in your house that you're using a ring light, and it just works no matter what time of day. And you flip on the ring light, and you sit at the desk, and it's just going to be a good setup.
The background doesn't need to be fancy. You don't need a fancy microphone. If you're using your iPhone, you could just use the microphone from that; or you're using your laptop, just use the microphone for that. Or if you want a fancy mic, you can. I've never used a fancy mic for video like that. Like, live video, if I'm doing it from my iPhone, it's just the mic in my iPhone. If I'm using my laptop, it’s just the camera and mic from my laptop. But the thing is, you just need a space that just works every time. That will make this a whole lot easier.
And then, again, keep all the equipment really easy. The more complicated you make the equipment, the less likely you are to do it consistently. Am I right? So if you want to use Ecamm or StreamYard, go on with your bad self. But if you use those different types of software, learn it, know how to use it, get really comfortable with it. Spend a day just saying, “Okay. I'm going to figure this out. I'm going to know everything I need to know. I'm not going add a lot of bells and whistles, but I'm just going to figure it out, so I always know it.” So know your software if you're going to use it; have the equipment you need, but nothing fancy; and have a space in your house that just always works. It's a game changer.
And here's another thing to make sure that you actually do video is to do it consistently. So when I started to do video on a weekly basis, it just became so much easier. So now I do video four days a week in my Digital Course Academy Facebook group. I just do that for ten weeks, but I'm on video every single day. So the fact that I just know I'm on video, it's just like a no-brainer. Like, yep, that's what I do. I just do video. And so it just becomes a part of how I do business.
So did you hear that part? Video is just a part of how I do business. It's not something special. It's not something that needs a lot of extra attention. It's not something that I need to jump through a lot of hoops to make it work. It's just part of how I do business. It's like every morning, if I—well, you all know, I walk Scout. Walking my dog is a big part of my morning. Just like every day I walk Scout, I also just do video every day in my business. It’s just how I live my life.
Now, I know that kind of sounds silly, right? But when you just build it into the fabric of how you do things, it doesn't have to be an issue anymore. So I don't know. I hope that's making sense.
In addition to making it part of how you do business, make sure—again, I'm going to hit it one more time—make it easy. You ask the question, how can I let this be easy? How can I let this be easy? And that probably means stripping away a few things that you think you need that you don't. Something to think about.
Now, the final thing I want to share with you is that you've got to get your own routine going. And I actually have three different routines I use for three different types of videos. So I've never talked about this, but this could actually really help you do more video. I break the type of video I do out into different types, I guess. So, I think I just said that weird. But I do different types of video, and I have routines for each of the different types of video.
So let me break it down. Number one, I do, as you know, four days a week of Q&A for my DCA students. So that means that the routine looks like this. Number one, people get to send in questions in advance. Somebody on my team collects the questions, puts them into a Google tracker. We call it a Google tracker. It’s just a Google table, where it says the name of the person and the question they ask. And so I've got the name of the person, the question they ask, and I do thirty minutes a day. So I've got a list of questions, and I just jump on video. I grab my iPad that is always charged next to my computer. So that's the thing. I'm not running around, where's the iPad? Where's the iPad? Oh, my gosh. Pull up the tracker. No, it's just always next to my computer. I know right where it is on my iPad, where the tracker is. I pull it up, and we've got this routine. My team will give me any kind of announcements I need to make. Like, “Hey, remember I'm doing the hot seats next week,” or “We're doing a contest here.” They just remind me. And then from there, I just get right into the questions, and boom, I'm done. And we've got this system going, so I don't even have to think twice. I don't read the questions in advance anymore. I used to. Now I feel comfortable enough to know that I've got this covered. I've done it for years now. And so I just jump on camera. I know where my iPad is at all times. I know where to go on the iPad. I read the questions. I answer them. I stay present. I have a good time. Boom, I'm off. That's my routine with my Q&As. So that's one type of live video I do. I've got a really simple routine for it.
The second type of live video I do is Facebook Lives or Instagram Lives, where I'm training. Now, I don't do a lot of Instagram Lives, so let's focus on Facebook Lives. During a pre-launch, I will do a lot of Facebook Lives, and that means that I'm actually going to train, teach, on a certain topic.
Now with that, I like to have slides, so I like to show slides and be direct to camera for Facebook Lives during a pre-launch. So what that means is that I or someone on my team will prepare a really simple slide deck in advance. I'll have a very simple outline in a Google Doc. And ten to fifteen minutes before I go live, I set my timer, so I show up at my computer early, and I review. I review the slides, and I review my outline, and I make sure that I have the software set up correctly.
I use Ecamm. E-C-A-M-M. And Ecamm allows me to pull in my slides as well as be direct to camera, with a few clicks of a button, that I had to practice in advance. Like I said earlier, I had to get good with my software. So I don't know a lot about Ecamm, quite honestly. I don't know a lot of the bells and whistles. I just know the stuff I need to know, and that is fine with me. I don't want to know layers and layers of Ecamm. I just do the basic stuff, and it works for me. Again, if I made it more complicated, I would dread doing it. So I just know the basics. Click a few buttons to show my slides or to show my face on camera, boom. And I know how to go live through Ecamm on Facebook. Done.
Okay. So I look at my slides, and I look at my outline. I'm good to go, and I go live. So that's what I do for Facebook Live. There's a few extra steps because of the slides and the outline, but I don't make a big deal of it anymore. I used to stress over this stuff. Now I ask myself, how can I let this be easy? I remind myself, I know the content well, just like you know your content well, so it's not something that we need to make a big deal over.
And then, finally, the last way I go Live—so remember, I’ve got Q&As, and then I've got Facebook Lives, where I actually teach content—and then the third way is through my masterclasses, my webinars. Now, those, that's a bigger deal, right? Those, I spend days and days creating the slide deck, if not weeks. And then I practice it in advance many times. And then right before I go live for a masterclass, here's what I do. Number one, if I have people with me—because during launches, my team will show up in Nashville—but if I have people with me—I am like that movie For Love of the Game, which Hobie loves, by the way. Kevin Costner, have you seen it?—and you know right before—I'm totally going to get this wrong, but let's just cross my fingers I get it right because I should never make a sports analogy, like, never—but when he is on the mound—am I saying this right? It's baseball—and he's ready to throw the pitch. No one laugh if I'm saying this wrong, but you get the point. Just stay with me. And he says something like, I swear, it's like, “Clear the mechanism.” I might have to edit this podcast if this is all wrong, but I think he says, “Clear the mechanism,” and it's just him and the ball. Like, he can't see the crowd. He can't hear the noise. He's, like, in the zone.
So that's what I do before a podcast. I come and I sit at my desk, and I don't talk to anybody, and I'm flipping through my slides. This is, like, twenty minutes, fifteen minutes before we actually go live. And I just stay in the zone. And you all know if you're part of Digital Course Academy, this motto I say over and over again, no matter if they buy or not, they walk away today feeling excited, inspired, and driven to take action, no matter if they buy or not. So that's another thing. I get in the zone for a live masterclass to make sure that I am there to serve and not there just to make money. And so that helps me immensely as well. So I get my head in the game. I get in the zone. I can't hear anyone or see anyone else.
And then, five minutes before I go live on a webinar, I play some music. What music do I play? This should be a trivia. If you know me, if you know this podcast, you already know. And it's so cliché. I once saw this TikTok about music that white girls love; and my song was on there; and I was a little embarrassed, I'm just going to admit. But yes, if you guessed it, “Don't Stop Believin’” by Journey. It's my song.
Now, in my defense how cliché that is, I do have a story behind that. I've told it on the podcast before, but because these Tuesday Shorties, I always take you behind the scenes, for any of my new listeners, when I—you're going to think this is ridiculous, but it's a true story—when I worked for Tony Robbins, one of the things that I loved and made me the most nervous was the drive from Tony's hotel to the venue of where he was speaking on stage at, like, Unleash the Power Within or Date with Destiny. And it always made me nervous because that's when Tony would ask all the questions, like what does the audience look like, and what's the vibe in there? And did you do this, and did you do that? And is this ready for me? So you had to be, like, top of game.
You were in this van, and you're sitting right next to him. I was sitting right next to him. I had my folder and all my paperwork ready for him. And that he preps on his way over to the venue. He looks over the outlines. He looks over the stories he wants to tell. He asks any questions about how the day's going to go. So it's our time to make sure that we're prepared to go, because the minute he gets out of the van, he literally goes to the green room, jumps on his rebounder—if you know, you know—and then he goes right on the stage. So, that car ride is really intense.
However, sometimes we would use “Don't Stop Believin’” by Journey as the pump-up music right before he got out of the car. And it was just a fun thing we did. He had his security guys in the van with us; and then it was me and probably one other person I worked with; and Sage, Tony's wife; and the guy driving the van. And we would put on Journey, and Tony and the security guards would sing the guy’s part of it, and then all the girls would sing the girl’s part of it. And we would sing at the top of our lungs. And it was just a really fun moment that we did tons and tons of times. I know I've told this story a lot, but I know I have a lot of new listeners.
And when I left Tony after six and a half years, my last day, the team on the road made me a video. And Tony was the very last person on the video, and he blasted that song, and then he wished me well and said goodbye. And so that song means something to me. That is the point of this story.
So, when you are ready to do a masterclass, when you're ready to do something big, whether it be to go on stage or to do a webinar/masterclass or something that makes you really nervous, I believe music can get you in the zone. But it's got to be the right song. So either the song means something to you—like that song means something to me. It means go time. It means fun. It means excitement. That's what it means to me—so choose a song that means something to you or just instantly gets you in the right place, the right mood to just crush it.
So anyway, that's what I do before a masterclass. I clear the mechanism. I really hope I'm saying that right. I clear the mechanism. I go over my slides, just kind of flipping through all my slides. I practice in my head what I'm going to say when we hit broadcast. Like, what are the first few sentences I'm going to say so I don't stumble over them. And then five minutes before go time, I play the music, and sometimes I get up and kind of dance around, or sometimes I just sit in my chair and just kind of just let it all sink in. And then I go live, and that works for me. So, you got to figure out what works for you.
So, here's how I'm going to wrap up this episode with a bow. Number one, set up your surroundings so that video is easy. Set up your surroundings. Find a place in your house. Get the ring light, if you need to get the ring light. We will post a link to the ring light that we love in our show notes. So if you’re looking for a good ring light, I’ll post the one in our show notes that we love. So get a good ring light, find a place in your house, keep the software and the equipment to a minimum, and just have that setup. Any time you want to do video, you know it's an easy one-two-three setup. You're good to go.
Number two, create the types of videos you—like, identify the types of videos you're going to do and get a routine for each of them. Like, Q&As and my Facebook Live trainings and my webinars, those are three types of videos, and I treat each of them differently, but very, very simple routines for all of them.
And then, number three, do video more often so this is not a novelty in your business. Video is part of how you do business. It's woven into the fabric of how you do business. That way, it's not something that is a pain in the butt, because you do it so consistently. That means start doing a Facebook Live once a week or an Instagram Live once a week, or go live in one of your groups once a week. Just get the routine. You should at least be doing live video once a week. And I don't say that lightly. I know that's not easy for everyone, but at least once a week I want to see you on live video.
But once you've gotten these quick little routines and systems down, it's not a big deal. So the moral of the story is let's do live video or any video with more ease. Let's make it easier, let's make it part of our regular business, and let's find a way to enjoy it.
So the last thing I'll say is that I mentioned this on another podcast as well, but I started to, in my DCA group, I started to on Thursdays instead of just collecting questions in advance, reading the questions, and answering them, on Thursdays, I go on Zoom, and I bring people up for five-minute Q&As. They get to get on video with me, ask me a question, I answer it. Boom, we move on to the next person. And that's fun for me. I actually really enjoy it.
So the last thing is find a way to do video in a way that you enjoy it, that you like it. Don't do it like me. Don't do it like someone else that you've seen online so you think that's how you should do it. Do video in a way that you enjoy it. I don't know what that means for you, but just make sure that you're staying true to who you are and you actually are liking the way that you're doing it. That way, you'll show up even more.
All right, my sweet friends. Thank you so much for tuning in. It's always fun to do these short episodes with you. I hope you'll find it so valuable and actually take action and do something with it right away.
And also, please, please, please, if you know somebody who needs to do more video or wants to do more video and they're just not sure what to do or how to get started, please share this episode with them. You could just text a friend and say, “Hey, take a listen. This might help you.” I always appreciate you sharing my episodes.
All right. Have a wonderful day. I can't wait to see you Thursday for more entrepreneurial goodness. I can’t wait.
