Production
Everything you need to know about the filming process.
- Vlog Storytelling is the key.
I remember when I first listened to an interview from Brian on Sailing SV Delos (the bees’ knees of sailing YouTube channels!). He said, “Story is King”. This was a sentiment I heard numerous times, which led me to deep dive into vlog storytelling methods. - this continues to kill channels
Good morning from New Zealand! Yesterday I had one of my weekly calls within my course students. One channel in there has been doing particularly well lately with three of her videos in the last month being in her most viewed. - Don’t Resolve the Tension
Singlehandedly the most important thing you can do for your channel is to increase SESSION TIME – the total amount of time a viewer spends on your channel in one session. There are two ways to do this: Create long videos that people watch a lot of. Get viewers to watch more than one video. In this newsletter, we’ll be talking about the latter. - A CRUCIAL Storytelling Mechanism
I’m sitting here in my hotel in downtown Auckland on a cloudy Wednesday morning, and my brain is mulling over storytelling, as it always is. I am part of a community for YouTubers run by George Blackman, and one idea that we have been exploring is Story Progression Mechanisms. So, let me explain what it is, and why this should be the top of your mind too! - The ‘Payoff Problem’
There is something that I have been seeing recently in videos that I review that is killing retention, but is, luckily, easy to fix. Let me illustrate with an example. “I arrived at my campsite and put up my tent. I decided on this spot because it was windy close to the beach, and I also couldn’t get my stakes to stay in the ground over there. - I Analysed the Biggest Travel Vlogger’s Video.
Today we’re going to mix it up a bit. I am going to analyse this video from Eva Zu Beck. Eva runs the biggest solo female travel channel on YouTube with 1.8 million subscribers. What better way to learn, than from the best? - Don’t Kill Your Intro.
Your video intro is one of the most important parts of your travel vlog’s success, as I have written about before. When I say “intro” I am referring to the first 30-60 seconds of your video. Without a good intro, people are looking for a reason to click away, and if they do, this could significantly reduce your video retention. Without good retention, YouTube isn’t going to push your video even if you have the best thumbnail and title in the world. They want watch time. - The Story Loop
When you start researching YouTube, you will often hear, “You need to open a loop and then close the loop.” By loop, they mean story loop. You can also call it a “scene” or a segment. Basically, this is talking about story structure, which is ESSENTIAL for keeping your audience engaged, regardless of whether you are logging, doing a “how to video” or a product review. - The Secret to Showing the Moment
Last year, I started my podcast for adventure creators, which is set to restart soon (I’ve been a bit MIA with wrapping up the last details of my course, but I have several ideas in the works)! I was interviewing heaps of big creators and learning heaps along the way. - You’ve told me this, darling…(repetition)
I’ve been dating a guy for several months now. And we’ve just hit that point in our relationship where we are starting to repeat our stories. Sometimes, we just allow it to happen, recognising that we are telling the story in order to connect. Sometimes though, a patient, “I love you, but this is the 10th time I’ve heard this,” is necessary. - The EASIEST Retention Hack: Foreshadowing
One of the most amazing benefits of being a “YouTube coach” is that I learn HEAPS from my students. Called the ‘Protege effect’, it states that the act of teaching forces us to distill complex ideas into understandable parts, deepening our own understanding in the process. So, when I was reviewing my student Abby’s video, riddled with footage moving too fast, clips oriented wrong, and low resolution, I was struck that I was still 100% engaged in the story. - How to improve your Camera Presence.
Camera presence is an odd topic within YouTube, because you kind of have to learn it, and then unlearn it. Let me explain. Many many years ago now, I ran across the channel Charisma On Command. I was probably trying to learn something for my work. - Getting Good Audio
Picture this: You’re at the summit of a breathtaking peak, sharing your awe-inspiring adventure with the world. But if your audience can’t hear the wind rustling through the leaves or the crunch of snow beneath your boots, they’re missing out on the immersive experience. - How to film 101
When I look back on my very first videos, part of me wants to scream at past Daniella, “STOP MOVING SO MUCH!” “Move Slower!” “Don’t Move at all!!” But hopefully… Read more: How to film 101 - How to PACE a story
Pacing is how we show the different emotions throughout a story, and contrasting emotion is how we emphasize each of those emotions. In traditional storytelling, the pace goes through a flow of tension and release, with each segment of tension getting more intense than the previous. - Emotion in Storytelling
When I was child, I was often told I was “too emotional”. As the middle of seven kids all homeschooled by my mom, I can understand why my parents didn’t… Read more: Emotion in Storytelling - The Elements of Storytelling
If you watched my latest podcast interview with Maya from Sailing Magic Carpet, you might have seen where, with brutal honesty, she said, “your videos don’t have to be boring just… Read more: The Elements of Storytelling
