Get Rich Blogging. Zoe Griffin

get the shot with the right amount of energy and enthusiasm. Some people will argue that the first take is the most ‘natural’, but what if you wanted to improve on the natural you? Sometimes you’ll have more enthusiasm in your voice and a more energetic tone in the second or third take. Keep going until you know you have something you’re proud of.

      Have you ever written a script before? I find the process becomes easier if you divide it into three steps. If you want to keep your planning loose and more improvised, you can stop after the first step. Many experienced vloggers stop after step two as they have a lot of relevant things to say about their subject matter after years of making videos on the same topic. However, try all three steps if you’re new to vlogging as it will make you feel more prepared and give you confidence in front of the camera.

      STEP ONE: RESEARCH!

      What do you want to communicate by making this video? What do you need to show to communicate your points? Think about each thing you’ll be showing and research it extensively, using multiple reference points. For example, you might be a beauty vlogger wanting to communicate how to achieve a smoky eye make-up look. To get your point across, you’ll need to show eyeshadow, mascara and eyeliner techniques. Find out different types of products you can use and what ingredients they contain. Investigate whether some products are easier to apply than others and look at how much they cost. You can use all of these facts in your videos. You might be a fashion vlogger wanting to communicate the most on-trend looks this season. You’ll need to show some different outfits. What stores can you get them from? Is there a budget version and a luxury version? Are any celebrities wearing similar outfits?

      If you’re planning to stop here, you don’t need to write anything down as long as you’re confident you have soaked up enough knowledge to be able to inform your viewers. However, it may help to make notes so you can re-read them before you start filming. This will give you the confidence to know that you have plenty of information available if you freeze in front of the camera. If you’re continuing to step two and step three, then you should definitely write things down.

      STEP TWO: ORGANISE YOUR NOTES!

      Start with a fresh piece of paper and list the topics you’ll be covering in your video, leaving a large gap in between each entry. To go back to the beauty example, this would be eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara.

      Now re-read your original research notes and underline the most important facts and figures. List these in order of priority underneath the relevant topic. For example, under the mascara heading you might write notes about application tactics, price and stockists.

      Will you talk about the topics in the order you’ve listed on the sheet? If not, write a number next to each topic to remind you of the sequence. For beauty videos, this will be determined by the order in which you apply the make-up. For gaming videos, if you want to list your top five tips, the order should start with the most useful tip, followed by the next most useful and so on.

      Think about your intro and outro. Jot down some prompts for your intro that sum up what your video is about. For the outro, write down some calls to action so you don’t forget to ask people to subscribe and comment.

      Finally, you should consider where you will position the camera for each topic. Note that down next to the relevant topic, using a different-coloured pen so it stands out from your facts and figures. Use the same-coloured pen to note down any props you’re going to use. Viewers will get bored of you talking to the camera after a short time, even if you’ve practised sounding energetic and enthusiastic, so you need to mix up your footage. One way to mix it up is by using props such as make-up products, and filming close-ups of the products as you explain what they are. You could also use pie-charts or graphics to demonstrate a specific trend. Or you could add variety by demonstrating what you’re talking about and mixing shots of talking to camera with the demos in your edit.

      Many vloggers choose to stop here, to make their videos a mix of drafted scripting and some natural presentation. As you’re not writing down full sentences next to the topics, you have some flexibility with what you say, which makes it sound like you’re naturally knowledgeable.

      STEP THREE: FLESH OUT THE DRAFT!

      If you complete this step, you can be sure that your videos are densely populated with useful information. This is a huge confidence boost for anyone starting out, because nerves have a terrible habit of making your mind go blank. With a full script on the side, just out of shot, you have something to refer to in between takes.

      The most recent list you made should contain all the facts and figures along with relevant camera angles and positions, so all you have to do is flesh it out and add some sentences to link everything. Think about how you would say something and write it down exactly as you’d speak it, so you sound natural and not as if you’re reciting an essay. Try and think of jokes or interesting ways of saying things, so that you can show viewers you are fun, witty and entertaining.

      Once you have a full script, you can run through it a few times before turning on the camera. This will help you work out where pauses need to be for dramatic effect, and which words you need to emphasise. Use a pencil to underline these words, then you can refer to your script during filming to remind yourself of your lines and the modulation needed. If you plan on using several camera angles and positions, there will be plenty of time to reread your script after each time you move the camera.

      TIP: MAKE SURE YOUR VIDEOS CONTAIN A PROBLEM AND A SOLUTION

      An easy way to divide your points into a beginning, middle and end while adding some drama and keeping your viewers’ attention is to follow this structure:

      Intro: Identify yourself and hook viewers in with a sentence that sums up the topic of the vlog. Then promise something that will keep them watching, such as a tip you’ll reveal later or a special offer that you’ll give them at the end.

      Problem: Identify a problem that your viewers may have. Be honest and open about your own problems and experiences with this topic. By introducing a problem, you can offer a solution. Viewers will feel more involved with your video if you’re solving one of their issues.

      Solution: This is the key part of the video. Your solution needs to be simple and concise. Break down the concepts and explain everything in a way that will make sense to anyone watching. Great vloggers have an ability to cover complex subjects and break them down in a way that is fun, entertaining and easy for anyone to understand or copy. This applies especially to the best beauty vloggers, who manage to make complicated make-up tricks simpler, thus giving people at home more confidence.

      Summary: What is the main thing you want people to take home from this video? Summarise this into one sentence. You can also have this as a graphic on screen, written as a list or summed up in a subtitle at the bottom of the screen.

      Call to action: Make your viewers feel important by asking them to connect with you further. Invite viewers to leave a specific comment below your video (and ensure you enable comments on your blog post if you plan to embed the vlog into a blog post). Sometimes, vloggers sound like they’re begging when they ask for subscribers, and this is off-putting because nobody wants to subscribe to someone who’s desperate. The way to encourage subscriptions is to suggest there’s something in it for the viewers. You could say something like: ‘For more exclusive tips and to stay up to date with the latest news, you need to subscribe.’

      Writing a script will also help you stay on track when you have to cover personal subjects. The best vloggers are very honest and share details of their lives and feelings with their viewers. This helps the viewers get to know the vloggers better, so the viewers start to see the vlogger as a friend. However, the more emotional a vlogger is about a subject, the more chance they have of breaking down and forgetting what to say, or going off on a tangent and ranting about a topic that’s not directly relevant. You can prepare yourself for these tricky videos by writing down why you want to make the vlog and listing