5 Presentation Rules for Successful Video blogging

The rules of the game have changed and the world has adopted many new forms of communication and videoblogging is only one of the many new communication methods that have taken the web by storm.

Anyone with an interest in adding videoblogging to normal blogging can find tons of guides on the web and YouTube from a content, SEO and bloggerís point of view. These will advise you on which types of cameras and microphones to use and such but None of these blogs talk about the presentation sideí of your video.

The thing to remember is that your audience will have to watch the video and it has to be interesting enough to grab and keep their attention.

And if you are a great presenter then you can create cool videos that can help you to enhance your blog.

You can also use videoblogging at events (and it can even increase your elevator pitch skills).

Here are a 5 unconventional presentation rules for successful videoblogging:

1 – Make It Easy, But Cool, Use a Whiteboard

A Whiteboard look extremely analogical but it can be a great help for your blogging attempts as it’s cheap and introduces the audience to the ëteacher/studentí mood.

Whiteboards are also simple to set up and resolve the issue of what background should I use?í

There are several videos with whiteboard that can act as great inspiration for you (did you notice that also the White House is using whiteboard videos?).

One example really smart is Rand Fishkin founder of SeoMOZ.

Why does Fishkin, an SEO guru use a whiteboard? Because it works!

2 – Marketing Is Education


ClioMakeup, over 75MLN views on YouTube explaining makeup…

Can you imagine a video dedicated to how to apply makeup running for 30 minutes?

There is such a video channel (!) and it is ridiculously successful because it explains a topic in a simple, effective and engaging way.

Donít make your video unnecessarily difficult to understand, rather explain things simply.

Even experts are always looking for ways how to do things differently or easier.

Give a clear blueprint of the topic you will be explaining and explain simply how to do something by going from A to Z in a step by step format.

Donít use an academic approach but simply explain as you would explain to kids.

3 – Interview someone If You Have Nothing To Say

Do you not have any great content to talk about?

No worries, simply interview someone else! There are two options you have when it comes to doing interviews.

The first is the online interview.

Study how for example Andrew Warner (video above) is creating a successful website basically only using interviews!

The second method is in-person interviews.


Kevin Rose interview Jack Dorsey for his new videoblog.

It is more difficult to organize but can have a better impact if you do it the right way.

My suggestion is to start with online interviews and when you have the confidence (as well as the budget and possibly a cameraman) add in-person interviews.

4 – Go for Webinars If You’re Shy


If you donít want to go into video, then thatís not a problem either.

You can make use of screencasting (using tools like Camtasia or ScreenFlow for MAC or the free CamStudio ) or simply do webinars!

What do you need to do a webinar? A software like GotoWebinar or Meeting Burner, PowerPoint and a microphone (my suggestion is a good USB mic like Blue Snowball).

You can create tons of videos just using a screencast / webinar approach and it is fast, cheap and works great even if you are a shy guy 🙂

PS: an other webinar’s pro as you know is that it’s a great tool for list building becuase attendes must give their email by default if they want to attend.

5 – Solve Me a Problem


Over 3MLN views for Tim Ferris showing…how to peel an egg!

Your video blog should solve practical problems that many people struggle with.

This is an approach that Tim Ferris uses and you can adapt it to fit your style.

The most important thing to remember here is that Tim puts himself in your shoes and tries to show you how to solve a practical problem in your every day life.

Are you good at something? Then prove it! Show it to your audience. Get your hands dirty and show them how to solve a problem or how to do something.

Marco Montemagno is a tech entrepreneur and founder of “Presenter Impossible, lessons from a decade of unconventional presentations“, where he shares ideas and tips to create inspiring presentations.