How to Structure An Educational Video for Your Blog

Quick - the camera is on! What do you say?

Don't worry, it's natural to lock up. I recommend you set a consistent time to shoot so you naturally think about what to say in advance. Don't discount this - it's your subconscious preparation that allows expertise to roll off your tongue when it's time to record. This is the secret of professionals.

Now that you're prepared (i.e. determined a topic), how can you virtually GUARANTEE viewers will watch your ENTIRE video, actually learn something, and extended their hand to do business with you? What's the best way to communicate your expertise in a short web video?

There are 6 parts of an effective educational video for your blog. Think about these 6 'transition phases' in advance of recording so you logically structure your video for optimal learning and effectiveness.

1. Introduce Yourself - tell me who you are.
2. State the Point of Your Video - what will you teach me?
3. Introduction - what's the problem I have?
4. Body - how should I solve this problem?
5. Conclusion - summarize everything you told me
6. Call to Action - where can I go to learn more?

Remember the whole "Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them what you're there to tell them, and summarize with everything you've told them?" That's excellent presentation advice, and it's applicable to your web videos.

Step #2 is your biggest challenge - what's the point of your video? It's best to answer this question directly in your video title. This way, after you introduce yourself, simply say your video title. Writing a powerful and effective title is critical, as it's the only way prospects will know the 'implicit benefit' of viewing your web video. Here are a few video title tips to get started.

I STRONGLY recommend you write these 6 transitions on a sheet a paper as an outline, then write in your talking points. When you're filming, refer to your cheat sheet - just as a news anchor would - to keep your videos on topic, focused, and purposeful. This is the mental organizational process I go through before I record my video blogs, and it works great.