Engage PDX 2017

2. Justin Briggs
Founder & CEO
Justin@Briggsby.com
@JustinRBriggs

3. Blogging is no longer enough

4. 14 years since WordPress was
founded…

5. 4 years since Google Reader
was shut down…

6. Blogging Has Declined

7. Tastes in content
have shifted

8. Survey Results

9. Preferred Content
38%
33%
19%
9%
27%
31%
42%
48%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Ages 18-24 Ages 25-34 Ages 35-54 Ages 55+
When using the internet, what type of content do you prefer?
Video Text
N = 1,000 / Remaining respondents chose “I do not read or watch content online” or “I do not have a preference for text or video content.”

10. Reviews
26%
23%
14%
7%
31%
39%
51%
40%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Ages 18-24 Ages 25-34 Ages 35-54 Ages 55+
When you are deciding what products to buy, how do you prefer
to see reviews?
Video Text
N = 1,000 / Remaining respondents chose “I do not use the internet for reviews.” or “I do not have a preference for text or video content.”

11. Learning Something New
48%
38%
27%
17%
26%
29%
43%
36%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Ages 18-24 Ages 25-34 Ages 35-54 Ages 55+
When you are using the internet to learn something new, how do
you prefer to learn?
Video Text
N = 1,000 / Remaining respondents chose “I do not use the internet to learn.” or “I do not have a preference for text or video content.

12. Preference for Video Content by Gender (18-34)
41%
29%
45%
38%
35%
13%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Males (18-34) Females (18-34)
Preference for Video by Content Type
General Preference Learning Reviews
N = 274

13. But text content is…

14. Cheap

15. Easy

16. Scalable

17. Video content…

18. doesn’t have to
be expensive

19. doesn’t have to
be hard

20. can scale

21. 33 Tips for Better Video Content

22. Pre-Production & Planning

23. #1: SEMRush for Keyword Research
Find topic ideas by searching for keywords that YouTube ranks for.

24. #2: KeywordTool.io and AdWords Research
… or use a keyword tool like KeywordTool.io or Google’s Keyword Planner

25. #3: Storyboarding
Before you shoot, build a storyboard that includes the types of shots you’ll need.

26. #4: Script Breakdown
Create a list of all of the people, props, and wardrobe items you’ll need for each scene.

27. Art Direction & Design

28. #5: Avoiding Moire
Test your clothing on camera. Check for strange sparkling effects or distorted lines (called moire).

29. #6: What to Wear on Camera
Solid colors and jewel tones tend to look best on camera.

30. #7: Makeup
Don’t be afraid to wear makeup on camera.

31. #8: Foundation
Avoid makeup with SPF coverage. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD looks great under bright lights.

32. #9: Reducing Reflections in Glasses
If your subject’s glasses have a glare, tip them forward and tape them in place.

33. #10: Interesting Backgrounds
Choose a video background that has depth and reflects your brand.

34. #11: Light Your Background
Light your background to add depth to the scene and to visually separate you from it.

35. #12: Paper Rolls
When all else fails, use large rolls of paper (and interesting lighting) to create a backdrop.

36. Filming and Gear

37. #13: Buy a DSLR
Invest in a DSLR camera. The Canon T5i or Sony A7s are great options.

38. #14: External Recorder
Use an external mic and a digital recorder. A Rode shotgun mic and Zoom H4 recorder are good starts.

39. #15: Leveraging Natural Light
Leverage natural light by shooting near windows.

40. #16: Cheap Reflector
Use foam core from art supply store.

41. #17: Paper Lantern
Get simple diffusion with a paper lantern ball light.

42. #18: Lighting Faces
Use lights and reflectors to fill in shadows on people’s faces.

43. #19: Camera Position
For the most flattering video, shoot from slightly above the subject’s eye level.

44. #20: Rule of Thirds
Use the rule of thirds for a balanced shot.

45. #21: Fluid Head Tripods
Use a fluid head tripod designed for video to tilt and pan. (Manfrotto tripods are good.)

46. #22: Shoot Out of Order
Shoot your video out of order, in the way that requires the fewest setups for you.

47. #23: How to Shoot Overhead Video
If you’re recording overhead, you can use a tripod or c-stand to mount your camera.

48. #24: Sandbags
Use sandbags to protect your gear and your crew on set.

49. #25: Screensharing
If you’re screensharing, record your audio first. Capture the video as you listen to the audio in headphones.

50. #26: Mic for Screensharing
The Yeti Blue mic works well for podcasting, interview series, and recording audio for screenshares.

51. #27: Technical Format
When making B2B videos or videos about a technical topic, try a slide overlay format.

52. Post Production

53. #28: Audio Jump Cuts
Use jump cuts to keep your video engaging. Aim for zero silence in your video.

54. #29: One Line at a Time
Using jump cuts allows you to record your video one sentence at a time. (No need to memorize your

55. #30: Watch out for “S”
Watch out for words that end with “s” as you edit.

56. Distribution

57. During editing, chunk videos into smaller bite-sized videos. Create landing pages for each video.
#31: Chunkable Video

58. For thumbnails: increase saturation and sharpness slightly to attract more attention.
#32: Thumbnails

59. #33: Using Video to Get Links
We find that resources with videos earn approximately double the linking root domains as pages without.
26.69
13.28
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Resources with Video Text-Only Resources
Average Linking Root Domains by Content Type
Evergreen Content Section of a Major E-Commerce Website / Link Source: Ahrefs

60. Thanks!