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5 Ways To Make Your Video Content Great

Over the last 3 weeks, we have discussed the importance of a video strategy, how to develop that strategy, and what tools you will need to execute the strategy. Now that you are an expert on all of those topics, let’s talk about something incredibly important: creating great content.

I’ll be honest: this topic goes far beyond the scope of this post. As you spend more time in your video strategy, you will inevitably spend time researching how to improve the quality of your content. For now, let’s start with some basics:

(1) Is the content interesting or helpful?

You can have the greatest looking and sounding video in the history of the universe, but no one will care if it is not interesting or helpful. How do I know? Look at the number of low quality videos that have millions of views on YouTube. Content is king. If your content stinks, then it doesn’t matter if it stinks in full HD.

(2) Can you hear the audio?

If people have a hard time hearing what is going on in the video, then they won’t watch it. Can the person speaking be heard clearly? Was there other noise when it was recorded? Is background music too loud? Most of the issues can only be addressed when you actually shoot the video. As much as you can, make sure that there is no background noise when recording. And make sure the person speaking is clearly heard at the time of the recording. Yes, you can fix those problems in editing, but you won’t be completely happy with the results. Spend extra time before you record to get it right, and editing will be much easier. You will also like the final product more, too.

(4) Are there any shadows?

Can people hear? Great! But can they see what is going on? Does the person talking have a shadow on one side of their face? Does it look like they have a neck beard because there is a shadow on their neck? These issues are all related to lighting. If you bought a kit, spend some time adjusting it before recording. If you are outside or do have a kit, move the person around until they are in a place where there face is clearly seen and there aren’t any distracting shadows.

(5) How is the subject matter framed?

Framed is a somewhat technical term in photography and videography. Basically, it deals with how a person or scene looks in the shot. Is it centered, or to one side? Is the person looking at the camera, or off to the side? Is the camera moving, or is it still?

One of the more well-known theories in this subject it the rule of thirds. This rule says that a video or photo is more interesting if the person or scene is either one-third of the screen or two-thirds of the screen. This goes against the tendency to put everything in the middle of the screen, but it can produce more interesting shots.

All of these questions presume you know how to use your camera. Since each brand is different, we can’t discuss those things here. But knowing how to actually operate the gear you bought is a big deal. When in doubt, look it up on YouTube.


Congratulations! If you read all of the posts in this series, then you are officially a video strategy expert! Ok, maybe that puts a little too much pressure on you, but you get the idea. Hopefully this series generated some great discussion and creativity among your team and armed you with the right information to produce great video content for your business.

So now that you have a strategy, go serve the world with great videos.

Headshot of Chris LaFay

Chris LaFay

Chris's goal in life is to conduct connection and bring heart to every interaction in life. He puts humans above to-dos. He consistently brings the band back together, leveraging long-term relationships across a swathe of experience to empower career transitions, life event pivots, and, ultimately, an incredibly versatile, flexible, and creative team for his clients.