Lessons

Lesson Info

Class Introduction

And if you're not familiar with Amy Schmittauer let me tell you a little bit about her. Amy is the boss at Vlog Boss Media. She creates videos on her YouTube channel. She is also an amazing keynote speaker, YouTube star, and also a published author, a best-selling author. We are thrilled to have her on CreativeLive. You've probably seen her YouTube channel Savvy Sexy Social has a global community with millions of views. We are thrilled to have her on CreativeLive so please welcome Amy Schmittauer. (audience clapping and cheering) How did it all start? Great question. I think a piece of me just loves to see the expression on people's faces (laughing) when you surprise them. Creating something and maybe they didn't see it coming but it was made so perfectly just for that one person, figuring out how to do that totally changed my life. There's something so cool about that. You just sort of feel special in that you've found a skillset of knowing what somebody wants and then creating the ...

thing that is going to resonate with them in turn. And that is really where vlogging became a component of my life and everything that I do. I guess it just so happens to be the cool thing but maybe it's 'cause I was actually on to something. You know? Lots of people don't like to read and don't have a whole lot of time and just want to be told how to do something or given some sort of form of entertainment or something and video is the way to do that. Finding a way to get the message out there that I know people need and are searching for and potentially even want once they stumble upon it but doing it in the medium where it matters. You can't be the only one at the party. You have to go to the party that already exists, walk in, wear something totally appropriate, but stands out enough to grab the attention, fit into the conversation so that you can pop with your personality and let them know you've got it going on. You've got something to share and they're so fortunate that they found you. But if you didn't customize that message for the first and one person then it's not gonna hit anybody ever at all. Doesn't matter where. Doesn't matter what medium. There are three things that I did when I started that made me follow this path and stay consistent. First I grabbed the one and only camera that I had. In 2007 this was a Canon PowerShot. You used to have to take these on vacation with you before the smartphone came out. I know. I'm aging myself a little bit. This thing standard definition and all got me so far for sharing a story just on the fly. Anywhere I could. I was one of the lunatics that was vlogging in public before it became somewhat socially acceptable. Use what you have where you are at this moment. Start now. The second thing I did was be a viewer. I paid attention to what everybody was doing not because of jealousy but for inspiration. But for a place to go and say wow. If they can do that what could I do? How can I come up with an idea around this? You can't be a great creator unless you are a great audience member, community member, engager of things. You have to do all of it in order to be amazing at your craft. And the third thing that I did is I got to know everybody and I let them share with me their ideas, their expertise, their skillset, their contacts. It could've been a vlogger working out of their bedroom or a CEO working in their office. I took all the advice I could and that is where I was able to balance this whole be a creator and know your art while also understanding the business side and implementing strategies that will actually help you sustain for the long run. Vlogging is really special. Video is very important. If you understand how to communicate with people and leveraging the tool in the context that it exists. If you like this video, make sure you do something about it. Go and create something but do it in an environment where you actually totally get the people who are in it because your message will not be received if you don't. I think it's time for you to start vlogging like a boss. Come on. Let's do it. Yeah. (audience clapping and cheering) Hi. I wanted you to see that first 'cause I want you to remember we're gonna learn so much today. There's gonna be so many tactics, things that you can do to vlog like a boss but I want you to keep one thing in mind. I'm just a normal person sitting in my living room in front of my bookshelf with a smartphone. That was with iPhone. You can do this with what you have. You have a message to share. That's the core of it. Remember that no matter what we go over today. All the rest of it is just gravy and details and ways to amplify and we're gonna talk about that in great detail. But if you have something to talk about you can start right now. So I hope you do. So let's talk about what we're gonna do today. Obviously we need to know a little bit about you and so if you're one of these people that loves watching online video obviously that has affected you in some way as to why you're here. Somebody has inspired you. Maybe somebody made a video that you loved or a lot of people did. But if you love watching that's a really big piece of this because you'll learn so much more if you are. Also you wanna be a creator of something that people love. That's how I got my start and I will tell you a lot more about that but that's what we're trying to do is create something people love. Not just like a little bit. But love. That's a big part. So if you're one of those people we're in a good place. Also are you having trouble leveraging social media the right way? We know we have these tools at our disposal and there are so many and every time you think we've finally figured one out there's another one that comes along and then somebody revives their feature and they add something new and there's something else to do. There's always something else to do. But do you have to be in all places or can you just use a couple of them really, really well? Let's talk about that. Also if you think you're terrible on camera. Anybody in here feel that way? (audience laughing) Been there. Everyone I still get on camera and still feel like I'm terrible. But, is it about me? Probably not. Also if you believe your message is important enough to work hard for, this is not going to come very easy. We're building relationships. That's what this is. We're just using a tool to help us do it. And you have to want to work hard for that. Are you ready to become known? Is there something that's gonna help you in your business that's actually going to help you get more business or get more clients or sell more products if you are ready to become known. That's a great place to be right now because video may have a lot to do with what's going on up here. That face of yours. So that's very important. We'll talk in this class, hopefully all those things are something that is relatable to you and you feel the need to learn about vlogging because of that. We're gonna talk about all of these things to help you tap into that. First of all talking to the camera naturally. What does it mean to actually do that? How can you achieve that? We all want to just feel like we're just amazing when somebody watches us on camera but what does it actually mean to have that take place in someone's mind? That's what's going to help us get to the point of talking to a camera naturally. Creating a vlog that drives traffic. Anybody want some traffic? Yeah. Right. We're creating content for a reason so how can we actually have traffic come our way for us to turn over the return that we are searching for. Using camera gear that suits your budget, not someone else's. That we're gonna go over that in great detail with my team at AfterMark and how you can leverage whatever tools make the most sense for you at this moment or a later one. Editing video in a simple and unique style. Anyone in this room familiar with my editing style? I mean we saw a little bit of it just now, right? So what does it mean to have editing help you advance your message in a more positive way and have people receive it so that they learn something but it's not a long process or a drawn out process or one people feel they have to hurry up and get through in order to get to their end result? The actual video viewing should be as enjoyable as the result of why you created it. Editing will help you with that. And sharing vlogs to grab attention the right way on major social networks. We'll go over that in detail as well as build trust with a targeted community. Targeted community. Do you know who that person is? Do you know who those people are? 'Cause it's not everybody. And most importantly we're gonna learn how to vlog like a boss. Is everybody game for that? (audience agreeing) Awesome. Awesome. All right so here's our table of contents and where we're gonna be getting started today. Chapter one. What is vlogging and why are we going to do it? Hopefully you guys have a little bit of an idea but if not we're gonna go over that. Chapter two. Delivering a confident vlog. Chapter three, vlogging gear. Anybody excited for the gear segment? (audience chattering) Yep. Everybody always is, right? Chapter four, creating a vlog. We're actually going to be making one on this stage. You're gonna see it in action so I really am excited to show that to you because I don't think I've ever really done that before so that's a really cool first that I'm bringing here to CreativeLive. And chapter five, marketing a vlog. Because if you thought making it was hard, just imagine what it's like to get people to watch it. All right? So first let's talk about this. If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for ordinary. Ordinary. (laughing) Who wants that? Jim Rohn said this and I think that this is a really powerful quote to take you into a little bit of my story if you're willing to hear it. So... I was last. I was chosen last in this really long line of bridesmaids. See. Last. (audience laughing) Not only was I chosen last but I was actually asked last. My girlfriend she called me, we went to high school together and she was like "Oh my gosh. I would just love it if you could be in my wedding. I just, it would be amazing. You know. I have this... Look at the dream team here and you'd be a great addition. One of the bridesmaids she got pregnant she's not gonna fit into the dress but I just thought you would be great to take her spot." (audience laughing) And I thought okay. That sounds really nice. I could've been asked last. I could've been the last bridesmaid but I kinda wanted to be the favorite bridesmaid. I thought I'll just beat them all out. I'm gonna be awesome. I'm gonna be the one she's like oh my gosh. Thank God Amy was in the wedding because she was amazing and I thought how do you make someone feel more special on the most special day of her life than she already does? And that's how I came up with the idea for a video. In 2007 I thought a video sounds cool. I wonder how you do that? I don't know but I found out my digital camera had a video option on it which I just thought was so fascinating and I took that little camera you saw it in that opening clip. That little Canon PowerShot and I went back to our old neighborhood and took footage of where we grew up, some of the schoolgrounds, and then I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible 'cause I was having memories I didn't want and then I went and found people we went to school with, family friends and just recorded little clips of best wishes and congratulations. Just a little something. People taking just a little moment out for Stephanie. And I went back to my house and got on my desktop that took up half my kitchen and used Windows MovieMaker to clip it all together into a montage with of course the ever emotional backing track of Good Riddance by Green Day. (audience laughing) And I burnt that video on a DVD and I took it to the rehearsal dinner and I said, "Uh hey. Steph. I really need your help. I need some airtime during the rehearsal dinner." And they were like here comes the last bridesmaid asking for some airtime. What does that even mean? But they found a tube television on a cart with a DVD player. (audience laughing) And they wheeled it in to the rehearsal dinner and we popped that DVD in and pressed play. And that was it. God that changed everything. So this video is playing and of course Stephanie's just losing it, right? She's like "Oh my God, I haven't seen these people in decades." We graduated high school like three years ago before this. (audience laughing) And that was really cool but it wasn't her. It was everybody else in this huge rehearsal dinner. There's family of hers. There's friends. There's our entire bridal party. But there's the groom's side and there's the groom's family and friends and only a few of us knew all these people popping up on the screen but everyone felt it. Everyone understood the emotion of it. Everyone was affected by it and that's what changed everything. When you make something for one person, just one. But it's so good that it affects the many, that's what we're here to do. That's vlogging like a boss. Right? So that's why I'm here.