Shoot to Sell

Book description

Producing and Distributing Special Interest Videos is a step-by-step, do-it-yourself guide for successfully producing, selling and marketing videos without a huge financial investment for anyone who has an idea or expertise that they want to showcase in video. Learn how to successfully create and market videos for carefully researched niche markets, for long-term residual income.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Disclaimer
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. A Few Housekeeping Notes before We Start
  9. Part I Video Publishing Business
    1. Introduction
    2. 1. Special Interest Videos and the World of Video Publishing
      1. Who Produces Special Interest Videos?
      2. What is the Market for Special Interest Videos?
      3. Who Buys Special Interest Videos?
      4. Our Business Model—“Shoot it Once, Sell it for Years”
      5. How Much Money Can You Make with Special Interest Videos?
        1. Action Step
    3. 2. Types of Special Interest Videos
      1. Special Interest Video Formats
        1. You are There
        2. Recorded Seminars or Workshops
        3. Follow Along Videos
        4. Educational or “How-To”
        5. Documentary
        6. Scripted Production
        7. Screen Capture
      2. Choose the Format that Fits Your Project
        1. Action Step
    4. 3. Choosing a Successful Topic
      1. Pick Something You are Passionate About
      2. Don’t Have a Topic Idea?
      3. Generating Project Ideas
        1. Action Steps
    5. 4. Researching Your Topic
      1. Researching on the Internet
        1. Use Google Alerts
        2. Other Internet Research Tools
      2. Researching at the Library
      3. Researching Your Market First
        1. Find Your Video’s Purpose
        2. Define Your Target Market
        3. Identify Your Ideal Customer
        4. Check Out Your Competition
      4. Niche it Down
        1. Stay in Your Niche
      5. Test Your Market
        1. Action Steps
    6. 5. Finding a Partner
      1. What to Look for in a Subject Matter Expert
      2. What to Look for in a Video Production Company
      3. Financial Arrangements
      4. Contracts
        1. Action Steps
    7. 6. Budgeting
      1. Know Your Audience
      2. Anticipating Expenses
      3. How I Approach a Budget
      4. How to Amortize Production Expenses
      5. A Final Word about Budgets
        1. Action Steps
    8. 7. Funding Your Project
      1. Crowdfunding
      2. Action Steps
  10. Part II Pre-Production
    1. 8. Pre-Production
      1. To Begin, Start at the End
      2. Refine Your Project Idea
      3. Schedule
      4. Project Management Tools
        1. Action Steps
    2. 9. Outlining Your Project
      1. Outline Basics
        1. Action Steps
    3. 10. Scripts, Storyboards, and Shot Lists
      1. The Script
      2. Writing the Script—Know and Speak to Your Audience
      3. Closed Captioning
      4. Storyboards and Shot Lists
        1. Storyboards
        2. Shot Lists
        3. Action Steps
    4. 11. Coordinating the Shoot
      1. Talent
        1. Working with Narrators
        2. Voice-Over Narrator
        3. On-Camera Narrator
        4. The Hybrid
        5. Working with Your Talent
      2. Crew
      3. Coordinating Cast and Crew
      4. Prop and Supplies List
      5. Wardrobe and Makeup
      6. Location Scouting
      7. Be Prepared
        1. Action Steps
    5. 12. Permissions—Releases and Permits
      1. Video Appearance Release Form
        1. Shooting in a School Setting
      2. Materials Release Form
      3. Location Releases and Permits
      4. What Do You Need in a Release Form?
        1. Action Steps
  11. Part III Production and Post-Production
    1. 13. Equipment
      1. Your Most Important Tool
      2. Equipment You Need
        1. Video Cameras
        2. Audio Equipment
        3. Stabilization
        4. Lighting
        5. Editing Software
      3. Renting as an Option
        1. Action Steps
    2. 14. Basic Camera Shots, Lighting, and Audio
      1. Basic Shot Types
        1. Wide Shot
        2. Medium Shot
        3. Close-Up Shot
      2. Camera Framing
      3. Title Safe and Action Safe Zones
      4. Camera Viewfinders and Monitors
      5. Basic Camera Moves
        1. Pan
        2. Tilt
        3. Zoom
        4. Follow
        5. Tracking or Dolly
      6. Camera Positions and Angles
        1. Eye-Level (Point of View)
        2. High Angle
        3. Low Angle
        4. Slanted
      7. Lighting
        1. Key Light
        2. Fill Light
        3. Back Light
        4. Top Light
        5. Hard Light
        6. Soft Light
        7. Eye Light
      8. Shooting Outdoors
      9. Audio
        1. Watch Audio Levels
        2. Headphones
        3. Action Steps
    3. 15. Shooting Your Special Interest Video
      1. Three Very Important Elements in Your Video
      2. Get Ready for the Shoot
        1. Checklist of Items for Your Shoot
      3. Now We’re Ready to Shoot
      4. Roll Camera!
      5. Directing Non-Actors
      6. Be Kind to Your Editor
      7. Listen through Headphones
      8. Teleprompters
      9. When to Stop the Camera
      10. Shooting for Chromakey
      11. Why You Want to Slate Your Shots
      12. Review Your Dailies
        1. Action Steps
    4. 16. Shooting an Interview
      1. Make the Interviewee Comfortable
      2. Getting Acquainted
      3. Interview Questions
      4. The Interviewee’s Chair
      5. Wardrobe
      6. Setting Up the Side-by-Side Interview
      7. Audio Considerations
      8. Lighting
      9. Watch Your Background
      10. Framing
      11. When the Interviewer Isn’t On-Camera
      12. Get a Release
      13. When Things Go Wrong
        1. Action Steps
    5. 17. Shooting a Stage Presentation
      1. Live-Stream Your Event
        1. Action Steps
    6. 18. Producing Videos Without a Camera
      1. What You Can “Shoot” to Sell
      2. Programs Available
        1. Free Programs
        2. Problems with Screen Capture Videos
        3. Webinars
        4. Other Video Web Applications
      3. Final Thoughts about Screencasts
        1. Action Steps
    7. 19. Post-Production
      1. Non-Linear Editing Systems—How They Work
      2. Assembling Your Assets
      3. Timeline
      4. Cuts and Transitions
      5. Lower Thirds, Graphics, and Titles
      6. Putting it Together
      7. Working with PowerPoint Slides
      8. Color Correcting
      9. Music—The Final Touch
      10. Sweeten the Audio
      11. Keep it Legal
      12. Preparing for Online Distribution
      13. DVD Distribution
      14. DVD Authoring
      15. Packaging—Give it Shelf Appeal
      16. Manufacturing Your DVD
      17. Duplicating DVDs Yourself
        1. Action Steps
  12. Part IV Getting It Ready for Sale
    1. 20. Pricing Your Video
      1. Bundle to Increase Value
      2. Physical Products vs Digital
      3. Split Testing
      4. Selling Wholesale
      5. Listen to Your Market
      6. Aim High
        1. Action Steps
    2. 21. Fulfillment
      1. Shipping It Yourself
      2. Fulfillment Services
        1. Choosing Fulfillment Vendors
      3. Video-On-Demand
      4. A Word of Caution about Online Videos
        1. Action Steps
    3. 22. Distributing Your SIV Through Others
      1. Working with a National Chain
      2. Smaller Niche Distributors and Retailers
      3. Getting into Catalogs
      4. Online Distribution Channels
        1. Action Steps
    4. 23. Protecting Yourself from Piracy
      1. Who Holds the Copyright on a Video I Did with a Partner?
        1. Action Steps
    5. 24. Expanding Your Product Line Fast
      1. Expand Your Existing Products
        1. Action Steps
    6. 25. Selling Online Without a Website
      1. Do You Really Need to Have a Website?
      2. Amazon.com
      3. eBay
        1. Action Steps
    7. 26. Choosing a Domain Name
      1. Picking Your Domain Name
      2. Your Name and Search Engine Optimization
      3. Keywords Are the Key
      4. Is Your Domain Name Available?
      5. The Suffix of Your URL Matters
      6. Where to Buy It
        1. Action Steps
    8. 27. Your Own Hosting Account
      1. Pointing Your URL to Your Domain Nameservers
        1. Action Steps
    9. 28. Building Your Own Website
      1. Make it Good Looking
      2. Make it Load Fast
      3. Make it Easy to Navigate
      4. Search Engine Optimization Considerations
      5. Build Trust
      6. Add an Opt-In Box
      7. Pages You Should Include
        1. Action Steps
    10. 29. Membership Programs
      1. Membership Site Fees
      2. Membership Software Prices
      3. Features of Membership Site Software
      4. How to Attract Membership
      5. Is a Membership Site Right for You?
        1. Action Steps
    11. 30. Copywriting
      1. Use Subheads and Bullet Points
      2. Choose Your Words Carefully
      3. Sell the Sizzle
      4. Let Your Prospect Get to Know You
      5. This also Applies to Your Packaging
      6. Offer a Guarantee
      7. Create a Sense of Urgency
      8. The “Swipe File”
      9. Have Your Copy Reviewed
      10. Read Up
        1. Action Steps
    12. 31. Shopping Carts and Payment Solutions
      1. Shopping Cart Software
      2. Credit Cards and Online Purchasing
        1. PayPal
        2. Merchant Accounts
      3. Selling Videos-On-Demand
      4. Get a Square
      5. Building Trust
        1. Action Steps
  13. Part V Marketing
    1. 32. Introduction to Marketing
      1. Importance of Marketing
      2. Test, Track, Tweak, and Repeat
        1. Action Steps
    2. 33. Marketing Plans and Sales Funnels
      1. Your Marketing Plan
      2. The Marketing Budget
      3. What is a Sales Funnel?
        1. Prospecting
        2. Your Product’s Story
        3. Overcoming Objections
        4. Closing the Sale
        5. Follow-Up
      4. An Example of an Online Sales Funnel
        1. Capture Page
        2. What Do We Mean by Opt-In?
        3. Thank You Page (or Welcome Page)
        4. Autoresponder
      5. Want to Learn More? Spy on Your Competition
      6. How Do You Get Prospects into Your Funnel?
        1. Action Steps
    3. 34. Direct Response Marketing
      1. Common Types of Direct Marketing
      2. The Importance of Tracking
      3. Metrics of Direct Marketing
      4. Direct Mail Marketing is Alive and Well
      5. How You Can Use Direct Marketing
      6. The Money is in the List
      7. Renting Mailing Lists
      8. Copy is King
      9. Test, Test, and Test
      10. Don’t Forget the Offer
      11. Add a Product Registration
      12. Keep Learning
        1. Action Steps
    4. 35. Email Marketing Basics
      1. Remain Compliant and Legal
      2. Email Service Providers
      3. Building Your Subscriber Lists
        1. What Is and is Not Acceptable Practice
        2. Unsolicited Emailing
      4. What Should You Email to Your List?
      5. Types of Emails
        1. Autoresponders
        2. Broadcasts
        3. Newsletters
      6. How Often Will You Send Your Emails?
      7. Design for the Inbox
        1. Getting Your Email Opened
      8. Testing What Works
        1. Action Steps
    5. 36. Video Marketing Basics
      1. What Makes Video Marketing so Effective?
      2. Offline Video Marketing
        1. Commercials
        2. Infomercials
        3. Promotional DVDs
        4. Preview DVDs
      3. Online Video Marketing
      4. Web Video is Great for SEO
        1. Visit Length
        2. YouTube is an Authority Site
        3. Powerful Traffic within YouTube
        4. Social Media Sharing
        5. New Google Algorithms Reward Content_Front_Back
      5. Web Video is Your Virtual Sales Staff
      6. Web Video Improves Your Conversion Rates
      7. Promotional Video Fundamentals
      8. Examples of What You Can Do with Web Video
        1. Sample Videos
        2. Promotion Videos
        3. Trailers
        4. Welcome Videos
        5. Interviews
        6. Tips or Tutorials
        7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
        8. Testimonials
      9. Hosting Your Web Videos
        1. Hosting on Your Site
        2. Build Your Own TV Channel
        3. Free Video Hosting Pointers
      10. Be Consistent
        1. Action Steps
    6. 37. Social Media Marketing
      1. Defining Social Media and Social Media Marketing
      2. Why Do it?
      3. What Should You Be Doing?
      4. Social Networking Sites
        1. Starting Out
        2. Find Friends, Connections, and Followers
        3. What Should You Post?
        4. How Often Should You Post?
        5. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for Marketing Purposes
      5. YouTube
      6. Blogging
      7. Forum Marketing
      8. Managing Social Media
        1. Action Steps
    7. 38. Other Forms of Marketing
      1. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
        1. Search Engine Optimization
        2. Pay-Per-Click Advertising
      2. The Power of the Press Release
      3. Webinars and Teleseminars
      4. Trade Shows and Speaking Engagements
      5. Article Marketing
      6. Guest Blogging
      7. Mobile Marketing
      8. Radio and TV Appearances
      9. Print Advertising
      10. Premiums and Incentives
      11. Wrapping it Up
        1. Action Steps
    8. 39. It’s a Wrap
  14. Appendix A Sample Work for Hire Agreement
  15. Appendix B Sample Letter of Agreement
  16. Appendix C Simple Production Budget Sample
  17. Appendix D A/V Script Template
  18. Appendix E Storyboard Templates
  19. Appendix F Shot List Template
  20. Appendix G Sample Video Appearance Release Form
  21. Appendix H Sample Materials Release Form
  22. Appendix I Sample Location Release Form
  23. Appendix J Press Release Template
  24. Resources
  25. Glossary
  26. Notes
  27. Index

Product information

  • Title: Shoot to Sell
  • Author(s): Rick Smith, Kim Miller
  • Release date: April 2013
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136071010