The Secret To Making Your Videos More Watchable with Michael Dutcher - Thought Talk

Video content has exploded in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down as a major marketing medium. But making watchable, engaging videos that are on-brand requires training and practice. 

I’m pleased to be joined today by Michael Dutcher, CEO and co-founder of bspoketv — a streaming TV channel that creates 30-minute episodes from proven YouTube influencer content. 

With Michael’s help, we’ll explore watchability. What it is, why it’s important, and how to increase it on your own videos. We’ll also discuss why you need outside eyes to give you feedback on your videos, how to stay consistent in your video brand, and which platforms will best suit your video needs.

Video can be daunting in the beginning, but Dutcher believes that you don’t need to be newscaster-perfect and that no one is great right out of the box. 

Tips to produce better videos

• Consistency is key — create a recognizable style and keep it. Publish at the same time every time, even if you only make videos at two-week or one month intervals.

• Start small — bite-sized content works fine and allows you to practice.

• For longer videos, have a script — no one can speak extemporaneously for 10, 20, or 30 minutes.

• The frame is two-thirds empty and one-third you — don’t center yourself in the frame and be intentional about your background.

• Watch yourself — or have a friend watch you and work on reducing your ticks (tugging your shirt, fixing your hair); they can become distracting for viewers.

• Subtitle your videos — it might make the difference between someone watching or not. 

• Understand your objective — What do you want people to do after watching your video?

About Karen Tiber Leland

Karen Tiber Leland is the founder of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding, marketing, and color strategy and implementation firm helping CEOs, executives, and entrepreneurs develop stronger personal, business, and team brands. Her clients include Cisco, American Express, Marriott Hotels, Apple Computer, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

She is also the best-selling author of nine traditionally-published business books that have sold over 400,000 copies and been translated into 10 languages. Her most recent book is The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build and Accelerate Your Brand. She regularly writes for Inc.com and Entrepreneur.com and has had articles published in Self, The Los Angeles Times, American Way, The Boston Globe, and many others.

Karen has spoken for Harvard, The AMA, Direct Marketing Association, and Stanford, among others. She has been interviewed on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, and Oprah.

Get in touch with Karen on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

About Our Guest

Michael Dutcher is CEO and co-founder of bspoketv, a streaming television channel that creates 30-minute episodes from proven YouTube influencer content. Prior to bspoketv, Mr. Dutcher was the Executive VP in charge of content acquisitions at WhereverTV where he is still a Strategic Advisor.

You can learn more about Michael Dutcher on his Read more