The 2 Types of Video You See But Don’t Need
The biggest thing Founders get wrong about video has nothing to do with lighting or hooks or even how great they are on camera.
It’s believing the videos they see other people making are the videos they need to make too.
And here’s the main culprit: Social media.
We consume so much of our content from Content Creators then assume that we have to become one when making videos ourselves.
But that’s just not true.
You don’t need a “A Day in the Life” for people to get to know you, and you don’t need to don a wig and stick-on moustache to get people to reach for their wallet.
The more creative a video becomes, the more ideas, planning, recording and editing it requires.
And even though these kinds of videos can be effective by some metrics, thinking that’s your only path to creating videos as a Founder is a one-way ticket to burnout.
If this mentality is ringing true for you, and you’re wondering what to do instead, you can find that in my post, The 4 Types of Video to Make as a Founder.
But as much as it’s important to know what to do, it’s also helpful to know what you don’t have to do.
So here’s a bit about the two types of video you see everywhere, but don’t actually need, to have success with video.
1) Personal Brand videos and
2) Entertainment videos
Personal Brand Videos
Personal Brand Videos are where you and your life become the subject of the content. (This is an observed definition, rather than an official one.)
It’s sharing things like your hobbies, interests, daily routines, trips away, family dramas, regretful purchase decisions and that embarassing experience when you got escorted out of Sainsburys (true story!)
For influencers, that makes complete sense because the audience’s interest in the person is the whole business model.
As a Founder building an audience that feeds into your business(es), you don’t need to share the minutiae of your life for people to become invested in you.
That’s not to say that personal content can’t be effective.
Stories and experiences can be incredibly powerful way to communicate an idea. I did actually pick up a new client from my Sainsburys story!
The distinction is that you don’t need to make your life the ongoing subject of your content.
If you’re regularly appearing on video talking about your expertise and ideas, people are already getting to know you.
They hear how you explain things, see what you lights you up and what gets on your nerve, feel your energy and sense of humour.
In other words, you don’t need to create content about your personality for people to get a sense of your personality.
It can come through naturally while you’re talking about things that are relevant to your business.
So don’t feel like you have to start documenting your life to build an audience, especially when that feels uncomfortable and invasive.
You can be a visible Founder without becoming an Influencer.
Entertainment Videos
Entertainment Videos are pretty self explanatory, they exist to entertain.
And seen as EVERYONE likes to be entertained, sketches, memes, challenges, stunts, and the like, all do a pretty good job of getting attention.
The problem is that attention doesn’t necessarily translate into business opportunity.
Someone can comment, share and anticipate every video you make without becoming any more interested in you or your business.
That’s not a problem for a Content Creator, where attracting and entertaining an audience IS the job.
But as a Founder, creating comedy videos can take a lot of time and creative energy for an uncertain commercial outcome.
Compare that with a series of targetted sales videos that intentionally move people towards your offer and you have a much more measurable business metric.
That doesn’t means your videos shouldn’t be entertaining – god knows, we need more original, creative and fun ideas in a world of trite ai-generated content.
But just as you don’t need to capture your every thought to show your personality, you don’t need to make Entertainment Videos to be entertaining.
You can be a Founder who’s funny without becoming an Entertainer.
At the end of the day, the important thing is to feel free from the expectations of what making video is supposed to look like, and find a way of using it that works for you and your business.
If you could do with a clean slate and want to go back through the foundations of Video Marketing, you can do so here.