I recently recorded a fair amount of video content in studio with one of my videographers. In between takes one of my team members asked me, “Where do you look while recording your video?”

Some people say you need to look straight into the camera, but I’ve found some viewers actually know that you’re looking right at them and it can be a bit of a turnoff. I’ve found the best place to look is at the edge of the camera lens. It’s such a small difference, but wow, the payoff is that you still have the effect of making direct eye contact without it being so obvious.

What happens if you’re working off of a teleprompter? The teleprompter is set right over the lens, so reading the script takes care of itself. However, be careful that you don’t rotate your head from side to side while reading. Let your eyes take in the script and keep your head looking straight ahead.

Give it a try with focusing on the edge of the lens when recording your next video and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

When writing a headline for your email or your sales page, one of the most effective practices is to try challenging your readers. Specifically, it’s about challenging one of their deeply held beliefs. If you’re a health and wellness coach or a nutrition expert, your headline may be something along the lines of: “Everything You Thought You Knew About Cholesterol Is a LIE” or “What If Your Keto Diet Is Only 10% Effective?”

What you’re doing is you’re challenging what their doctor, their cardiologist, their personal trainer, even their spouse has told them for years. It catches their attention and creates an opportunity for you to engage with their skepticism. “Everything I believe about my cholesterol is a lie? Really? You must be crazy, so I’m curious and I’m going to keep reading…”

That’s the reaction we’re aiming for: we want them to be surprised, maybe even defensive. It gives you a chance to clearly lay out your argument in a way that’s designed to help them have a better tomorrow starting today.

Think about one deeply held belief that your audience has that you’re wanting to challenge or even question. Create one piece of content today, whether that’s an article, a video, a podcast episode, whatever you choose, and challenge that belief with your content.

Have fun and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

Being a great speaker includes knowing how much time you have… and staying true to your time parameters.

It’s not just making sure you’re not going over your time limit, but it’s also making sure you’re not ending too early.

Think about what it does to a meeting planner or a waitstaff if they hear you’re going to talk for 45 minutes and then, they’re going to serve dessert.

If you end at 35 minutes, ten minutes earlier than they expect, that leaves the waitstaff scrambling to ensure all of the desserts are ready. It disrupts the flow of the event, and it doesn’t set the meeting planner up for success.

So, what do you do if you think you’re going to end early? I recommend calling it out, say something along the lines of, “Now, I’m supposed to go to 11:45, but I’ve already given you a lot of content,” of course, only say that if it’s true, and then, you can say, “But, I would love to do an exercise with you. Can I get a volunteer?”

That’s where you can pull someone out of the audience, invite them to join you on stage, and do a dialogue for the next five or six minutes about where they’re at with what you focus on as an expert. Include the audience in your interaction and keep an eye on the clock.

That gives you a real-life case study opportunity while honoring the meeting planner’s schedule. Most importantly, it adds even more value to your audience.

Again, that’s just one idea, so keep that in mind and make it a great day today!

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

Are you wanting to get on more stages as a speaker? There are better ways to grow your message without having to constantly be traveling.

Over the past three years, I’ve worked with close to 600 different speakers helping them craft and share their message through different types of stages.

Dozens upon dozens of speakers have told me they hate traveling because it means time away from their spouse or their kids or their friends. It breaks my heart hearing about speakers who missed seeing their child take their first step because Mom was at another conference or Dad was in L.A. for a three-day workshop.

You don’t have to be a road warrior to spread your message as a speaker. One of the most overlooked stages in the world is podcasting.

You can be on four, five, even six or more podcasts all in the same day without ever having to leave your office or house. And, all of those podcasts have an unlimited shelf life that anyone can access from anywhere at any time.

So, how do you get on these podcasts? I’ve created a great resource called the Podcast-Winning Marketing Machine to help you get off on the road and onto more podcasts. 

All you need to do is reach out to me at keynotecontent.com, and I can send you more info. Being a speaker doesn’t mean you have to be missing what matters at home. Use the power of podcasting to share your message beyond the stage.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

The other day one of my colleagues asked me, “Jon, who is your competition?” Without hesitating, I responded, “No one.” No one is my competition because if I see someone as a competitor, it instantly draws me into a scarcity mindset. Competition means there’s a fear of missing out on a project to win, a stage to speak on, or an initiative to lead.

When Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton, Burr wept with these words, “The world was wide enough for Hamilton and me.” That’s the voice of regret. That’s the voice of someone who didn’t see and value the abundant opportunities around us today.

The world is wide enough for you and your competitors. Some of the best experiences I’ve ever had in business to date are when I collaborated with others who many would say are my competition. I’ve had these same amazing people on my podcast. I’ve shared content and even quoted them. We have strong, mutually profitable, others-focused relationships because we know the world is wide enough for all of us.

Reach out to someone today who may be seen as a competitor. Talk about a collaboration opportunity. Learn from them. Ask questions. Embrace the abundance of life and know the world is wide enough for you and your competitors, if you still see them as competitors, today. 

Have a great day today and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

Last year we launched our podcast Copy & Content. We had 20 episodes for Season 1, and it was amazing. I’ve always wanted to host some type of interview series. Copy & Content gives me the chance to have that experience right now.

The challenge I saw is that our episodes average around 45 minutes per episode. That’s a good amount of time, but it’s certainly not even close to being the longest podcast per episode on the market today. That being said though, my friend Kami Huyse made a great observation when we reconnected at an event in May. Kami asked me, “Do you believe your crowd will enjoy your podcast in one sitting?”

What she means is, “Do I believe my audience will be able to comfortably consume an entire episode of Copy & Content without being distracted? Is each episode a digestible enough size for the average listener to enjoy? Is there a new piece of content from someone else that is more appealing because it’s easier for our listeners to digest before they finish listening to one of our episodes?”

So, we cut our podcast episode lengths in half for Season 2, which launches on Tuesday, October 1st. You can find the Copy & Content podcast wherever you find your other favorite podcasts. Give us a listen for Season 2 and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

LinkedIn recently launched its new live streaming service called LinkedIn Live. I know, it’s not the most creative name, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s currently in the beta phase, but you can request consideration for early access. I already entered my application and I’m excited to potentially launch our weekly Office Hours for our crowd to ask me anything.

If you’re part of the chosen few who are beta testing LinkedIn Live, you want to know how to leverage this amazing new feature to better connect with your crowd. One of the most important details you need to keep in mind is LinkedIn is not allowing you to sell any product or service or promote any product or service through a LinkedIn Live stream. You also cannot use any pre-recorded content. I love this aspect because it allows you to keep a truly live experience for viewers.

Those are just two of the required guidelines beta testers must follow. Hopefully, I will be able to be one of the beta testers to bring engaging, relevant content. I’ll share more as I learn and better understand the power of LinkedIn Live. For now though, have a great day and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

It’s easier than ever to create or redo a website and your Market is constantly evolving with new questions, interests, and needs for you to address. In fact, we’re in the middle of a redesign of our main website at Keynote Content. 

So, when was the last time you updated your website? I recommend updating your website once every year or so. It doesn’t have to be a complete redesign like our team is doing, but it’s worth updating the copy, your headshot, the pictures, client testimonials, and maybe some of the design at least once a year.

It shows your audience that you’re keeping up with your industry and you’re ready to serve them with relevant, interesting content. Give your website a once-over today to see where you could make some updates, and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

There are over 110 million Alexa-powered devices in the world and the number is expected to double over the next year between Alexa Auto and wearable technologies. FitBit just announced their new watch will be a direct competitor to the Apple Watch and will include Alexa technology. It won’t be long before Alexa is accessible from virtually any device anywhere.

This is the perfect time to launch your new flash briefing on Alexa. While it doesn’t have to be polished and perfect, it does need to make a great first impression. That’s why our team at Keynote Content has a complete done-for-you flash briefing production process with three phases. We’re helping launch flash briefings for clients and already seeing at least several hundred downloads a month just from organic searches.

Visit www.alexaflashbriefings.com to see what’s included and sign up for Phase 1. Let’s get your flash briefing on devices all around the world. You can also reach out to me with any questions you may have about flash briefings by emailing me at [email protected].

Have a great day today, and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”

So many authors, course creators, and digital product makers focus, even obsess with the title of their product. Yes, the title matters - it needs to ‘pop’ off the page, but the real value is in your subtitle. 

Think of your subtitle as the thesis statement, the promise your product, book, or course is making to your audience. What do you want to communicate to them about what’s possible because they say “Yes!” to your product?

I like long subtitles. It gives you a front-page, can’t-miss opportunity to challenge your prospective customer’s thinking, beliefs, status quo, or even reality. Spend as much time on your subtitle as your title because while a good title will catch their interest, a great subtitle will win their wallet.

Have a great day today and remember, your Message matters.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”