Whether you’re in training, in learning development or you’re a creator making videos for your own YouTube channel, learning and understanding are key, which is why it’s great to welcome Dr Clark Quinn PhD back onto The Visual Lounge to talk about cognitive media. 

Dr Quinn provides learning experiences and design strategy to corporations, higher education government, and not-for-profit organizations. He joins this episode to take a deep dive into the idea of cognitive properties as it relates to media, how to translate this knowledge into the media you create and why no one should be creating video for video’s sake.    

Join us for this episode to get a deeper understanding of how to integrate thinking and learning with technology to improve organizational execution, innovation and ultimately performance.  

Learning points from the episode include: 

• An introduction to Dr Clark Quinn PhD 
• Why you shouldn’t make video for videos sake  
• What are cognitive properties in relation to media  
• How to translate this knowledge into video  
• Should you use templates for video creation that can be repurposed? 
• Other things to understand about cognitive properties  
• Advice for creators struggling to find time to iterate on what they’ve created  
• Speed round questions 
• Clark’s final take 
• Outro  

Important links and mentions: 

• Connect with Clark at Quinnovation.com Quinnovation.com 
• Follow Clark’s blog Learnlets.com  
• Connect with Clark on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/quinnovator/ 

Content creation is no walk in the park. While many underestimate what creators do all day, there’s a lot of work and necessary skills that go into producing content week in, week out. 

Joining this episode of The Visual Lounge is Britt Carter, the Creator Success Manager at GigaStar and one-half of the duo behind The Betting Belle YouTube channel. Britt’s career has seen her work with big-name content creators, including MrBeast and Ryan Christopher Slots. Now, she runs her own YouTube channel featuring casino and gambling content.  

Fully immersed in the world of content creation, Britt has some great advice for creators on video creation, networking, using analytics, and learning to use video editing tools. Tune in to hear why she believes that building solid relationships in your industry and consistency are the keys to success.  

Learning points from the episode include: 

• Introduction 
• Britt’s top tip for improving your videos 
• Advice for staying consistent with your content 
• Why content creation is no easy feat 
• What new content creators should focus on  
• Britt’s advice for building relationships in the content creator world 
• How to become more comfortable on camera  
• The challenge of creating gambling content  
• Britt’s journey to becoming a video editor  
• Why it’s important to find the right tool for your needs 
• Speed round questions  
• Where to connect with Britt and her content  
• Britt’s final take on content creation 
• Outro 

Important links and mentions: 

• Connect with Britt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanyjocarter/ 
• Follow Britt and The Betting Belle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrittc/  and https://www.instagram.com/bettingbelle/   
• The Betting Belle: http://bettingbelle.com 
• The Betting Belle YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/@bettingbelle 

How do you become a better video creator? Sometimes, other creators make the best teachers. Who better to learn from than those who have been in the same boat? 

In this episode of The Visual Lounge, we speak with Rob Balasabas, the Head of Partnerships & Community at Uscreen, whose top tip for creators is to surround yourself with other creators. 

Rob explains why collaboration, not competition, is key to succeeding in the creator space and shares stories of how he’s managed his own creator journey. We also hear his advice on working with brands as a creator and then, on the flip side, how brands can hire creators themselves. He also breaks down the top two trends that he’s seen grow in the video space. 

Learning points from the episode include:

• 00:00 – 02:31 Introduction to Rob
• 02:31 – 04:42 – Why we should learn from other creators
• 04:42 – 06:29 Why collaboration is so important in video 
• 06:29 – 10:30 The top thing that video creators are struggling with
• 10:30 – 12:07 The benefits of bring guests onto a podcast
• 12:07 – 18:12 Rob’s advice for creators working with brands 
• 18:12 – 22:50 How brands can approach creators 
• 22:50 – 26:59 The biggest trends in content creation right now
• 26:59 – 31:33 Speed round questions 
• 31:33 – 32:32 Rob’s final take 
• 32:32 – 33:28 Outro

Important links and mentions:

• Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbalasabas
• Follow Rob on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/rob_balasabas?lang=en
• Follow Rob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robsotheraccount/
• Rob’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/socialmediaclub

Script or no script – which side are you on when creating videos? 

It’s one of the top debates in the video creation world, and there’s no clear-cut answer. After some recent experiments where we tossed out the script, we weigh up the pros and cons of scripting your videos in this episode. 

Joining the debate are TechSmith’s Ryan Knott, Marketing Content Strategist, and Andy Owen, Video Producer, to share their thoughts on whether scripts are necessary and the best times to use one. 

As a video producer, Andy shares his experience of editing videos without a script, and Ryan explains why sitting in on recordings as a writer can help you reshape your scripts to sound more natural. While Andy and Ryan are firmly team script, they explain that it depends on the type of video you want to make, how much time you want to spend on it, and why you should always consider your viewer when deciding.  

Key Moments: 

• 00:00 – 02:18 Introduction 
• 02:18 – 03:41 Ryan and Andy describe their roles in making videos for TechSmith 
• 03:41 – 05:10 Why Ryan and Andy started experimenting with the no-script approach 
• 05:10 – 06:55 The benefits of having a writer in the recording studio  
• 06:55 – 09:30 Andy describes the transition from working with scripts to working without 
• 09:30 – 10:25 How scripting helps to keep you on track  
• 10:25 – 14:35 Striking a balance between having a script vs. no script  
• 14:35 – 18:56 Why saving time by not writing a script could take longer overall 
• 18:56 – 20:40 The challenges of editing unscripted videos 
• 20:40 – 28:30 Scripted videos vs. unscripted – Andy and Ryan share their votes and advice 
• 28:30 – 29:19 Outro 

Key Links:  

• YouTube Reaction Videos Made Easy with Camtasia Rev 
• Learn more about Camtasia 

Whether you’re a B2B or B2C brand, grabbing and holding your audience’s attention is everything. So could YouTube be the ideal place to build a dedicated, long-term following? 

On this episode of The Visual Lounge, Finn McKenty, founder of Punk Rock MBA and Head of Product at URM Academy, shares the benefits to creating YouTube content. He talks about how it’s less competitive than other social platforms and how it could help build rapport with your peers before meetings and talks. 

But how do you get started? Well, Finn says a little experimentation is OK! It doesn’t matter if your first video doesn’t explode, so long as you’re providing something valuable to your audience. 

Learning points from the episode include: 

• 00:00 – Introduction 
• 02:17 – Finn’s tip for making better videos 
• 03:15 – What role YouTube can play in the growth of your business 
• 06:19 – Why YouTube shouldn’t be your “dumping ground”  
• 07:12 – How important is personality on corporate YouTube? 
• 11:31 – Is consistency important? 
• 16:24 – How to get started on YouTube 
• 22:00 – What constitutes success on YouTube? 
• 23:18 – Finn’s Speed Round 
• 26:38 – The final take 
• 27:10 – Outro   

Important links and mentions: 

• Connect with Finn on LinkedIn 
• Follow Finn on Instagram 
• Find Finn’s website 
• Subscribe to Finn on YouTube 

Adding videos and GIFs to your customer learning strategy can add a brand-new dimension to your content. But what role do they play and how do you know which to choose? 

Videos are useful during the onboarding process and for evergreen content, whereas GIFs can be helpful to explain advanced concepts, says Greg Mead, Senior Instructional Designer at ClickUp. 

Greg joins The Visual Lounge to share how he creates content to engage thousands of learners with learning tool, ClickUp University. He tells us his top tips for defining and generating engagement, the advantages of visual content over text and how customer feedback shapes the path his content takes.  

Learning points from the episode include: 

• 00:00 – Introduction 
• 01:36 – Greg’s tip for using videos and GIFs 
• 02:56 – Unpacking findings from ClickUp University surveys 
• 03:36 – When to use video and when to use GIFs 
• 05:54 – Why use video and GIFs instead of text? 
• 07:36 – How customer feedback led Greg to shift his content focus 
• 09:24 – The first steps toward making video content that scales 
• 12:08 – Defining and generating engagement  
• 17:03 – Greg’s career as a video creator 
• 22:03 – Greg answers Speed Round questions 
• 26:59 – The final take 
• 27:25 – Outro  

Important links and mentions: 

• Connect with Greg on LinkedIn 
• Follow Greg on Twitter/X 
• Follow Greg on Instagram 
• Visit ClickUp University 
• Subscribe to Greg on YouTube 

If you’re a creative, pitching ideas to stakeholders can be stressful! So how can you adapt your strategies, control your variables and form ideas you’re proud to pitch? 

Guy Bauer, Founder and Creative Director of B2B video marketing agency Umault, tells us his tips and tricks as he joins The Visual Lounge.  

He says your first step should be to form a strong, clear idea that you’re happy with and that won’t be misunderstood by your management. Asynchronous communication is his go-to method to communicate ideas, as it allows you to combine the energy of live calls with the clarity of emails. 

Plus, hear Guy’s top tips for growing your creative tastes…and why Weezer is still a great band! 

Learning points from the episode include: 

• 00:00 – Introduction 
• 04:39 – Guy’s tip for video creators 
• 06:48 – Why you need clear ideas and strategies before making videos 
• 11:52 – Why creative ideas should be discussed asynchronously 
• 17:38 – Allowing your stakeholders to previsualize your ideas 
• 21:07 – Making sure you have confidence in your ideas 
• 23:18 – Controlling variables in your pitches and processes 
• 26:55 – How to grow your creative taste 
• 32:27 – Hear Guy’s Speed Round answers 
• 39:22 – The final take 
• 40:45 – Outro  

Important links and mentions: 

• Follow Umault on LinkedIn 
• Follow Umault on Twitter/X 
• Follow Umault on Instagram 
• Visit the Umault website 
• Subscribe to the Umault YouTube channel 

On The Visual Lounge, we often talk about getting better, leveling up, and improving how we make and use video by 1%.

It's great to talk about, but what's the secret to that happening? Pretty easy; you have to do something. However, for that to work, you need to not just talk about it but make the time available to play, experiment, to try new things with the videos you create.

Thanks for being a viewer of the channel. From all of us at TechSmith & The Visual Lounge podcast, we want to wish you a wonderful and successful 2024!

Key points from this episode:

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 00:30 - Thinking about scheduling
• 01:00 - Put together the idea of Leveling Up and Scheduling.
• 01:35 - Build in time and space to play around with and explore new ideas
• 02:05 - How I learned from building the TechSmith Academy
• 02:40 - If you want to get better - do this!
• 03:08 Video is about exploring and learning through experimentation, leading to better problem-solving skills.
• 04:00 - Give yourself time!
• 04:58 - What are you thinking about?

Important links and mentions:

Want to get better at video? Check out TechSmith Academy - free learning about creating and using video.

Looking for video editing software? Try Camtasia

#podcast #videocreation #learnin

Creating video content can be a highly effective way to spread the word about your brand and build authority in your industry. But the toughest thing can often be just getting started… 

So how can professionals fight their fears and take those all-important first steps towards growing their business through video? 

On this episode of The Visual Lounge, we ask someone who has been there and done it – Texas master plumber, entrepreneur and YouTuber Roger Wakefield. Roger is a plumber by trade but chose to expand his marketing strategy by creating simple, direct videos that help out his audience. 

Roger shares the lightbulb moment that prompted him to start making videos and how we went from knowing nothing about video to becoming the go-to guy for DIY and plumbing tutorials on YouTube. 

If you’re thinking about creating video content, but have a list of reasons why you shouldn’t – this episode is for you! 

Learning points from the episode include: 

• 00:00 – Introduction 
• 03:10 – Roger’s top tip for improving your videos 
• 04:18 – Sharing your mistakes and growing from them 
• 05:05 – Why Roger chose to make YouTube content 
• 06:45 – Roger’s lightbulb moment! 
• 10:10 – The first challenges Roger faced as a creator 
• 11:20 – The benefits of hiring a YouTube consultant 
• 14:57 – What makes Roger great at his job? 
• 16:58 – What makes a good video? 
• 19:20 – The number one thing for video success 
• 20:41 – A look at Roger’s team 
• 24:30 – Roger shares his Speed Round answers 
• 32:14 – Roger’s final take 
• 33:05 – Outro  

Important links and mentions: 

• Subscribe to Roger’s YouTube channel 
• Subscribe to TheTradeTalks on YouTube 
• Follow Roger on LinkedIn 
• Follow Roger on Twitter/X 
• Follow Roger on Instagram 
• Visit Roger’s website 

Whether or not you have a brand-new camera or premium microphone, you are missing a trick if you don’t unlock the power of storytelling. But what makes it so important? And how can video creators reap the benefits? 

YouTuber and video marketing course creator Amanda Horvath joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share why storytelling should be the beating heart of your content. 

She explains how to showcase your authentic self on camera, align your personality with company values on brand channels and reminds us of something super-important…aim to improve your videos 1% every single time. 

Learning points from the episode include: 

• 00:00 – Introduction 
• 02:17 – One tip for improving your videos 
• 04:12 – Why storytelling really matters in video 
• 06:47 – The do’s and don’ts of storytelling 
• 10:15 – Making quality videos with simpler equipment 
• 11:27 – Where story comes into video creation 
• 16:11 – Explaining energetic transfers during video creation 
• 17:38 – Sharing your personality on brand channels 
• 21:56 – Aligning with your company’s values and goals 
• 25:42 – Amanda’s Speed Round answers 
• 31:09 – Amanda shares her final take 
• 31:40 – Outro  

Important links and mentions: 

• Subscribe to Amanda’s YouTube channel 
• Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn 
• Follow Amanda on Instagram 
• Visit Amanda’s website