CONTENT CREATION FOR CLIENTS / BRANDS

You aren't here to make art - you're here to provoke a response and influence your target demographic to an action desired by your client/brand
Make sure you're getting attention the "right" way - I could drop a baby off a skyscraper and become famous overnight, but surely that's not good for "my brand"

“You’re here to provoke a response and influence your target demographic to an action desired by your client/brand.”

HARDWARE AND USAGE

Shoot on iPhones 14+ - they'll have more up-to-date lenses and editable qualities (color correction, filters, 4K reframes, etc.)
Always back up your footage ASAP
Pay a ton of attention to sound quality - consider an external mic
- People will more readily accept something that LOOKS shitty than they will something that SOUNDS shitty
Buy and download PremierePro - it's about $30/month but lets you do everything
- PremierePro tutorial rec from my pal Saj Adib
It is better to be great at one social media platform than average at all. Average doesn’t Arrest the Scroll. Or earn interest. Or convert.

“It is better to be great at one social media platform than average at all. Average doesn’t Arrest the Scroll. Or earn interest. Or convert.”

INTERVIEWING FOR CONTENT

I really believe that with the right question, everyone can be interesting - it's your job to establish a rapport and really LISTEN - I don't script questions, but some folks do - but you have to be listening because often the follow-up renders the best, most authentic answer
Find your subject's passion and go with it - figure out a way to make the passion a metaphor for what you're asking them
- For example, your interviewee is an account rep (boring right?*) but they tell you they love to cook. Think about how cooking could line up with managing accounts - knowledge, preparation, timing, etc.
Always make sure they're comfortable - that they know you're editing, they don't need to be perfect, you'll skip sensitive subjects upon their request, and they'll see the content before it's posted to the outside world

EDITING

Editing is not life, editing should be life on steroids - you must be ruthless with the viewers' attention or you will lose it - eliminate everything extraneous (unless it's to improve the tone / get a laugh) and make it move (unless you're a Terrence Malick or Stanley Kubrick movie - there's always an exception that proves the rule)
For what we're doing with [CLIENT’S NAME REDACTED!], it's a blend of information and likability - remember humor is always great right off the bat to gain interest and provide immediate attention
Editing is often shit-in, shit-out - while many performances have been saved in editing, it's hard to put lipstick on the proverbial pig - there are things you can fix, and those you can't

“Be ruthless with the viewers’ attention or you will lose it...”

EDITING FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

Pace is everything - If you have the right pace, length doesn't matter (as much)
Platforms need platform-specific content - you'll find different expectations and practices on each and to be truly effective, you need to understand the vibe of each
Facebook measures a "view" at 3s and a "thruplays" at 15s - 3s is about how long it takes to scroll, so if you're on autoplay there's exactly NO VALUE to 3s views beyond vanity metrics - so the first 15s are key to getting and holding audience attention - make these Freshman 15 special

“There’s exactly NO VALUE to 3s views beyond vanity metrics.”

MEASUREMENT

Since we have metrics for [REDACTED] - Organic baseline and $50 paid boost - everything should be measurable and either getting us closer to, or farther away from, the endzone
Measurement will be imperfect as there are often multiple forces that motivate folks to action
- No one goes to buy Nikes and says "Oh, here are the 26 touchpoints I've had with your brand over the past 5 years..." but often it takes all 26 to convert the sale

*All due apologies to account reps.

ExoGuide: Down and Dirty Content Creation

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