People often ask me how I’ve managed to have such incredible luck with creating and distributing political Youtube videos. With quite a few viral hits under my belt I’ve had plenty of time to experiment. When I find something that works I add it to a checklist. Now when I’m producing new Youtube content each clip has to go through a 200+ item checklist to make sure it is able to get the highest number of views possible. Here are 10 of my favorite Youtube tips from my checklist:
Quality Cameras give you quality video. This should go without saying, but a better camera will give you a better Youtube video. The old 4:3 format is fine, but you really want to be shooting in 16:9 widescreen. Keep in mind that a higher resolution camera will give you a higher quality video, so HD resolution is obviously the way to go.
Be Brief. Most Youtube accounts are capped at 10 minutes, but your video should be much shorter than that. Get to your point. Seriously. I’ve done enough research on this to know that your average viewer is only going to put up with you for about a minute. At the very least make sure to front load your video with the most important information.
The clip stands alone. Make each video capable of standing alone. People aren’t going to sit there and slug through an entire series, so treat each clip as it’s own individual installment.
Hyperlinks! Always put a link to your website, blog, Twitter account, Facebook page or whatever at the very top of the description field for your video. It’ll be the first thing a viewer sees when they read your description and it will make whatever you say in the video actionable. If you tell people to follow you on Twitter, you’ll have a link to your Twitter account right there in the sidebar.
Catchy titles work. Give your video a title that’s so irresistible that people have no choice but to click and watch it. Keep the title relevant to whatever you’re talking about and keep it brief. Very often the title is what will make or break a potentially viral clip.
Tags! Use ‘em. You’ll be surprised how many people will discover your video through simple keyword searches. Good tagging makes those searches significantly more lucrative for you in the long run.
Write detailed descriptions. That big ol’ description section should be filled to the brim with text describing what’s in your video and when possible should summarize all your main points. Search engines have no idea what you said in your video, so use descriptive text to help people discover your content.
Manage expectations. A video rarely goes viral on it’s own. Some videos will get a couple dozen hits, while others may be seen by thousands of people. I have plenty of experience with clips that have gone viral and I can tell you that it’s all about your distribution strategy. Sending a clip out to thousands of people doesn’t mean you’re going to get thousands of views. My most successful clips are always carefully controlled and limited in distribution.
Favorite stuff. Make sure to ‘favorite’ other people’s videos. People will look at your Youtube page and notice this kind of thing. ‘Favoriting’ increases your visibility and marks you as someone actually interested in participating. It sounds odd, but it will bring your videos more viewers.
Always leave your fingerprint. Watermark your videos. I don’t care if it’s with your website or your Twitter account or even just your name, just make sure your branding is somewhere on the clip. Releasing a video without a watermark is a missed opportunity for a call to action.
Should I follow back everyone who follows me on Twitter?
Yes. Follow everyone back.
Inevitably someone is going to suggest that following everyone back will lead to cluttered twitter streams and more information than you could ever possibly read. Blah, blah, blah. To that I say nonsense. And then I say shut up. And then I say shut up again because I really mean it this time.
Following people back is good Twitter etiquette. Your followers are basically telling you that what you tweet is worth paying attention to and therefore worth following. Following your followers back is a confirmation that you are ‘listening’ and want to hear what they have to say. Returning a follow confirms that you’re part of the Twitter community and not just spewing nonsense into the ether.
Should I really follow EVERYONE?
No. Don’t be stupid. Twitter is rife with spammers and porn-bots and people trying to sell you ‘natural male enhancements’. Be selective and don’t follow them. And don’t try to get clever and use one of those services that automatically follows the people who follow you. This is the kind of account maintenance that needs to be done regularly by a real live human being.
As much as it pains me to use this particular local politician as an example of doing this correctly, please turn your attention to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Twitter account. The list of people she’s following is proportional to those who are following her, but the list has very obviously been groomed to accommodate only genuinely interested followers. I’d like to add that this is one of the rare instances where I’ll advise you to do anything like Michele Bachmann.
Any idiot can sign up for a Facebook page. What makes yours so special?
1) Treat Status Updates Like Mini Stump Speeches
Would you talk about what you ate for lunch today in the middle of a stump speech? No? Well, then don’t do it in your status update. Striking a balance between professional and playful is not easy, but it is the key to getting your message noticed by your supporters. Don’t get cute, but don’t be a robot. And even though there isn’t a character limit, try to keep it short and sweet. I’d suggest using the Twitter 140 character rule. It’s a status update, not a campaign commercial.
Do this:
Not this:
2) Choose Your Profile Pic Carefully
Is there anything more boring than some old stiff in a tie. Loosen up. Got a great pic from a recent visit with your constituents, a candid shot of you on the campaign trail or something outdoorsy from a recent canoe trip? Use it! Sure you’re a politician, but this is Facebook. At least pretend to be human. Just make sure you can still recognize your face and don’t be afraid to change your profile pic regularly.
3) Feed The Beast
You should probably update your Facebook page from time to time. Yes. I have to say this. Facebook is not a website and you can’t just fill it with stuff and walk away. Don’t abandon your supporters. Not having the time to keep your page under control is no excuse. Your campaign is constantly generating new content, so make sure your Facebook page reflects this with regular updates.
Twitter is something I’m going to be using quite frequently here on DUSTYTRICE.COM.If you’ve never heard of it don’t worry.You’re not alone.It’s a relatively new social networking service that has the potential to become one of the coolest tools in your political organizing trick-bag.
So what is Twitter?It’s a social networking tool that allows people to stay connected through brief 140 character updates online or on a mobile device like a Blackberry or iPhone.You can use it to let someone know what you’re doing or share a link to some interesting content.The power of Twitter is that you can follow the things other people are doing and posting and they can follow you back.
And it’s FREE.As in beer.
Why do you need it?On Twitter you can post a link to a news story, comment on something you found interesting or let people know about what’s going on in your neck of the woods.Twitter is also great if you just want to follow along, seeing other people’s news, commentary and announcements as they occur.You’ll be surprised at how many like-minded and interesting people are already out there for you to follow.
How it works.Twitter is on the interwebs and you get there by going to twitter.com.Signing up is easy.All you need to do is to fill out a short form and give them your email address, which they don’t share with anyone.You can choose to keep your updates private or public.If you don’t care who reads your updates, choose public.If you want to control who can see your updates, pick private.
I got to witness something really special the other day. About a dozen tea party activists had staked out Sen. Al Franken’s booth at the Minnesota State Fair and confronted him loudly when he arrived. But within minutes, he’d turned an unruly crowd into a productive conversation on health care. The discussion went from insurance reform, to the public option, to veterans benefits, to cap and trade. He made a few laugh and even told a touching story that moved a few to tears. A whole lot of common ground was found.
UPDATE: I’ve just posted more clips of Sen. Franken at the MN State Fair below the fold…
December 24th, 2009
People often ask me how I’ve managed to have such incredible luck with creating and distributing political Youtube videos. With quite a few viral hits under my belt I’ve had plenty of time to experiment. When I find something that works I add it to a checklist. Now when I’m producing new Youtube content each clip has to go through a 200+ item checklist to make sure it is able to get the highest number of views possible. Here are 10 of my favorite Youtube tips from my checklist:
Catchy titles work. Give your video a title that’s so irresistible that people have no choice but to click and watch it. Keep the title relevant to whatever you’re talking about and keep it brief. Very often the title is what will make or break a potentially viral clip.
December 21st, 2009
December 17th, 2009
December 14th, 2009
September 16th, 2009
I got to witness something really special the other day. About a dozen tea party activists had staked out Sen. Al Franken’s booth at the Minnesota State Fair and confronted him loudly when he arrived. But within minutes, he’d turned an unruly crowd into a productive conversation on health care. The discussion went from insurance reform, to the public option, to veterans benefits, to cap and trade. He made a few laugh and even told a touching story that moved a few to tears. A whole lot of common ground was found.
