Freelance Writing Videos

Image from insane-videos.com

Intuitively, it’s not something you would initially consider as a freelance writer. Why on earth would a person who writes for a living even consider producing videos? I can understand how folks would not consider this a priority or even a consideration for freelance writing but I think there is room for videos in our freelance writing life. I think freelance writers could be missing out on a valuable opportunity by opting out of videos.

First, we now live in an age where it is easier than ever to film and produce your own videos. Just think about what the process must have been like twenty years ago. I’m sure the costs were astounding and the process must have taken months. Now, you can dang near film, produce and upload a fairly decent video just using your iPhone!

What kind of videos could a freelance writer produce that are specific to writing?

• Advertise Yourself – A video is a great way to introduce yourself on your web site. It puts a personal spin on the same old boring “about” page that 99% of the other freelance writers are using. It’s a perfect way to discuss your business philosophy. Include maybe a smidgen of personal stuff to show that you are truly human.
• Educational Series – How about a series for clients educating them about the process and how a typical project flows and works? Maybe you could do a series for other writers on any number of writing topics. When you think about it, anything that could be a blog article could be a video article. This is a great way to connect with other writers and could also lead to working for other writers.

As I indicated earlier, we have the means these days to make these videos for a lot less expense and hassle then ever before. If you don’t already have one, you can pick up a HD video camera for a couple of hundred bucks. Add a tripod and you’re in business. Those are about your only expenses unless you plan on paying for video editing software. My experience is that paying big bucks for this software is really unnecessary. First, you really need just the basics for the kind of videos we’re talking about producing here. Second, there are tons of good options for no cost at all. I don’t really have the room in this article to list these but look for them in a future article.

Folks these days relate very well to things in a video format. Heck, some folks expect it and are disappointed when it’s not made available to them. Give them what they want, have fun with it and make a video. I’ll bet it will turn out better than you think.