Last week I showed you how to create videos without being on camera. BUT, if you’re a service-based business or trying to build a personal brand it’s better to show your face on video. That’s why this week, you’re going to practice being on camera. I want you to gradually show your face on camera.

PRACTICE BEING ON CAMERA

If you want to learn how to be confident on camera or at least how to be more comfortable on camera you’re in the right place. You’re going to gradually get camera confident and learn how to overcome camera shyness.

Why should I show my face on camera?

You might be thinking, Paigon, why should I show my face on camera? I’m content hiding my face.

If you are a service-based business, showing your face is a great way to build know, like, and trust quickly (especially if you’re building your audience from scratch). You’re virtually unknown, so it’s a simple and easy way to get your audience to feel comfortable with you.

Another reason is if you’re working with your clients one-on-one, in a group setting, or selling courses, it’s easier for prospective clients to buy from you. Most people buy from people they trust and know. If your video helps your audience, they can trust that your paid service or product will help them.

Also along those lines, it’ll help your prospective clients know what to expect from you, business-wise and personality-wise. That’s why it’s better to be yourself or how you would act with your clients in real life on video. It’ll be weird to have a different personality than what your clients know you for.

The last reason has to do with personal branding. If you watched my video ‘Should I build a personal brand?’, you know that there are benefits to building a personal brand for your business. It’ll be easier to build a personal brand if you show your face. 

Being on camera is scary

Okay, so you know why it’s important to show your face on camera, BUT knowing and doing are 2 different things.

I know how scary being on camera is when you’re not used to it. I was the queen of hiding from taking pictures and being on video. If it wasn’t for my passion for helping you create videos and build your brand, then I wouldn’t do it at all.

Everyone in the online community is like  ‘Get comfortable being uncomfortable’ or ‘Just do it’. To a certain extent, I agree. In fact, it’s how I started my business, my blog, and my YouTube channel.

BUT, you know, ‘Just do it’ is also why I’m scared of water. When I was about 7 years old, my cousin took my siblings and me to the pool. I was so excited, I went in the water and almost drowned. I was lucky that my sister saw me and pulled me out of the deep end. 

It was a big trauma for me. Luckily, a few years later, my dad made us take swimming lessons. I’m still scared of the water, but I’m confident that I won’t drown.

The moral of the story is sometimes you have to take baby steps to get to where you want to be.

Show your face for 30 seconds

Since we’re taking baby steps, you should show your face for at least 30 seconds. This is a simple way to gradually get comfortable on camera. If you practice being on camera, you’ll gradually get used to it.

What are you doing for those 30 seconds or more? You’re just introducing the video. That’s it. If you want, you can even do a quick introduction of yourself. Now people know who you are and how to say your name. Once you’re done with that, you can get into the tutorial or footage that doesn’t show your face. 

If you want to go a step further, you can show your face at the end of the video. You can summarize what the video was about and thank your viewers for watching. This is actually how I gradually started getting comfortable on camera. I was still creating tutorials, so I just introduced myself and what the video was about. Once I was used to seeing my face on video, I started showing up on camera more and more. Now it’s not as big of a deal anymore.

Do you need help writing out your scripts? Grab your FREE YouTube script template from the description box down below.

I don’t have time for this, just tell me how to practice being on camera so I can get YouTube famous!

Basically to practice being on camera, just gradually start showing your face for a few seconds by introducing what the video is about, introducing yourself, and if you want bonus points, summarize the video at the end.

Next week, we’re going to talk about how to get more confident on video. You’ll get a look at some of the things I did to get excited about being on camera.

Are you ready to practice being on camera? Let me know in the comments below.

-Paigon