I recently sat down with Ann Handley of MarketingProfs and CC Chapman of Digital Dads , Co-Authors of Content Rules.  What a fun time we had getting their perspective on the key themes of their book, which is a great guide for all marketers and especially honed in on the use of video as a part of of an organizations content strategy.  They address easy ways to get started with video for marketing and key concerns, including I have a face for radio syndrome – where people are scared to be on camera.

Click Here To Check Out The Book

I had the chance to sit down and have an interview with Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman, authors of the new book “Content Rules.”  I wanted to share a clip of what Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman cover about using video.

This week I got to record a tutorial on how to setup and interview/testimonial shoot.  These shoots typically feature one person answering questions while they look slightly off camera to the interviewer. They are surprisingly easy to setup and a great way to generate reusable content.

Capturing a video interview with a client, partner, or industry guru is the foundation for valuable content.  A couple of important tips when capturing the interview:

1.  Prepare your questions -  Think about what you want to communicate,  so you can ask questions that get you the right content.  Write down your questions and make sure you have a few open ended questions – you will often be pleasantly surprised with gems of an answer.

2.  Identify themselves – Ask them to share their name, company and role. This is always a good lead into any final piece.

3.  Easy Question -  Ask one or two easy questions to get things started and flowing.

4.  Be Quiet   -  When the interviewee is talking, be quiet.  It is okay to nod, but you want the sound only to have their voice.  Much easier for using this later on.

5.  Discussion or Interview -  You need to decide upfront if this is a discussion or interview.  As an interview, you are trying to ask questions and get answers.  Those answers will be what you use in your video. You will not be on camera or heard on the sound track.

6.  Microphone – It often helps to put a microphone on your subject.  Good sound is very important in making a video engaging.

7. Authorization -  Ask them on camera if it is okay for you to post this online.  You want to get clearance to use the content. For more information on authorization, watch this clip featuring David Meerman Scott sharing recording tips.

Back on March 23, VisibleGains was featured on TheRiseToTheTop: RISE #60: Turning Your Videos Into Customers With Craig Daniel From Visible Gains.  We were really honored to be interviewed since David has had some killer guests on previous episodes.  In addition, David is a great interviewer and he uses a really cool technique for live interviews over Skype.  Check it out: