If you are wondering if my brand new podcast was (or is) a success… The answer is “yes”.
If you are wondering how much I spent from the moment I decided I would create this podcast… The answer is: the gas it took to get to me to from Deltona to Orlando, FL.
If you don’t think I did it overnight… PLEASE… ask my first guest and local Orlando comedian, Clayton Anderson, how we conceptualized our first two deep conversations on an open Friday afternoon.
My first attempt at a podcast with Clayton Anderson the Comedian from Orlando:
Step 1 of “How to Start Podcast Overnight without Spending a Dime”
Decide on Concept
Maybe your Podcast is just you and some of the same friends “Casually Kickin’ It” to discuss video games, politics, or 80s Nostalgia. Shoot. Maybe your concept is how to be more creative or how to help people in some way. It really doesn’t matter what your concept is. All that matters is that their is a purpose and there is someone who can benefit from the conversation you are documenting and sharing with the world.
Step 2 of “How to Start Podcast Overnight without Spending a Dime”
Decide on Guest(s)
This one is easy…
Know how I know?
Tell someone, anyone, that you are ready to start a podcast and that you would like to have them on the show. After that person answers you, ask 5-10 more people.
If you don’t know where I am going with this one… I am saying EVERYONE wants to be on a Podcast (they just don’t know it yet).
Step 3 of “How to Start Podcast Overnight without Spending a Dime”
Host The Conversation and Record It
Recording it is the easy part. You can use a cell phone that doesn’t cost a dime. There’s an app for that. I happen to use all of my best camera gear, because that is how I best share my stories and I’m not scared of being in front of a lens and on a screen (big or small).
How to host? Be authentic and listen to your guest or co-host with an open heart, open-mind, and patience to let the funny (or the serious or the “whatever emotion you are trying to evoke”) happen as you remain present and enjoy your conversations (even if those conversations are you talking to yourself with no guest).
Last option, offer to pay another podcaster (like myself) $10 to $1,000 (or whatever you can afford or think an hour of their time is worth) to appear on your podcast, and take as many fucking notes as possible. But DON’T ask someone to be on your podcast for free. There is always some concession ae: a monetary value, a gift of experience, or reason. But if you don’t know the person that you want to interview, host, or co-host the podcast episode with, you should NEVER ask them to do it for FREE.
I hope this helps.
Keep on creating.
Much Love,
Alberto Tejera
(Available for podcasts, but not for the purpose of exposure. Only to help you learn and/or grow. You may determine my value and make me an offer.)
If you want to be a Podcast guest, please just leave us a comment.
What does one do when they have their Thursday afternoon absolutely cleared from any meetings, shoots, or work projects?
If you guessed “pay a visit to a famous local artist to teach him lessons in patience with the elderly while sharing some video-editing & story-telling tips.” you’d be right. 🙂
Who is “Paint the Trail Guy”?
After the 2008 recession, waiting for business to pickup in the construction industry, and slowing going insane, Jeff aka “Paint the Trail Guy”, decided to drop the hammer and pickup the paint brush. Show-casing his brush strokes of iconic figures on fence panels all across entire city of Longwood and other parts of Central Florida, Jeff met several interesting people along the way. Talk about his art, his projects, and his personality quickly spread across the town. It wasn’t until he started documenting his paint projects and stories through video did he amass the 26,000 Facebook followers that tune-in to his antics.
Another great thing about Jeff is that he is an activist in his community. Jeff is not afraid to tackle social issues, like when he helped the City of Longwood Commissioner and ex-professional wrestler, Matt Morgan, get elected this past November. That’s actually where Jeff and I originally met in person and had our first discussion. Fast-forward 4 months to March and I’m inviting myself and my dad over to “Paint the Trail Guy”‘s house for an unboxing video I wanted to cut together in 24 hrs for the YouTube Channel. Jeff was the best side-kick for this project and I hope to work on future projects like this with him in the future.
The VLOG of when “Paint the Trail Guy” and I first met:
What is an Unboxing Video?
Well, I could show you, or I can tell you. Let’s do both. An Unboxing video is very simple. You open a box in front of a camera. THEN (and this is where it gets super tricky) you DESCRIBE what’s in the box. Unboxing video, complete. Of course though, you can’t have an unboxing video without some sort of entertaining person, environment, great lighting, or great message. Luckily for us, we had a nice combination of all these things.
Check out our unboxing from this past Thursday, March 29th:
How Can We Keep Engaging Our Elderly?
Making sure we continue to engage with our elderly is a crucial part of the aging process. When we forget about the importance of some family members their minds may start to wander, they may start developing cancers, HECK their limbs may start falling off. Staying close to our family is not necessarily embedded in our culture, but as good people, it is something we should work harder at.
Is the PocketFinder the best GPS tracker for Alzheimer’s and other loved ones?
Pocket Finder – Comprehensive Review
I did a full comprehensive review of this product in hopes that it would help anybody thinking about options to safeguard a loved one. This is not a fail safe and shouldn’t be relied on as the sole barrier between you knowing where your family is and is not.
These are only my opinions and not a paid endorsement from PocketFinder. It is just an honest user’s review/testimonial.
Better than iTraq?
Definitely. That thing would state it was a mile or more away from where it actually was.
Better than Tile?
No doubt. The Tile device only worked off of blue tooth.
Pros:
– Best Product that I have find thus far.
– Extremely accurate in pin pointing location
– User friend App
– Takes an android style micro USB port which is virtually universal nowadays to charge.
Cons:
– Not 100% Reliable
– Not the easiest company to get a hold of (facebook message works best, but email is primary way for them to be able to really help you.
– Does not have a number to get a hold of if there was an emergency.
– Some times the app will log you out and I have had some trouble logging back in.
Battery often dies when the battery life indicator shows it has over 10% battery remaining. But sometimes that’s either tech or just timing.
Please share it if you know anyone who could benefit from the device, like it if you feel it was userful, and hit that subscribe button if you want to see similar content or what new projects I may be up to.
It starts with an idea! If you have seen any of the content that we have put out lately, you’re already thinking “Easy for you to say, you have all the camera gear, drones, and a powerful mobile workstation capable of editing 4K videos anytime, anywhere, and about anything…
Well, the truth is, I started with an iPhone 5 (or if you look back even further you will see content from the original Android Google Phone, I’m sure). You can start with any one of today’s recent smart phones that have entered the market and start creating content with up to 4K quality (iPhone X).
But here are the important things to know if you are serious (or even just slightly interested) in creating content for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or other video/media platforms.
Edit (video added on 4/9/18): Check out this creator’s video who tells you
3 other important tips about making creating YouTube videos and authenticity.
1. Have A STORY to Tell – (When YOU Make YouTube, IG or Facebook Videos)
This may be the single most important rule when it comes to content creation for any digital media platform. Nothing makes someone click the ‘Unsubscribe’ faster than a pointless, nonsensical video with no story-line or NO PURPOSE.
This is probably the reason that Travel Vlogs have increased in popularity so much over the last five years. As one of my AirBnb Hosts pointed out to me about his experience with his Williamsburg apartment guests, “Most people are the best versions of themselves when they are in ‘Vacation Mode’.” Which brings me to another good point… pull up a map and know your neighborhoods. But back on topic, when you are in vacation you aren’t usually worried about your scheduled time-constraints, what you look like to locals that you’ll never see again, or what time you need to be in bed by in order to have a productive tomorrow.
The beauty of modern technology and the internet is that now anyone who wants to share something with the world (<– or Google Maps) can show you the way.
2. Only Record the “GOOD STUFF” – (When YOU Make YouTube, IG or Facebook Videos)
There is SOOOOO much good content out on the internet these days, so it is crucial that no second(s) are wasted in telling your story. What I mean by that is ‘scrap all the useless video content’ that doesn’t contribute to the Story, Purpose, ‘How To’ Tutorial, or whatever you are trying to convey to your audience. (Also, KNOW your audience… and RESPOND to your Audience. – But this is an entire BlogPost Topic in itself.) Take this video about a Snowboard Trip that was posted about 9 months ago. Sure, it has more dislikes than likes, but the content is what keeps your audience’s attention.
As soon as you click/press the record button on whatever video, cell phone, or other digital camera you’re using you should be ‘ready’ to start speaking to that little small piece of glass. That tiny lens (or larger one depending on your preference/budget) is your pathway to sharing your controlled piece of content that you want others to benefit from. Whether it’s the “Good Stuff” or the “Best Stuff”, if no one is benefiting from the content (entertainment, tutorials, etc.) then second-guess yourself by asking “Why am I clicking Upload right now?”. If the answer if for views… don’t share it! If the answer is to help someone (anyone) with any part of there day… CLICK UPLOAD!!!
3. Try to Tell the Story in a Cinematic Way – (When YOU Make YouTube, IG or Facebook Videos)
If you are reading this far, you are probably somewhat-interested in being a serious content creator, influencer, or video producer. And if that’s the case, it’s time to start learning about lighting, the 2/3rds rule, and controlling all of your camera setting manually. This will save you time in post-production. Decide on a cinematic style that you enjoy watching. Replicating your favorite influencers (in my case… Casey Neistat, Peter McKinnon, and Sam Kolder) should hopefully inspire you to create the kind of content you could see yourself watching.
Figure out what kind of transitions you want to use (and always trying using the best camera at your disposal). Try to have the most “stable” video footage… Yes you can fix some of this in ‘Post’ if you have the right software and workstation, but it will end up cropping some of your image. So, if you were experimenting with one of the cinema rules mentioned above (two-thirds rule), this could crop the image in a way that ruins your shot. Holding your camera closer to your chest with your elbows tucked in will definitely help you with stability in your shots (especially if your camera is heavier).
I don’t use cellphone Applications to edit video footage anymore, but the App stores on Android, Google, Windows, iTunes, etc. will have the app you need (and it’s typically free [with a waterstamp of the app] or available at a very minimal cost [$1.99 – $15.99 one-time fees – no waterstamping.])
Lastly, if you have a solid workstation, I would recommend the software I use, which is ADOBE Premier Pro CC(even though their customer support [online chat specifically]) is horrible… the software is amazing. If you are using Mac, Final Cut Pro maybe the way to go… But I Premiere Pro CC is a solid choice if you are a Windows/PC person or know that you will be using both Mac and PC.
Let’s start this off with defining what I mean by the word “viral”.
This video listed below had approximately 4,000 views this time last week (and within 7 days) to an increased 10K+ views (10,467 views as of this second). I happened to recognize the stats on the video by coincidence, but these are the things I’m learning from this 9 month old video that just helped increased my subscribers, my story-telling confidence, and my “Bullshit Detectors.”
I bring up “Bullshit Detectors” because while increasing in popularity (views) this video has more “dislikes” than “likes” and some genuine comments from “my YouTube Audience”, which I am still looking to define. I think the other reason this video has recently gone viral is because of the release of the new Mavic Air (a cheaper/newer/more compact version of the Drone used in this video) and the title has to do with Drone confiscation, Winter Park snowboarding (popular topic for February), and a sick custom thumbnail of me about to hand catch the Mavic Pro around a crowd of people.
My FIRST “Viral” Video:
Please look through the comments for this video, leave one (if you’re compelled), and let me know if you would ever purchase a Drone for story telling. But in the meantime, BertWill Creative, LLC has realized that it’s greatest strength is in Marketing, Branding, Story-Telling, and Analyzing…. what YOUR AUDIENCE will respond to.
Last thing, this was my very first video that I used a DSLR camera in… In fact, when I went on the Snowboard trip, I didn’t even own a DSLR camera yet… I only used it after the trip (in the brick wall scenes) when I am “Story-Telling”.
I learned these things from my experience in witnessing this video go viral:
Marketing – (Be Authentic)
You never know what will go viral or what your audience will respond to until they start responding (or commenting on YouTube). Because of the aforementioned “Bullshit Detectors” that exists in every single potential subscriber or viewer on YouTube (and most online video sharing platforms – like Facebook and Instagram)… You must be authentic or you will be immediately rejected by the community (never included in the algorithms of suggested videos to watch next—which cause videos to go viral in the first place). You can’t fake it in front of the camera, unless you’re a pretty good actor.
Branding – (Reply to YOUR Audience)
If the increase in popularity of this video has taught me anything, it’s “respond to all negative comments quickly, effectively, deliberately, and authentically. They will respect you and you will get more comments from other people who enjoy reading the drama on why a video is not liked will share their opinions and you can learn from them. I don’t see the dislikes on this video to be a bad thing… it just so happens that people are feeling some type of way about myself, my video, the CLICKBAIT thumbnail, or something else that should be identifiable.
My favorite comment that was just posted on this video yesterday is: “Dude people like you that’s why they hate drone pilots. Do your research and follow guidelines and safety. Don’t fly over people. I’m a drone pilot just trying to help you educate yourself.”. It might be my favorite because it contained these THREE elements… (1. A compliment. 2. A Lesson/advice. 3. Authenticity/Honesty.)
The comments on the video show me… (I’ll actually cover this in the last section – Analytics).
Story-Telling (For Video or Anything else)
As mentioned in a recent blogpost, you should always use the best cameras you have access to. In this video, when it was made… the two best cameras I owned were a GoPro Hero 4 on a $200 3-axis Gimbal stabilizer, and a Mavic Pro Drone (which also has a built in 3-Axis Gimbal stabilizer).
Words, Audio, and Dialogue are KEY in the story telling process. If I didn’t have access to the Canon 70D with Rode Mic and Tripod, I wouldn’t have been able to convey what I was trying to convey when making the video. Let your words (and be very deliberate in choosing your words) tell the story to the Audience.
No one really cares about Aerial footage, vacation footage, or any other Bullshit you may be thinking of uploading tomorrow. BUT the good news is… if you can figure out a creative way of telling a story that combines all three things (a little Bullshit included) then the chances of your video going viral one day is much higher. Good luck!
Analytics
The last (and probably most boring) subject I want to discuss after this week of many entrepreneurial lessons is Analytics. I think it’s important because what we are focused on delivering to our clients… is results. We literally get to turn business away now when OUR OWN Bullshit detectors go off and that is because we know what we are doing when it comes to marketing and strategic ways to reach or GROW your audience.
Since quitting my last Technology Lead Generation job back on November 29th, 2017 I have had more conversations with Entrepreneurs than I can count. When we talk about their marketing strategy and how they want to grow… they tell me that they still market door to door with print advertisements. FAWK, people… We have access to the internet. If you are serious about growing your audience (whether it is in a dance classroom, doctor’s office, or a Tree trimming business), your online advertisements through video are always going to be more engaging and a much better use of your time then going door to door.
I only recently starting pushing out content to try to grow my own business, and my phone rings regularly with potential clients from these and other regular online posts. If you find this article helpful, please leave us a comment. If you found it was not helpful, let us know what you’d rather read when you come to bertwillcreative.com!
