Technical Content Video Guidelines
Table of Contents
Any video about your products is good for the brand. Your company needs to be able to promote content that meets quality standards. This guide is a best practice reference sheet, and any guidelines should be encouraged but not forced into every production.
Primary Components
Test the Setup
Before recording or presenting, ensuring everything will work before committing to the entire recording is good practice.
- Record 1-5 minutes of your presentation for review.
- Test lighting considering the time of day can change.
- Look and listen for any audio and video issues.
- Try out different presentation elements to make sure they fit in the recording.
Show your Face
A friendly live camera can add personality to a video. However, ensure it does distract the viewer from the content.
- Do not use virtual backgrounds; record in a well-lit room with a simple backdrop. Use a white/light-colored background.
- Dress for business casual if you don’t know the audience.
- Scripts are always good but do not try to read a script while recording. It will sound stiff and as if you’re reading a book.
- Check that it isn’t blocking anything important.
Record in a Sandbox
When presenting or recording a video, your machine is the studio.
- Close any unnecessary apps and mute any potential notifications.
- Separate computer profiles or at least separate browser profiles will give you a nice sandbox environment to present. This can also prevent accidentally sharing sensitive information.
- Capture a specific portion of your screen or minimize toolbars. Browser tabs and bookmarks can be a security risk and are distracting.
- When using a command prompt or terminal screen, position it in the middle of your laptop and make the fonts bigger. This allows the editor to zoom in on the Command prompt, allowing viewers to see a better view of what you are typing.
20% Live
Pre-recording the bulk of a presentation will significantly improve quality and consistency.
- 80% of the time, a live presentation could be pre-recorded. For example, most digital conferences stream recorded presentations with live interaction from the host.
- The 20% live part can be an intro, the host replying to live comments, and/or a live Q&A at the end. This will result in more audience interaction and a better experience.
No Background noise
Ambient office noises can be much louder than the speaker realizes.
- Find a quiet place and record an audio test, including making noises around and outside the room.
- When typing, don’t press the keys too hard.
- Silence all device notifications and mute all electronics.
Simple Movement
Consumers can’t follow your demo as fast as you can move through it.
- If you have any mouse movements, consider making as few as possible and do it slowly.
- If you perform some action, always try to explain why you did it or the impact it will have.
- Try to minimize swapping tabs or pages, as it can cause tearing in the video recording or stream.
NO Text
In any visual presentation, text on the screen is a detriment.
- DO NOT read slides. They should be a visual aid to the talking points.
- Don’t overpopulate slides with too much text. Simple outlines, at most, should be used.
- Don’t talk about URLs or how to find other content. Instead, mention resources and add them in the description or pinned comment.
On Brand
- Mention the brand at the beginning and end.
- Add how a viewer can find more information or follow our progress.
- Ask for comments as we will follow up later
General
- The entire video should not exceed 7-8 minutes (5min is ideal); if it does exceed, structure it so that you can break it into parts of a series.
- Avoid long gaps between narration when recording your video.
- Avoid using too many technical words and jargon (if using, explain).
- Follow proper code formatting guidelines and best practices. For example, do not write poorly formatted code first, letting the IDE auto-format it.
Deliverables
- Raw recording and audio (if you have recorded it separately)
- It will be posted on YouTube or other social media channels as we see fit.
- We add the branding, and if there is anything you need to edit, please share them in detail so it saves time in editing.
Screen Capturing Software
- Twitch Recommended Streaming tools
- Mac – Quicktime Player
- Linux – Kazam
- Ubuntu - Kazam
Make sure the resolution is 1920x1080p or higher. The aspect ratio should be 16:9.
Anatomy
Welcome (~30s)
- Consumer attention fades quickly. The intro will be the most watched section.
- Briefly describe the video, DO NOT read the title
- An overview of the overall structure of the video
- Branding: Mention the company and the social channels consumers can find more information on the topic
- Introduce yourself. It is an excellent transition into the body of the content. Ex. “Hi, I’m X, so let’s get to it.”
Problem(⅓ of the runtime)
- Use an outsider’s perspective
- Mention common reasons
- Talk about 1 or 2 problems if possible
Solution(⅔ of the runtime)
- Solve each problem
- Clearly describe each step
- Demonstrate the solution if possible
- Include references
Summary(1-2min)
- Repeat both problem and solution in a brief summary
- Repeat Branding and ask for feedback
- Reintroduce yourself and sign-off