Episode 26

Camera Anxiety: What it is and How to Overcome it

by | Jan 13, 2021 | Podcast

On today’s episode, we are talking with Kala Philo who is going to help us dive into the root of why so many of us freeze up right before we hit record on the video camera, and ways that you can overcome this fear and anxiety. 

Nick (00:00): If you're currently creating content in any form, you've probably thought about the importance of video marketing and actually creating video content. The problem is if you're like the majority of us, putting yourself in front of a camera and hitting record can be a very intimidating undertaking. I personally think that it is an important thing to consider, especially with where digital and content marketing is heading. And right now, more and more people and businesses are actually hopping on video and getting on that trend. So in this episode, we are talking with Kala Philo, who runs Mirror Your Brilliance to try to help overcome this fear and anxiety of getting on camera. Kala has been a video marketing producer for 15 years and has helped many entrepreneurs and business owners and creators get comfortable on camera and establish themselves as authorities through video, and she is here to share her knowledge with us. This is a value packed episode with tips and exercises that you can start implementing right now. So I don't want to delay this interview any longer. Let's get right into it.

Nick (01:05): This is the Nine-Five Podcast and I'm your host Nick Nalbach where we get into the minds of entrepreneurs and people just like you. So you can start, build and grow your own online business.

Nick (01:22): Okay. Welcome to the Nine-Five Podcast. If you've been listening to the last couple of weeks, we were talking about video. We can take a little bit of a break from it, and now we're coming back to video. And today on the podcast, I have Kala Philo who is going to talk to us about on-camera presence and getting over that fear of stepping in front of the camera. I think 2021 is the perfect fresh start to getting in front of that camera. Start focusing more on video content because it is such a big thing. So Kala, welcome to the Nine-Five Podcast.

Kala (01:57): Thank you so much, Nick. I'm super honored to be here and I just really appreciate you having me and I look forward to adding some value to your cool members.

Nick (02:05): Absolutely. I'm really excited to get into this specific topic because as the listeners know, this is something that I have been trying to do, like get into the video content and they've heard my story on previous episodes, but that's been a complete failure for me. So I know there are a lot of people that are in the same boat, so I'm really excited to get into this, but before we actually get into the content, why don't we have you give the listeners a little bit of an idea of who you are and what it is you do in the online space?

Kala (02:35): Great. Well, thanks for that. I'll make it really quick. Uh, so I am a visibility strategy strategist. I spent 15 years as a marketing video producer for small businesses and entrepreneurs before there was even social media. So as soon as we could start doing online video, I got into that. And the last couple of years, I spent some time with a company called Mirror Your Brilliance on Video, which is my, where I was coaching, doing some video content coaching. And so obviously I spent a lot of time with folks around this idea around camera anxiety. Um, honestly, we're sort of moving on to visibility coaching and I running a mastermind. My main focus for 2021 is a mastermind for people to increase their visibility. But that's one tip. The first thing I think you guys maybe want to think about is video doesn't occur in a silo.

Kala (03:21): And if your goal is to build an online presence, meaning you are building an online following so that you can serve more people and honestly monetize that following eventually, videos inescapable. So just start thinking about it as, you know, something that we need to be doing for our business, because the ROI on it is so much higher, right? So that's a little tip about what I'm up to. I could get more into how I sold or donate everything that I owned about five years ago and went off into Mexico to build online business. But maybe if we have time, we'll talk about that later. I also speak Spanish.

Nick (03:56): Oh, no way. No. Yeah, we can get into that right away. That's that's really interesting.

Kala (04:01): Basically. I worked, uh, honestly freelance kind of part time, but you know, very professionally when I was working as a, as a marketing data producer, I shot and I edited and again for small businesses and organizations and entrepreneurs, but, um, I skipped, I kept my schedule really flexible cause I was also had two kids and I was married at that time. And so we were doing that family thing. Right. And then, um, when some changes happened in that space, I had an opportunity to say, you know what, I can really do exactly what I want to do for this next part of my life. So I work with a lot of mid-life people. Honestly, I know you have different people in your audience, but I'm really passionate about this idea that, you know, we have this whole second life ahead of us. If we choose to look at it that way.

Kala (04:45): And so I'm a minimalist and have a lifelong dream of traveling a lot more. And so I, at the same time though, I was in a, an accelerator for female entrepreneurs. I had to start building up my network from almost, almost scratch in the entrepreneurial space. And so I spent, and I knew about video and marketing, but I didn't know about online marketing. I didn't know about funnels. I didn't know about courses. I didn't know about all the stuff I knew a lot about now, copywriting and all that. So that's kind of look at it as my, my masters or my PhD in online marketing. I spent almost that much, but I don't have any student debt. And I think that, um, you know, cause being funny, but I think that was a great way to learn about it at the same. And now I'm kind of, it's all come full circle to where I have really good understanding of how the different pieces fit together. And it's video has been such a big part of it from the start that I'm really happy to help get more people in front of the camera because honestly the hardest part is the first few times. And then after that, it's not too bad.

Nick (05:45): Yeah. And I, I really liked something that you just mentioned there. You're primarily helping people that are kind of in the mid-life arena area, age range, however you want to work. But I mean, that just goes to show that it's not too late to get started. And that was something that on episode 21, I had Amanda Horvath who is, she's been in the YouTube space and she made a similar comment. She said, you might think you're behind on video, but really everybody's behind in video. Everyone's trying to get caught up. So I think that's very interesting that you said that.

Kala (06:18): Yes, that's my home girl. If she, I mean, I totally agree with what she said. And especially if you're in midlife and midlife, I don't say just women, but YouTube is really looking for quality content from people in their forties and fifties, because guess why, you know, they have the younger market, right? And so they are needing to grow and to, for advertising and advertising purposes, they're need to show more viewership. So they are very much interested in people in mid-life starting YouTube channels with quality content,

Nick (06:48): For sure. Oh, that's really interesting. Cause if you think of how social media has kind of evolved, I mean, you look at Facebook, it started out as the younger generations were on Facebook and then it slowly graduated. Everyone started getting on board. TikTok is the same way. I think it just went exploded super fast to where everybody got on tick-tock right away and YouTube, I guess they've kind of stayed in that infancy stage where they're looking now to branch out to other markets. Everyone uses it, but not everyone produces for it.

Kala (07:16): Right. And it is its own. So there's was jump into this and you can pull me back if it's not super relevant, but there's two different ways to look at YouTube. You can either go into it, wanting to be YouTube star. And there's a very specific business model you follow and you have to really pay attention to the algorithm and it does work if you do it right. It just, it takes a while. But all of this takes awhile in line pretty much. Or you can just use YouTube as the place where your longer format videos live. And then you, I mean, maybe you do some of this Nick, I'm not sure. And then you take short clips of those videos and you distribute them to the other platforms. The other nice thing about YouTube is it's, uh, people come to YouTube with a search intent.

Kala (07:55): You know, the think about your audience. They're looking for something. When they come to YouTube, when they're on Facebook, they're not usually looking for something, they're just checking out how they look to their friends and who's doing what and getting upset about news or whatever. So, so I think, um, Facebook in many, many ways is a much trickier place to try to grow a large audience because it's pay to play a hundred percent and you know, your free posts get very little reached there. YouTube groups or Facebook groups are one way to get kind of around that. But that's another kind of getting off topic.

Nick (08:25): Yeah, no, I've actually had similar conversations about social media and Google in terms of running ads. It was the same type of thing that you're saying right there. You're trying to distract someone from social media, whereas they're coming to Google with an intent. So I think that's a great point.

Kala (08:40): And Pinterest as well.

Nick (08:41): Yeah, that's one, I haven't had an episode on Pinterest yet. I think I'm going to need to have a whole episode dedicated strictly to Pinterest because I think that is a, there's a lot of opportunity there.

Kala (08:52): I agree with you for sure.

Nick (08:56): Now, something that I like to do with all of the guests that I bring on the show, I like to ask them what their super power is and by super power. I mean, what is that thing that you are just a rockstar at either you think that you just crush it in this area or maybe it's something that people come to you, if they have issues with this one particular thing, what do you think your superpower would be?

Kala (09:16): Yeah, I would have to say writing and video. I know that's kind of cheating cause that's too in there, but it's hard to be a bad-ass video person if you're not also a really good writer. Um, so I would say that that's it. And then, you know, like personally speaking, I think one thing I realized the last couple of years is I, I have a higher tolerance for change than most people. In fact, I really like change. I seek it out and I realized that that's not that common. And so actually I'm a writer on Medium and I'm writing about change and societal change and interpersonal transformation because it's something that I really do run at those things that scare me and have survived that so far. So yeah. So I think that that would be the other thing I like to move fast and that that's an advantage for me.

Nick (10:00): Yeah. I th I think that's super important as an entrepreneur, being able to step in front of that face, that challenge. I think a lot of times, especially new entrepreneurs, we kind of get held back because we're in a place of being comfortable, whether it's taking that leap into your next job or whatever it is, you kind of land in this place of comfortability. If that's a word.

Kala (10:22): It is like, it

Nick (10:25): Just didn't sound right. Coming out of my mouth.

Kala (10:29): Well it's a word now cause you said it love it. I claim it comfortability. Yes, totally agree. And that is kind of a good segue into, you know, getting over our fears of being on camera and such. So I'm an introvert, believe it or not. And I spent a lot of years behind the camera and I had to make myself get in front of the camera. Cause I couldn't very well run a business where I was lecturing people that need to be on camera. If I wasn't doing it myself. Right. I had to do all the video marketing. And my first few videos were pretty rough, even though I was in the business and they're still not perfect, but guess what? They're not supposed to be perfect. That's I think the number one thing I would think to help people think about is, you know, you want to do your best, but you don't have to do it 15 times a take 15 times because this might want to make people feel better.

Kala (11:22): Your imperfections actually are a strength on camera because people trust other people who show their vulnerability. There's been a lot written about that in a lot of content online with Brent Renee Brown show their vulnerability appropriately. And when you are being yourself and you're doing something that obviously kind of costs you something, we have this wonderful human quality that separates us from bears and tigers and other things that is called reciprocity. And most people when somebody does something nice for them, we feel the desire to do something nice for them back. Or it just makes us feel good about them. Like we get it. We have a trusting connection with them in an online marketing it's called KLT know, like, and trust. These are super important. This is why video is so powerful because if you think about, I mean, I love email. It's definitely still, you know, the shizz is, but how long does it take you to establish trust with somebody over five emails versus a two minute video where they're seeing your eyes are seeing the expression on your face? They're seeing you go, Oh gosh, I can't remember exactly. I was going to say, and then you come back to them. They like that. You're trying, you know, and they really think about the people that you watch. Right. They really respond to that.

Nick (12:35): Yeah. That's, that is a very common trait amongst a lot of the people that I follow in the online space, they don't try to be perfect. Obviously they are really good at what they do, but they're not afraid to, if they do mess up and be like, Oh, I can't believe I said that. And then just continue right on going. And yeah, like you said, you build that trust, you build that connection. That level of transparency brings them down to your level. Now they're not like some freak superstar. They're just a normal person like you and me. And I think that's a very important distinction to make.

Kala (13:05): Well, that's a super intuitive, smart thing for you to say, because that is exactly it. There's a difference between how we view celebrities and how we view somebody that, you know, we might feel like we could actually access or get to their level or whatever. Right. And so you don't really want your videos to look like a J-Lo video, you know, or something. Um, yeah. I mean, there's a couple of video stars on YouTube very early on. And I think, you know, they're almost too, too professional. I mean, it starts to look like a talk show on TV from the old days. Right. So yeah. Yeah.

Nick (13:36): Yeah. I mean, really what we're talking about here is we're not trying to produce a feature film. We're trying to get in front of our audience, share the content that we have and bring people along for the ride. That's really the base of it.

Kala (13:50): Absolutely. And so the only things you really have to worry about in that, because you do want your content to be watchable and is this will help you with your confidence as well. Pick one place to do your videos to start with and just get, you know, a decent light, natural lights grade, or natural light and a box light just don't but get something, you know, that lights up your face so they can see the light in your eyes, right? You want to get your laptop up. My laptop is actually sitting right now on a box because I don't want to be looking down at the audience cause that's all dark and that's not a very flattering angle. And when you look down on somebody, you know, they get, they get this sense that they're being like you're hovering over them. It's a psychological thing to think about.

Kala (14:29): So lighting, get your, get the camera up or the phone up or whatever you're using to film. Batching your videos is helpful doing them, uh, you know, three or four or five at one time, because that means you've had to prepare some and then you get them all done and out of the way, and then you can get the, if you're working with a VA or whatever, get them put in the pipeline and then you can go off and run your business. Right. And then the last part about is you don't have to have super formal high production value videos, but you do want to pay attention to the content. You want to try not to ramble, you know, be sure you're outlining what you want to get across to people before you get on camera. Because the number one thing that's going to have them go away is if you're rambling and then yeah.

Kala (15:06): And then I would always start out. I would suggest you had to start out with the question. If people sometimes say on today, we're going to talk about X, Y, and Z. Just flip that into a question and say, do you ever wonder about X, Y, and Z? That's what we're covering today in this video. Boom. I personally, don't like the little sizzle reels that people then I've seen them get shorter and shorter. So I think that people have been watching their metrics and people take off. So you didn't even really need a brand. It's a saves you money. You don't even need a branding reel if you're first starting out, just put the camera on and start talking.

Nick (15:35): Yeah. Yeah. The, the branding real, that's a really interesting, because when I started trying to move myself into video, I was like, Oh, I need a whole little intro. I need all this stuff going on. Like it has to be flashy and cool. And the more I'm reading about it now, it's like, everyone wants that information quick. Like get to the point, give me what I want. I'm onto the next thing.

Kala (15:56): Yes. I, 100% agree. And I want to put it on record. I was saying this like two years ago, um, that, that branding real thing came from the old days of making movies, which was where you had a little trailers beginning. Then you had the credits and then you had the movie or, I mean, it's kind of funny because it came from old production and they just kind of brought that over. And so, no, I think if you're going to, if you want, I do think some content that's more evocative. Like that can be interesting to produce, you know, for sure you can do some emotional video stuff. I'm doing that with a side gig, with an editor that I know, but at any rate, those, but those should be separate. People should come to those and you know, for the emotional appeal of them. But yeah, I would say, uh, you don't need a branding reel. In fact, you'll lose people

Nick (16:41): Now talking about getting more comfortable on camera. What do you think it is? That gets, everyone's so nervous and kind of break down. I've been through this way too much, trying to get into it. And I, I can't really understand why it's like, I'm not talking to anybody. I'm not in front of a stage of people. Like you don't have all these people around me with their eyes on, but for some reason that camera, as soon as that little blinking record lights going, it's like total freak out.

Kala (17:12): Well, it's, it's performance anxiety because in your mind, the context of what you're doing is just flipped and you know that that's going to be something. So you might as well be standing on a stage, you know, cause that's how your mind is interpreting it. So everybody, this might help people feel better. And sometimes understanding something as a first step towards getting ourselves emotionally past it, it takes both. But the, so it's very natural that we have camera anxiety as humans. We have anxiety about being seen basically. And this goes way back to caveman days. And it, I it's my theory, it's especially acute for women from way back in the day, what would happen to, you know, a woman who was at the campfire, her kids are around and she has to take care of them, keep our eye on everything else. And there's tigers and bears and things all in the woods.

Kala (17:57): What would happen to her if she was super loud and jumping around and being seen, well, she probably would get eaten or her kids would, right. Same thing with her husband or her mate at that point, I don't know. Maybe they got married in general. If he was on the hunt with other, the other guys, they all had to sit down and be quiet because what would happen if they jumped around and were all loud? Well, they'd scare the dinner away. And then they get eaten by a bear or a tiger. So men also had to learn, you know, into them, you know, be quiet and be seen, don't stand out. But the difference is they have testosterone and if they didn't go out and risk something, nobody would eat that day. So I'm not an anthropologist. So that's my informal theory though, as to why to this day, we like our internal reptile brain responses.

Kala (18:43): What the heck are you doing? Sit down and shut up or you're going to die. I mean, yeah, in our, in that brain part, if you start to look into, you know, brain science and stuff is really fascinating because our reptile brain is there to keep us safe, but it's calling way more shots than it needs to in this day and age. We need to start to tell ourselves it's okay. You know, I'm safe. I mean, literally this is not scary. I'm safe. And then the second part is it's like riding a bike. Nobody is great at riding a bike. The first time they do it, you just have to do it a few times. If you have really severe anxiety, there are some amazing coaches. And I can recommend one. Actually. I don't know if she's still doing her program, but there are programs to help you get past it. And you know, in a collaborative supportive group. Okay.

Nick (19:29): Yeah. After the show, if you want to give me a couple of names, I'll make sure to throw those in the show notes and then to get those out. For everybody listening, any links, information, resources that we discuss on this episode, they will be in the show notes. So if you're not taking notes right now, don't worry. You can just visit the show notes and you can get all that information right there. Okay. So we realize why we're having this fear of getting on camera. We don't want to be seen. And like you said, we have to just start doing it. What do you think the best way to actually just get started? Obviously we had talked about how crazy YouTube can be and how big YouTube can be. And it's in talking with Amanda, it's more than just creating video. Once you get into the YouTube space, do you, would you recommend people just started throwing videos up on YouTube or would you say starting at a smaller scale or try to start elsewhere?

Kala (20:16): Well, it very much depends upon your audience and your goals and where they are. And so I think I would start with assuming somebody has an email list that they're been nurturing and they, they knew who their ideal client are. They know exactly who they want to be talking to more look at. It is just making a video for a few friends or a series of videos for a few friends. Or if you're on LinkedIn, this can be a good thing too, because LinkedIn tends to still, they're doing a really good job. Their algorithm is showing you to people who might be interested in what you have to say and they, their algorithm is, will that, um, I won't say easier at this point, but your videos will show up at step in the feed longer. Like if you don't rank on YouTube or Facebook, your stuff just drops.

Kala (20:59): But on LinkedIn, you know, you might see something comment on something a week later, especially video. So long way of saying, find whether it's email list, it's LinkedIn group. Maybe it's a Facebook group. Um, maybe it's a Facebook group that you feel comfortable in and ask people, you know, can I, I'm going to post my first video? Is that okay? Just finding a supportive audience. Secondly, if you have a video buddy, you know, near you in your town, that can be really, really helpful because then they can sit on the other side of that camera and you can look at them. And so you're not feeling like you're staring at the dead. I have a camera, like one of my ladies said once. Yeah.

Kala (21:35): And also choose some content. First of all, did you feel really good about if you have a couple of emails that you've done, that you felt good about a couple of blog posts for a blogger, awesome place to start doing a little bit of video. Now you're not going to read your whole blog post. You're going to say this blog post was, did really well. And here's three things I talked about in it, and this is why I feel strongly about it. Or this is why I wanted to share this with you guys. And then you send that, you put that in the blog, put that video in the blog, right? And then you also send it out to people. Or if you have a blog post, you know, is going to do well, you feel good about do a little video before you even distribute it.

Kala (22:09): So that all goes out at one time, you post the blog, the videos in there, and then people have a chance to look at it. But I would suggest just using YouTube as a, you know, as a place where your videos live for the most part, because they're not really going to get seen very easily anywhere else. Vimeo has its advantages. I can go into that if you want me to, but YouTube is the place to be found on video. Having said that, you know, you might want to consider if, you know, you want that YouTube business model where you grow followers and traffic and subscribers, and that makes sense, like a fitness person, perhaps you do want to start out knowing about their, and Amanda probably covered this knowing about their algorithm and when you should be posting and doing your research and all those kinds of things,

Nick (22:50): And it gets very technical from there.

Kala (22:52): Yeah.

Nick (22:52): No, I really do like that. Cause you're kind of bringing it into a controlled environment. Like what you're talking about here, reaching out to your email list or a Facebook group, something like that. It's I guess it's not quite as intimidating as saying, okay, well look at what I got, but at the same time you're stepping in front of the camera, you're bringing it out in a safe space and just kind of, I don't know, using that as a testing ground, I guess, for your videos.

Kala (23:16): Exactly. You're just, you're, it's your sandbox. You're playing for a while before you go, you know, go to the big beach. Um, and also honestly, unless you have a lot of followers and they're really engaged, um, it's hard to get your stuff seen. So you actually, you know, I don't want to be discouraging, but if you are afraid of like lots of people seeing your stuff, and that is a nice problem to have, because it takes a while to get to that point where you have the engagement numbers, where people are actually gonna see so that, you know, it's a online space is a great place to practice,

Nick (23:48): Right? Yeah. Yeah. I feel like with you saying that it's like people might be afraid to get in because they don't want people to see their videos. And then by the time they start getting comfortable with video, they're like, why isn't anybody watching my video?

Kala (23:59): And actually it works out great because by then they're better at it. And I was like, Oh, now I'm going to figure out how to actually get, you know, some more eyeballs on this and how you know, so it actually works out really well.

Nick (24:10): No, I like that. Yeah. I'm curious what your thoughts are on video, outlining it versus scripting it, is there a time and place for both or would you recommend someone who's nervous about getting started and they want to step into the space? Would you recommend they outline or script?

Kala (24:27): Uh, so my preference has always been outlined and that's because most people are not actors and we have a hard time memorizing the workaround right now that I have seen people use. Is there are others an app? I think it's called big view. I can't remember, but it's, uh, basically puts, um, like the titles on your, like, you can read it, but teleprompter is a teleprompter app and those are available out there. And I have seen people start to use those. And if you have some, you know, someone's just super, just freezing up on camera. I just can't, you know, can't get it out. It's not a bad place to start. I would encourage people though, even if they start with that to, you know, wean themselves off of that a little bit, because again, we're not actors, so you can always tell somebody who's reading and it's okay.

Kala (25:11): Um, I think most people would rather have you read a concise statement that Bramble on, but still you're missing that piece. That connection of, Oh, she's really talking to me because that's what you want in what you're saying in your copy. And in the feeling that they get is, wow, how have you and my head, like, how did you know that? Right? And so it's easier to personalize something and make it feel more like more real. If you're actually just speaking from an outline, now it's harder because you have to reign yourself in. But if you're batching your videos, you can just pause the video and, you know, in between each point and give yourself a little break and review and come back to it. And then it's not that hard to string those together.

Nick (25:52): I like it. Yeah. And what about the equipment? So if we're just starting out, should we go out and spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on camera equipment and dive right into it?

Kala (26:03): Oh yeah. No. And I want people to stop using it as an excuse. Um, this is your camera. So all the iPhones really, even iPhone five. Oh my gosh. You know, still takes adequate video. I work with editors, you know, and sometimes where you get into a little disagreement about, uh, what's it called creative disagreement about, you know, 4k footage versus this. I'm like, look, we're compressing it down for YouTube. We don't need 4k method or, you know, but at any rate, that's kind of the long way of saying, all you need is your iPhone to start with. And there are, you know, the industry's knows that people are shooting video with their iPhone. So there's really easy. Mike's, there's a rode mic that I really like now, am I I'm holding onto this old iPhone six until it absolutely will not do anything anymore because it still has the headphone jack.

Kala (26:54): Right. But even if it does it, you know, you use the dongle thing and I'm still mad at Apple about that. But anyway, yeah, just use this and then an inexpensive lav mic. I do suggest to use a mic, uh, or so you can use headphones, audio phones. Some of those, you can use them as a mic and a light one box light is just the, I like the box light better than the ring light. They're less expensive. They're more versatile. And if you Google: box light, it's just basically a full what it sounds like. It's a black canvas piece of fabric on a wire frame with a fabric covering. And the ring light is harder to work with. If you wear glasses, number one, it also gives you a much more in not harsh light, but it's much more like bright and hard lights, the box lights, a softer light, it's just more versatile. And so that's why I prefer that

Nick (27:43): I will put links to that type of equipment in the show notes as well for anybody who's interested or not quite sure what Kala's talking about here. It's I mean, you can go crazy with the stuff like we were just talking about thousands of dollars, but really a lot of this stuff you can get on Amazon for a super cheap, your camera's right on your phone.

Kala (28:01): Exactly. I mean, and I have a page on my website that I can give you a link and all this stuff is listed right there and people can order it and be done in 20 minutes if it meets their needs, because I do keep it really, really simple.

Nick (28:12): Yes, I will get that link from you.

Kala (28:13): Okay.

Nick (28:15): Okay. Okay. Now, as we were talking before the recording, we were discussing a little bit about certain exercises and things that people can start doing to kind of get more comfortable stepping in front of the camera. You have anything that the listeners will be able to, after they get done listening to this episode, go try out some stuff to kind of ease the nerves a little bit.

Kala (28:37): Yes, there is. This will help them in their general marketing too. So there's a sentence out there that everybody shouldn't have memorized. And it's a good one to be able to say on camera, it's a great one to practice with and it is, I help so-and-so do so in such and such so that they can do such and such. So basically it is your statement of your, why you do what you do. So for me, I help online entrepreneurs, especially in mid-life build their online audience so that they can monetize mid-life skill or they can monetize their, I need to practice myself monetize their mid-life expertise. Right. So that's, it would be a great thing because it's not a super easy thing to get. Right. And so you have to be thinking about that instead of how you look. And so I would just like do a few takes of that and then once you get it right, maybe that goes on your, on your homepage or on your Instagram or whatever. Yeah.

Nick (29:32): How do we, how do we know when we've got it right? Is it, is there a certain like tone or pitch or is it just something that to you, it sounds comfortable and natural and I guess what are we looking for as like a, "this is it?"

Kala (29:44): Well, I think it's, it is, I want to say maximum eight or nine takes and the best one of those. But I like to say, just give yourself five really, because the thing is, is if I'm, you know, you're probably going to be looking at some of those and go, none of it's, right. It's never going to be right. And that's why people are avoiding doing video. Right? So part of the skill on this is just giving yourself permission for it to be imperfect. And, and, and if we think about how, I think you mentioned this, that's an entrepreneurial skill as well. So getting on video is in a microcosm, really going to help your competence and your instincts as an entrepreneur too.

Nick (30:24): Right. And I guess I just want all the listeners to know they, they may have seen, if they follow me on social media, they may have seen me posting about me getting into video actually just last weekend recorded a three-part video series for YouTube. So first video series ever.

Kala (30:39): Congratulations.

Nick (30:41): It was exciting. It was nerve wracking. Everything that we've been talking about that whole episode is exactly what it was, but I've been going back through and I've been editing those videos now. And I do, I don't sound nearly as bad as I thought I would. And that's basically, what's been holding me back this entire time. I'm like, I'm going to, I'm just going to record it. It's going to sound dumb. I'm just going to waste my time. And I said, you know what, we're just doing it. It's all coming out. It's going up. We're just no more discussion on it. And it doesn't sound as bad as I thought it would. So for everyone who is on the fence about it and they think, well, I can't do it cause I'm not going to sound right. Or it's not going to look right. Just do it. And I'm fairly certain you'll surprise yourself. And if anything, you'll just kind of get you more comfortable with that whole process. And the next time you do, there'll be a little bit better and a little bit better.

Kala (31:28): Exactly. Yeah. I mean, that sums it all up right there. And congratulations so good for you.

Nick (31:32): Yeah. Thank you. It's we'll see. We'll see what happens when it all comes together, but so far it's going pretty well. I think actually by the time this episode airs, that series should be up on YouTube, kind of have it all scheduled out. So I'll definitely link to that as well. So people can see the first, the first series.

Kala (31:50): Right. Right. And the other thing that it speaks to is confidence. Like, so in that series, you know, you're speaking about something that you are the expert on, you know, about this, and that's really helpful because that comes across, you know, you might be a little nervous about the way you're doing it, but you know, you've got the content down. So once again, it kind of speaks to being prepared a little bit. And did you shoot them all at one time?

Nick (32:13): I did. And I actually funny story, I shot them all. I just basically hit record. And I just said everything that needed to be said within those three videos, I didn't do a bunch of takes or anything. Just, I screwed up reset, say it again, reset, say it again. But I got to the end of it and it was probably about an hour, hour and a half or so of recording, screwing up, getting through it. And then I realized that my screen capture all messed up. It was only capturing a quarter of my laptop screen and that made up about one and a half full videos that I had. So it was a kind of a tutorial based deal. So I had to go sit back down and get ready, rerecord it all again. But the second time through, I actually did a lot better. It went through a lot quicker, was kind of like rehearsed the content for myself, I guess.

Kala (33:04): Absolutely. Yes. Right. Yeah. Also, um, checklists, or it can be your friends too in video. Yeah. And everybody kind of has their own way of approaching it. You know, I put some checklists out there before as well. But if like in this case, when you're doing it, I'm sure that, you know, you, now that, you know, you did it, you could probably do a really quick checklist for yourself. And one of them would be check the screen ratio on my recording. Or like sometimes I had problems with Loom a few weeks ago. I don't know if it's still, I kind of put using it cause it was frustrating, but the voice would, the audio would drop out. And so I had recorded several things. I should have checked because there was no audio on it. So just checklists in general in your friend and the video in life or, you know, can be your friend. Yeah.

Nick (33:47): I actually really love that idea because especially if you're just getting started and you got those nerves, there's a lot of stuff that you just might not think about. Like checking the, the screen resolution. I was so worried about having to record myself and getting on camera that I forgot to check the most basic thing that I check every time for the podcast.

Kala (34:07): I know. Right.

Nick (34:10): Okay. Now I kind of want to talk about what you have going on a little bit more with Mirror Your Brilliance and kind of, if people are interested in working with you, what does your coaching, or what kind of services and products are you offering with Mirror Your Brilliance?

Kala (34:27): Yeah. Well thank you for that. And this is, um, your listeners don't know, but we kind of had some back and forth, but actually getting this scheduled and done and you were super patient with that. So thank you. But part of that was I have gone through a bit of a pivot. I think a lot of people with COVID have rethought some things. And I know I definitely did so yes, I am still working with video with Mirror Your Brilliance, but honestly, uh, one thing that I'm doing is I'm folding it into a mastermind. And what I mean by that is what I realize is you can't, we're kind of past the point where we're talking about video in a vacuum, in a vacuum. I mean, people want to know if it's something that they're hissing doing anyway. It's like, why am I doing this? And how's it going to help me?

Kala (35:06): And the thing that I realized I liked to help people with is doing video in the service of increasing their online following, because that's what I'm going to, that's my focus for 2021 is to build out my platform, my online audience, as a thought leader, um, around writing about social change and interpersonal change. Right? So that's different from being a video coach, but the cool thing is, as I'm doing that, I'm going to be sharing with my mastermind and we will be using a lot of video obviously. And so it's kind of like a working group around not just video, but the strategy around using video and other content and distribution, like you're familiar with, um, the artificial intelligence, you know, Lately. And so talking about that, so my, um, I've also streamlined my offers. So all of the things that I used to do, which was, uh, you know, Mirror Your Brilliance video course, the several things around how to do video.

Kala (35:58): It's now folded into the resource vault for the mastermind. And the mastermind is my main focus for 2021. It's called the Visibility Velocity Mastermind, and we meet twice a month and it's, it's a unique opportunity to, cause I don't have all the answers yet, but I've been in the online space now for four or five years. And this is my main focus now for 2021 and putting out there in a big way, which scares me, you know, because I'm starting from a pretty small number of followers quite honestly, but I just thought, you know, this is the year to go for it and put it out there. So I just, that's what I'm doing. So the, the, I have some openings still in the mastermind and we're just going to see kind of going forward, how that, how that works out. But if anybody's interested in growing their online following then I, this is the perfect opportunity for you at this point. And then also if you have questions on why you would even want to do that, you know, I think more people are wondering that now than more before COVID because now more people are online than there were before COVID, but not everyone still understands how all the pieces come together. So I'm doing some informal meetups, just kind of talking about that as well. And there's information on that in the website.

Nick (37:08): Awesome. That sounds really cool.

Nick (37:11): I really I've been super onboard lately with the whole mastermind concept. There's a couple, I call them masterminds are kind of like small communities, but that masterminds closed group aspect. And it's, I dunno, it's really helped me grow. And you kind of got that accountability from everyone else in the group and can bounce ideas off each other, but it's not, it's more focused, I guess.

Kala (37:34): It's I think if you're trying to build something out, as you know, the face of your business, a solopreneur, you don't have a team yet. I don't know how you do it without one. And I've, I've done, I've gone through periods without one and I've gone through periods with one and you know, we can't do this in a vacuum, so it's, it is powerful. You're right, because of the accountability. And then the learning that happens, you know, you can get three, three things like answered in one meeting that you could be thinking about for four weeks, you know, on your own or you Google it or find the answer. So it has to, you know, be the right group of people for you. But then that's the other thing though, is the network effect, like you don't know who they know and somebody that, you know, might be their ideal next partner. So I do run a Facebook group for women who reported building online businesses. And there's a woman in there who got her product in a swag bag at the Oscars because of her mastermind. And I was like, okay, she went to California and got her picture taken, like who does that? You know, but there she was. So that is the power of a mastermind. Right. Yeah.

Kala (38:39): Right. You just never know. And the world is actually really small in a lot of ways.

Nick (38:44): Yeah, no, that, that is crazy.

Nick (38:49): So, and you said there are still openings in the mastermind it's it's an open deal right now?

Kala (38:54): Yes. There are absolutely. And kind of just getting started quite honestly. And this is, I know when this is going to air, but it's, um, we're, we're going to start out kind of, you know, building out the basics one by one by one, but even, so you, if you come in February, March, all that information and that structure is going to be in place for people to start with. So you can come in and start kind of wherever you're at. And that's one thing I'm really excited about with it. And this year is the year to, to join in because this is our building year and it's really inexpensive relative to what it's going to be. Once I have testimonials from all these people that, you know, killed it online in 2021, like me. So, yeah. Awesome.

Nick (39:37): We will definitely put a link to that in the show notes. So if anybody's interested in getting into this mastermind, definitely go check out the show notes.

Kala (39:44): Yeah. Thank you, Nick. Absolutely.

Nick (39:47): That sounds like a, an awesome place to be.

Kala (39:50): Well, I'm committed. I mean, it's, I have a really, really good attitude. I'm very hard to bring down. So just sort of thing, like you guys know you get Nine-Five folks there, probably a lot of people try and do things to the side gig. It's tough. It's really hard. But um, if you find the right groups and unfortunately, sometimes it's not, you know, your next over next door neighbor, maybe not even be your family. Like why are you spending a lot of time doing that weird thing? Why are you doing a podcast, Nick? That's so weird. What how's that gonna make you any money? You know, if I had a dollar for every time, somebody asked me that question, but, um, so they don't get it. So you got to find your tribe who gets it, who gets it, who's doing it and join up with them. Yeah.

Nick (40:33): All right, Kala, we're kind of coming up on the end here. Um, what would be some last minute tips or strategies or exercises that you would want to leave the listeners so that they can go start focusing on getting in front of that camera? I want them, I think this episode will probably air early 2021. So we're right at the beginning of the year here and ready to take video on head-on into this new year.

Kala (40:59): Okay. I would say pick a date when you want to have three to five videos done, put it on the calendar and it can't be six months from now. It's gotta be relatively soon. So you pick the date, you, those things are going to be done and go out. Then you work back from that, right? Because if you don't do that, then you put it off forever. Pick your date, pick your audience, which is some people know you friendly, you know, accepting and what would delight them? What would they just love to see you do on video? And it, and I, if you were doing three videos, I would suggest it's, you know, a little bit of teaching around something that's interesting you that they would want to know more about. And they don't have to be long. In fact, they shouldn't two minutes max.

Kala (41:38): And then if you get inspired and you want to do more teaching off those two minutes, then be clear that, okay, here's the five minute deep dive. Right. But keep them short and sweet at first. Um, and create your video. Homebase is one of the things we talk about in my course, um, yes, someday, if you want to go shoot with the park or walking down the street, like people are in their cars or whatever, that drives me crazy. When people do video, when they're driving, it just do not do that. But still anyway. Um, but just stay at home, you know, pick one spot to do your videos so that you don't have to feel like you're setting up every time you're going to do a video. It's already within five minutes, you walk on set like Oprah and you do videos and that will help your confidence to perfect. Yeah.

Nick (42:27): I want to make that a challenge to all the listeners here. If you're thinking about getting into video, I want you to do what Kayla just said. I want to pick that date and what your video topic is going to be about. And then I want you to comment in the show notes of this episode, what that date is and what your topic is going to be. And, uh, even though we're not a mastermind group here, we'll try to build some accountability there. So come to the show notes, leave a comment. What is your date and what is your topic going to be about?

Kala (42:56): I love that leaving with an action plan. Yes, absolutely. Show me the action. Yeah. Awesome.

Nick (43:04): Alight, Kala, Now, as we wrap up here, where do you want people to go to find you or get in touch with you?

Kala (43:10): Okay. Well, MirrorYourBrilliance.com is the website. And my email is Kala@mirroryourbrillianceonvideo.com. It's kind of a long URL. That's why I shortened it for the, the website. Um, I'm also on LinkedIn, Kayla Philo and Medium that the blogging platform is Kayla Philo as well. And those I'm easy to find in all those places you can DM me or Facebook. I'm all over Facebook. You can DM me as well. Yeah. Perfect.

Nick (43:38): Like everything else discussed in this episode, all of Kala's links her website to Mirror Your Brilliance, all that will be in the show notes. So make sure you go check out the show notes page, cause there's going to be a lot of great stuff in there. All right, Kala, thank you so much for coming on and talking about video with me. I had a really good time.

Kala (43:58): Good, well, thank you for having me as awesome. And I love what you're doing and just so happy you in the world, spreading all this goodness and especially the best of luck and your listeners as well. Thank you.

Nick (44:07): Yeah. And good luck with your big 2021 adventure.

Kala (44:11): Hey, watch out. I'll be all over the place in a few months. Thanks.

Nick (44:19): Yeah, that is it for the interview with Kala. I really hope you were able to take something away from this interview. And more importantly, I hope you're able to start implementing these strategies and exercises right now.

Nick (44:30): You can listen to this podcast or consume content elsewhere, but you won't be able to make progress until you start taking that action. And I can fully attest to this because I have delayed putting out video content and this podcast for a long time. And now that I've finally taken that leap, I've been able to overcome those fears and get more comfortable and finally feel like I have found my avenue to help and serve others. So if you are nervous, that's good. Use that feeling as assigned to say, this is the time to start now. Any of the links discussed in this episode, as well as links to Mirror Your Brilliance and Kala's social media channels are in the show notes.

Nick (45:10): For this episode, you can find the show notes over on my website at ninefivepodcast.com/episode26. Now, if you're new nine five is all spelled out. That's N I N E F I V E podcast.com/episode 26. If you stuck around to the very end here, I want to thank you. And I would really appreciate it. If you head over to iTunes and left a rating and review, I love hearing the feedback from all the listeners and I'm always looking to grow so head over to iTunes and leave a review and maybe even come over on social media and say, hi, thank you guys so much for tuning in. I look forward to catching up with you guys next week.

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Show Notes

Camera anxiety is one of the main things holding new creators back when it comes to creating video content.

 

“I don’t like the way I look on camera.”

“I won’t be as good as the other YouTubers.”

“Why would someone want to watch my videos?”

 

These are all thoughts that any new video creator has before they get started, myself included.

 

Kala Philo, who has been a video marketing producer for over 15 years, has extensive experience in working with entrepreneurs who have encountered this very thing. Now, she is helping entrepreneurs and business owners utilize video to leverage their businesses and build visibilty around their brands.

 

Why Do I Get Anxious on Camera?

 

This can vary person to person, but the anxiety generally stems from not wanting to be seen. As human beings, we just naturally do not want to be seen by others.

 

Kala’s theory is that this anxiety and fear of being seen goes back to the caveman days when humans had many more predators to worry about. If you are loud and being noticed, you are much more likely to be eaten by larger predatory animals.

This anxiety you’re experiencing is your brains way of trying to protect you from being noticed and putting yourself in a vulnerable (and potentially dangerous) situation.

 

Well getting on camera is going to get you eaten by a tiger, our brain is still fighting against ourselves to avoid be noticed.

 

How Do I Overcome Camera Anxiety?

 

Video Recording Equipment

 

You can easily shell out thousands of dollars in video editing equipment and software.

 

YOU DON’T NEED TO DO THIS!

 

One of the best cameras you easily have access to is right on your mobile device. If you’re just getting started, use your mobile phone to record your videos to start.

The key is to become comfortable with the tools you have.

 

Kala also suggests getting some type of microphone (one that can easily plug into your iPhone or mobile device) and a box light.

 

There are links and resources at the bottom of this page that will provide you with some cheap options for getting started on a budget.

 

Start Small

 

One of the biggest things everyone thinks they need to do is to start creating videos for YouTube. This is not at all necessary.

In this episode, Kala actually mentions using your email list, LinkedIn, or Facebook groups to create videos for, before taking the leap over onto YouTube.

By doing this, you are creating videos in a low-stakes environment where you can get honest feedback without feeling like you are creating video for the entire world.

 

If that is still too intimidating with where you’re at, try to find a small group of individuals that you can reach out to and let them know that you’re trying to create more video content. Used this closed group as a testing ground to practice and grow as a creator.

 

One important thing I didn’t want to neglect touching on is that it is difficult to get your video content seen by the masses.

Just because you put a video on YouTube doesn’t mean everyone is going to see it right away. The way the YouTube algorithms work, you need to be producing a lot of consistent content and know how to navigate the search engines within YouTube.

So don’t let this idea that your video is “out there” prevent you from creating. It will take time to grow and by the time you’re comfortable with video, you’ll be looking for ways to grow and scale your video content.

 

Getting Over Camera Anxiety with Exercises

 

If creating the videos and sharing them is still too much for your right now, there is an exercise Kala mentions that I want you to give a try.

Set up your camera (even your phone can work well for this) and script out a line by filling in the blanks to this statement:

 

“I help ____ do ____ so they can do____.”

 

Practice with this line and record yourself repeating this line 5-10 times.

Play around with the energy in which you say this line, the tone of your voice you are using, and just play with it.

 

This statement is a good one to practice with, because it is essentially your mission statement. It is like a little video pitch for what it is that you do.

Once you’ve got this line recorded, I challenge you to post it on social media (Instagram Stories may be a great place for this).

 

Remember: you aren’t trying to be perfect. Nobody is perfect. Find the best recording of those 5-10 that you recorded and go with. Your transparency (and minor mistakes you make) show that you are human.

 

Create a Pre-Video Recording Checklist

 

Checklists can be a great way to make sure you don’t forget anything before you start recording.

I highly-recommend starting with some type of pre-recording checklist if you’re new to video.

 

In my personal experience, if you’re nervous about recording yourself on camera, it can be really easy to forget some of the most basic quality checks before hitting record.

If you listen in on the episode, I share my time-wasting “oops” from recording my first video series on the episode – Hey, no one is perfect!

 

Video Creation Challenge 2021

 

Kala made some suggestions on the episode that I want to turn into a bit of a challenge.

 

Here’s how the challenge is going to work:

 

I want you to pick a date for you to have 3-5 videos recorded and done.

These don’t need to be lengthy videos. For the first few, let’s shoot for 2-5 minutes each.

Identify who your audience is.

Determine what kind of content your audience would be delighted to see.

 

When you’ve got this all planned out, I want you to comment on this post and share what date you have chosen as your target date, and what your vidoes are going to be about.

Once you record these videos, post them on Instagram and tag @ninefivefree and @mybonvideo (or send them to my DMs) and share what you’ve created.

 

I’d love to watch the videos you’ve made and provide any feedback I have to offer!

Links & Resources

Note: Some of the links listed below may be affiliate links. This means I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you choose to purchase through them.

Connect

Video Equipment

Additional Resources

 

If you haven’t done this already, you can leave a review of the Nine-Five Podcast over on iTunes

Thank You!

I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Nine-Five Podcast. Thank you so much for listening!

 

If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to iTunes and leave a review. Your reviews are what help get this podcast in front of more people!

 

I want to push you to complete the challenge listed mentioned in the episode (details just above the resource links)

Leave your answers in the comments below.

 

 

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"The value you provide to others directly correlates to your success. The more value you provide, the more successful you become. Focus on the value!"

- Nick Nalbach

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I am an entrepreneur and adventure enthusiast, looking to break free from the Nine-Five grind. I'll show you what has worked and is currently working for me, as well as what hasn't worked so well.

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