Blogging is great. It allows writers to channel their inner voice and reach out to a targeted audience. However, with the rise of video in content marketing, many bloggers are looking for ways to repurpose their content and turn their blog posts into videos. Read on and find out how to use your blog post and start a vlog.
How to start a vlog using your blog for inspiration
We can all feel that the human attention span is rapidly shortening, and video storytelling helps deliver messages more effectively in a prompt manner. Here are some statistics that might interest you:
- By 2019, Internet video traffic will make up 80% of all global consumer Internet traffic.
- 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in their decision-making process.
- Facebook generates 8 billion video views on average per day, and that’s not even looking at YouTube.
It is plainly obvious that video is the right way to go for content marketers. In today’s society, video content reaches an audience far broader than written posts ever could. That is why many blog writers are converting their blog posts to video content.
How to start a vlog: Start recording
One of the best ways to change your blog posts into videos is to simply record yourself, Using your blog post as your script. Think about what you want to show in your video and arrange the setting for recording. There are several things you need to take into account prior to creating a vlog, such as:
- Camera: Make sure you have a decent camera. A professional camera is a preferable choice, but a quality smartphone will do just as well.
- Microphone: The built-in microphone in your camera or smartphone is no good. What you want is an affordable microphone that will make your voice crystal clear.
- Video editing tool: Video editing software is an essential tool when it comes to creating videos. These tools will allow you to combine all the pieces of content and create one cohesive video.
- Lighting: Proper lighting will add a sense of professionalism to the video and entice viewers into watching. A poorly lit video is the first sign of amateurism and it drives people off the video more than you would think.
If you don’t have, or can’t afford a proper lighting set, try filming near a window or outside. Always remember, the quality of the video is just as important as the content of the video. With all of the video content available online today, people expect top-quality content.
How to start a vlog: Prepare the content
A good thing about repurposing content is that you can use the same material in a different way. Think of your blog posts as scripts. Use the basic information presented in them, and adapt it to a more flowing speech pattern. Make sure you that you have the following:
- Introduction
- Key points
- Core video content
- Resolution
- Outro
- CTA
A well-structured video will entice viewers into watching until the end. Remember, you need to portray your vlog in a friendly manner by casually showcasing your own quirks as a content creator. Not being unique is a reason why many struggle with their YouTube channel.
How to start a vlog: Create slideshows
This is another way to transform your blog posts into videos. Slideshows are effective when it comes to showcasing content in a visual form. This is a relatively faster solution of creating videos from your blogs than manually recording yourself and editing the video clips. This is what you’ll need to do in order to create a slideshow video:
- Combine photos and images that you want to use with the content of your blog posts. Make sure each one of the slides has a clear purpose in order to keep the viewers entertained.
- Find a video making tool that turns photos into professional videos. One such tool is Adobe Spark that auto-generates slideshows from photos and images in just a few simple steps.
- Choose an app that is free and allows users to create videos within minutes. These apps only require a few simple steps to go from signing up to designing your slideshow.
- The next step is to insert the photos and videos and customize your own specific style. Afterwards, you can add titles or captions that will give context to the story, especially if that context isn’t clear with your photos.
- Lastly, you should preview the video in order to see what it looks like. If everything looks okay, proceed by sharing the video.
Since there is already a blog post that has every single detail covered, the slideshows should convey the material quickly and easily. You should focus on the fundamental ideas, and refer people to the blog for the details.
How to start a vlog: Optimize your videos
You don’t want to put all this effort into into creating videos to be in vain, right? The best way to make sure your videos kick off in the right direction is to apply several optimization tactics, such as:
- Add and optimize your video title, description, tag, and category. Use the same keywords in these sections which you were trying to use in your blog post.
- Create an eye-catching thumbnail that will represent the video in your own style.
- Add closed captions and subtitles in order to appeal to larger crowds, and for the search engine benefits.
- Create playlists which group together similar videos. This will allow viewers to watch a bunch of videos in a row.
Optimize your video the same way you optimize your blog posts when you choose specific keywords. Keep in mind that every search engine has its own unique algorithm that ranks videos according to their optimization level. A little optimization, with proper social proof, can go a long way in improving the ranking of your videos.
How to start a vlog: Convert text content to voice
To make a slideshow more appealing to crowds, you should also consider converting the text content to voice. That sounds more difficult than it actually is. All you need to do is find an app that will do all of the work for you. There are many tools that can convert text content to voice, like:
These online speech solutions will allow you to convert any written text into spoken natural sounding speech.
Converting text into audio will make it easier for people to retain information and can be helpful for those who have a visual impairment.
How to start a vlog by using your blog
Turning your blog into a vlog doesn’t necessarily have to be a difficult task. All you have to do is find a way to transform your blog content into visual content, all the while making sure that the quality of the video is outstanding. Here are the necessary steps to start a vlog using your blog:
- Equip yourself with the proper tools
- Be natural when you are vlogging
- Use your blog content as a script
- Create slideshows
- Optimize your videos
- Convert text to audio
Blog posts provide a wealth of information ready to be harvested in a video format. Whether you would be more comfortable recording yourself in front of a camera or creating a slideshow, it’s totally up to you.
The point of transforming your written content into videos is to give your audience more options to consume content. That doesn’t mean you should stop blogging, but it does mean that you should look for a more suitable solution to reach audiences in a variety of ways. If you struggle to get an audience, take a look at buying YouTube views to push them further to be as successful as possible.