Episode 15- This is Grant: The Webinar Guy.
Last episode, 14, I had two main points:
When given the chance to be drive through or fine dining, be fine dining, and by extension- Be a chef!
I think the points there, are obvious. Prepare as well as you can, but at some point you need to stop aiming and fire.
So what’s next? When planning your webinar there is very little in preparation that HAS to be done in any certain order.
You have to START! But whether you start your slide deck first or start social media planning first pretty much doesn’t matter. You need to be on both! On ALL the things that matter!
That said, let’s talk more about planning. I’ve found it really helpful to have a check list to work off. Over time we’ve developed a multi-sheet/multi-tab Excel spreadsheet that has more than 75 line items and growing every week as new things come up! This sheet has pull downs for tracking responsibility and such. We use every day!
When planning, some of these items you may only ever need to visit or touch once- For instance, you purchase a mic, camera, lighting, etc. and get it set up.
That’s on our list. Yet chances are, once set up, you’ll not have to worry about those things again. But here’s something that can catch you- What I just said IS true. BUT- What about guest presenters, or panelists?
While it may seem duplicitous, it IS worth checking- EVERYTHING- for what you don’t check will eventually bite you. And as needed, check the items on your checklist with anyone involved!
Some days we’re managing five webinars and without that check list things would get forgotten, I’m sure.
How do you get a copy of our “The Webinar Guy” planning sheet? Visit our website and fill out the popup form on the home page! And if that is being blocked by your browser, Hit our contact form and specifically ask for it. The free version is a PDF you can print as often as you need. We update that free PDF form every month or so, but not on a regular basis.
The excel form that we are constantly updating and upgrading and adding things to is available for purchase. Drop us a line about that also and we’ll connect and get you a copy. And when we update, we’ll send you the update for free!
Enough with the commercial. Let’s dig into the things we spoke of earlier, the audio and the visual.
Solid audio and video require a good microphone and a good webcam- that you probably had figured out. Well, what is good and how deep do you go into your pocket? How much do you spend? More and more, really good USB mics can do a really nice job! And you may spend less than $100, maybe only $30.
What is your “look” going to be? Is it okay to wear ear pods or headphones? On that note, avoid headphone mics like are used for gaming unless you check the quality.
Are you going for a green screen studio? BTW that is a whole unique box of rocks. I wish I had back all the time spent on eliminating glare on my glasses and the “wrong lights”. But I digress.
I have several clients that do their webinars on their ear pods, and use the mic that is on the wire and they sound awesome! Best to buy something recommended and test it. I’m a staunch supporter of Sweetwater audio, but there are many places to buy equipment. Do some homework, ask friends. In the case of mics and cameras, you can somewhat literally spend as much as you’d like, but don’t need to.
Again, think of your end goals.
Cameras: laptop cameras can be fine, but consider: More often than not, the angle that makes it easy to see the screen, when your laptop in on your desk is rarely the angle that is good for the camera. Put your laptop up on a box or other raised surface, so you’re looking more directly at it.
If you buy a separate camera, look for a glass lens that will give you a great picture. Look at the software. While not critical the ability to Pan and zoom your camera-using software, is a nice feature and I use both often. Sometimes you just need a tiny nudge to get the look right.
If you ever think you might try a dual camera setup; 1st a Main that you look directly into, and you add a 2nd “Side” camera shooting at you from an angle, that you switch to and back, it’s a great idea to buy that second camera when you buy the first, if possible. Regardless, buy two of the exact same brand/model, etc. I did that by chance, but was glad I had. Later I also bought a different- what could be called “Better” camera later and it was impossible to balance the light between the two! It was horrible! So back to the first two I bought that you see here.
In the 2 camera setup I use now, there’s only 20” or so between the cameras, but occasional switching really makes the video a bit more interesting. And with using a OBS software trick you can add a zoom and make it look like three!
I’ve really not beaten up the camera thing, but there are so many options and there’s a thousand videos, reviews, “how to’s” etc on line that for the purposes of this series, no need to go any further on cameras. Again-do your research and buy something that you’re happy with.
Next episode we’ll talk SOUND. You may know that I also work as a Voice Artist, so the sound thing will be interesting to you I’m sure!
Until then…
This series is for smaller organizations and soloprenuers that may not be tech savvy, don’t know all the steps, or don’t WANT to know all the steps.
Over the series, I’m going to lead you through the significant decisions and capabilities you’ll need to “Zoom to Webinar Success!”
As always, if you need help now, don’t hesitate to reach out at WebinarPro@TheWebinarGuy.com
Thank you for watching!
Podcast audio
Would love to hear your questions and comments!