Today's episode is a little bit different. It is an audio recording of a live stream that I did last week, launching my signature programme, The Video Accelerator. Now in it, I talk through all the key video elements that business owners are looking at filming and creating across live streams, pre-recorded content, stories and more. And I acknowledge the fact that energy at the moment is super low because of COVID because of changing of restrictions in varying states, across Australia and countries across the world. And so I wanted to do a short episode, and share with you the content of that live stream as a bit of a - it's all right, everyone's spending it. And here are some short, sharp tips that you can action right now. I hope you enjoy.

Hello and welcome to the Rebecca Saunders show your place to discover how to build resilience, craft confidence, and have a huge impact on the world. This podcast is for female business owners wanting the skills and knowledge they need to show up and stand out in a noisy digital world. Over the last decade, I've built a global seven figure production company and worked with organisations both big and small to create impactful video content for business growth. I have a purpose built film studio in Sydney, Australia, where my team and I produce live virtual events. And I run my signature online programme, The Video Accelerator twice a year to help make that scary video journey just that little bit easier. Recently, after 25 years of wearing a wig in public, I took my first step out into the world hair-free in a bold move to encourage confidence in front of the camera and ownership of individual uniqueness. Every week on this podcast, you'll hear honest, insightful and practical conversations with successful business owners, entrepreneurs, and video specialists, which will give you the tools and knowledge you need to step into your power on the small screen described by my clients as a video ninja. I'm your host, Rebecca Saunders, and I cannot wait to dive into this episode with you. Let's do it.

Welcome. Welcome. Welcome. It is an exciting day for me today. It is the launch of The Video Accelerator programme. For those of you that haven't been following me for long thank you for tuning in The Video. Accelerator is my signature programme, which I only run twice a year. So I'm a little bit excited, but before I want to deep dive into that kind of stuff I wanted today, first up, just to acknowledge that it is November the 2nd, we have had an incredibly crazy two years as, a population we're still not quite out of the woodworks yet when it comes to COVID, but we are all out and about. We are able do that with finally sort of socialising with people I don't know about you, but my energy levels are tanking a lot because of the amount of energy actually takes to talk to people in real life.

And I thought virtual was difficult. So first of all, I really want to just say thank you for showing up and being committed to showing up to me being live today. I am committed to showing up for you guys. I will be going live at 11 o'clock every morning on weekdays, I would say for tips and tricks on video hacks. And the reason I'm doing these lives is, you know, yes, to tell you that The Video Accelerator is open and I would love to have you onboard. But also just give you some helpful, take home nuggets of gold so that you can actually go away action those things, and if you want to learn more, you can come do it. But if you don't and you just want those little tip bits, you go, you know what Bec that actually solved that problem for me today. Thank you so much. You've already set me on a good footing if that's what you get out of the live streams, as we talk about it, incredible, like that's what I want from you or for you, I should say.

So what you're going to get from me is raw truth. We're just going to talk a little bit around video pieces today I'll run you through towards the end of the live what's involved in The Video Accelerator. I'm also really hoping, you know, that you're not picking up the construction noise that's happening outside of my window because sod's law, it's been quiet all morning and all of a sudden we go live and there is noise. So hopefully you're not picking up too much of that up. So the title of today's live was very much around Let's Really Talk Video. And the reason I've chosen to do my live streams and the productions from home is that I have a video production company at my disposal.

It is mine. I have an incredible team. I have an incredible studio space, but I am very aware that I probably am one of very few people across the globe that has that at my disposal. So part of me doing the lives, part of me doing the sections of my programme from home is to show you that I've got limited equipment at home. I deliberately set myself up with limited equipment to show you that you can do it too. If you're looking at my fancy microphone, I started getting this because it was in the studio and we were closed for a couple of weeks and brought it home just for effect, and I'm having a lot of fun with it. In fact, I've just started my own podcast, the Rebecca Saunders Show, because I've got the kit set up here. But outside of that kit, all I have at home is a webcam and a very tiny light, which I'm not even using right now because, I've got small little hacks there in terms of there's a window in front of me and everything on the screen in front of me is bright white.

So you don't really need to be investing in lots of equipment if you haven't got anything at the moment. So yeah, the reason I wanted to jump on like this is to show you that you don't need all the fancy stuff. You just need to know how to use what's around the house. What's around your office, how you can actually use that how you can set up your space, wherever you are to create great video for your businesses. So to start with, let's just touch on the three main types of video that I see people struggling with or creating or talking to me about. All of those things are all equivalently valid at this point in time. And those three things are prerecorded content. Should I, shouldn't I be investing in fancy equipment? Should I, or shouldn't I be spending money with the pros?

The next is live streaming. Oh, do I have to do it? Do I have to go live and see people's comments? Do I need to show my face and you know, go off the cuff as hard as that is and the answer, unfortunately, yes, it does help grow your business, but we'll be talking about the live element and then stories. One of my favourite things to do on Instagram is stories. Back in the day, I was a very big fan of Snapchat stories. I am showing my age there for those of you that I've covered that up for a while. But yes, so stories are fantastic. We'll go through how to manage those, and those really are the three key things. Actually, I've just thought of one more, that's going to be videos in terms of virtual production. So we're talking zoom, Microsoft teams.

Right now in this context of these conversations around The Video Accelerator is all about making sure you're set up for success from home using zoom teams, WebEx, whatever the system is that you're setting up to run your workshops, run your webinars, making sure that those settings are correct and everything's set up. So, you know, they're your four key areas. I think right now, given the COVID world, that we're in very aware that we're all thinking, oh, I don't really want to be doing more video. I've had enough of screen time. It's all just built a bit too much, but what about all the new people you've been able to talk to and been able to reach and all the spare time you've had back at home, or spare time back in your diaries because you're not commuting.

So I wanted to just change the paradigm in the way that we're thinking about virtual and videos at the moment. And I want you to just think that, yes, we're tired. We're at the end of the crazy crazy year. I feel you, I get it. What we're doing is short bite sized pieces, but you can't take your foot off the accelerator with this stuff. You've got to keep going. And there's some tricks to doing that, batch filming is one of my favourite, favourite things. So if there's one thing that you take away from this particular live stream today, other than signing up to The Video Accelerator, cause you know, you want to spend six weeks with me, is thinking about batching content. So this could be a video, that you're wanting to release once a week. It could be something that you're releasing once a month. Start by listing down maybe 12 FAQ's - frequently asked questions, things people are constantly asking you about your service or your business.

Start writing those down. That's going to form the basis of your first 12 videos. Super, super simple when you get it to that level, right? 12, 12 titles, 12 videos, questions, you answer all the time. And with that list of 12, you can do one of multiple things you can go and pre-record all that content together. So list them all out, start recording those 12 videos, do them all in one big batch, happy days, record them, schedule them to go live and you could schedule them as I said, once a week or once a month. So that could be a quarter's worth of content. It could be a year's worth of content. It really depends on how regular you want to be pushing video out here. But the thing I want you to remember, it's not about the quantity that you're putting out, it's about the consistency of the quality of the content that you're putting out.

So that means yes, I could be doing it once a week. I could be doing it once a month, but as soon as I miss one of those steps, I'm almost losing my audience. I'm losing my audience because they're expecting me to show up. And if I don't show up at that time, then that's going to be a negative thing for them. So what I want you to be able to do is just to commit to a block of video content and commit to when you're going to schedule that out, see if you bulk film something, then you've literally got to spend half a day, a day of your time actually being in front of the camera. And then that content can just spiral on and on and on and on, as you schedule that out. So that's a really, really easy way of starting your video journey.

Now, if you're a little bit like, oh, I'd rather fly by the seat of my pants, I'm kind of okay with winging it a little bit, then take those 12 video topics and make them a live stream topic. Again, you can go live weekly or monthly. It doesn't matter. In my opinion, I would go live at the same time on the same day each week or each month, just for extra consistency there. But you could just have those topics and speak once a week, once a month to those topics. And that's your 12 videos done again, consistency that you've committed to it. And it all starts with those 12 questions that you wrote down earlier. Hopefully you've got a pen and paper handy, or those 12 questions super, super easy. And I guess really I'm using this example because The Video Accelerator for me, whilst I've got multiple online courses and programmes that you can self pace your way through.

And I've worked with small business owners, keynote speakers, thought leaders, individual business owners, so duos and also individuals all the way through to large corporates, the problems are quite similar and the way that I've managed to make my business work. And last year we did in a pandemic take the business from almost closing the doors to 7 figures. So we cracked the seven figure mark during COVID was through understanding how to talk about and educate and encourage people to start thinking about and using video differently. How to think about the camera as a friend so that you can talk to. How you can make sure that eyeline is correct, how you can practise, practise, practise, and it's all going to be okay because it's not necessarily so scary. And I say that now, because it's taken a lot of training, a lot of work I've been in the industry for a decade, but the number of people that stepped up and stepped into their power through video last year alone, was incredible to watch.

And I just don't want the end of 2021 to be a sliding downhill scale for business owners. I want to give tips, tricks, helpful things that people can run with, ask questions about, talk with peers in the similar or different industries and actually start 2022 with purpose, with an action plan, with the ability to go, you know what? This is going to be my year and I'm going to smash it. Video is going to be the driving force for that. So with that, I am so excited. Today is day one of The Video Accelerator launch week. As I said, I will be going live every day at 11:00 AM. And for those of you who are listening to the audio recording of this production that I'm doing right now, you'll find all of those. I'll link them in the show notes in the comments.

You can always go back. These recordings are going to be available. I'm not going to delete them. They're not a time sensitive thing. The content that I'm delivering this week is going to stand the test of time. So if you don't show up at 11:00 AM, head back to the social channels, check them out, do learn. I'm going to keep them short and sweet cause I'm conscious of people's time and conscious of people's energy levels. But if you've got any questions about anything that I'm talking about, pop them in the comments, send me a note through my website, RebeccaSaunders.com. We're here to answer those questions that has been the backbone of what we've been doing throughout the history of business for me, but much more so during the pandemic, when we were able to actually help people, able to help businesses cause we were one step further in the video journey.

So if at any point you've got some specific questions ask during launch week, you can ask away, you can ask, ask, ask, and I'll be here to answer those as well. My team, and the reason I say during launch week is because in the video accelerator, it is a six week programme that you get access to for 12 weeks. And within the first six weeks of that show or of that programme, you get an hour with me an hour every week to talk through the topic of that week to deep dive into anything specific that's around your business and your business troubles with, with video that could be, I've bought this fancy mic and I can't make it work. Can you help me with that? That could be, I'm doing webinars on zoom, but my recordings just aren't coming out, right?

Where have I gone wrong with my settings? How can I make this better for my audience? Or it could be, I have no space in my home, in my office to set up regularly. What are the tips and tricks that I can do so that I can set myself up for successful video recordings quickly and easily without feeling the stress and overwhelm of having so much to do - it could be any of those things. It could be none of those things. It could be anything you want. We got regarding video whilst we go through the six weeks of content, you get the chance to access me for an hour a week Q&A. So we can deep dive into those things for you. As part of it, you've also got access to my team. My team will be on those Q&A calls to answer anything from a technical perspective.

If we're deep diving into specific equipment and then you get the chance to book extra sessions with them, extra help, if you need it. It's not something that I publicly advertise to everyone. You've got to be in the programme to be able to have access to those video ninja calls. Because like with my time, my team's time is precious as is your time. So we're taking it seriously. I need you to have learned and understood the content that we're teaching you so that you can have, the ability to ask tangible questions so that we can give you tangible answers so that you can go take action. It's all about action for me. As I said at the very, very beginning, it is all about giving you the tools you need to be able to take action into 2022 and absolutely nail video.

So as a quick wrap up to today, how does this all work? How do I cover off free recorded content, stories, live streams, webinars, DIY stuff versus pro stuff all as, in one six week course. And the answer is in bite size, baby chunks, bite sized baby chunks that you can just run with. You can pick and choose as you want to. In week one, we're kicking off next week. We're talking about presenter styles, how you can define your on-camera presence. If you've seen me talk before I talk about showing the sheep and not being, just the one that follows the crowd, but to stand up and do things your way. So we're going to teach you how to craft that and get you prepped so that you've got the ability, to have a solid plan. So that's week one, we're just gonna ease you in, finding your own unique style on camera.

And then on week two, I'm going to teach you my scripting system. And I'm so excited about this because I hear so much, what do I say? How do I say it? Yeah. Where do I even start? And so I've got a whole system that I've developed and crafted and perfected over the last decade. And I'm going to teach you my full-proof scripting system as part of week two in weeks, rates are going to be camera confidence. It's going to be getting a competent front of the camera, teaching you how to dress your set, how to dress for camera, how to make eyeline right. Everything just to make you feel like, actually, this is pretty good. It's not so scary. It's going to be all right. And you know, we're just going to get you into the zone because in week four, as we're kicking off the festive season, which I'm so excited about, we're going to be all about lights, camera, action.

And I've just dedicated a week to this. I've dedicated a week to setting you up for success, with lighting, with visuals, and to roll the camera. Very clear step-by-step guides in how to do that. As I said, with equipment that you may already have with your phone, with your webcam, it doesn't have to be fancy equipment. It's going to be things that you have around the house. If you've got fancy equipment, we can deep dive into the technicals in the Q&A and as part of that, I'm teaching you how to edit, right? So how to edit your videos, or this might not be something that you want to do, but it might be a module that you want one of your team members to be part of. And that's okay too. We're covering off on editing in Premiere Pro, which is the big fancy editing software that major production companies use, including mine.

We're covering off on iMovie because it's free, it's available on any apple computer. And I'm really excited because I've just found out that one of my favourite companies has also really deep dived into video stuff at the moment. And I'm going to be teaching you how to use Canva to do video editing as well. So if you're a Canva junkie, like I am see the pretty branding. If you're watching this video on Facebook, YouTube or LinkedIn, is that it is that kind of branding that I'm wanting to smash out with you and make your videos look amazing. Just as we're starting to sort of going through that, it sounds a lot, but you know what? It's going to be bite-size and we're going to be helping you every step of the way. Finally, I'm going to wrap it up with how to nail the live content.

So that could going live. Like you're seeing me now, it could be going live in a webinar. We're going to cover off on all of those things. And then we're going to wrap it all up at the end of week six, with how to leverage the magic of the content that you've learned to create. And proof is in the pudding for me right now, because not only am I as part of this recording going live across Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram, the audio of this recording will be turned into a podcast. And so I'm going to teach you how to leverage the magic, how to create content in bulk, how to look and sound absolutely fantastic so that you can start growing your business with video. If that sounds like something that you really want to be a part of, and I would love for you to come and be a part of it with me.

It's the video accelerator programme. It is a six week programme. It is only open twice a year. Twice a year I opened the doors to this programme and the reason I do it twice a year is so that you get all of me and all of my team for that timeframe. As I said, only open twice a year and it's available at rebeccasaunders.com. I would love to see you in there. Questions, comments, put them in the chat box. Let me know. I'm available during launch week to jump in and answer any of those. Let's do this. Let's not take our foot off the accelerator. Let's keep things going. Let's keep smiling in front of the camera. Keep showing up for our clients, for our customers and head into a beautiful Christmas season. Knowing with skilled up with the knowledge and tools we need to hit 2022 with flying colours straight off the mark.

There, you have it. Thank you so much for listening to a slightly unconventional podcast from me today, the recording from my live stream last Tuesday. Now I talked about The Video Accelerator a lot in there, and I would love for you to be a part of it. Doors are open for another 48 hours and they close at 6:00 PM Sydney time on Wednesday, the 10th of November. So if you're one of the lucky people who is listening to this podcast in that period of time, in that 14 hour period, I would love for you to go and check that out. Visit RebeccaSaunders.com. The button at the top on the front of the page is the one you need to hit to go and see what The Video Accelerator is all about. Now, if you've jumped on and listened to this podcast after the 10th of November. Thank you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for taking an interest. And if you want to go and have a listen and have a look at what the video accelerator is all about. Follow the same instructions, click the link to join the waitlist. I'll be opening again in May, 2022.

That's a wrap on another episode of the Rebecca Saunders Show. Thank you so much for tuning in. I really hope you've taken some golden nuggets away from today's show and a one step closer to having a huge impact on the world. If you've loved this episode, please share it on Instagram and Facebook with your friends or on LinkedIn, with your colleagues and business network. And if you've really liked to make my day, you can pop a review on iTunes. If you have any questions about today's episode, come on over to Instagram for a chat. You can find me at the handle @TheRebeccaSaunders. And if you'd like to know more about what I can do for you, check me out RebeccaSaunders.com. I'll see you next time on The Rebecca Saunders Show.