These days it seems like everyone is fully on board with video content. While showing up on video can be fun, it can also certainly be a little bit intimidating in one way or another.

Even though I have always felt pretty confident in my ability to speak to people, I really didn't know anything about how to use my camera and my first videos were often shot out of focus or with distracting backlighting.

Since video is at the forefront of pretty much every major social media platform right now and I believe it is essential to the success of a modern day content creator, I wanted to share my top 10 actionable tips for how to look natural on video and showing up on camera with confidence so that face the camera without fear.

1. Find a quiet filming area

I do live in an apartment building in a busy city so there are occasionally sounds in the hallways or down on the street.

As much as I can accommodate with my filming schedule, I will try to film at quieter times like early morning where I know that kids are not out from school yet or that people have already gone off to work.

That way I can sit in my filming spot and record content in a nice, quiet place so I can make sure my audience will get decent sound when they watch and so that I don’t get distracted while I’m filming.

2. Take the pressure off

Being on camera can feel intimidating, so let’s take the pressure off! If there's something that I filmed and I didn't quite love my wording, I will likely film it a second time and then in editing, I can always choose the clip that I prefer to actually go in the video.

Remember that you can always do multiple different takes. Make sure that you have room on your memory card on your camera, and if you're filming on your phone, you can check and see how much storage you have available too.

When in doubt, film as much as you want and know you can always edit it down later.

3. Do a test run and watch yourself

You may not realize it, but we all have little movements or quirks that we can do subconsciously. Maybe it’s playing with your hair, talking with your hands, or saying “um” more than you mean to.

This is why I recommend watching yourself and practicing where you can see yourself and how you appear on camera.

A few places you can do this: looking in the mirror, using the viewfinder / flip screen on a camera, over FaceTime with a friend, and so on. Practice, and take note of anything that you may want to adjust.

4. Test your filming equipment

After you check in on your own actions, you’ll want to check on your equipment too!

If you’re filming content for TikTok or reels, make sure that you’re fully in the frame of your camera.

If you’re using a DSLR camera, make sure you’re in focus and that the lighting looks good and that you’re framed the way you want to be.

For YouTube I always film a few poses for my YouTube thumbnail first that takes about 60 seconds so I can have that footage but also quickly confirm that everything looks good from a production standpoint.

(Need affordable filming equipment? Here’s what I use!)

5. Wear something that makes you feel confident

You may notice that in my videos I am almost always in a dress or top that is a fun color because I tend to feel more confident when I'm wearing color.

I also like how it plays in a little bit with my background, it helps me stand out a lot more than if I were wearing black, white or a neutral color.

That’s my go-to look for a YouTube video these days, but you can find whatever makes you feel the most comfortable and confident and that works for you.

When you look good, you feel good and that will really come through on camera as well.

6. Remember your message and who you’re talking to

All of my videos on YouTube have a common theme—helping content creators by giving them tips and strategies to feel confident with content creation and learn how to navigate this industry and run a creator business.

That's always in the back of my mind whenever I'm filming videos and it really helps me stay focused and motivated when I'm on camera to picture who I’m talking to.

By the way, If you are not 100% clear on your niche or who your audience is, I highly recommend checking out my free guide The Influencer Launchpad!

This is a free resource that I've created that is filled with tons of actionable tips and resources, including figuring out what posting platform is best for you, finding your “why” as a creator, and so much more. Grab your copy here.

7. Give yourself talking points

For talking videos, make yourself a bulleted list of talking points and keep it off to the side of your camera on your phone or laptop.

By doing this as I'm talking, I can glance back down, see what my next point is, and then look back up at the camera.

Usually I’ll just add a simple bullet point and then allow myself to talk freely about that one guiding point so it feels more conversational, but you can write down key points word for word if you are still getting used to being on camera.

8. Personality > perfection

Remember that people really want to see your personality on YouTube and that should shine through.

In fact, sometimes when I've messed up in videos before or you know not quite said the right thing, it's actually turned out to be better than what would have happened if I had just stuck with the plan.

Personality is really the thing that really draws people in and gets them to know, like and trust you which is really important for building a successful creator business and a personal brand online.

Personality > perfection

We are all humans and sometimes we make mistakes. There are times when I’ve messed up on camera that I’ve left in my videos because they end up being funny or endearing.

9. Always throw away the first pancake

The saying “always throw away the first pancake” is actually a really good one to apply to video content creation.

I remember when I first started my YouTube channel, I was so insistent I was like I'm going to sit down and fill my first two videos like they're going to be perfect and I'm just going to upload them and I literally couldn't use the first one because of how blurry and out of focus it was.

I was majorly bummed, but if I could give a piece of advice to anyone who's new to video content creation especially if you are filming long form content or talk through content for your YouTube channel is to film a video and then don’t post it!

You can delete it, you can save it to laugh at years later, but it takes the pressure off of having to show it to anyone.

So that's the saying “always throw away the first pancake” because it might be a little lumpy or it might not have cooked evenly at first, but by the time the griddle warms up the rest of the pancakes should cook evenly.

Those are my best tips for how to feel confident on camera! I really hope that this post helped you and gave you some new ideas.

Any questions? Other suggestions that have worked for you? Please leave me a comment and let me know.

yours,

Austen

Photo above by: Jessie Alcheh

9 Tips For Being Confident on Camera as an Influencer