Up until 2 months ago, I had never edited a video. I didn’t know which software to use. I didn’t know anything about lighting or how to make a video interesting to watch.
I’ve been in front of a camera to record plenty of videos. But the idea of learning how to do the backend work was especially daunting.
The first batch of videos that I uploaded to YouTube I didn’t edit at all. I recorded them while starting at my IPhone, then plopped them on to YouTube. Nobody watched them. I used an AI generated Thumbnail and didn’t put any descriptions on the video.
Nobody watched them. That’s okay. I learned something about the process.
In this last week, I read Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. He was one of the greatest advertisers ever, and even though he wrote copy during a time of newspapers, I think his advice is timeless.
There is a section in his book about billboards. Aside from calling billboards a visual blight, he also explained that they are a visual medium, and you get about 6 words to explain your message. Your picture must tell the story.
I realized that Thumbnails are the YouTube equivalent of billboards. If I want anybody to pause and watch the video, I need to figure out Thumbnails.
I feel like I made headway in how to make Thumbnails that don’t look like garbage. I’m going to show you my work, and hopefully you can put it to good use.
First, I start with a still video in Clipchamp, my video editing software.
I snip out an individual frame of myself from the video.
Use Microsoft paint to “Remove Background”
Go to Canva and find a free YouTube Template.
Upload my photo as an image and set it as the background of the template.
Voila, my YouTube thumbnail is not nearly so crappy as before.
Look, I know it’s not perfect. I would prefer it if I could cut out the picture of myself in a more precise shape so that I could layer it onto the Thumbnail and keep the colors from the template.
But it’s progress.
Quick Results Update on YouTube
Look, I don’t know if it’s the Thumbnails, but the YouTube algorithm started suggesting my videos for the three most recent videos. Those three videos have significantly better thumbnails. Coincidence? Maybe. I don’t spend a lot of time or energy trying to understand algorithms.
I’m also skeptical of how the algorithm chooses which videos should refer people to my content…
But the algorithms promote content that keeps people on the platform, that’s what is in their best interest. Clickable thumbnails keep people glued to their screens.
Best sales moment
I opened a first appointment by asking a question from my prospect: “What made you willing to take this call?”
“I took this call because I’m a salesperson and you made a great cold call.”
I laughed out loud. Here’s what the cold call sounded like:
“Hey there businessowner, most people like yourself are looking for ways to reduce their liability and workers compensation insurance costs, but don’t know how. Do you have 15 minutes to talk?”
“How did you find me?” he asked.
“I target home health agencies just like you. I use Insurance X date as a resource to build a list. Then I cross reference LinkedIn and D&B Hoovers as resources to identify the decision maker,” I answered.
That was it. That’s what the business owner determined to be a great cold call.
As the first appointment progressed, he started talking about the problems that he’s having with his current broker. Late renewals, high costs, big audits, etc…
Here my takeaways:
1. Showing intention is more important than a great script
2. Nobody likes to tell you their problems when you first ask.
3. But if they’re talking to you, there’s usually a reason. Just keep asking questions.
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