NEW EPISODE: How to Get Better Sound in Your Videos

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Whether you're following the Vyral Marketing plan of sending educational videos to your database or simply recording videos on your own, the most important part of a great video is the sound quality. It all starts with a webcam, and they are fantastic these days - you can find an amazing webcam that shoots in 1080p video resolution for under $100. In general, when you sit down close to the webcam the sound will be pretty good. The challenge is: What if you really want your message to be heard? What if you want strong, powerful, and clear audio - exceptional audio?

Most people will put up with poor video quality, but they certainly won't put up with poor audio quality. If your video has crackling or unclear audio, people will click away from your video in a matter of seconds. If the goal is to keep your audience engaged, your message needs to be clear. Today, we share our tips on how you can make sure your audio sounds great, without having to spend a whole bunch of money in the process. 

Tip #1: Record yourself close to the webcam




This is an easy tip and a free one. It's very easy to sit too far away from the webcam, especially if you're trying to frame your whole body in the shot. In reality, it's much more personal if you're up close, never showing more than everything above your midsection. When you're close to the webcam, sound has less air to travel through, so your message will be louder and more powerful. You're going to sound so much better when you're no more than 4 or 5 feet from the webcam. This is a simple and free tip: Simply move closer to the webcam!

Tip #2: Use an external microphone

These are very inexpensive and there are a bunch of them available. They run for about $100, but we recommend getting a USB external condenser microphone. Go to your local electronics outlet and get the Yeti. It's a wonderful microphone - you simply put it right in front of you and it collects amazing sound for your video. One thing to keep in mind: once you plug it into your computer via USB, make sure it is selected as the default microphone when recording your video. 


You're going to need to make sure you have a powerful computer, so check the specs on your microphone and webcam. If you record HD video and quality sound at the same time, your computer may have difficulty trying to keep up with the video. The result is skipped frames, which means your mouth won't match the sound. If you don't want your video to sound like a cheaply dubbed kung foo movie, make sure your computer is up to speed!

Tip #3: Use a secondary audio source

Ever wonder why they use a slate or sound marker in video production? When the marker hits, the sound spikes the audio waveform, so you can match the audio with the video in the editing room. On professional sets they record the audio separately from the video and match them up during editing. The slates make that easier to do. 


You can do the same thing for your videos - get your phone and plug in a lav mic (lavalier microphone, or clip mic) that you can put right onto your person. This way, you can record the audio right into your phone using a recording app. Clap your hands before you begin your spiel so you have a frame of reference for matching the video with the audio. You can have an editor synchronize the audio and video, or have us here at Vyral Marketing take care of it for you. If you don't have a webcam or can't use an external microphone when you record your videos, try using a secondary audio source to get the best results.   

Tip #4: Get a professional audio setup


This is how we shoot these weekly marketing tip videos. We start by using a boom mic that goes over the speaker's head. It's a $1,500 to $2,000 microphone that picks up incredible audio. The sound it picks up goes all the way down to an off-camera audio recorder, which records the audio to a flash drive and is later edited. This is a fancy, more expensive way to get high quality audio, but it's more than worth it if you can spare the cash.

How can shooting informational videos for your database help you grow your business? We invite you to reach out for a free consultation with a senior member of our firm. We'll have a constructive talk about your business and the results you can expect from the Vyral Marketing program.


A great example of someone who uses our program and gets great results is our great client Mike Roth in Milwaukee. He says he gets 3 to 4 prospects calling him back after every video he sends to his database. "My last email alone generated three more clients," he said. "Vyral tells me what topics I want, so I know it works." We're glad it's working, Mike. Congratulations!

We challenge you to grow your business by using web video to market to your database. Simply sit down in front of a webcam and answer a question you often get from your customers. If you post it here as a video reply, or reach out to us on Facebook or our website, we'll have a coach take a look at it and give you feedback on how you can do better next time. It's quick, easy, and we do all the work for you!

Or, if you want more free tips to help grow your business with web video, to market your passion and expertise so you can reach more people and impact more lives - subscribe to our YouTube channel and podcast, follow us on Facebook, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Every day you remain out of touch with your database you're losing losing potential business. Shoot a short video and start scaling your impact today!