Preparing to Create a One-Way Video Interview for Your Blog or Business Website

You hear about one-way interview videos being used for recruiting and hiring purposes, but what about the one-way video interview that is created for use on a business blog, website, or for things like customer testimonials or case studies? Preparing to create a one-way video interview under these unique circumstances will certainly require a slightly different trajectory in regards to the questions being answered, but the preparation and the steps that are taken in order to film the interview are very much the same as would be required for a recruiting video or one that is being used by a brand to hire a new professional for a job.

At first, you probably won’t feel very natural if you sit in front of your computer webcam or in front of a camera and a tripod to divulge your inner most thoughts and ideas, you might even feel uncomfortable with simple tasks like introducing yourself to the world, but this is how a one-way video interview will go down, so you need to familiarize yourself with the process, project, and expectations.

Whether you’ve been asked to film an interview of yourself for a customer testimonial or case study, or you’ve filming your interview as a way of expanding the “About Us” page of your website, advanced technology and the introduction of video drop kits, have made asynchronous video interviews more popular than ever. There’s no better time than the present to get started with filming a one-way video interview that can be used for your blog or business.

 Plan the One-Way Video Interview First

Much like you would plan an interview between yourself and an interviewer or, if you’re the one doing the interviewing, you would plan for yourself and the subject, before you can create a one-way video interview you’re going to need to plan. The following decisions must be made as you plan your interview:

• What is the purpose of the interview?
• What questions will be answered during the interview?
• How will the video be captured? What about audio?
• Where will the interview be filmed?
• Will the subject have the opportunity to view interview questions ahead of time to plan or rehearse their response?
• How will technical problems be handled?

As you plan the various important aspects of the one-way video interview, think about what you expect to get out of the interview and how you intend to use the video that you capture so that you don’t miss any major areas of important consideration during this essential planning phase.

Know How to Act on Camera

One of the most important considerations or factors to be aware of when you decide to create a one-way video interview is your appearance on camera or how your subject appears on camera. A great interview is only as great as the subject looks and feels on camera. If you’ve never spoke on camera before, or you’re feeling particularly uncomfortable on camera, it’s going to show to the audience! Here are some tips that will help you to be successful on camera:

• Act like you’re talking to a friend or family member behind the camera. 
• Use a conversational tone that is not too fast, not too slow, and that doesn’t use too much industry jargon. Your audience will get too caught up in trying to understand what you’re saying and they might miss your message.
• Maintain eye-contact with the camera, as if you are speaking to someone inside of it. Pretend there is someone in the camera that you are making eye-contact with.
• Consider rehearsing what you will say before you begin filming. Try doing so with some music in the background to help you feel more comfortable and at ease.
• Posture and body language are important. Be sure to use hand gestures, facial expressions, and plenty of forward-facing eye-contact.

Don’t Over-Rehearse Your Answers

Preparing to create a one-way video interview that will be part of a customer testimonial video or will be used for some other style of authentic form of content is almost always best if it comes across as natural. You want to sound like you’re answering questions for the very first time, and that you are genuine in your responses. Over rehearsing your answers to the various interview questions could come across as making you sound less than authentic. 

Practice your responses a couple of times, but avoid writing them down and reading from your written prompts or over-practicing. There’s an inherent difference between practicing and come across as completely and entirely rehearsed from a script. You definitely don’t want your one-way interview appearing as if it were scripted.

Certainly, preparing to create a one-way video interview is a task that many business owners and consumers will face these days and as video and the technology available to create video become more widely available, so too will the use of diverse interview styles including one-way videos. For more on what you can do to create a one-way video interview for your blog or business, give Beverly Boy Productions a call!