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Writer's picture Della O' Brien

Why You Should Add Video to Your Text-based Blog

Updated: Oct 4, 2022


Plus, 6 Tips for first-time YouTube Creators

If you’re like many entrepreneurs, you are continually looking for new ways to help your target market. After all, it’s transformative ideas that catch the eye of prospects- those ideas that are just different enough to make someone stop scrolling through their news feed on social and say, “huh.” The ones they have to read.


That’s what great product and service developers do. They offer transformative, unique ideas that set them apart from their competitors.


What would happen if you decided to look at your marketing like that?


You probably see it in your email subject lines, quite often. Subject lines like, “what really went down in our full moon ritual,” or “want me to generate traffic for you?” Granted, these aren’t transformative ideas, but the subject lines are eye-catching.


I’d like to point out that the full moon email was not from a spiritual entrepreneur. It was from a highly successful business coach, whom I have never noticed writing or speaking of astrology or anything of the sort. That’s why it caught my attention.


The generating traffic email was from a person who helps people get traffic into their funnels, so the traffic part made sense. The eye-catching, scroll-stopping part of that email subject line was the offer to generate traffic for the reader. Very few marketers would ignore that email.


Unless the sender was continually sending emails with that subject line or with a similar feel, see what I mean?


What makes it scroll-stopping is the surprise the reader feels.


Back to my previous question… What would happen if you decided to look at your marketing like that?


This blog post is for marketers who want to catch the attention of their target customers.


Within it, you will find:


  • a technique to surprise readers of your blog so you can keep them on your site.

  • 3 Reasons you should add video to your blog posts.

  • 6 Tips for first-time YouTube creators.


If you typically write a text-based blog, one way you can set yourself apart from your competitors and increase engagement with your target customers is to add a video to your blog posts.


3 Reasons you should add video to your blog posts:


Reason #1: Engagement


You work to drive traffic to your blog posts. That’s how you are grabbing the attention of your customers. Now, you need to engage them. You have to give them a reason to stay on your page.


Reason #2: Improved Bounce Rates

What is a bounce rate?

A bounce rate is the percentage of website visitors that leave the site without visiting other webpages.


By adding video to your blog post, you give your website visitors an alternative to reading the blog post. Your customers are craving video content, and if you aren’t giving it to them, someone else will.


Reason #3: SEO


By adding video to your blog post, you are giving your content the opportunity to be a video featured snippet. Meaning, your content will stand out on the SERP instead of being lost in the list of suggested content.


In the image below, there are two featured snippets before the search results. One is the definition above the suggested content. The other has its own box with a definition and images.


What is a video featured snippet?


A video featured snippet is a featured snippet that presents a 6-second video clip to the searcher. It is cued to the exact spot in the video that answers the search query.


An example of a video featured snippet is below. Notice, it is cued to the part of the video that explains the concept that searched, “how to tie a tie.”


Optimizing your videos for YouTube allows you to be found in search engines, including the #2 most popular search engine in the world- YouTube.


Below are six tips to help you ease into creating video content optimized for YouTube.


6 Tips for first-time YouTube Creators


  • Start with posting pre-recorded videos. Then, transition to live videos.

If you are new to YouTube, you might be nervous about being on camera. It’s understandable since the only thing people fear more than public speaking is death. By starting with pre-recorded videos, you allow yourself to adjust to being on camera before doing Live videos.


  • You don’t need a ton of equipment to start recording videos for YouTube.


Many smartphones come with exceptional cameras that work well for filming a video, and you can get a vlogging kit on Amazon for less than $50. The main equipment to consider is something that helps with lighting and possibly a tripod.


  • Your video script can double as a transcript.


Use your blog post as a script, so you have something to help you remember what to say. But don’t stress too much about making the wording match the script, verbatim.


After you record your video, you can watch it and edit the script to match your video precisely before copy and pasting it into the transcript section.


  • Use video editing software.

By using video editing software, you have more options for editing. There are free and cheap editing software options. One of which is VideoPad Video Editor.


Using video editing software can simplify your recording process. You’ll see why in the next tip.


  • Record your videos in sections and put the individual videos together while editing.


Recording your videos in sections takes away the pressure of getting the words exactly right and makes mistakes easier to correct. By writing your script and using labeled sections, you have a blueprint for creating individual videos that you can piece together during the editing process.


Making a mistake on a one or two-minute video and having to start over is a lot easier than correcting a twenty-minute video. Your audience will not be able to tell if you piece together five or ten videos (or more). Video editing software is advanced and makes the transition smooth.


  • If you make a mistake while recording a video, pause and repeat the sentence.


By pausing and repeating the sentence without the mistake, you leave yourself an opening to remove the sentence that contains the error- meaning you don’t have to re-record the whole video.


To sum it up:


If you want to attract readers to your blog, surprise your readers, increase engagement, improve your bounce rate, and optimize your blog for search, add a video to your blog posts. We also went over six tips to make your YouTube entrance a smooth one. Now, you can confidently start adding videos to your blog posts, so you are giving your target customers the content they crave.


If you would like more support in your marketing, click HERE.









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