Statements from others support your own expertise as a trainer or coach and show that you are well-connected. Even better if you can capture these statements on video! blink.it founder Konstantin has already conducted many video interviews himself and knows: Good preparation is worth a lot. What tips he has for your interview planning, you will learn in this article.
Selfie videos are in trend - alone or in interviews!
People love videos. No medium is more in demand. It’s no wonder that more and more people are shooting their own videos with smartphones. The selfie perspective is still the most popular format: stretch out your hand, point the smartphone camera at yourself, and off you go!
As a trainer or coach, you can also utilize the power of moving images for yourself. On the one hand, as content for your online support, by setting up the smartphone on a tripod in front of you and speaking directly to your participants. On the other hand, you can also divert attention from yourself and interview others in front of a running smartphone. Here the question arises: Who do you want to interview and for what purpose?
Tip: You can find all the information about shooting videos with a smartphone on our info page:
Create videos for online courses - simply with your smartphone
Step 1: When are the next opportunities for video interviews?
Great use cases for video interviews are:
Customer or participant testimonials
Directly after the seminar: A short feedback from participants
During the seminar: Participants explain on camera which exercises they should do (group feeling)
With long-term customers: A recommendation for your homepage
With your own trainers/educators: Summary of the additional qualification for your homepage
Expert interviews
After a keynote: Catch them at the exit and have them summarize key aspects for their own training
Regarding one of your products/offers: Recommendation from a friendly speaker or trainer (perhaps reciprocal)
External voices
With the participant's manager: Video message for online support (for motivation and support)
At an event: Asking other participants about your expert topic
Most of the time, such an interview is worthwhile for both sides. After all, most people feel honored. They are important enough that you dedicate your time to them. But you should also ask yourself whether a video interview is really useful for you.
Step 2: Is the effort for video shooting worth it?
For the GSA Convention 2018, blink.it founder Konstantin aimed to interview speakers and trainers for our blog. For that, he first posed the following question:
Why am I even making this video? What value do I actually create and for whom? Only then do I do it - many videos I really don't have to make.
Just like with any other measure, the question of the goal is the priority. You should be clear about how and for what you want to use the videos - and how they can benefit you. In Konstantin's case, this was for our blog and YouTube channel: We want to support our customers as much as possible in being successful. And the experiences of other trainers are always a great help.
What can always help you with planning a video is a rough concept so you don’t lose the thread. To this end, we have created a fillable template that you can download. The most important questions in this regard: Why? From what? What/Who? How? Where?
Step 3: How should I prepare technically for the shoot?
If you have decided on a specific target for a particular occasion, you should prepare for your video interview. But don’t worry - this step won’t take much time! The technical recommendations come from Konstantin's experience, who has already shot many different videos with different equipment. The time-benefit factor is always a priority.
The basic set: Perfect for mobile shooting in between In most cases, he now opts for the simplest and quickest variant, consisting of four items:
Konstantin's recommendation for the basic set for video interviews: Your own smartphone, an adapter if needed, a Rode SmartLav microphone, and a Y-adapter, e.g., also by Rode.
This way, you are not only mobile, but you also carry little weight with you and can ensure absolutely good sound thanks to the microphone. When traveling, Konstantin always has a small Rode microphone with Rode adapter with him - often even two of each, so he can wire up the interview partner AND himself. You only need the white adapter in the picture if your smartphone does not have a headphone jack - but you usually get that when you purchase the smartphone.
The “Smooth”-Variant for fewer wobbles
The catch with the basic set: You need to hold the smartphone as steadily as possible, which is often easier said than done. For more stability, a stabilizer is worth it, for example, the Smooth-Q from Zhiyun. This makes your smartphone fairly shake-proof. However, this also means you have a significantly heavier load, and due to the cabling, there can still be some wobbly moments during the shoot.
The blink.it kit for stationary shooting
Finally, here’s the option for video shooting at home, in the office, or in a seminar room: With the blink.it kit, you have the best equipment at still a small price of under 250 euros. The blink.it kit consists of a total of 8 technical items that fit into a small box, except for the tripod.
The blink.it kit is always worth it when you specifically plan time for video shooting - at least one hour.
When traveling, it is worth packing the blink.it kit when you have specifically planned time for shooting. If you rather want to do a few interviews on the side at an event, we recommend the basic variant above.
Step 4: How should I prepare content-wise for the shoot?
For content preparation, Konstantin also has some tips for you. Here too, planning should be quick and easy. That’s why Konstantin uses no more than a A5 sheet. He either puts it in his back pocket or in the inner pocket of his jacket on shooting day, depending on the dress code.
On the front side, he writes a maximum of three questions that he wants to ask the interview partners. He reviews the questions from time to time, so that he doesn't need the sheet during the interview itself.
On the back side, Konstantin writes his pitch: Notes on how he can approach the potential interviewee to convince them of the idea. This mainly concerns the following three points:
Reason: What benefits does the interview provide for both sides?
Authority: Why can your interview partner trust you?
Transparency and safeguarding: For this, you use the finished material (e.g., YouTube, your own homepage, closed online course...)
You should definitely clarify these three aspects when starting an interview with a person. Think of two to three sentences that convey exactly these points. Write these sentences on the back of your sheet – that way you always have all the necessary information in a compact space!
Tip: To also be on the safe side in terms of data protection, you should not only ask your interview partner for permission to publish it before the interview. For GDPR compliance, you need a written consent form from the interviewee. It's best to get an oral agreement on shooting day and then send an email to the interviewee afterward (e.g., shortly before the planned publication) requesting written confirmation for GDPR purposes. This way, you draw the interviewee's attention to your video again and can directly remind them to check out and share the result, for example, on social media.
Conclusion: Weigh, equip, discuss, secure
With these four steps, you are perfectly prepared for your video interview! The most important tips from Konstantin summarized here once again as the “4-A rule”:
Weigh: Think carefully about whether the video is worth your (time) effort
Equip: Technically rely on minimal equipment, but good quality – you usually don't need much more than a smartphone and a good clip-on microphone when you're on the go.
Discuss: Put yourself in your interview partner's shoes and make it clear to them what the video interview benefits.
Secure: Legally protect yourself and ask for a written consent via email that allows you to publish the video, e.g., on YouTube.
With little effort, you can achieve fantastic and valuable video results!
