Five Steps to Find your Authentic Voice in Videos
If you’re new to creating video content for YouTube, Instagram, or any other platform, you’re probably trying to figure out what makes you different from everybody else out there. What makes your content unique. In this video, I’m gonna try to break this down into five simple, but not necessarily easy steps to help you find your authentic voice in your videos.
Step one: Start creating videos today
First, just get started. I cannot tell you the number of times I’ve heard someone say, “I really wanna start a channel, “I really wanna start being more consistent on Instagram” and they just can’t for whatever reason. Often it may be fear, especially, “what will people think of me?” And I cannot tell you the power of just getting all of that out of your head and just getting started. I mean, when the first blog is basically done you’ll be really excited. I’m not gonna lie, I’m really excited for you. So, come along for the ride, let’s do this thing. That is hands down the best way to begin finding what matters most to you, who you are, what you wanna do, and what you have to offer in the world, okay?
Step two: Lean into your quirks
Once you’ve started – and I noticed this in every single blog that I made in the beginning when I look back at them now – it’ll be cringy, it’ll be hard, you’ll feel like you’re not being yourself. You’ll feel like you have this voice that isn’t yours and it’s gonna feel really weird. But the process of having to shoot, load, edit, and message all of that is a feedback loop. That sort of feedback loop is so beneficial. So even if you’re not uploading some of those first videos that you make, the process of actually making them helps you figure out, this is not who I am so let me pivot to something closer to who I really am. I think one of the beauties of YouTube, making videos, or whatever this is, is that you really can just decide – I’m going to build an audience, I’m going to build a channel based on who I am. You don’t have to pretend to be something that you aren’t. But the crazy thing is because of the internet and its broad reach, there is an audience for you, for your actual authentic self. So lean into that, lean into every single one of those quirks that you have. It takes a long time to really embrace those things but they are your key differentiators. The quicker you can lean into that the quicker you’re gonna find your authentic voice and what you have to offer.
Step three: Explore your interests, even as they change
In your videos, you need to explore your interests. In my videos, I talk about filmmaking, cameras and freelancing on my channel. Those are just some of my interests that have evolved over the course of me making videos. Whatever it is and it’s okay if they evolve into something completely different that’s fine, but just find things that you actually are interested in, the stuff that you really care about, that kind of hypes you up to make videos, even if no one’s gonna see them, or even if there’s no other good thing that comes from the videos – just making it makes you feel good. Find those interests, lean into those interests, and make videos about that sort of stuff.
Step four: Hang out with people who have similar interests
Now step number four is to hang out with people who have similar interests. There’s so much that I’ve learned from just being with other creators who are in the same genre. Whether it’s editing techniques, camera operation, or how to make a YouTube video, I’ve learned so much. I cannot recommend enough finding a community so that you can just learn from each other. It’s an amazing experience to just learn from somebody else who you consider a peer or who you look up to. So learn from other people who are doing what you’re doing, find them, and lean into those relationships. Having a community helps you discover who you are and your authentic edge.
Step five: Just keep going to find your authentic voice
Step number five is just keep going, okay? You won’t feel comfortable, every time you level up, you’re always gonna look at where you are and see how far you have to go and you’re never gonna feel like you’re sitting on top of the mountain and that’s fine, just keep going. The beauty of it is in the journey. People are gonna say, “you’re fake,” people are gonna say that whatever you’re copying. I still get comments to this day that I’m just a knockoff Peter McKinnon. And you just need to just laugh and take it all and stride people. Just remember who you are, why you’re doing this, your purpose behind what you’re trying to create. And even if it’s just to document your own life, even if it’s to sell a product, or even if it’s because you’ve been assigned this in the role in your job, whatever it is, remembering your purpose. Keep going, get out there and make stuff, then let’s find your authentic voice.
