Talking to a blinking dot on a camera with people watching can feel unnatural and somewhat uncomfortable. This is especially true if you’re trying to memorize what to say while trying to look and act natural. As a result, the ideas and words get jumbled in your head and you stutter, yikes.
Fortunately, there is good news. Talking on camera gets more comfortable the more you do it. Practice makes perfect and there are some steps you can take to make it easier on yourself. Here are our five tips for helping yourself feel more natural when filming a real estate property video.
1. Lower your expectations
First of all, this tip is the most important starting point. Lower your expectations. There are a few reasons you can do this without worrying about the impact on the quality of your property video. If you stumble over a few words, that’s okay! A lot can be fixed during editing and in fact, people appreciate realness and authenticity. They’re not expecting to see a Hollywood actor. Secondly, you’re probably overestimating how “perfect” your video needs to be in the first place. As long as your point comes across about the home and people can see and hear you as genuine and friendly, you’re doing great.
2. Imagine your audience listening
First, just imagine you’re talking to a few home buyers at the home. Those people will be hearing your content, just not in the moment you’re recording it. Imagine that you’re talking to one person. It helps you tune into your audience and make the interaction feel more natural. Remember you don’t have to be in the property video all the time. We can record your talking points as you read them. Subsequently, our editor can use them as voiceovers while the relevant parts of the home are shown in the video.
3. Prepare your talking points
For most agents, preparing key points ahead of time often helps with nerves while filming. If you think you’re better at speaking off the cuff, go for it! It actually sounds more natural. If you prefer to have a full script to glance at, that works too. Do whatever you know helps you. Generally, many real estate agents will find that having a few talking points prepared lets you release any stress, such as forgetting to mention something important while still sounding natural. Remember, you can do as many takes as you want, so don’t fret about not getting it right the first time. Furthermore, our editor can even stitch together footage from different takes to make a smooth property video.
4. Get feedback
If you’re concerned about how your content is coming across or what your video might look like, ask the videographer. Our videographers are used to coaching and helping you make the best real estate video. Share it with a friend, a colleague or family member and get their honest feedback. Once you’re confident that your content is coming across successfully, you’ll worry less and, consequently, you’ll get to be so much better the next time.
5. Keep doing it!
In conclusion, the more you appear in the property video, the more comfortable you’ll feel over time. For one thing, you’ll learn the process and feel a lot more comfortable. Once you understand the ins and outs of the technical side of the process, like getting mic’d up and positioned, you’ll be able to focus on how you actually deliver your information and show your real personality. Keep doing it! We promise it gets easier and better. In time, you’ll start to actually enjoy being on camera.
