UNSCRIPTED: NINE STEPS TO MAKE GENUINE CONTENT
UNSCRIPTED: NINE STEPS TO MAKE GENUINE CONTENT
My third year of college I created the first short documentary tracking our university’s hockey team and their trip to the National finals. It was my second year producing our school’s sports show and I was determined to find a more authentic segment that could pull in viewers. This was several years before Instagram took center stage in our lives and changed the way we define the word “authentic”. With the introduction of filters, face-tuning and even teleprompter apps, our content has gotten more interesting (for lack of a better word) but less genuine.
Not long after my graduation, I moved to D.C. and started working in documentary filmmaking, with bonafide award-winners. This experience opened my eyes to the real process of making “true” television. We used outlines, edit scripts, retakes and pickups to tell powerful stories. With our tight budgets, we couldn’t leave much to chance, and everything had to be planned.
Later as I moved into the unscripted “nonfiction” world of television, I realized there was even less left to the imagination in that realm. Reality shows hire producers who created scenarios and cued subjects to react or show up on camera a certain way. Working on some of this series, I wrote outlines and questions hoping people would give me the specific soundbites we needed, and when they didn’t, I coached them to deliver them. This is what a social media and a lot of online content - podcasting included - have felt like for me over the past three years. Filtered, crafted, set up, without much purpose other than to generate clicks and buzz.
As a video and podcast producer I will be the first to admit that there is a place for extensive planning in making quality and entertaining work, but not all we create needs to be perfectly set up. I think we could all benefit from a happy balance between making the polished and spontaneous content. These are my nine steps to help us make genuine content.
1 - Unfilter our social media
Since Instagram and Snapchat came out, people have been using filters to enhance their images. It started with simple color tone filters, but technology has taken it way too far with the latest “beauty filters” out there. The fact that there’s a “natural look” filter for a face on Instagram tells me a lot of us are in denial about reality.
Look, I understand that some images are better served with photoshop enhancements. Some podcasters even use audio filters when they need to keep ambient noise from bleeding into their episodes. But I’m not talking about headshots or TV commercials here, I’m talking about how we show up on social media, in those posts where we’re supposed to be “ourselves”. Today, we know people use filters to hide their real age, eyelashes and even weight behind these layers of covert identity. The result is an inauthentic look that weakens our story by making us, and our brand seem less relatable.
Sharing raw images can sometimes draw more attention to the story or the message we want to share. If editing is your expertise, post a “before and after” comparison between the edited version and the original.
2 - Using “we” instead of “you”
This is especially helpful when we’re (see how I did that?) sharing advice, tips, or personal experiences with the intention of helping others. It’s way more genuine to speak from our own level of understanding and experience on the subject. For example, if I’m explaining how to make videos that resonate with an audience, i might put it like this:
“We should try to bring people along on our journey by sharing what sometimes goes wrong behind the scenes.”
When I see other experts explain things this way, their advice feels more relatable and genuine.
3 - Not sounding like we’re reading
By the way, I’m a huge fan of scripts, but I don’t love listening to someone “read” when I want to be taught or entertained. You might have noticed that the typical host on a YouTube “how to” video has a specific sound. It’s not the ping of the “subscribe now!” button, it’s the way the host reads their script. How do I know they’re reading? Because they all sound the same, (with little cadence). I’ve been in that position too, and I totally get how easy it is to press record, have our script running on the teleprompter and forget that we’re talking to actual human beings behind the screen.
One thing that can help us sound like we’re not reading off a teleprompter is working on intonation (the rise and fall of the voice in speaking). We can cue our intonation by using periods, commas, writing line spaces between sentences and taking purposeful pauses between thoughts. Just like we naturally pause to think during an actual conversation. If you want me to expand on this with a later blog post, hit me up on instagram to let me know.
4 - Using our own experiences to tell real stories
When we help a client launch a new podcast or YouTube show, one of the first things we record is an episode that introduces their own story. Even if the show doesn't revolve around them. We do this because we want their audience to feel connected to the hosts in some way. Though this doesn’t apply to every type of content we produce, many of these shows see an uptick in listenership for those types of episodes. However, I understand that sharing our own experiences and getting personal on the internet is not easy or comfortable for everyone. Believe me, in my early days of podcasting, my heart would race and my palms would be clammy before I would even press record. Now I can talk freely about many topics, including very personal experiences without breaking a sweat. It didn’t exactly get easier for me, I just got used to doing this because I gave myself permission to be publicly vulnerable…
5 - Allowing ourselves to be publicly vulnerable
Once you decide you can handle telling some of your own relatable stories, you’ll learn quickly how the internet receives public vulnerability. “The internet” are people, and people can be ugly. Will there be some who might have unkind things to say? Yes. But the overwhelming majority of people who are attracted to the content you create will support you because something in your vulnerability and willingness to share will resonate with them. This is how we build authentic connections to our audience and grow a brand that goes from distant cousin with no invite to the cookout to the BFF that always has your back.
6 - Showing the other side of the lens
People love watching a process unfold from different angles. Yes, it’s great to see a finished project in all its perfection glory. But we all enjoy a sneak peek behind the curtain and the real development that happens when the cameras are not necessarily rolling. We want to see the writer struggle with a chapter and dig their way out of it. We want to watch a podcaster build their next episode from scratch tracks to editing and sound design. The behind the scenes part of a video shoot - to me can be incredibly dull - but to folks who don’t usually spend time on a TV or film set it is intriguing and exciting, so I post about them.
The next three tips I’m sharing with you are going to seem a little weird, coming from my usual specific and production-centered advice. However, these are things that I’ve had to learn along the way as I have built my production company and grown as a creator.
7 - Minding our business
We have to stop caring so much about what strangers on the internet are doing with their work, business, lives etc... Is it important to pay attention to our competitors and fellow creators? Yes. Does our ability to make good content depend on this? No. Our process is unique, and only we know what really goes on behind the lens or after the lights are unplugged. Let’s pay more attention to the work we create and spend less energy comparing ourselves to others.
8 - Letting go of embarrassment
I’ve mentioned before that my hands used to sweat when I would record the first few episodes of my podcast, Diferente. As I got more intune with my voice and realized that I was creating artificial burdens for my confidence, I stopped feeling scared and started to relax. My tone got better and my interviews became more interesting as a result of this. All of this was possible because I stopped caring about being embarrassed. At first I felt silly putting my voice and my own ideas out there, I even created a new instagram account to separate myself from the content. Looking back on this now, I feel embarrassed that I actually thought people would care that much about what I was doing. Now I represent myself as I am, in everything I do, and I no longer feel the need to hide because I stand by my content and I’m proud of it.
9 - Not apologizing for our happiness
If you are truly living a magnificent life or truly love what you do - you don’t need to apologize for it. We already know most people only air out their highs, and keep their lows inside their laundry hampers. I love seeing someone bask in their unapologetic happiness, it makes me feel hopeful and validated - as an optimist. Do I think there is power in also sharing the lows? Absolutely! Refer to numbers four, five and eight above, but there is nothing wrong with also just being publicly excited or joyful about the work you’ve done, the awards you have won, the thrill of doing what you do. If it’s true to your experience, joyful content is valid and relatable.
You know what else is really awesome? The freedom you will feel when you allow your honest voice to come through in your work, whether it’s a podcast, youtube video or slide tutorial.
HAPPY CREATING!
For more content creation strategy tips like this, make sure you’re on my email list. And if you’re looking to create meaningful standout content, you can learn more about my video and podcast production services here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Maribel Quezada Smith is a bilingual video and podcast producer who’s passionate about creating meaningful standout content for global audiences.