Self-recorded videos are a great way to create a bond with your audience and show the authentic face of your brand or business. Recording a professional video by yourself can feel daunting, but even without high-end equipment and a filming crew, anyone can create great video content. 

By following these tips for video recording yourself, you will soon be creating high-quality professional videos that engage your audience.

How Do You Record a Good Video by Yourself?

From setup to recording and post-production, there are pointers you can follow at every step along the video creation process to get the perfect take. The fundamentals of producing professional videos include: 

• having strong presentational skills
• optimizing sound and video quality
• creating the ideal recording environment.

The equipment you use will play a role in the overall quality of your footage, however almost anyone can make pretty good content just by filming on their phone. Don’t let a lack of experience stop you from trying. 

Once you understand how lighting, background and other key components play a role in video recording, just remember that practice makes perfect!

Tips for Video Recording Yourself 

These tips cover the essentials of recording high-quality videos of yourself. Think of them as the foundation blocks to build your professional video on. The more thought and effort you put into planning your self-shot video, the better the result.

Tip 1: Get Comfortable on Camera

Recording a video of yourself can feel strange, especially if you have never done it before. Although it may be uncomfortable, the best way to feel more relaxed when recording yourself is simply to keep doing it.

Practice talking to the camera and taking test videos of yourself. You can watch these videos afterward to check your camera presence. Were you fidgety? Was your voice clear and slow enough? 

Having calm and open body language, with a relaxed expression and your shoulders back, will allow you to appear professional and confident. 

Tip 2: Prepare What You Are Going to Say

Frequent pauses or tangents in your speech can make your video appear less professional. Knowing what you are going to say will help you feel more confident and improve the flow and pacing of the video.

Make notes about the topic you are going to talk about. Some people like to develop these into a full word-for-word script. It is best to try to learn your script so that you can maintain eye contact with the camera, without needing to look away and read your notes. 

You should rehearse what you are going to say so that you can anticipate your next sentence. Remember though that it is ok to make mistakes. You can edit out any misspoken lines or awkward pauses in post-production.

Tip 3: Use a Reliable Recording Software

Video recording software can streamline your content creation experience. Using a recording platform will enable you to monitor and control your recordings and convert your files into the appropriate format. There’s no need to worry about uploading your recording as this is is often automatic with recording software. Whether you are live streaming or recording a YouTube video, the editing and mixing tools provided by certain recording software makes for a streamlined editing experience. 

Tip 4: Wear Comfortable Clothes

Wearing clothes that make you feel good will improve how comfortable you feel. This has a knock-on effect, making your camera presence more confident. 

Make sure your clothes match the tone of your video. For example, avoid clothing like sweatsuits for professional formal videos. You should also think about how your clothes interact with your background. Avoid fabrics with busy patterns so your audience doesn’t get distracted.

Tip 5: Choose an Appropriate Location to Shoot From

Depending on the content of your video this could be as simple as your bedroom or living room. For conferences, podcasts, or documentary-style videos consider using a studio, office, or meeting room. Your location should reflect how formal your video will be, and the type of content you are creating.

You will also need to consider the lighting and background in your location, and how you will frame the scene on camera. You can find out more about these elements of recording later in this article. 

Tip 6: Optimize Sound Quality

Try to reduce background noise as much as possible. Is there a fan whirring in your room? Or is a heater buzzing somewhere? Even soft sounds can have a large impact on your audio quality, so close any windows, switch off unnecessary equipment, and avoid echoing spaces. It’s best to build up your home studio in a quiet room with as little background noise as possible.

Tip 7: Select the High-Quality Recording Equipment

You don’t need to have a large budget to record professional quality videos. Try using devices that you already have. For example, you can film yourself without a tripod by using a webcam on top of a monitor. 

If you have both a webcam and a smartphone, choose the one with the highest video quality to record with. 

If you do have the budget to invest in equipment, the best place to start is with a microphone, and a high-quality camera. A reliable microphone is a game change when it comes to audio quality, and since you’re recording video it’s best to use a dedicated camera. That being said, some phones have very impressive cameras that can even capture up to 4K video resolution. 

Tip 8: Be Yourself

As you become more confident with your on-screen presence, don’t be afraid to embrace your quirks and mannerisms. Your unique selling point is yourself, so be sure to let your personality shine. You can build rapport with your viewers by showing your character through your videos, which will encourage them to keep coming back for more content.

Tip 9: Practice, Practice, Practice!

How comfortable you feel with being on camera is visible to your audience. Give the best impression of yourself by building your confidence, which will naturally grow the more you record yourself. Think of the content creators you enjoy watching. Many of them have years of practice behind them, which has helped them learn and develop to where they are today.

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