Getting Started with Video Content Creation, With Lefteris Koutinas

Video content is where it's at on social media these days.  Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and YouTube represent huge opportunities to get your content seen and build your audience right now.

So as a content creator, I think you want to be in on this game. However, for those of us that prefer to be behind the camera, the shift to being in front of it can be a daunting one indeed. 

That's why in this episode, I was excited to have a chance to talk with Lefteris Koutinas (Lefty), a video content creator, producer, and coach based in Toronto, Canada. In it, we talk about how to get started with video content creation, the direction video content platforms are going , and some tips on how to be successful as a content creator. 

You can check out Lefty's services at https://createwithlefteris.com/.

Music licensed under Storyblocks. Opening and closing track: Disco Danger, by Jon Presstone.

Thanks for listening! Do you have a comment or question about a topic or episode? I'd love to hear that. Feel free to contact me via the X App or the Contact Us page. We can also stay connected via my Newsletter, where I share insider information and offers. Also, check out the store link on my website for resources and merch for content creators.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Tim: As you may know, short-form video content is pretty much taking over these days. And to be successful as a content creator, I think you gotta be on in this game. But for a lot of us, it's not easy. Going on camera can be awkward at first. Plus, there's a lot to learn as beginner. Lighting, audio. Don't even get me started on editing.

[00:00:18] So how does one get started? Well, that's the topic of my conversation today with Lefty, a video content creator and producer based in Toronto, Canada. He's got an interesting and varied background in content creation. And today he's gonna share some of his insights on how to get started in video and find success as content creator,

[00:00:40] Lefty. Welcome to the show. 

[00:00:42] Lefty: Thanks for having me. I haven't done a lot of these, but they've been they've been super, super fun. The ones that I've been a part of. So I'm, I'm happy to be here. 

[00:00:50] Tim: Yeah. Well, thank you. We're really glad to be learning from your expertise and experience in video. And I was wondering if you could start just by telling us a little bit about how you got into video production in the first place. 

[00:01:03] Lefty: Okay. It's a, I have a huge backstory, so I'm gonna try and condense it as much as I possibly can. 

[00:01:11] Tim: okay. 

[00:01:11] Lefty: But long story short, I come from a Greek descent, so my, my grandparents came here. They were immigrants. I believe they came here around like the 1940s, 1950s. And, from there, once my father married my mom, you know, they ended up pioneering the Greek community and radio and television, and they did that for about 40 plus years. So essentially that's where my, my upbringing came.

[00:01:37] You know, being in a family of entrepreneurs that already had some sort of like marketing background. As a kid growing up, not gonna lie, always wanted to be the center of attention. 99% of the time I was the center of attention. So it was very easy for me to build kind of like a stage presence around me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to get into what I'm doing right now when I was younger.

[00:02:02] So, how I found myself was actually through music, which led me to be a touring international DJ. So, that was a lot of fun. And I did that for about just over a decade of my life, but then when I happened to meet my wife, and I'm more of like a, you know, a homebody family, man. I do enjoy going out, but you know, the home is where it's at, right.

[00:02:26] So I didn't want to be on the road all the time. And I was like, Hmm, how can I still be creative and spend as much time with my wife as possible? So I figured, you know, okay, I'm gonna get out of the DJ scene and I'm gonna switch over to photography and videography right. And I did that about six years ago.

[00:02:46] And honestly, I haven't looked back since. And, it's been incredible. I've had the opportunity to be on magazine covers with my photography. I've had the opportunity to be on downtown billboards with certain commercials that I've put out for other brands and companies. And, and now I'm in, I'm in the coaching space.

[00:03:09] I'm coaching either videographers to, you know, build their brands and build their businesses. And doing the same thing visually for other business fitness coaches. 

[00:03:21] Tim: That sounds great. Like, it's interesting. You said that you're kind of taken away from it earlier on. What do think was holding you back from going more into that earlier? 

[00:03:32] Lefty: Like going into video earlier?

[00:03:34] Tim: Yeah, 

[00:03:35] Lefty: Yeah, great question. I honestly, I think it was really just more so an underlying passion of mine that I didn't really know that I had it in me. And how it kind of came out in me was really interesting, because as I was gaining popularity as a DJ, you know, you need press kits, you need, you know, video work, you need photography done. You need, you need images for flyers and, you know, so on and so forth. 

[00:04:01] Tim: Right. 

[00:04:02] Lefty: So it was when I was getting my media kits back and I was like, holy crap. I look amazing. Like, and you know, I was just, I was just blown away as to what these photographers and these videographers were like doing for me and how they were making me look.

[00:04:16] And then when I was making that shift and I sat down with my wife that day and I was having just, you know, that conversation of like, oh, it breaks my heart to leave, but oh, I know I have to do it. It made me think back to like how it made me feel when I got my media kit back. And from that point, it's like, I wanted to make other people feel the way that I felt when I got my videos back. 

[00:04:42] Tim: That's great. It's nice when you're able to make people, you know, look good like that and really help them advance their careers. And I was interested in that question because I find it's a common theme with content creators that, you know, they don't always land exactly on what they wanna do early on.

[00:04:59] It, it sometimes is a journey. It takes time to get there. And, you know, usually all of those other experiences you have along the way, though, really contribute to your ability to create content effectively and help other people. So, thanks for sharing that. 

[00:05:14] Lefty: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I don't know what I would've done if if I found this creative aspect of mine when I was like 13, 14, 15, right. Like maybe, I would've like hit 30 years old and I would've been absolutely sick of it. I think the upside to it as well is that in your thirties, you kind of like establish yourself. And it's because of that, that I was able to, you know, buy all the pretty stuff at the beginning, cuz I wouldn't have been able to do that as a 15 year old kid, right? 

[00:05:47] Tim: Right. 

[00:05:48] Lefty: So, I mean, I think that's also like the upside of like starting later on is you've had the chance to get work experience. Maybe you've saved a couple thousand bucks in your, in your bank account and now you can go ham at like B and H or like Henry's if you're in Canada, vis tech, you know, and that's, it's, it's awesome. It's really awesome. 

[00:06:08] Tim: Yeah. And I think you can bring so much more experience to the work in your ability to help other people, if you've had those other experiences. You know, having that diversity in your background probably really helps. 

[00:06:19] Lefty: Yeah, for sure. 

[00:06:21] Tim: So why is it important for content creators to include video as part of their content mix? What can it do for them as as a creator. 

[00:06:32] Lefty: So, first and foremost people relate more to a moving image rather than a still image. So, you gotta think of like, everyday life. Everyday life is technically a moving image. Right? 

[00:06:45] Tim: Right. 

[00:06:46] Lefty: So, we automatically relate better to when we watch a video. Because it's like the person's in front of your face. Like the way we're having a conversation right now, right? 

[00:06:53] Tim: Yeah. 

[00:06:54] So imagine if, like, I didn't have my camera on and you would just see my display picture it. It probably wouldn't give you the same effect as to like how I'm speaking to you now, being able to see my body language and how I'm saying things. Right? That that's just number one. 

[00:07:11] Lefty: Second, you build like, know, and trust a lot faster with your audience, which at that point, if you kind of already make them feel like they slightly know you before getting on a sales call, that's when the sales call becomes a lot easier, because they've already related to you in some way. They've had a chance to watch a bunch of videos and the fact that they're able to a face. 

[00:07:36] Tim: Right. 

[00:07:36] Lefty: And they actually say that the market of all internet traffic is gonna like increase by like 90% of video by 2023. And it's really a matter of jump on it now. What ended up happening was we got introduced to TikTok about what two, three years ago. 

[00:07:56] Tim: Right, yep. Something like that. 

[00:07:58] Lefty: And then everybody wanted TikTok. TikTok was the hottest thing. Not to say that TikTok still isn't a hot thing, but at the time it was like, if you're not on TikTok, like, I honestly don't know what you're doing with your life. So, what ended up happening was Instagram was trying to keep up with TikTok, even though they were two, three years behind. And then they came out with Instagram reels. 

[00:08:21] Tim: Right.

[00:08:21] Lefty: Instagram reels when they first came out, and it was just like this brand new feature that nobody knew about, it was a hot commodity, right? It was getting people tens of thousands of views and likes and comments. Like it was, it was insane. Because they didn't really have an algorithm in place when it came out. Now, those reels. They're not as hot of a commodity anymore. But, you do need them for consistency. So the best way to say it is you need video to stand out. And the best way to do that is literally just be a stage five clinger and a creeper to your to your competition and see what they're not doing and try and make it better.

[00:09:05] Tim: Yeah, I mean the connection factor really comes through. You know, a lot of content creators that I've seen you know, quite increase in their traction once they do things like add a profile photo of themselves, start posting photos of themselves. And then that next step is the video, where it becomes more, like you say, even more personal. And you can see like, you know, who the person is and relate to them better. And then Instagram, it's understandable why they've moved in that direction to keep up with TikTok. It's also ruffled the feathers of a lot of the user base who were more into like sharing photography and got on the app originally for that purpose.

[00:09:44] And now it's just so much more of a competitive space. And, you know, still photos are not doing as well. And then even reels, you have to actually put more effort into the reel and make it, you know, really good in order to get that huge traction that before anyone that was putting up reels was getting. So, it's been quite a change. 

[00:10:04] But lots of people are hesitant to take those steps post photos of themselves or, you know, getting on video is even a bigger step in many ways. So how do you help people move past that, if you're working with a content creator that says: "you know what, yeah, I'm a photographer. I just wanna post photos and I'm not so sure about getting in, in front of the camera myself." 

[00:10:26] Lefty: Yeah. So, since we're touching base on photography, one thing that I will say is that like photography is, is not dead.

[00:10:33] Tim: That's good to hear. 

[00:10:35] Lefty: We still need art. You know what I mean? 

[00:10:37] Tim: Right. 

[00:10:38] Lefty: What are we, what are we gonna be doing? Buying like 36 inch TVs to run a video image on. Like, no, I want to canvas up on my wall. You know what I mean? So, photos are definitely not dead. Maybe they're moving more into the space of digital art as opposed to, you know, your, your typical portrait and landscape. But it's definitely not dead in that sense. 

[00:10:59] So the question was photographers that want to jump into video, right? 

[00:11:05] Tim: Yeah, what about the hesitancy to, to put themselves in front of the camera? 

[00:11:11] Lefty: Yeah. So, the thing is the, the, the one piece of advice that I personally give all my clients is there's never gonna be a right time. And, in my opinion, I don't think anybody truly is ever ready. Like, there's no such thing as like, okay, I'm ready. Right. I've always been the kind of person where if something is presented to me, and if I know that I have the means to get it done, I just have to rip the bandaid off. No matter the anxiousness, the nervousness, the shyness. You know, because it's, it's about practicing and repetition. That's going to, that's gonna help you kind of get out there. 

[00:11:54] Tim: Right. 

[00:11:54] Lefty: The beauty about starting video is that just get your phone, put it on a tripod hit record, and then just watch the videos for yourself. Right? Like you never have to post until you feel like you've gotten yourself to a good, comfortable level. 

[00:12:09] Tim: Yeah, yeah, exactly. You know, I liken it to public speaking. Like you say, you're never really ready to do that if you haven't got the experience with it. And it's just by doing it over and over again, you eventually just get comfortable with it. Like before you might have been thinking, well, what if I mess up or I, I don't say these lines very well. And then you get up there and, and you do that a few times. Cause it, it naturally happens and you realize, okay, nothing really happened. The audience actually wants you to succeed. And they'll be with you as, as long as you're up there trying and so you kind of move past that and keep getting better. But you have to have that start, right?

[00:12:49] Lefty: But the touch on that for, for those that are gonna be, you know, watching or listening to this, I can confidently tell you, I have a blooper reel for every single reel I've created okay. So even, even the ones that are doing it full time, full throttle, we're not perfect. I screw up all the time. 

[00:13:11] Tim: It's seldom one take, right? 

[00:13:13] Lefty: Yeah. I think the issue of people's fears is that we only see the final product, right. We don't ever rarely see the process and you have to understand that. Even public speakers. Like, let's use Tony Robbins for an example. I guarantee you, even at his level of success, I can guarantee you that guy still screws up from time to time. You know, he's human, he's not perfect. And it's okay to, to screw up. I'm, I'm actually gonna put out one of my blooper reels tomorrow for this new segment that I've been starting on my Instagram page called fun Fridays. 

[00:13:50] Tim: That's good. That'll be good for people to see cuz just, just for that point you made just for understanding that, you know, even the pros have their bloopers and sometimes it's live and there's nothing you can do about it.

[00:14:01] So, so let's say you're getting into video content creation. You've made that decision. Okay, I'm gonna rip the bandaid off. I'm gonna give this a try. What are some of the first things you recommend for people to, to work on? Cuz there's so much with video content creation, right? There's there's your camera presence, there's lighting, audio. It can seem overwhelming at times. So like yeah, you know, where do I start? 

[00:14:25] Lefty: Yeah, great question. Where do you start? The messaging, get the messaging right down first, like figure who like what you're saying and who you're saying it to. Right. Because you, you obviously want to attract an audience. You're not just creating content for the sake of creating content. So always have like a content strategy. Always have like a video strategy. 

[00:14:49] Then look at gear, then look at lighting, then look at backgrounds and backdrops and all that. Because, it doesn't matter how beautiful your image is, if the context within the video is junk, it doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter if the message in the video is terrible.

[00:15:10] Tim: That's a great point. And a lot of people expect you to start with something technical, like get your lighting, right. Or, or make sure you've got good audio. But, I agree with you. It's, it's the message. It's like, what are you trying to say? And then all that other stuff can, can come. Right? You can work on it over time. And one thing I've really noticed is because there's so much to work on it's best to take a gradual approach. Like, I think Sean Cannel says, you know, 1% better with every video. And, and I really tried to adopt that approach myself, cuz otherwise I think that's why some people get overwhelmed by video. It's just like, oh, there's, it's just too much. You know? 

[00:15:50] Lefty: It is, it is, it is very technical, right? 

[00:15:53] So, let's say you're starting to make videos. You're making Reels, or you've decided you're gonna make some some TikTok videos, but you're not wanting to be dancing on video. And you also kind of realize that being a talking head is probably not a viable strategy either. So is there some ideas for videos in between there that people could start with? 

[00:16:13] Lefty: I mean, the kind of content that I create is called evergreen content. So reason why got its name is because and I, and I just did a reel about this, where it was trendy versus evergreen.

[00:16:27] So trendy, like any trend on the internet has about a three to seven day shelf life and then it's dead. That leaves a lot of room for people to have to constantly produce and, and produce at like record speeds and produce at levels where, you know, burnout is gonna happen insanely fast. Because it's, it's, it's really not sustainable. There could be 10 trends a week. You're gonna just sit there and make 10 trends. Like it's, it's crazy. 

[00:16:59] Evergreen content, on the other hand, which are, you know, talking heads, tutorials, explanation videos, or even just a rant. These, these types of videos, they're evergreen. Because, just like an evergreen tree, they don't die. If the market never shifts, if, if the way we do business five years from now, 10 years from now, doesn't change, that video will still make sense 10 years from now.

[00:17:25] Tim: Right. 

[00:17:25] Lefty: And you don't have to produce as much because if it's still gonna be acceptable 2, 3, 4, 5 years later, I've done my job. And that's why you only see me, you know, put out content maybe three max, four times a week. And then the rest of the time I'm, you know, utilizing my stories. Maybe I have an opportunity to go live. I'm engaging with content. 

[00:17:51] And so, I mean, to, to just end off that point is if you need to go that extra mile, or, get yourself a different boost, you know, don't cheap out on hiring and outsourcing.

[00:18:04] If, if you are a business coach, your job is to be a business coach, your job isn't to be a content creator, because then you're stuck having to maybe, you know, film, God knows how many videos a week. You then have to learn how to edit. You probably have to learn how to color. Correct. I'm not even gonna get into grading because that's like completely different ballgame, but now you've probably taken up 10, maybe 20 hours of your life a week. 

[00:18:37] That extra 20 hours could have been closing more deals, while somebody else does the jobs for you, or spending more time with your family, taking a vacation, doing whatever it is. But no, you're stuck having to do this, because you don't want to take that extra step to hire someone that understands branding, understands a little bit more marketing and, and, and understands how to position you the way that you want to be positioned.

[00:19:05] Tim: Yeah, I think what you said about, you know, focusing on, on what you do best and where your strengths are, is really important. And as, as you scale your presence on social media, I think automation and outsourcing have to become part of the mix. Or you put this, you put this ceiling on your own growth on, on the platforms and on your, ultimately on the growth of your business, because you become too tied up with, you know, dealing with the social media, the marketing aspect, you won't have time to actually provide the services or, or, or create your products and, and that sort of thing. 

[00:19:39] Lefty: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I get these calls all the time where it's like, where it's like, I I'll give you two examples. The, the first example is, oh I have a friend that can do it for free, right? Okay. Fantastic. Go to your friend, go to your friend that can do it for free. Because honestly, I'm sure your friend is probably not coming with the, with the level of experience that I have. Not only in just video creation, but in, in actual content marketing and, and, and so on and so forth. That's number one. 

[00:20:08] So number two is I can use Fiverr. Now, not to discredit Fiverr because they, they have amazing creators on there. But the pattern on Fiverr is that it's all cookie cutter. Right? So if you want, and it's almost like, it's almost like how Canva is a trend now. Right? If you go, if you go on Fiverr and watch, let's say, maybe 10 people's Instagram reels, I guarantee you, you can pick out the artist within a second. And it's the same thing with Canva because now people are calling creators out because they're like, oh, I saw that same design on that, but on that guy's profile or on that girl's profile. So it's like, yes, these platforms are easy, quick fix solutions that allow you to get the job done, but then you literally just look like everybody else, you don't stand out. 

[00:21:04] Tim: Yeah. It's a volume business there, right? Because those creators have to lower their prices in order to compete with one another on that huge marketplace. And then you know, because of that, they've gotta put out the work as efficiently as possible, and that means templates. And that means, you know, like you say, replication of what, what other people are doing. 

[00:21:25] But I just wanted to circle back to that one point, we're talking about dancing versus talking head videos. And the reason I ask that is and I I'm interested in your opinion, like as a videographer. There's some video producers who would say, well, the, the reason you can't do talking heads is like that won't keep people's attention. So, even if you're doing one of those tutorial videos, you gotta get out there, you gotta move around, you gotta be in multiple locations. Do you agree with that? Or do you think that, do you think that that's like you're over in a sense over producing the videos? 

[00:21:58] Lefty: No, I don't agree with that. I don't agree that you have to be jumping around and going to different locations. I mean if anybody looks at my page you know, I'm sitting in a chair and on all of them, right. Practically, all of them. Minus, I mean, I mean, let's not, let's not talk about the ones where, you know, they're, they're my actual skits, cause that's a different story. But the majority, like 95% of my videos, are literally me in this chair. The only difference is my, my back is turned. So you, I can have my back lighting, which is lighting me now.

[00:22:31] Right. But, you know, look at my engagement. Like, you know, people are sharing my posts. People are saving my posts. So it really. Stems down to the message. Right. And it stems down to the delivery of that message. So when people are coming to me and hiring me, for example, that is what I'm helping with them with.

[00:22:54] Because I script write, you know. I put it in a format that is extremely easy for them to deliver. Do have a lot of US clients. That's pretty much where my business is based out of now. But, you know, I'm virtually directing, I'm working with body language tonality, the whole nine yards. So it's a mix of the message, with how the message is delivered. 

[00:23:16] Yeah, and I guess, like you're saying, if you start with the message, you can add other stuff in, I suppose, as it makes sense, but it shouldn't be the driving force behind the video. 

[00:23:26] No, no like, like you have to ask yourself: "What I'm about to do, does it make sense?" Not only does it make sense for my video, but does it make sense for my brand? There's a difference between certain individuals like social media managers, Instagram, like, like Instagram marketers and, and, and, and those, and those people in that space. Like them jumping on trends is okay for their business, cuz it makes sense. It makes sense.

[00:23:59] But like somebody who is like a fitness coach, you know, doing like the Macarena, or whatever, it does, like, why are you doing the Marcarena? You know, like, show me a workout, talk about a supplement. I can't hire you as a fitness coach to help me lose weight, if all you're doing in your videos are just like dancing and doing nonsense. Because I'm not gonna think that you, you have the right information --even if you look like the rock , you know. 

[00:24:29] Tim: Right. It could, it could actually damage your credibility in, in some ways, depending on what your, your market is, depending on what your brand's about.

[00:24:37] Lefty: Yeah. And I can only imagine how many, how many opportunities are missed, just because someone doesn't know how to create the right types of videos for their business. 

[00:24:49] Tim: Right, right. People will, I think, recognize that value, kind of, regardless of all the kind of pyrotechnics that you might put into a video that essentially, you know, gets some of the eyeballs. And, I think that's why people do it. They see the trends and they see like, here's this amazing reach. But then I guess it comes down to like, who are you reaching? And, like, what kind of connection are you making with the people, you know, watching some of that trending stuff versus like you say, somebody doing more, kind of straightforward, informational type videos, but doing them very well, like providing real value in the information. That's where they're gonna be more successful, ultimately, I think, in, in their in their video. 

[00:25:32] Lefty: Yeah. And, and, and to give a, to, to give a movie reference quickly in terms of trending videos for brands I mean, let's, let's say like the movie, the, the movie, the hangover. Okay, it's fun to watch. But, let's be realistic. How many times are you gonna watch the hangover? Maybe once, once a decade. You know what I mean? 

[00:25:56] Tim: Once. 

[00:25:58] Lefty: Or maybe just once, you know. 

[00:25:59] Tim: Yeah. 

[00:26:00] Lefty: You don't care for it after. And that's exactly, and that's exactly how I feel about trending videos because they just don't do any justice. They're fun to watch, but then once you watch it, it's done. 

[00:26:11] Tim: Yeah, exactly. And then, you know, the, the worst thing is, like you say, the seven days have passed, you're the last person on the trend. And that's where I think people get, get frustrated, cuz they're like, well, I did the trend and my, you know, my reel only got, you know, 200 views or something like that.

[00:26:28] Lefty: Yeah. This is still kind of like a rumor, so I don't want anybody to, to take my advice on this, but I've been hearing a lot of speculation that Instagram is now gonna be taking a chapter or a page out of YouTube's book, which means this new algorithm is gonna be about watch time. 

[00:26:52] Tim: That would, would be that's interesting. It'd be quite a shift. I think like I, like, I think to some degree watch time has been factoring in, but you're right there, there always has been a heavy emphasis on engagement on Instagram, in the form of likes, comments, shares, what have you. 

[00:27:09] Lefty: And it's still gonna play a vital role, you know, like obviously likes and comments and whatnot is still, it's still huge. It's the backbone of Instagram. But from what I've been hearing, it's starting to push over to watch time and yeah, well now people have to really figure out, okay.

[00:27:28] Even if it's like a 30-second Reel, you gotta make sure that somebody watches that full 30 seconds. And how many people are gonna watch that full 30 seconds. And, think about how crazy that is. It's it's, we're talking about a video that's 30 seconds compared to a video that you would put out on YouTube, which is probably like anywhere from like 10 to 20 minutes.

[00:27:50] Tim: Right. 

[00:27:50] Lefty: And imagine those creators having a tough time, trying to get people to even sit through like the first three minutes. Let alone trying to get somebody to watch the first 10 seconds. So. I think, we're gonna see a lot of crazy stuff happen 

[00:28:07] Right. And I think they're trying to actually move the platform away from that endless replication of trends that seemed to be taking over for a while. Because it's not ultimately good for Instagram, because like you say, people get bored of trends and if you are opening the app and it's like, oh yeah, there's that, that same trend, like 10 times, maybe it's not so interesting anymore. And you know, you, you start gravitating to another platform. 

[00:28:33] Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And that's another reason why I try and keep like, you know, I'm trying to diversify my content too right now where it's like, it's, it's obviously all mainly video, but it's not just a talking head. It's like a skit or it's like a B roll video or something. Trying to bring my, my more of my cinematic style into my videos, a little more now. 

[00:28:58] Tim: Mm-hmm. Are you, are you on multiple platforms too? Or are you thinking of branching out into other platforms? 

[00:29:03] Lefty: I am. I'm on I'm on Facebook. I have a free Facebook group, where I do give a few tips and tricks there for video. I'm on TikTok. I don't use TikTok very often. I try my best to but primarily Instagram. And I just recently started taking my, my short form content and putting it out on YouTube Shorts. 

[00:29:24] Tim: Oh, cool. Yeah, I think it's a good idea. I think platforms change and, you know, being in multiple places, it's gonna help you to have that extra security. I, I think you're right, that you need like a main platform that you're focused on to get that traction. But then once you're creating the content, you can put it in multiple places and just help expand the overall audience. 

[00:29:45] Lefty: Yeah, you gotta beta test it. Right. If you feel like you've been creating on Instagram and you just feel like you've hit that cap, like you cannot do any better than what you have already been doing, try another platform. You know, maybe there's a new audience there. 

[00:30:00] Tim: Right. 

[00:30:00] Lefty: Maybe your audience was there all along. Maybe it's not even just a new audience, right? 

[00:30:04] Tim: Yeah. 

[00:30:05] Lefty: Like, go to TikTok. Go to YouTube. Heck, Facebook Reels now. You know what I mean? Like there's, there's so many, there there's so many avenues you can take. Like, I'll give you an example. I have one Instagram Reel that I put out, which, I think, has like shy of like 600 views. That same video on Facebook did almost 6,000 views. 

[00:30:33] Tim: Wow, that's great. Yeah. Right. That does happen. I've noticed that like something posted as a YouTube Short, maybe it doesn't do so well. And then Instagram, you know, it goes crazy or vice versa. And sometimes it's hard to tell or explain why, but it's another good reason to, to, to try those other platforms is you know. 

[00:30:51] Lefty: Absolutely.

[00:30:52] Tim: Well, I kept you a little longer than I expected. I appreciate you staying and hanging out. And I did have my one last question I want to ask you. I ask all content creators about their favorite technology tools. And it could be piece of equipment or it could be software. Like, what would you say is one of your favorite tools to work with? 

[00:31:13] Lefty: My, like, mouse, which is ergonomical, I don't even have to move. I just do this, and my mouse moves around. But it was a little, it was a little interesting working with it at first because, you know, I'm used to doing this motion. But going from, from this to this, which was, this was, you know, my hand was cramping. And you know, this, my hand is bigger than this, so it's really hard to like maneuver and work around it. But, but getting a good mouse, especially if you're a creator is, is crucial. You know, Because you, we, we are probably very susceptible to getting like carpal tunnel and, and all that.

[00:31:53] Tim: So, it's a good point. That's highly practical. 

[00:31:57] Lefty: Yeah. So if you can, if you could avoid that if you can avoid that as early on as possible, and just train your hand to just be rested and relaxed, you're, you're gonna be better off. Now I'm super relaxed and rested, when I have my hand on the mouse. 

[00:32:12] In terms of tools I have two sets of tools that I enjoy using. One is VFX motion. motionvfx.com has overlays and assets for Final Cut Pro Adobe, Premier, and DaVinci resolve. But last, last, but not least, which is my absolute favorite, favorite tool of all time, and it makes and breaks my videos, is epidemic sound.com. That's where I get all my royalty free music. My sound effects, my, my literally everything audio related. 

[00:32:51] Tim: That's cool. Yeah, I think that's something people often overlook right with the the sound and the music. It's, it's such an important aspect of video and obviously audio podcasts. And I agree with you do need to get a royalty free solution. I don't recommend people using a free stock sites for a variety of reasons, but yeah, but I sound, I haven't tried that one yet. I'm with StoryBlocks right now myself, but I totally agree with get one of the other or get some third option that is a royalty free you know, provider. 

[00:33:25] Tim: And, just in closing Lefty, could you tell us a little bit about how you help content creators and how they could work with you if they're interested in that? 

[00:33:32] Lefty:  Yeah, so I help content creators. I help business coaches, experts in their fields, pretty much, build their visual aesthetic online to help them close more deals, make more money, stay consistent. And if anybody wants to book a call and work with me, you can book a call at www.createwithlefteris.com, or you can find me on Instagram, @createwithlefty, and I'd be happy to get on a call with you and chat. Thanks 

[00:34:03] Lefty, appreciate you being here today. Great talking with you. 

[00:34:07] Lefty: Yes, likewise.

[00:34:08] Tim: So good conversation with lefty today. For me, I think the key takeaway is that you can approach video and do it successfully a number of different ways. You can do a talking head style, or create action packed vlogs where you change camera angles and locations every three to five seconds, or even produce some of those dancing reels or other trends.

[00:34:28] But it has to start with defining who you are as the content creator and how you wanna present yourself, as well as who your audience is and what they're interested. And then it`s about finding an alignment between what you wanna offer and what your audience is looking for and expects-- not only in terms of the content, but also how that content is packaged.

[00:34:49] So what I'm gonna work on a little more from here is to try and define and articulate those things in a more specific way. And if you're working on a video content creation strategy, I'd encourage you to do the same.. You might wanna check out Lefty's coaching services to help you with that. And for that purpose, I've added a link to the description here.

[00:35:08] And if you wanna follow along and see how my video strategy is going, you can find me on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok under the username Mytogblog, I hope to see you around.