Febuary 10th, 2010 | By: Garin Kilpatrick

Video is a powerful medium. To really leverage the power of video and spread your message to the widest possible audience it is important to make sure that you describe exactly what you talk about in the video so that the people who are searching for what you are saying in your video can find you with ease. The following 25 tips cover several different ways that you can get the best video quality possible, and then share your video across a variety of platforms.

1. Get a YouTube Account

YouTube dominates the online Video space. If you Upload your Video to only one Video Network YouTube is your best bet. They are the biggest and serve over one billion videos daily.

2. Get a TubeMogul Account
There is also significant niche traffic to be had by uploading Videos to numerous networks, and a great way to manage this is with a site called TubeMogul. TubeMogul is video syndication site and distributes your Video to multiple Video sites, saving you uploading video multiple times.

3. Be Professional
You don’t need to be wearing a suit and tie but at least remember to shave. If you want to produce a Viral Video you probably won’t do it looking like a slob. Find yourself a good professional setting. I just use a couch but it works for me because that is where I feel most relaxed, which brings me to my next point.

4. Get as Comfortable as Possible
Video Blogging is a little nerve racking, so it helps to be comfortable. Find the place where you feel most comfortable, your favorite couch or chair perhaps, and get set up. Plenty of light is also a necessity, but not so much that it feels unnatural. Personally, I prefer to record when no one is around so I can focus on the video at hand and not what others in the immediate area are thinking about what I am doing.

5. Make sure your Batteries are Charged
I have learned this lesson the hard way. Trust me when I say it sucks if you get into a good dialogue and are cut off mid sentence due to a failing battery. A dead battery disrupts the entire flow so make sure you are charged up.

6. Use a Script
Sometimes I just wing it, but having a script makes the production process significantly less painful. Knowing exactly what you want to say before you say it allows you to focus on delivery when the camera is rolling. It is best to look at the camera as much as possible so bullets are a great way to ensure you achieve the best results possible.

7. Remember that YouTube has a 10 minute video limit
Even though they support HD Video YouTube still implements a 10 minute video length cap. 5 minutes is a good target to aim for. If your plan is to create a video longer than 10 minutes you will be forced to chop it up.

8. Practice makes Perfect
The more videos you are able to make the more natural it will feel for you to be in front of a camera. Until you feel perfectly comfortable talking into a lens I recommend filming several different sections to your video and then piecing them together.

9. Use a Tripod
I bought a compact tripod from a local electronics store for under $20 and I use it almost every time I shoot. I also had a Heavy Duty tripod stand given to me and I use this as well for some scenes. A steady camera makes a video much better so if you do not have a tripod handy ensure the person handling the camera is careful to hold it still.

10. Give yourself time to edit
The Photographer Thomas Hawk says that for about every ten pictures he takes he usually only keeps about one. When shooting video a similar rule applies: record a lot, use a little.

11. Syndicate your video as a Podcast
If you are unfamiliar about how Podcasting works check out this Podcastblaster.com and look for the tutorial about How to make a Video Podcast. Once you have created your Video Podcast you can submit it to Podcastblaster and iTunes so that viewers download new episodes automatically into iTunes.

12. Video Blog with an iPhone
If you are a proud owner of a 3Gs you are able to take Video with your phone, and you also are able to stream video with one of the two apps I will now mention as tips #13 & #14.

13. Ustream for iPhone
I have not yet been able to get Qik to work for me but it allows a live stream of video to be shared from an iPhone or nokia video phone. This app also has built in chat features so that people watching can comment and ask questions that can then be answered by those participating in the live stream.

14. Knocking for iPhone
Knocking is not so much Video Blogging as it is Mobile to Mobile live sharing. This cool and free app allows you to “knock” on a friends iphone and share a video stream with them live, with only a few seconds of delay.

15. Create a Custom Channel & Video Player with Blip.tv
Blip.tv is another video site that is compatible with tube mogul. My favorite feature of blip is that they allow you to create a custom video player, using whatever color you want for the border and text, and even including the name of your brand beside the play bar.

16. Light is your Friend
A camera is just a device that captures light so it helps to have plenty of it if you want a high quality video.

17. Natural Light is the Best
Natural light simply looks the most natural, and is difficult to reproduce. If you cannot film during the day I recommend buying daylight effect bulbs, unless you are willing to spring the extra cash for professional lighting.

18. Keep your Video short and sweet

Brevity is the art of wit. Twitter is proof that it works.

19. Film in HD
I don’t have an HD camera yet so I can’t follow this advice, but I plan to get one so I can asap. YouTube supports 1080p now, which is phenomenal quality. The main setback to HD is long upload times, but for the quality you get, it is so worth it.

20. End on a Positive Note
Go out with a bang. Save the best for last. End with a smile and keep your viewers eager for more.

21. Get great Editing Software
One of the many reasons I am happy I bought a Mac is because it comes stock with the easiest video editing program I have ever used, iMovie. That said I have also edited on a PC, and when I did I used Adobe Premiere. I am going to invest in Final Cut for my Mac as soon as I can justify spending $1,000 on software. I keep hoping I will run into someone who already owns it!

22. Do a Screencast
TechSmith is a software company that produces two cool pieces of software for screen casting. For the record a screen cast is a video of what is happening on your screen. The more affordable option is Jing, which I have purchased and am quite happy with. For advanced features such as cursor zoom and others check out Jing’s big brother, Camtasia.

23. Use Screenr to Screencast

If you are looking for a free screencasting solution check out screenr. Screenr is powerful, simple, and works on either Mac or PC. You can download screenr videos, upload to youtube, and easily share them with your Twitter network.

24. 12 Seconds.tv
This tip is really just an elaboration of tip 18, keep it short and sweet. Sign up for a12seconds.tv account and you can create 12 second videos that you can share with your friends. These are great for concise little messages, like an update of where you are, or what you are working on. 12seconds even has a 12cast iPhone app for vlogging from your iPhone.

25. Create a Video Challenge
Are you have a skill that you think goes unmatched? Put it to the test and create a video challenging others to step up to the plate. If you can get a ton of video responses there is a good chance that the people who make them will tell their friends about the challenge and this will help you build hype! I am planning to do a video challenge soon…I’m just not sure yet what my challenge will be (Any suggestions?). I’ll figure something out so subscribe to my youtube channel garin.tv and stay tuned for my upcoming videos and video challenge!

Are you a Video Blogger? Do you have any video blogging tips that I forgot to mention? Feel free to share your youtube channel name below as well as any video blogging tips that you use when making your videos!