How to Produce an Expert Video When You’re Not an Expert
Issue #2314
- WEALTHY: Are your credit card habits sabotaging the economy? (Andrew Gordon)
- HEALTHY: Get your antioxidants, hype-free (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: David Ben-Gurion on experts
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- 4 steps to giving your video business expert credibility (Paul Lawrence)
- The Ready, Fire, Aim business proposal (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Fun to Know… about crocodile tears
- Add "luminary" to your vocabulary
How To Get Your Web Site on Google’s First Page for Higher, Faster Profits
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Edging Away From the Cliff
Banks are tightening lending standards to businesses and would-be homeowners. But not to individuals with a hankering for plastic. Less than 10 percent of banks are tightening standards for credit card applications.
For the economy to turn around, individuals have to stop living off their credit cards. (If you’re in debt, how can you save? How can you follow my investment tips? How can you sleep at night?)
More people are defaulting on credit cards these days, but not enough to dissuade banks from issuing high-interest cards to anybody with a heartbeat. The banks are borrowing money at such low rates that the higher rates they’re charging on credit cards are making them a bundle. Defaults on those cards would have to spike before they would think twice and cut back on continuing to issue them.
Look, the banks are out for themselves. So you need to be out for yourself. Tear up those credit card offers. Let’s not help the banks push us - or the economy - over the edge.
[Ed. Note: ETR’s Investment Director, Andrew Gordon, is the editor of INCOME, a monthly financial advisory service that uncovers income-generating stocks that promise safety (first and foremost), along with much-higher-than-average profit potential.]
"If an expert says it can’t be done, get another expert."
David Ben-Gurion
How to Produce an Expert Video When You’re Not an Expert
A few years ago, I suffered from terrible back pain. It was so bad that I was taking steroid injections and trying every other pain-relieving method I could find. Looking online, I discovered that millions of others were going through the same ordeal. That’s when I had a brainstorm: If I could find a way to rid myself of my own back pain… maybe I could create a little side business by helping other people get relief at the same time.
How was I going to do that? I had no idea.
Then one night I was talking to an acquaintance, Jamie K., about my back. It turned out that Jamie was a certified physical trainer - and she had some stretching techniques that she was sure would help me. She taught me a few of her stretches on the spot, and it felt good. After performing those stretches for just a few weeks, I felt noticeably better. And after a few months, I felt better than I had in years.
A light bulb went off in my head. I would produce an instructional video to help people use stretching to ease their back pain!
I’d already produced a successful ballroom dance instruction video, so I had experience doing it. And that video was pretty easy for me to make. After all, I’d been a dance teacher for years, so I was qualified to teach the material myself. I was totally unqualified to teach others how to do stretching exercises - but Jamie was the perfect person to do it.
That was the first instructional video where I hired an outside expert to be on camera. It turned out to be a bonanza that profited me over $5,000 within 48 hours of putting out my first ad. Three years later, I still regularly fill orders for that video.
Realizing I could use outside experts in my instructional videos opened up a whole new world of opportunity. I no longer had to stick with skills I was personally adept at.
My next video featured a very fit senior who had created his own exercise program for middle-aged and older men. That video brought in over $30,000 in 30 days.
Now you might think it costs an arm and a leg to hire an expert to star in your videos. Sure, if you asked Tiger Woods to star in a golfing video for you, you’d need to shell out big-time. But it can be surprisingly inexpensive. For instance, I paid Jamie only $100 to do the back-stretching video.
The instructional video business is an easy and fun way to make extra income. There’s a demand for how-to videos in just about every area of interest. So the opportunity to make money is practically unlimited - especially when you realize you don’t have to star in your videos yourself.
Here are some guidelines to help you…
* Choose a subject that you believe will fill a need in the marketplace.
Like I said, there’s a demand for videos in almost every area of interest. Just be sure the market isn’t too obscure. Let’s say you want to produce a video teaching people how to do magic tricks. Based on the fact that there are plenty of books and videos on the subject, you could guess that the market would be large enough for you to earn a reasonable profit. On the other hand, a video that teaches people how to identify the nest of the North American Spotted Owl would appeal to too small a market. You might find a handful of customers, but not enough to make the venture worthwhile.
* Figure out what you’re going to pay your expert.
When I was working with Jamie, she was employed by a spa where she made $15 an hour. I offered her $25 an hour for the time it took to shoot the video, which made her quite happy. But if, for example, you wanted to hire a lawyer to be your expert, you’d probably need to pay quite a bit more.
You can also go the royalty route by offering your expert a low upfront payment as well as a percentage of the video’s sales. This is often the better deal for both sides. It keeps your out-of-pocket costs down, and eases any worries he may have that he’ll get a piddling amount for his time… and then your video will wind up selling 100,000 copies.
I’ve found that offering a royalty of something like $1 per sale is usually well received. Even if your video ends up selling only 500 or 1,000 copies, your expert would still be getting a pretty good deal for a few hours’ work.
* Recruit your expert.
I’ve had a good deal of success advertising on Craig’s List for a variety of different experts. Those who responded to my ads were all well-qualified and willing to work for a reasonable fee.
You can also find experts in special-interest chat rooms on the Internet, via local newspaper classifieds, or sometimes through simple word of mouth.
* Get an agreement in writing.
I’m not an attorney, so I’m not able to offer you legal advice. But I can tell you that having a contract in writing is a good way to protect yourself and your experts. In my contracts, I always spell out very clearly what the compensation will be. In fact, I write in big, bold letters that this is the only compensation the expert will be getting and that no other promises have been made. My agreements also include a statement that says I own the full rights to the video, and can do whatever I please with it. And I include a clause that says I’m allowed to use the expert’s image, name, and material in any way I choose to promote the video.
You can find templates for contracts in the library or online that you can adapt to your purposes. But if you want to be sure you are fully covered, you should consider having an attorney write up a contract for you. Yes, this may cost a pretty penny. But you can use the same basic contract for every expert, so the cost won’t be that great in the long run.
Producing specialty videos is one of the best low-capital businesses you can get into. And by using outside experts, there is almost no limit to the number of subjects or markets you can appeal to.
[Ed. Note: Paul Lawrence is the creator of the Quick and Easy Microbusiness System, ETR’s program for starting a business for under $100. Learn more of Paul’s video-business secrets HERE.
I Can’t Take It Anymore…
When you are in the know about something - like I am about generating sales online - you can see right through the smoke and mirrors. You clearly see the true money-machine the Internet could be in the right hands. Now I’m going to show you exactly how to make money online in 3 easy steps.
Yes, it’s that easy and some have been hiding the real secret all this time. Check out everything for yourself by clicking here…
The Ready, Fire, Aim Business Proposal
When someone comes to me for advice about a business idea that will require a considerable expenditure of time and money, I often ask for a Ready, Fire, Aim business proposal.
The purpose is not to slow down the start-up process but to outline goals, identify costs (obvious and overlooked), and analyze expectations to make sure they’re realistic. To keep the momentum going, I tell them that the proposal has to be finished and delivered to me within 24 hours.
The ideal Ready, Fire, Aim business proposal looks like this:
- It is more than one page but no longer than four.
- It includes ballpark financial projections, including costs.
- It identifies critical tasks.
- It identifies a project champion and key support people.
- It has a timeline for major tasks to be completed.
- It describes Plan B (a "what if it fails?" course of action).
[Ed. Note: The above is an excerpt from Michael Masterson’s latest book, Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat, published with permission of John Wiley & Sons. The book has hit the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and now the Business Week list of business best-sellers. Inside, Michael shows how veteran and rookie entrepreneurs alike can take their businesses to the next level. You’ll learn how to identify and solve the problems that crop up during each stage of a company’s growth… and how to take advantage of profit opportunities along the way. Order your copy of Ready, Fire, Aim now.]
Not a Sure Shot for Health
It seems to be everywhere you look. Giant SUVs plastered with the purple logo. Postcards on the counter at the gym. Widespread hype for a $39 bottle of juice that proponents claim to be a "health miracle in a bottle."
MonaVie is one of the hottest nutritional products right now, and it comes with health claims that are as numerous as its many neighborhood distributors. But this product could not only drain your wallet, it could harm your health.
The alleged benefits of MonaVie come from its "high level of antioxidants," which, according to the company, are primarily derived from acai (the fruit of a palm tree). But go to MonaVie’s website and see if you can find the ORAC score (Oxygen Radical Absorbancy Capacity) of their product. Nope. How about just finding out how much acai is in the blend? No again. The company states: "Because MonaVie product formulas are proprietary, the extract amount of acai or other fruits in our blend is not disclosed."
While MonaVie does not disclose specific amounts, they are required by law to disclose their ingredients. And on this list, you will find the preservative sodium benzoate. You may remember the ETR article by my husband Jon that described how benzene forms when sodium benzoate interacts with vitamin C in the presence of light or heat (i.e., pasteurization). And MonaVie is heat-pasteurized.
Benzene is an aggressive carcinogen, even in minute amounts. And science shows that it can cause severe damage to mitochondria, the power station of your cells. Not exactly a "health miracle in a bottle," if you ask me.
Another not-so-sweet tidbit you may want to consider before you jump on the MonaVie bandwagon is the amount of sugar in the blend - six grams per ounce. Drink the "recommended" four ounces a day, and you’re downing 24 grams of sugar (mainly fructose). That’s a recipe for a blood sugar spike.
Antioxidants are an essential part of a healthy diet, and one of the keys to aging gracefully and preventing disease. That’s why Jon and I stay well-stocked with the best organic sources. Here are a few that we always have on hand. They are ORAC chart-toppers according to the government’s 2007 Agricultural Research Service report:
- blueberries (6,552 ORAC)
- blackberries (5,347 ORAC)
- red beans (8,459 ORAC)
- black beans (8,040 ORAC)
- artichokes (9,221 ORAC)
- cocoa powder (an astounding 82,000 ORAC)
We even like to add some unsweetened acai (3,800 ORAC) to our Organic Cocoa Berry smoothies every once in a while.
To enjoy the benefits of acai, try Sambazon Organic Acai Smoothie Packs. You can find them in the freezer case at your local health food store for about $2 each. With zero grams of sugar and no preservatives, this is a smarter and safer way to include a superfood in your diet… hype, spike, and benzene free.
[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series. Learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR’s free natural health e-letter.]
It’s Fun to Know: Crocodile Tears
When accusing someone of a hypocritical display of sorrow, you might say they’re shedding "crocodile tears." The expression comes from a myth that crocodiles cry fake tears to attract help… then, while still crying, snatch and make a meal of their would-be saviors. The story probably got started because crocodiles do, indeed, have lacrimal glands (like humans) - which means they can produce tears.
(Source: That’s a Fact Jack! )
Take Charge of Your Future
You don’t have much spare time… you’re not exactly rolling in the bucks… and you’re no Bill Gates when it comes to technology.
We’ve heard you… and that’s why we asked Marc Charles to be our “advance scout” for profit opportunities that you can run from a kitchen table, your desktop, or out on the road.
They’ve got to be inexpensive and easy to start, without a lot of red tape or technical know-how, and still have great income potential.
There’s a reason they call this guy “The King of Business Opportunities”…why not take a look at what he’s got for you?
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Luminary
A "luminary" (LOO-muh-nare-ee) - from the Latin for "light" - is a person of eminence or brilliant achievement.
Example (as used by Ruth Harris in Lourdes): "Those who came to the Pyrenees sought the sublime in the mountains and the exotic in the population, drawn by the descriptions of ethnographers and literary luminaries like Vigny, Sand, Baudelaire, and Flaubert."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker … build your self-confidence and intellect … increase your attractiveness to others … just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR’s new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008