How to Make a Great LinkedIn Video Cover Story

LinkedIn is launching a whole new tool you can use to impress those who might want to hire you. The new service “Video Cover Stories” are just one more leverage that you’ll need to pull to make yourself as competitive as everyone else, so you might as well start planning now.

Videos are likely to be the new, surly culture way to make you a little more interesting than everyone else on LinkedIn, and they will take many forms: some people will shoot terrible videos that will in fact be. hurt their chances; most people shoot mediocre videos that say exactly what their LinkedIn profile already says; and some will exceed their videos, turning their resumes into a Michael Bay creation that will either give them the jobs they are looking for (especially if they’re influencers or social media-related) or ridicule them on a subreddit.

If you plan to use this feature when it is just starting out – and you should – don’t improvise. Just as numerically important as it would be in person is how you present yourself to a potential recruiter or hiring manager. You wouldn’t want to just walk up to someone and start chatting about your professional life without a little preparation, right? And you definitely wouldn’t do that without making yourself presentable.

Don’t be afraid to write your introduction, but keep it natural

For starters, you want to think about what you’re going to say before you say it. If you’re feeling more natural impromptu, that’s fine, but you’re still going to benefit from writing down your general talking points – maybe even having them on a screen in a gigantic font so that you can quickly take a look at them, if necessary. And if speaking spontaneously isn’t your forte, you might want to write it down.

When writing what you’re going to deliver to your LinkedIn audience, keep it conversational. You are not trying to impress anyone with perfectly crafted sentences. If you do, that’s fine, but in general make a mistake on the side of looking like a human rather than a human reading something that doesn’t sound like the way people actually converse. in real life. The joy of a video intro is that you get the chance to show someone the real you. The real you isn’t someone who reads an over-edited copy from a piece of paper. The real you have personality. This is your script, which you might not even need to refer to once you have done a few revisions and start to notice that your wording and talking points start to go with you.

A professional video intro is not a selfie

Even if you seem a little more robotic in your video intro, it’s forgivable as long as your video looks high-quality. What does it mean? Two words: lighting and sound. Make sure the lighting setup you use makes you look good, not like you’re shooting a quick Snapchat for your friends. As a general rule, I would recommend filming using outdoor lighting whenever possible (not outdoors per se, but stand near a source of sunlight to look great while talking).

Likewise, if you’re using a low-quality webcam or smartphone, you might want to get your hands on one. Grainy, pixelated video doesn’t help you sell your best. Also, don’t use your smartphone’s selfie camera if you can avoid it, and put your phone on something or buy a cheap tripod. (You might even let a friend or loved one film you, but they’ll need a steady hand.)

As for the sound, don’t shoot your intro video somewhere with annoying background noise (be it a small hum or cars passing in the background) or an echo. Empty bedrooms and bathrooms aren’t your friends. If your voice sounds muffled, muffled, or bad, you will need to adjust your setup or perhaps consider investing in an inexpensive lapel microphone for your recording device.

It’s a bit of a stretch, I know, but if a professional-looking video intro helps you land your next gig, who cares?

Self-assess your video shoot and to be critical

You will want to review your video introduction. Don’t be afraid to shoot as many repeats as you want and check out the obvious things that might seem strange to someone who is watching your video for the first time. For example, do you look into the lens all the time or do your eyes wander? Does it blatantly seem like you are reading a script from a screen off-center to your camera?

What does your face look like? If you get a lot of reflected light on your skin, adjust your surroundings or reconsider your makeup choices. Regardless of gender, it won’t kill you to put a little powder on your face At least. Consider foundation or concealer to smooth out imperfections. Moisturize those lips. Trim those eyebrows. I won’t go into the full beauty regimen here, but if I only had one chance to impress someone who could give me a better career opportunity, you bet I would use every tool I can. to be at my best.

Are your clothes wrinkled? They shouldn’t be. Does your outfit work with your background and lighting? Are you mixing too much? Standing outside too much? Be as critical as possible.

Watch other people’s videos once the LinkedIn feature goes live and see how yours stack up. Do you stand out from the crowd? Are you boring? Do you look authentic? Does your monologue seem weird to you? Are you giving new information about yourself in a fun introductory format or are you repeating the taglines on your resume? If you did a great job, I’m happy for you; If you’re worried that your video may now look lame, guess what? You can fix it. Shoot a new video.

Don’t think you’ll only do one video intro

Consider polishing your video intro whenever you have more to say about yourself. Have you just nailed a new achievement? Take up a new introduction that brings this information to the fore. Have you moved, and now you have a beautiful natural setting to use as a video background? Why not shoot something different? Are you aiming for another type of job in your never-ending search? Shoot a more focused video, rather than risking it looking generic.

A LinkedIn video coverage story isn’t a TikTok, but even there the quality tends to attract popularity. Give your business audience a great video presentation, and that might just be the little extra you need to take your first steps towards incredible new opportunities. If nothing else, maybe you can add “video producer” to your LinkedIn skills list.