One of the biggest mistakes I see people making in terms of delivering content is that they use a method that doesn’t suit them, or that they just are not very good at. When you are trying to choose your method I would suggest trying a few out and getting feedback from people you trust. See how each one feels to you when you read, listen, or watch it. Also, remember that just because you use one method the first time, this doesn’t mean you can’t try something new in the future. You can always ask for feedback from your customers after they have received something and see what they say.

For delivering content you have three different methods online: audio, video, or written.

If audio is your thing, you can do anything from a five-minute audio-tip or a podcast¹¹³ all the way to an audio series that’s delivered on CD or through MP3s. You set up an audio session the same way as we did with the articles previously, using the three Ps. Start with your point, prove it with an example, and then tell your audience how they can perform it themselves. It is fairly simple to record audio and it should be smooth sailing to create small audio chunks at a time. If you come up with a top-five list for your marketplace, you could record each of them separately and then release them one at a time on your blog. The audio can be streamed or downloaded by your listeners, plus at the end you can combine all the files together for a larger series.

The two biggest things to pay close attention to when recording audio are sound quality and how appealing your voice is. Good sound quality comes from choosing the right tools for recording—the microphone you’re using and the computer it’s going into. Spend a few extra dollars on a half-decent microphone and the value to your recording will be exponential. I use one of the Plantronics headsets, which plugs directly into the microphone jack on my laptop. I chose not to go with the USB headset because a direct input into a microphone jack gave me the best sound quality possible.

When it comes to your voice, the best way to know if you’re doing it well is to record one of your short segments and play it back and listen to it or to have a few trusted people listen and give you honest, real feedback. I know that listening to yourself is excruciating for most people because how we actually sound is totally different from how we hear ourselves in our heads. But this is so important. Being able to be critical about your own work and being able to accept honest feedback from others is incredibly valuable in business.

Now, although no one may be able to change their entire voice, there are many ways we can improve our audio content. When you practice, pay attention to your pace, volume, and enunciation. Listen to other speakers and how they sound. What do you like about your favorite speakers and what don’t you like? Confidence is also a huge factor. Confidence in your voice as you practice and improve makes a tremendous difference in the final product. When I worked with a company that booked speakers for a large conference in Toronto, we always looked out for the combination of someone who knew what he or she was talking about and who could also deliver it in a convincing way. There was no shortage of people out there who could do one out of the two, but somebody who can do both is always in demand.

Ask anyone nowadays and that person will tell you that video is currently the biggest method in presenting content and will continue getting bigger. Because the cost of cameras has come down so greatly over the past few years and as they have also become smaller and more mobile, more and more people are using video. You would think by now that everyone would be, but that is not the case.

So why aren’t more people recording? Well, for one thing it can be intimidating to try. In video, there is nowhere to hide. People watching will be able to tell when you are nervous. There are tons of factors to consider such as lighting and sound quality and controlling what is going on in the background.

I need to tell you that you do not have to make a video and you certainly do not have to do it right away. If the video hurdle is too big and it keeps you from engaging with your market, there are other methods of delivery. As you become more confident in your writing and your audio, video will seem like less of a jump. You need to have a lot more confidence to do video well than the other two methods combined. And to tell you the truth, I among many other people prefer to read blog posts so we can scan them to pick out the ideas we like best or find most useful. With video, your audience is forced to go at your pace. So don’t sweat it if video is not something you want to do now or at all.

If you are up to giving video a try, it is an amazing tool to connect on a personal level with your marketplace. As your potential customer, if I am not able to see you in person, then the next best way is to begin building trust with me, or for me to learn from you, than to be able to look right in your eye via video. Video is also a great way to show your potential customers how to do something—since they can see it. So if you are demonstrating something, such as the chiropractor who shows stretches, then video is great.

When you work with video, one of the major benefits is that you can really cover all three methods of content delivery.

You can record video and upload it while at the same time you can actually strip the audio from the video and make it an MP3 file people can listen to. You could then also have the audio transcribed and available as a PDF or just as a blog post. Understand, though, that each style of delivery won’t transfer perfectly over to the next.

If you are showing something in your video, relying on physical cues or visual examples, then obviously something important will be missing when you translate that to only audio.

The spoken word is different from the written word. I learned this very quickly writing this book. The section you are reading right now I created using audio. I am actually speaking these words into a microphone using a voice-to-text software program (I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking). The software is typing out the words for me. If I wanted to create an audio version of the book I have all the files available to me, which is pretty cool. But the process isn’t perfect. All of the text files created from audio have needed to be edited so that they read properly. I think that the art of using one method to create another is something that could be practiced and improved over time. If you are filming a video and you know you want the audio to be able to stand on its own, then you can practice speaking accordingly.

If you think writing is what you do best and where your comfort level is, focus on writing the best content possible. A note about editing here. You do not need to focus on being the best editor possible. My job when I write a blog post is to write something that is compelling and informative and to show my passion for the subject and hopefully evoke emotion from the reader. My job is not to retake grade 12 English—I barely spell check. I have some great people who are happy to help me and I return the favor for them. The focus should be on bringing passion to your writing.

Focus your attention on what your reader is going to get out of this post and leave the rest to somebody who is outside of that emotion. Sometimes reading your own posts over and over again for grammar and spelling will mean that you never actually put them out there.¹¹⁴

When choosing your method, you also need to take into account what message you’re trying to get across. If you’re trying to do some kind of product demonstration, especially if it’s online for software or web sites, then using the combination of audio and video together can be really helpful. Recording only audio can be easier than doing it on video and less nerve-racking. A nice way to combine the advantages of video and the ease of audio is by doing a screen capture program like using Camtasia, where you record your voice but it is heard over the images you are showing on screen. Like flash video with a voice over.

Lastly, consider your potential customers. How will they best take your message? Why not ask them what they would like to see? Or try out a few different methods and see which gives you the best reaction and feedback from your customers.