Profile Video Mini Course

House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 1 of 13

YOUR PROFILE VIDEO Stand Out, Connect & Build RapportSome house sitting platforms allow you to add a video to your profile.A profile video is essentially a very short video of you talking to cameraintroducing yourself to home owners.Profile videos are THE ABSOLUTE KEY to having a successful house sittingprofile, and unfortunately it is the one thing that most potential house sittersforget, or do not put into their profile.We guarantee that our profile video is THE ONE THING that has enabled us tohave successful back-to-back house sits since early 2013 all around the world,many of them in exotic and exceptional properties.It has also resulted in us having home owners contacting us directly asking us tocome and mind their house when they go away… no application even necessary!House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 2 of 13

Since many home owners these days, especially on house sits that are moreexotic or awesome in some way, are inundated with typically 30-100 applications,you must stand out or be memorable in some way if you want to be successful;not too different from applying for any job really.Someone that has a video on their profile is automatically going to standout from the crowd because so few people have them.But more importantly, video has the ability to make that instant connection tosomeone. By the time a home owner has watched your video, even if they do notread your entire profile, they feel like they already ‘know’ you.And in house sitting where trust is everything, that is GOLD!At the highest level, having a profile video will put you in more demand byhome owners, essentially giving you choice when it comes to decidingwhere you would love to house sit, rather than begging for assignments.HOW TO CREATE A PROFILE VIDEOOk, so let’s dive into the finer details of how to actually shoot, edit andupload to the platforms one of these profile videos…The profile video is essentially a summary of your written profile, so it is a goodidea to write that first & then extract the main points from it to put into your video.With a profile video the best idea is to assume that the home owner will NOTread your profile, but will only watch your video.This will give you some idea of what to put in it and how essential it is.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 3 of 13

STEP 1Get a video camera, Smart phone, tablet, or laptopAll these devices have great resolution these days and are more than enough forthis type of video.Being too formal actually detracts from your video. That’s why YouTube hasbecome so popular… people shooting amateur video is what people are used towatching more these days, not big slick productions.If you do not have a mobile device or video camera available, then most laptopshave cameras.Generally we just use Skype to record something as we have a Skype recorder.On Macs you have Quicktime available, and PCs have various recording soft-ware as well. If you find you do not have recording software then you can veryeasily download free software from the net.Save your video into MP4 format, or in some softwares you can actually uploadthe file straight to your Youtube channel if you have one.STEP 2Plan what you are going to sayRemember your video is a summary of your profile, so extract the main points,the ones that sell you the most.Plan how you are going to start your video. Thisis probably the most important part. Once you haveyour introduction and a loose structure of what youwill say, you will find most of it will just come to youas you start speaking.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 4 of 13

STEP 3Get a white board or large piece of paperIf you feel you will not remember your points, or it makes you feel more comfort-able, then write out your points on a white board or large butchers paper.Just watch that you do not look at the board all the time and forget to look at thecamera! Make it large enough so you can easily see it while you talk to camera.STEP 4Choose your film locationThe best video to take is you on an actual house sit with the pets (as long asthey are reasonably well behaved!) That way you are in the flow of house sitting,and you will capture the essence of that which will seem more natural & certain.If not on a house sit, then perhaps have your own pets or a friend’s with youwhen you film. Having animals with you softens the feel, makes it more fun towatch… and will probably take your mind off what you ‘have’ to say and make itmore conversational!Ensure that you have good lighting. Most photographers will tell you theirfavourite time of the day for shooting photos is at dusk. That’s when the sun isnot too harsh, and therefore not casting shadows over the scene and moreimportantly over you. Video is no different. So if you can, try to shoot your videoin soft or cloudy light, rather than full sun or in the shadows.Also try to avoid having a background that is too busy or distracting behindyou. Something simple like you sitting on a couch or on the grass is perfect.If the background is too busy, like a busy road or people behind you, the viewerwill always be drawn to the background and not focussed on you or what you aresaying. It is natural for our eyes to be drawn to moving objects over stationaryones.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 5 of 13

Most times we have shot our profile videowith the scene of our house sit behind us.One was on the grass in France overlook-ing the property, another was with thebeautiful township of Breckenridge behindus (like in the photo here), and yet anotherwas on the back of a boat in Greece.We always make sure we mention our location and that we on an actual housesit on our videos. It makes it a lot more ‘real’ for home owners watching!Probably the most important thing to pay attention to is the audio. It has beensaid that most people can endure poor visuals on a video, but vey few willtolerate poor audio. It is the one thing that will make people switch off yourvideo… not being able to hear you clearly, trying to hear over background noise,or if it is just too quiet.Always endeavour to have a quite background away from dogs barking, peoplemoving about or chatting, and any traffic.If possible, use an external microphone attached to your clothing. That way youwill be less likely to pick up background and surrounding noise. If you feel to godown this line and do not have a microphone, you can buy ones really cheaplythese days on Amazon or in any electronic store.STEP 5Who needs to be in your video?If there are two of you applying as a couple orfriends, then ensure you are BOTH on the video.The same goes if you are a family that will begoing to the house sit. You ALL need to be onthe video.That way home owners get to know you all, and can make an informed decisionfrom there about whether you will be suitable.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 6 of 13

STEP 6Now it is time to get a sense of the ‘tone’ of your video…Be real and yourself – be casual – essentially you are in a discussion aboutyourself. NOT doing a news bulletin!Make it fun - do not be afraid to laugh in it, have a bit of banter especially if thereare two or more of you, and make it more conversational than formal. It will showthe connection between you.Be honest – Do not make up stuff just to promote yourself and be successful…you may just have to deliver on it!Do not ramble – it loses people at the best of times. Your whiteboard pointsshould help with this and keep you on track. The home owner may have 50+applications to go through – make it light and interesting, covering all the pointsabout yourself that a home owner would want to know.Look at the camera! So many peoplelook away on video because they are shy.A camera is no different to looking intosomeone’s eyes when you speak withthem. And it is certainly no scarier thanthat!STEP 7Assemble your crew and get ready to filmOkay, so once you have your main points written down, your video device ready,your location, audio and timing set, it is time to assemble the crew & film.As for what to wear, just something casual is great. Remember this is not a superformal video, it is all about you being you.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 7 of 13

THE LOGISTICS OF THE VIDEOKeep the video to two minutes topsOne to one and half minutes is even better. People lose interest after this time,especially when watching someone talking straight to camera which is what youwill be doing in this video… and really you should be able to get through whatyou need to say in that time, otherwise you are rambling!If you stumble, keep goingYou will find your flow in speaking, not planning, procrastinating or beatingyourself up for making a mistake. The flow only ever happens in the ‘doing’phase!Do not be harsh on yourselfVideoing yourself can be confronting – know and expect that. Take your time,breathe and more than anything ENJOY YOURSELF. If you do, this will comeacross in the video!If you are really nervous, then do not be afraid to say that in the video. Homeowners will really appreciate you facing your fears and having a go… actuallythere’s another great house sitter quality… willingness to have a go at anything!!And the good news is you can always edit out the parts you don’t want :)House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 8 of 13

STEP 8Editing the videoIf you have filmed directly onto You Tube, youcan do as many takes as you like until you getit right. Just ditch the one you have done andstart again!Note that Youtube does allow you to edit thestart and finish of your video, but not in the middle.If you have filmed on a camera, tablet or mobile device then you can edit yourvideo if you have editing software already. For Windows laptops you can useMovie Maker, and on the Mac you should have iMovie built in. If you do decideto invest in a screen capture software like Camtasia or ScreenFlow, you willalso have a great editor with either of them.If you do not have the software and are not prepared to buy any, then you canalways very easily and cheaply outsource the editing process and have someoneelse do it for you.Fiverr or Upwork (which is the old Odesk) are awesome platforms for this typeof work… and just about anything else you need done actually.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 9 of 13

STEP 9Uploading your videoOnce you have a completed version of your video (MP4 usually) you can uploadyour video to YouTube if you feel to.One advantage of doing this is people may start to find you through YouTubesearches for house sitting, thus further increasing your reach.By adding in keyword tags and a comprehensive description on your video onYouTube you will maximise your chances of being found.Terms like ‘house sitting’, ‘house sitting jobs’, ‘house sitter’ are all good andhighly searched keywords.More importantly, putting your video on YouTube creates a web link to your videothat you can then use elsewhere, such as your own website or business card, aswell as on the house sitting platforms.Once you have your YouTube video link or raw video file (MP4), it is time toupload it to your house sitting platform. Please follow the individual instructionson each platform on how to do this.Other AlternativesNow… these options give you an ‘out’ to some degree… BUT if you REALLYREALLY hate talking direct to camera, then here a couple of other ideas… 1. Video Montage on Animoto: ‘Animoto' is one platform that allows you to create a very professional look- ing video montage from photos, short video snippets and words you add in. You get to choose a theme and music for the background (all from the platform) resulting in a very slick package. Just keep in mind though, if you want it longer than 30 seconds you will have to pay a small amount for signing up. But 30 second clips are free.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 10 of 13

2.Screen Record a Powerpoint Presentation: You can get quite creative with your own photo’s using Powerpoint (for Windows) or Keynote (for Mac). Add in a few bullet points about yourself with lots of photo’s and simply record your screen and voiceover. To record, you can buy software of course and we recommend Camtasia Studio for Windows & ScreenFlow for Mac, but there is also a free down- load of JingProject that will give you up to 5 minutes of recording time. 3.Screen Record a Video Skype Conversation: Using one of the screen record tools previously mentioned, call a friend on Skype, turn on your video and record the conversation. Perhaps have your friend prompt you with some questions. VIDEO RESOURCE GUIDEBelow we have listed the resources we have mentioned through this mini-courseand the links to them.We often just use our Kodak Zi8 camera (pictured above) which comes with amicrophone jack allowing us to record outside with minimal external audio noise(such as traffic, wind etc). The newer Zi12 version looks even more awesome!House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 11 of 13

Free 30 Second Video Montages or Paid Longer Versions:www.Animoto.com Screen Recording Tool: Jing Project by Tech SmithFor Recording Free Calls:www.skype.comFor Editing Done For You www.upwork.com & www.Fiverr.comHouse Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 12 of 13

For Editing on Windows: Movie Maker is FREE & Camtasia Studio isaround $300 and is an excellent screen capture & editing software.!!For Editing on Mac: iMovie should be on your Mac, if not downloadfrom iTunes, & ScreenFlow is $99 for Screen Capture & Editing**Search Youtube for Instructional Video’s on how to use these programs.House Sitting Academy - Setup to Stand Out Kit 13 of 13