1 Simple Framework for Turning Your Weekend Projects Into Online Posts
You've been working away on weekend projects for months and have thought about posting them online, but don't know where to start.
Makers want to connect with other Makers. Posting your projects online helps you join that community that you might not have locally (or know where to find them). But how do you get started?
Instead of trying to figure it all out, then get started, follow this simple framework to scale yourself into posting consistently.
Prerequisite Phase: Pick A Platform
Before you can post, you have to know where to post it.
Don't overcomplicate this. Just see where you are already looking for inspiration from other Makers and start posting there.
I highly recommend starting out on Instagram because it scales nicely and the community is extremely positive (versus don't start on Reddit where nothing you do will ever be good enough for the trolls).
Phase 1: Take Pictures Before & After Steps
Don't I need to start by filming long-form videos, flashy editing, and so many other things?
No. We're trying to ease into posting content on your platform of choice. Focus on the Making of things for now and just snap a couple of quick photos on your phone of your project before a step, then again after.
In your description, you can say what you did between the step before/after photos.
Phase 2: Film Timelapse Of The Steps Being Done
You've shown before and after, but what about in between?
Let's ease into video by setting up your phone to film a single shot and angle of everything you do during the step. You can still take your before/after photos, but now you have 2 pieces of content to post.
Phase 3: Film Steps In Multiple Clips
This is where people can start to overthink, so don't overcomplicate it.
Your timelapse got you started with 1 shot and angle of the entire thing, so we're just breaking that up a bit. Zoom in so your phone can see exactly what you're doing instead of your entire shop.
All you need to add now is a bit of editing, which you can do on your phone using free editing software like CapCut or the editing available within Instagram.
Phase 4: Add Voiceover
Once you have posted several videos with a little bit of editing, take your written description and talk through it in the edit.
Don't worry about how your voice sounds in it (almost no one likes how their recorded voice sounds). I'd recommend finishing your step edit like in Phase 3, then just talk through it while watching it (on mute).
