Author: Cheptiony Mutai

4 Pillars To Building Trust From Scratch Online As a Freelancer
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Chinese Proverb

This is a common saying that originated from a Chinese proverb and it applies in our every day life. If you are starting to build up your online Freelancing business, you are making your first ‘single step‘ towards success.

Overnight successes don’t last so you should avoid at all cost the temptations to fall into it.

Watch video

This blog-post is written for people who are interested in building a long lasting reputation online. Before you read further, I am assuming that you have considered the following things before launching your business online.
- Niche – The marketplace you are going to target online. You have to be very specific. i.e Photography – Photo editing and design
- Expertise – It should be something that is giving value to people. Also it has to be something that you enjoy doing. This way, you will be able to make it better everyday without anyone pushing you to do so.
- Consistency – You are in a position to provide consistent services to your audiences/customers. Also, being prepared to do it for as long as you live.
These are key things you have to look into before launching your business online. It’s important, because once you are on, challenges will be there that will make you want to give up. With that said, lets now get into the first Pillar.

Own the Skills You Are Selling

You must first own the skills that you are selling by showing. Do a video trailer that highlights your services. Publish the best samples of your work online. Let people see that you have the skills they are looking for. Let your samples show that you truly understand the industry you are in. This way, you will have made the first impression.

Share a Short Description of Yourself or Team with a Nice Photo

Most people will overlook this but the impact it has is beyond what you can imagine. While people will love to hear about your hobbies, take time to think about how you will want them to connect with you. Let your profile description lean on your expertise and experience. It should contain at least 10% of your personal life.

Prospective customers are most interested in knowing the founder and less interested in knowing about your team. If the prospect is a big enterprise, then they may be interested in your team as a display of your capability.

Sharing this also demonstrates that you are a proud owner of the business you are running. Be happy and excited about it.

Communication Style – Be Professional

Let’s say someone stumbles upon your website. They find what you sharing is interesting. They makes an inquiry about the services that you offer.They write their inquiry in a non-professional way. Their inquiry carries a clear message. Will you toss that mail onto the trash folder and imagine that they are not serious?

With spammers getting clever day by day, you should take time to look into their mail inquiry more closely. Is the mail encrypted? Does it have the lock icon? Grey or green lock icon indicates that the mail source is secure. Also, the e-mail address should be from a real domain with an existing website.

If upon checking on the mail, you find that the features are there, don’t hesitate, reply to the e-mail. In your reply, address the sender by his/her name. Then clearly address their need. Use simple language and let it sound you are a human. Let them feel you. Your reply will inspire them to take you seriously.

Write Regular Blog-post About Your Niche

Posting a video trailer or some product demos of your work and details about your business is not enough. To ensure that your website remains optimized and up to date, you have to build consistent traffic. You can only do this by writing regular blog-posts and sharing the posts on social media to generate back-links. Also do short video highlights and share them on YouTube to generate back-links.

With time, your organic traffic with surge and you will be getting more inquiries and comments on the blog-posts you publish. This is the art of building trust online. There is no need to rush if you are already enjoying what you are doing.

And that’s it. Apply these and you will be on the right path to building your online reputation as a Freelancer.

Thanks for reading through the post.

If you need help to create professional screen-cast video tutorials for your website, mobile application or software, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony
August 15, 2019
5 Sure Signs That You Need to Start Hiring Freelancers For Help
We all know the obvious reasons most people would hire a freelancer – when he/she has a lot of work at hand. Most entrepreneurs will wait until demand for their services skyrocket then they start to hire.

While this; realistically is the best approach to hiring a freelancer as you only hire on demand, the same approach is so predictable and in a long run, it tends to crash when dry spell hits.

Any Freelancer or an Agency with a tendency of hiring freelancers using this strategy, should think beyond just hiring Freelancers with the skill they need.

Let me break this down so that you understand what I am talking about here.

Let’s say you own a highly rated Agency or you are a highly rated Freelancer. You get an e-mail from a client who is very interested in your services. The client hires you for a mega project which will require that you hire other guys to help you out.

This is the right time to hire freelancers. While your main focus will be to hire guys with specific skill set, your thoughts should go beyond that. Here are two other professionals you should include in your list when hiring.
- Marketing Expert – While the client you are currently working with might have organically found you on the internet and hired you, it’s good to use the opportunity he/she has offered you to find other clients. And you can do this with the help of an expert. This way, you can focus on supervising activities of your company.
- Virtual assistant – If you already have someone working for you as a virtual assistant-you are good. If you don’t have one, consider hiring. A virtual assistant will relieve you from the burden of prospecting and allow you focus on growing your business.
Now that we have tackled the first sign, let’s proceed to others signs.

SIGN #2: When You are Receiving Invites to Work on Projects that are Related to Your Area of Specialty

Being a specialist in something makes you stand out. I can say this over and over again so that it sinks in. I have benefited a lot from mastery. But I often receive requests from clients asking if I can help them work on graphics designs for print. When I tell them I can’t help, they ask if I can recommend someone. Asking me if I know someone is a sure sign that they trust me enough. In most occasions, they have offered to assign me their projects having the knowledge that it will be done by someone else.

SIGN #3: When You Find Yourself Attempting to Learn On the Job for the Sake of Money

There is nothing wrong watching a you-tube video tutorial on how to do something and doing it yourself. While you might be quick at learning, it is always good to ask yourself if it’s really worth learning it anyway. For instance, while I can learn quick-books and do my accounts myself, I honestly don’t like it. I would rather hire someone who enjoys doing the job to help me out. So, why not negotiate for a price with someone who is good at it and hire him/her?

SIGN #4: When Your Profit Margins is Good

We all need more time for ourselves. This can only be created by working less. Now, most video editing projects requires a lot of attention to details. This means spending most of your time on them. What if you could hire someone to do the same job for half the price? Wouldn’t that be great? Always look for ways to accomplish more and by working less.

SIGN #5: When You are Travelling and Your Current Client Wants You to Work

Some projects are worth your time and you will do everything to keep them. Therefore you must always find a way to compensate your time when you are out of office. So, how how can you keep your projects running despite you being out of office? Simple. Hiring someone who can do the job exactly as you always do to help you out. Here, your job will only be to review and ensure the quality meets the required standards.

You can only grow and expand your freelancing business if you creatively think of ways to bring on-board expert freelancers to participate your project.

And that is it.

If you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials for your app, website or software, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony
August 9, 2019
Scared of Hiring a Freelance Agency? This Why it’s Worth it

When most startups or a new clients fresh at hiring freelancers hear about a ‘Freelance Agency‘, they picture a big company charging a lot of money to accomplish a given freelancing task. They overthink and imagine that they can’t afford to hire one.

If you are one of them, I have good news for you…You can!

Now it depends with the kind of task you are looking to hire a freelancer for.

Having operated a Freelance agency for more than 5 years in the video production niche, here are reasons you should consider hiring an Freelance Agency to work on your next project.

Agencies Create Job Opportunities to Budding New Freelancers

Depending on where you find the agency, consider contacting them to hear how they collaborate with clients. Focus on their capabilities. Most agencies are setup with one vision in mind, to spread tasks among different experienced freelancers. As a result, new ideas and fresh approaches. At the end, you get the best results.

You may pay a little higher for the service, but have this in mind, you are hiring a team, not an individual. So long as they guarantee satisfaction, take that shot and hire them.

You Get Extra Service With an Agency than an Individual Freelancer

Let’s say you are hiring someone to produce several video tutorials on how to use your website. To brief the freelancer on the task, you will do a video call where you share screen with the freelancer or the agency manager talking about what you want covered in the videos. Considering that the tutorials will help you sell your website services to the potential customers, you will want the best in terms of quality and messaging.

When you hire an Agency with a professional script writer, voice over artist and Video editor, you are guaranteed to get the best. Each person working on your project in this case is a specialist. This means that they give a lot attention to details in every aspect.

Agency Will Save You a lot of Stress

Still in the video production niche, in cases you where you could have hired a freelancer to do a voice over, then another one to do script, then another one to produce the video, an Agency will take care of that all on your behalf. In cases when you need a 3D animation production in some parts of the video i.e intro logo, the video production Agency will take care of it too. They know exactly which Freelancer does the best job.

So besides, doing the real project for you, an Agency will get the best talent on your behalf who will give you the best value.

You Save Time and Money as You Pay Only One Entity For a big Project

This is a good thing SME’s or companies with several employees. You can easily lose track of your business if all of your time is spent communicating with several freelancers working on a common project. Instead of doing the whole job as company, hire an Agency capable of handling the whole project. When you do so, you will only be contacting one person who manages the project.

And that is it from me here. Do you think Companies should hire Agencies to help them work on their projects? Let me know on the comments below.

Looking for an Agency to help manage your next video production project? We are right here to help you out. Talk to us today.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Make sure you follow me on twitter @cheptiony

August 1, 2019
How to Record and Edit Mobile App Demo Video

One of the ways mostly recommended to market a mobile app in App store or Google playstore is through a demo video. Now, the way you create and present the video is up to you.

The common and most effective way to do this, is by developing a professional screencast demo video. So, what is an app demo video? It’s a video demonstrating how an app works in real time. This way, interested users can watch it before downloading the application.

This is the best avenue to impress your prospects.

In this blogpost, I will show you step by step how I do it.

Step 1 – Install the App You Want to Demo

Install the app that you will like to demo on your phone. Open and preview it to make sure that everything is working well. Write a step by step script to guide you when recording the video. This is very important as the script will safe you a lot of time.

Step 2 – Download Screen Recording App

Note: For apple users, you don’t need this as most iPhones come with an inbuilt screen recorder.

There are many applications available on google play-store that you can use to record the screencast on phone. I recommend the one I use called Screen Recorder -no ads offered by Kimcy929.

Download the app

Step 3- Open the App and Adjust Recording Settings

Recording settings will vary based on your requirements. I recommend recording your video in full HD at 25 fps and 6mbps bit-rate.

Adjust your app settings

The app allows you to record your own voice as well; so you can turn on the audio recording option. Your settings are saved automatically.

Step 4- Record Your App Demo

Note: As a rule of thumb, I recommend that you switch your phone to flight mode and use WiFi network if you need internet. This is unless you are using your mobile data for this task. This will help you focus and avoid interruptions from people calling you and messages coming in during the recording.

Start your recording

Tab on the recording button to start. Open the target app and start your demo. Hit the recorders stop button when done with your demo. Your recording will be saved on your phone. It’s important to review the video recording before transferring it to your computer.

Step 5 – Upload Your Video To The Editor And Start Editing It

You can edit the video with virtually any video creation program. In the past, I have edited it on Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe after effects and Camtasia Studio. But to date, the easiest editor to use is Camtasia studio. The newest version of the program has more tools that simplifies the editing process. So let me take you the process of editing your video on Camtasia studio.

Upload Your Recording(s) to Camtasia Studio

Once you have uploaded the video, drag it to the timeline.

Videos uploaded to Camtasia Studio

Change the canvas setting to 1920×1080 pixels.

Canvas setting

Next, crop out the Black sections and resize your video to fit the screen.

Crop the black sections on the video

Search for a Mobile Phone Image on Google

Mobile phone image from Google search

This is the phone that you will blend with the video to make it look like it’s a real phone in action. Download transparent .png image format for use here.

Focus Your Attention to Details

This is very important. A little miss when scaling the recording to fit into the phone screen is very noticeable when rendered. So, look Keenly into details and ensure that you achieve it perfectly.

Details noticeable when fitting it into the phone

Once done, you can start editing your video and removing all the choppy sections. You can add a voice over, zoom in and out and add any other necessary effects to make it nice and attractive to watch.

Learn How to Edit Video on YouTube

If you are new to editing, you can search and find several videos on Youtube teaching people how to edit with the program of your choice.

And that is it.

Now that you know the process of creating a demo video for your mobile app, you can start practicing it until you are perfect in it.

But if you are a busy professional and you have less or no time to create a professional mobile app demo videos, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

You can follow me on twitter @cheptiony

July 25, 2019
5 Things that Will Make Clients Work in ‘Your Own Terms’

Most freelancers would rather work under the clients terms and overlook theirs. Well, that has been the way all along. I mean, even educational institutions teach people this – work ethnics, how to retain your job and climb up the corporate ladder e.t.c

Watch Video: 5 Things That Will Make Clients Work in Your Own Terms

But have you ever attempted and reverse this psychology using the freedom that Freelancing offers?

Well with proper planning, it is possible. That’s how highly paid freelancers do and it thus makes them stand out.

In this blogpost, I will share with you 5 things you should do in order to make your prospect work in your own terms and love you more.

Master Your Craft

Any person who has mastered his/her own craft stands out from the crowd. Be the master of your own. Now- the secret lies on the time when the opportunity is presented to you. ‘Show don’t tell’ rule applies here. Let the client be wowed by your deep knowledge and understanding in the field they are hiring for. Don’t leave anything to chance. Find your clients sweet spot based on their job post in the freelancing site of your choice. This way, he/she will be wanting to know more about you or your Agency.

Clearly Outline Your Approach

After you have shared briefly about yourself, start addressing his/her need and how you plan to go about it. Be as detailed and clear as possible. From this, they can gauge whether it suits them or not. When outlining your approach, indicate the timelines for each item as well as each milestone. E.g scripting – 2 days- $250 e.tc. It might be helpful to share a simplified workflow from previous projects.

Don’t Quote Cheap Because You Want the Job

If you are a Top rated Freelancer or a Freelancing Agency, and you quote low, big companies will not take you seriously. Provide a reasonable quote and let the client know that you are not working alone. Mention the people in your team, who will be working with you on the project.

This way, the client will not think that you will be working on it alone.

Make Your Terms Clear in Your Proposal

At that point in your proposal where you are sure the prospect is impressed by your work, introduce them to your terms service.

Inform them that these terms are very important and it enables you to deliver high quality service to them on time without any delays or excuses. Your assurance to solve their problem hassle free is what will inspire them to hire you.

If they hire you, it means they have agreed to work on your own terms. And they will be excited to do so.

Tell them what to Expect

Even though the client already know what they want, still, tell them. Add some bonuses to the deliverable’s. This will raise their eyebrows. Do everything to ensure you win the contracts. That should always be your aim.

Summary

Making a client work on your own terms is not a crime. Most of them like it that way because they can penalize you if you fail to meet some of their terms. If you have mastered your craft, your terms will work in your favor and you will stand out as the highest paid Freelancer or Agency.

And that is it.

If you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials for your website, software or app, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care. You can follow me on twitter @cheptiony

July 17, 2019
3 Overlooked ‘Golden Rules To Succeed’ in Freelancing

Everyday, we go out in search for ways to succeed. Freelancing and Entrepreneurship share common golden rules.

Often, the simple approach wins. But how often do overlook the power of the simple rules and go out in search something complicated hoping that it will separate us from the crowd?

In this blog-post, I share with you 3 simple powerful yet overlooked golden rules to succeeding in the Freelancing world.

Repetition

When you repeatedly do something you become a master- and your chances of succeeding is high. It starts with first identifying a niche, then repeatedly bidding for projects that matches it. Everyday make sure you bid on 2-3 jobs that are related to your skills. Don’t worry that no one is responding to your bids so long as you have adhered to the terms of service in the Freelancing site you are working on. Do it repeatedly until it becomes an habit. This may sound simple-but the effect is beyond your imaginations. Some entrepreneurial experts recommend that you do just one thing on a daily basis to push your business a step further. Think about it.

Being Specific on Your Niche

I will use the Video Production industry as an example. Most people don’t know that it’s divided into many thriving sub-categories or niches. There is video editing, motion graphics, 3D animation, 2D animations and more just to name a few.

Being specific in the category of jobs you take gives you an edge. We are living in a generation where people rely on keywords when searching online. For example, if you are a 3D animator and someone is searching for someone to hire for 3D animations, you will appear on top of the search results as the most preferred candidate. Now you see why this is important in marketing yourself as well as your business right? Go now and make the necessary changes on your profile and see how relieved you will be.

Providing Value Each time You Get a Chance

This is more self explanatory and it’s magical. When you have this implanted on your subconscious mind, you will never be surprised when a client gives you a 5 star review without requesting them to do so.

Such simple acts of appreciation from your client is good for your growth. Also, you will sleep knowing that have helped someone somewhere to succeed in what they are doing.

Bonus tip

When you know that the service you are offering is helping someone succeed, you will be very happy. You will be more creative in your craft. You will always think of different approaches to improve it. What else do you need? Go out and apply these rules today.

If you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials for your website, SaaS app or software applications, let me know he re.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

You can follow me on twitter @cheptiony

July 11, 2019
5 Things to do During Low Freelancing Seasons

Watch Video

If there is one great advise any seasoned Freelancer will ever give you- is that there is a pattern in the Freelancing business. There is the low season and there is the high season. Both seasons may occur 2-3 times a year based on the category of service you are offering. Low seasons is that month in the year where you record low sales while high season is the one that you record high sales.

In the video production business, based on my own analysis- low seasons occur 3-4 times a year while high season are distributed into 4 different months in a year. I will not be specific on the months because it changes all the time.

High seasons are the most exciting ones because you are making good money from Freelancing. On the other hand, low seasons are the most boring ones because there is less work and the earnings are very small.

In this blogpost, I will share with you five things that you can do during the low seasons in the freelancing business to build yourself and stand out from the crowd.

Update Your Profile

It’s really hard to update your personal profile when you are busy working. It may take you a whole year to update your profile with the latest projects you have accomplished. Commit yourself to do this during the low seasons. It is the best period since you have a lot of free time to do it. Add your latest accomplishments and change a few things to make yourself stand out from other freelancers. In the video production category, take your time to create a very enticing show reel or Trailer.

Take a Vacation

You may find yourself busy and working at the time when everyone is going for their summer vacation and free when everyone is back. In such occasions, you will postpone your vacation. Plan your finances well so that you can go for a vacation on low seasons. The best thing about this is-if your vacation falls in a time when few people are travelling- you will get save a lot of money on accommodation and travel cost as the demand for the same is low. This is a good thing as you will be motivated to travel and explore more.

Learn Something New Related to Your Skill

Let’s say you specialize is in a specific niche of a particular skill. A good example in the video production business is Video editing with Adobe premiere. During the low seasons, it will be a great to learn motion graphics with Adobe after effects. You will be surprised on how much this will add value to your Freelancing portfolio. On the other hand, take your time to learn how to set up an online business and sell your skills. With more and more people gaining confidence in your skills-you will be a step higher in building a business from the services that you are offering.

Identify Long-term Investment Vehicles

While you enjoy doing what you are doing, you will not want to do it forever for money. At some point in your career, you will want to invest your income on projects that generates income passively. This will depend on your experience and a clear understanding of what you are investing in. Do your research each time you have free time and less work on your table. The result of this research is- you will have a better understanding of different investments and the price for each. Having this in mind will motivate you to work towards a goal.

Meditate/Fast

Most people don’t take this serious but it is the key. Commit your low seasons to meditation and fasting as this is the only path to enlightenment. Fasting cleanses your body and meditation cleanses your spirit. Renowned Hollywood actors take 8 days of dry fasting. This is one of the greatest challenge that you can give to yourself. Try this and thank me later.

And that is it.

If you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials, let me know here.

Until next time, bye and take care.

You can follow me on twitter @cheptiony

July 4, 2019
Cases of Scams in The Freelancing World

Being scammed by a new client is one case. But being referred by a client as a ‘scammer’ is another case. You can find yourself in both situations as a freelancer.

In the past, I have found myself in both scenarios.

During the early years of my Freelancing Career, I practically defined the term ‘scam‘ my own way after falling a victim severally.

In this blog post, I share with you three places Online where you can get scammed as a Freelancer.

I will also share with you various occasions where you never see a ‘scam’ coming your your way until .. the business transaction transitions to a scam.

SCAM DISCLAIMER: Most people think that ‘scam’ revolves around monetary transactions .. while this is true, in this day and age, scammers have gone high tech. The most devastating scammers now are ‘time’ scammers. The ones that wastes your time.

Back in the Days ..

It starts with one searching on Google the keyword ‘How to make money online.’ And before they know, they are signing up on various sites that promise to show them -for FREE- how to make $100 a day or more.

To date, the keywords still works magic. You can tell by the number of video views they get on YouTube on how to make money online.

In the year 2013 when I started freelancing, I was a victim. I fell into one that promised to show me how to make $3000 every month.

I stumbled into it after I signed up with 10 other sites that promised to make me money online.

They required me to fill in different surveys on what I thought of different computer games. Each survey paid $10. In two weeks, I was done with 100 surveys. This was equal to $1,000.

I was eligible to withdraw the money to paypal. Now, here is where the game started. I was required to pay $29 to withdraw the money.

Out of desperation, I paid it and I was asked to wait for 2 days for my payment to be approved. A week later, the site had disappeared. I could not access it.

And that is how I knew I have been scammed both my time and money. This was one among the many scams I fell into in my early years of freelancing.

Scam Revolution

Everyday someone is being scammed. One need to know that jobs requiring them to do simple tasks with no clear terms and promise to pay highly is in most occasions are ‘all scams.’

With this in mind, I narrowed down my search. First, I identified the skills I had that I could monetize online. It turned out to be ‘video production’ and ‘writing.’

What followed next was identifying ways in which I could sell these skills. I had two sure options to do it. First, was building a website where people could buy my services.

Secondly, was searching for freelance jobs online. At the time, most freelancing sites- Upwork ( formerly Odesk and Elance), Freelancer, Fiverr – was coming up.

From these two marketplaces-website and Freelancing sites, I have seen scam bugs emerge and evolve. Scammers innovate ways to take away something from you everyday.

They have relative behaviors, so if you are keen enough, you will detect them early from the first mail they send you.

Typical Scams From a Business Website

Guaranteed Website Traffic

The most common scam pitch I get from the website is ‘targeted website traffic.’ They use key words that many can easily fall into like cheap, get clients e.t.c.

If you are a beginner, you will be tempted to try this. To me, I tried many of them in my early years of establishing my site and none of them brought me a client.

Trial Before Hiring

I have many videos that I need produced but you must do this one first for us to gauge your skills-don’t worry we will pay

When a client contacts you directly from your website and tells you this, you will agree. I have fallen into this trap a couple of times.

The clients pays for the first order in advance to buy your trust. What follows is him/her ordering in bunches.

Owing to the trust and first impression the client gave you earlier, you complete the order hoping you will now be receiving payment in lump sum.

After you deliver and the client is happy, he will ask for an invoice. And weeks later, he/she stops replying to your followup e-mails.

That’s when you realize you have been scammed.

1,000 videos needed – can you give us a bulk price per video?

This one is really tricky. If you are not careful, you will loose 20-30% per video. In accumulation, you will have lost a lot of money.

It works this way; after you have given them say 20% discount, the client ends up ordering only 10 videos.

So to save yourself from this mystery, first, gauge if your prospect really wants 1,000 videos by asking them to order the first say 50 videos at the original price.

Scammers From Freelancing Platforms

Scammers from Freelancing sites vary. Freelancing platforms do not compromise with them either. So to keep up with the changes, they verify themselves as serious clients. And there and then, their show begins.

Now, if they catch you- you both suffer suspension from the site for failing to keep up with the platforms terms. So how do they scam you?

Request for Free trials

For those who have been freelancing for a while, they know that doing this is violating the terms of service and will get you suspended.

But not withstanding your desperate need for the job, you agree to do a free sample to demonstrate your skills.

At the end, the client hires someone else and you are left out. There are many reasons why it is not a good idea to offer free samples for video services.

One common reason is that the client may be using it to pitch- then sub-contract the project to you.

If his/her pitch is not accepted, you both loose.

Additional Small Tasks in the Middle of the Project

Don’t dismiss small additional tasks that comes in as you accomplish a task assigned to you by a client.

If you do, the client will take advantage of it. They will assume that this is part of the package.

Don’t be scared that by asking for more pay, you will lose the job. You both know that it was not included in the package.

Asks you to take the conversation outside the site

This was ok 3 years ago because the video and voice call features had not been incorporated into the platforms. But now, it is.

So why take your conversation outside when you can have it directly on the platform? Well, they know you will fall for it.

Here they will suggest that you work with them directly and save Freelancing Platform fees.

This is risky. Don’t ever accept to work outside the Freelancing site that connected both of you.

These are few among the many techniques used by scammers to fleece freelancers. Do you know of any? Let me know in the comments below.

If you need help to create professional screen-cast video tutorials for your SaaS application or website, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony

June 19, 2019
Write a Video Script Like a Pro Even if You are Beginner

While I am writing this blog-post from the video producers perspective- the secret formula of video script writing I am going to reveal in this blog post is very practical to any newbie in video script writing business.

It took me many years to believe that I could write a video script. This is despite having several of them at my disposal that I used in producing videos. Video production and script writing is like art it revolves around imagination. Art is universal. It shares the same goal; to tell a story.

If you don’t already know, copy-writing is the grandfather of story telling. A small tweak on the words that you use in selling and you get more sales or you lose more sales.

Video relies on a written copy with an aim of persuading a prospective customer to take action. The ultimate end goal is to sell something to whoever watches the video.

The formula I am going to share with you today on this blog-post is ridiculously easy. Please don’t complicate it by getting IMPATIENT or letting PRIDE take over. Creative inspiration come slowly and it is inspired by simple things.

STEP 1 – Identify 3 Marketing Videos That Are Inspiring to Watch

This step is quite obvious and you might be tempted think that you already know the formula I am going to share with you. I advise you to follow through to the end. You will notice that there is one or two things that you have not been doing right thus you are still certain of your ability.

If your list of videos are more than 3, re-watch them and narrow them down to 3. This is for practical purposes. Most clients will refer you to a style of video they like and ask you to write a script of something related.

STEP 2 – Transcribe The 3 Videos Into Scripts

Yes. watch them and transcribe the videos into scripts. Study your scripts’ structure. See the approach that they have used when introducing the problem, offering solutions and asking the prospect to take action. What makes you get hooked to it?

Step 3 – Take a Break For a Day and Think of Products That Fits into the Script Structure You Have

Change a few keywords in the script and put in your words from the new product(s) you have picked. While doing this, read it loud and hear how it sounds. You will get encouraged when doing this exercise. The more you do it, the more you master the process. Also, you will realize that you can apply the same structure on many products and it will inspire you to write more using your own language.

Step 4 – Use This Formula To Write Scripts For Use in Your Portfolio

Believe you me, when a client says he/she wants a similar style of storytelling, they mean it. If you can write a script similar to the one they are referring you to in your own language, they will love it. And when this happens, you confidence and creativity will blow up. Before you know, you will be writing more and more for TV.

Step 5 – Use the Same Formula in Writing Scripts For Use in Different Industries

When you master this formula in writing scripts for short videos, it will be easier to apply it on longer version of video copies. You just need to be a good story teller.

And that’s it.

If you need help to script and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

Follow me on twitter @cheptiony

June 12, 2019
6 Common Challenges New Clients Go Through on Their First Days of Hiring a Freelancer

Signing up as client on any Freelancing site is the first exciting step towards hiring your first Freelancer online. Anyone who has been hiring and collaborating with Freelancers online for longer than 2 years will tell you that the process is not as easy as it sounds.
One may argue that they are good at tech, but it’s more than tech because you are dealing with human beings. And if you don’t play along with them well, you will find yourself always distressed.

In this blog post, I share with you 6 common challenges every client goes through before hiring a Freelancer.

Identity Verification

Even though no one speaks about this, people hate to verify their identities. With more and more security measures being implemented in most of the Freelancing sites, you might be tempted to give up the moment you are asked to confirm your identity. The identity verification process may require you to scan and upload your National ID or passport. The reason for this request maybe so that the admin can verify that you are the real owner of the Credit card you are using to pay the freelancer you hire. Also for compliance with GDPR new rules. It is also used to eliminate users joining with plans of defrauding Freelancers.

Payment Method Verification Process

Someone may think you just enter your card number and your secret code and voila! you are set. But there is more to this process. You will be charged a small fee as part of verification. You will be required to go to your bank and read the amount from your statement then confirm with the freelancing site to be verified. This process usually takes 1-2 days depending on your bank. If you wanted to hire a freelancer ASAP, this process- which is mandatory may irritate you. You just need patience.

Posting Your First Job And Attracting the Right Freelancer

Posting a job is easy. You just put a title, choose a category, indicate the number of Freelancers you are looking to hire and you are ready to post. The first mistake that first time clients make is choosing the wrong category when they are posting their job. For instance, let’s say they are looking for a freelance video editor, but you post your job under ‘animation’ category. You will attract freelancers who are fond of working on animation jobs. While they may do the job well, they will charge you more than a freelancer who specializes in video editing. Animation costs more than video editing. To get good at hiring, regularly do job split test. i.e posting the same job on two different categories.

Temptation of Choosing the Lowest Bidder

Fact is, in every decision we make in business, we want to save money. Most new clients will jump into hiring the lowest bidder. However, it’s good to be cautious when making your decision while wanting to save money at the same time. This is what I mean here. Let’s say your budget was $1000 and one freelancer quotes $500 for the same job. Their profile is good and you are convinced. Now before you hire, know this, a freelancer who quotes $1,100 and explains the process in which he/she plans to complete the job is more qualified than a freelancer who just quotes $500 without backing up his/her proposal.

With a higher quote and a break down on the value you will get from the freelancer is a clear demonstration of professionalism. At the end, you will get more value for your money.

Dealing With Freelancers Disputes After Unsuccessful Hiring

Sometimes, Freelancers share a colorful portfolio. And based on that, you hire them. But, when they deliver their first work, you are very disappointed and when you express this to the freelancer, they disagree. You end the contract but the freelancer wants to be paid with the money deposited on escrow. And as result you get into a dispute. And whoever wins get paid.

If the freelancer has some evidence that he/she did the job, you may loose your money in the process. To avoid this, it’s good not to hire someone because they are cheap, but because they guarantee satisfaction and it’s clearly spelt in their cover letter.

Defining Working Terms With Freelancers in Different Timezones

If you are in +8(UTC) Timezone and you hire a Freelancer in +1(UTC) timezone, your working schedule will vary. One will have to work at night in order to cover up for the other. Unless you are flexible when it comes to time or the freelancer is willing to work on your timezone, one of you will not like it at the end. Some Freelancers -especially from Asia- will convince you that they will work on your timezone only to disappoint you at the end.

If the Freelancer is able to work independently with little or no supervision, that’s the best option. Such Freelancers are open minded and will not lie about their working hours.

These are the common challenges most new clients experience on their first days of hiring. Are you a client hiring Freelancers online? What are some of the challenges you experience? Share in the comments below.

That is it from me today.

If you need help you create and produce professional screen-cast videos, let me know here.

Until next time, bye bye and take care.

June 5, 2019