What Writers Need to Know About Video Publishing

While you may have taken on a vow of poverty when you chose to major in journalism or take up freelance writing, as a writer you may want to consider video publishing to increase your audience reach. In fact, such consideration may greatly impact your destiny with words.

Many writers are not visual creatures and hold near contempt for amateur video publishing. If television and movies are far removed from books then YouTube slime coats the bottom of the barrel.

Further, writers as a whole are skeptical of change. After all, if Zinsser or Strunk didn't discuss it, no matter that Strunk left this un-stylish earth before television, let alone video publishing, entered the home, it just isn't right.

Current attitudes towards video publishing are somewhat reminiscent of the early days of the Internet, when real writers, particularly journalists and reporters, criticized online prose and journalism. Online media in its newness and flexibility was considered by many as illegitimate, as video publishing is today, in that it broke too many conventional style rules.

Today, style guides are adapting. The NY Times owns About.com and online journalism is a way of life for many reporters, and readers for that matter.

So, what about video publishing, is the future similar, and what does it mean to the informed writer of today?

Video Publishing Industry Needs Writers

Freelance writing opportunities are sure to result with advances in video publishing. Competition will sharply intensify and video promotion will be evermore critical. Prospects for writers in the video publishing industry include scriptwriting, marketing copy, tutorial development, and complimentary content, such as Web copywriting and training materials.

Just as many writers abhor the thought of producing video, many video producers loathe the requisites to produce viable written content. Writers with video publishing acumen, however, will increasingly be sought.

Video Publishing for Marketing Written Content

Video and written content can co-exist peacefully and even compliment each other. Video publishing and screencasts offer a way to strike a steady host of spectators and promote your work. As technology advances, we are likely to find more videos dominating search engine results and videos will compete with written content, and its authors, vying for faithful readers.

One solution is to distribute at least occasional content-related videos, or productions to get one's name out, with a link directed to the writer's work or portfolio.

Video Advertising Pays the Bills

As a writer you may acquire some to all of your living off of advertising revenue. To increase your income and better secure your future, comprehension of the media, such as video publishing, that is footing the bills makes good sense.

Video advertising is deemed five times more effective than textual advertising by Internet marketing leaders such as DoubleClick. Google holds strong interest in the video publishing market and the future of video advertising, as do many other companies.

As technology improves and more parties gain access to it, an overhaul of advertising and content as we know it is likely to occur. If you work in online media, written or otherwise, keeping informed is vital to your career.

Conclusion

Video publishing can and will mean many things to writers and the video transformation will continue with or without writers' favor. Video publishing requires a modest amount of knowledge and this can readily be gained both online and with trial and error.

While better video equipment and software produces superior productions, screencasts cost little to create, requiring inexpensive software and a microphone, and budget digital camcorders are now widely available. As a writer you may even find that you enjoy the video publishing process more than you anticipated. And, don't worry, Strunk will not roll in his grave if you do.

Learn more about the basics of producing video, including from this author, and AC Content Producers such as Joniv.