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Is video making the written word obsolete?
Will it put copywriters out of a job?
Some internet stats might suggest that it will; YouTube serves over 2 billion videos daily, gets 100 million unique monthly visitors… and has it surpassed Google yet as the world’s biggest search engine?
Okay, yes, video is pretty hot right now, and getting hotter. We can all agree on that.
But what does that mean for content creators?
What does it mean for traditional bloggers?
Maybe to ditch our WordPress accounts, and switch over to YouTube?
In the Beginning Was the Word…
Content isn’t new.
It’s been around for a long time – and I don’t just mean way back in the days before Google. 
No, no, content’s been around for much, much longer than that – since people started telling stories and sharing ideas.
The first permanent content was the written word, and it grew more and more pervasive with the development of increasingly accessible technologies to store and copy it – from pen and paper, to moveable type, to typewriters, and most recently to the computers that we know and love today.
More recently, richer media like audio and video arrived on the scene, but producing and sharing that kind of content required specialized equipment that cost a lot of money to acquire, and took a lot of training to properly operate.
So in the beginning, the required investment of time and effort for each medium looked something like this:
Clearly, text was the only accessible way to go.
But then things started to change…
Moore’s Law and the Democratization of Rich Media
Things couldn’t stay the same way forever – not if Moore’s Law had anything to say about it!
The equipment needed to produce and share richer media like audio and video quickly became much, much cheaper, and much, much easier to operate. Pretty soon anybody, regardless of budget, could become the world’s next podcasting or YouTube star.
And not only did anyone and everyone have access to these new media, but in a lot of ways it had actually become easier to produce audio and even video than to sit down and write. After all, we learn to speak when we’re just a few years old, and we learn to interact with gestures and facial expressions even before that. It comes completely naturally to us – we’re just wired to do it.
Writing doesn’t work that way. We never “intuitively” pick up reading and writing the way we pick up spoken languages – we have to be painstakingly taught, and invest hours upon hours of practice.
You no longer needed to be a skilled writer – all you needed was to flip on a camera or audio recorder, and talk.
This created a whole new industry. And what happens when a new industry is created?
A gold rush.
We saw it with actual gold way back when.
Then we saw it with richer media.
And more recently, we even saw it with smartphone apps.
A rising tide floats all boats, and these nascent industries grew so fast that you couldn’t help but do well if you were involved.
The required investment of time and effort had changed drastically – now text had become the most expensive and difficult media to produce:
It was this reality that led to pronouncements about video taking over the world, and how the meek little copywriter was bound for extinction.
But the thing about a gold rush is that it can’t last forever…
The Rise of YouTube: A World Full of Video
Gold rushes stop when markets start getting saturated.
The most recent and obvious example is smartphone apps, which I mentioned earlier. When the appstores were new, app publishers didn’t have to compete for the audience’s attention – they had a massive share of voice, and there wasn’t much else for their audience to choose from.
But now, Apple’s app store has over 350,000 apps.
The gold rush is over. That doesn’t mean you can’t make money selling apps, but it does mean that if you want an audience’s attention, you have to work hard and earn it.
And the same is true of rich media.
Audiences are tired of lame videos and podcasts of people speaking off the cuff with the hopes of arriving at something interesting.
Today, to earn an audience’s attention, whether it’s with text, audio, or video, the rules are the same. You have to:
First, understand your audience, and what matters to them.
Second, have something of value to say, that your audience would want to hear.
And finally, tell it in an interesting way.
Hmmm, isn’t that what writers do?
So now that you’ve added the burden of effective communication to rich media, the required effort looks something like this:
And it’s even worse than the table shows, because while it’s easier to produce audio than it is to write text, it’s harder to produce *good* audio than it is to produce *good* text… and even more so for video.
Which is why, if you want to produce really good video, you need to take a serious amount of time to plan and script it out. Which is what we did with our $197 FREE video training on how to Get More Cash Out of Any Business, Website or Blog… In Under 30 Days, Without Spending Money, Working More Hours, or Hiring Staff – which you can get right here:
So… has rich media killed the copywriter?
Of course, the game hasn’t finished playing out yet, but if I was a betting man, I’d say that no, it hasn’t.
Storytelling is a real skill. The compelling arrangement of ideas is a skill. Persuasion is a skill.
If you can do all these things, then you’re a copywriter – and a pretty good one, too.
And if you can do all these things, then applying those skills with video shouldn’t require too much extra work on your part.
So what’s the verdict? Have rich media like video and audio killed copywriter?
I say no – rich media is great, but copywriting rules forever. 
But hey, I’m biased – I’m a writer.
What do you think? Leave a comment, and let us know…
Danny Iny is an author, strategist, serial entrepreneur, and proud co-founder of Firepole Marketing, the program that teaches expert marketing for non-marketers. Get his free video course on how to get more money out of your business, website or blog, or follow him on Twitter @DannyIny.
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{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
Danny,
Very relevant post. Although I disagree and would argue that video will kill the copywriter… or at least make them evolve their skills for video or have to compete to one of the few written blogs.
This is a part of the reason that I have chosen to video blog and not become the next blogging Kerouac (and I just love making videos).
I’ve just started really learning how to make videos and the editing process is very time consuming (just took 12 hours to make a short 3 minute video) and if you mess up something, it can kill the whole feel of the video.
I always think some people will be able to write amazing stories and copy that will never go away, but if more and more people learn how to make videos, it will be very hard to compete with a great video.
Plus, it does take copywriting skills to produce the audio or convey your message in video.
Of course, I’m bias as well. I’m a videographer.
Hey Benjamin, thanks for your insightful comment!
I think one thing you aren’t putting enough weight on is that you just like video, though – if you didn’t like it so much, then your videos wouldn’t be as good as they are, and it might not be such an obvious choice for producing quality content. Does that make sense?
We can never escape our biases…
This is one of my pet peeves! Video has a role, but it cannot replace the written word. I am a visual person, and I need to see stuff for it to even register on my brain. I have a very hard time even paying attention to material presented by audio alone. And if video consists merely of the author talking, that’s not any better than audio. Plus, if you miss a point, it’s a lot harder to go back to the exact spot on the video or audio file to catch the point than it is to find the spot you are looking for in text.
A couple other points against video/audio: it takes longer to go through than to just read text. And, it seems, that many authors (note I didn’t say all!) are lazier about putting together an audio or video. Too often these files seem like the author just started talking, without taking time to plan out what they wanted to say. Not enough people put in the time and effort needed (as the 12 hours Benjamin mentioned) to produce a quality video. The written tends to force a more organized approach.
That said, there are definitely times when audio or video are a better medium to make a point, especially if supporting visuals are used.
As a visual person, I’m likely to skip sites that have too much audio or video content. It takes to much time for me slog through these files to get the information. However I recognize that a page of text could turn off auditory people. The best sites make balanced use of all forms. Video won’t kill the copywriter. But I think the web, and shortened attention spans, and presence of video, will require the copywriter to adapt. But as long as there are people like me around, video will NOT replace the written word.
you make a really good point about the “overhead” associated with consuming audio and video, vs. text; you can’t listen to audio or video when you’re in a crowded place with other people, the way you can read text, and you can’t watch a video when you’re out for a run, the way you can with audio… so as media gets richer, the demands on the user increase.
Do you think the way the web is going is to have multi-modal options, so that people can choose to consume content as text, audio, or video, depending on their preference?
Or do you feel that this would just be lazy on the part of the content producer? (if the audio is just as good, then why waste people’s energies with video)
Hey Danny,
Interesting ideas and and the competing ideas. On a side note regarding Moore’s Law, it’s basically stating that the amount of transistors that are placed on a single dye will double every 18 months. Now looking at that and applying it to this conversation I wouldn’t say is a valid argument. The reason I say this is look at television. It’s been around for how long now and the written word is still going strong. It has lost steam, I’ll say that much, but it’s still going.
Youtube has been around for a while as well and is very popular, but it only caters to a certain crowd. There will generally be someone that would rather read a story than see it on a movie screen and vice versa. I can see both ways of the argument, but in the end there will mediums for each person out there that suits their preferences.
Hey Sam, you make a really good point about different people responding to different mediums.
That being said, I don’t think the long history of television is a good support for that; while it’s true that it’s been possible to consume video for a long time, it hasn’t been accessible for people to *produce*, and I think that’s what’s new in just the recent little while.
Of course, ultimately, I agree – video isn’t killing anything, certainly not copywriting.
Hey Danny,
I used TV because it’s been around the longest out of all the video technologies available. It’s still around today and a lot of books have been turned into TV shows (Game of Thrones as an example, though I haven’t read or seen the show) so the easiest to show length of time.
Now as far as self-produced content, you’re totally right. It is now easier than ever to produce your own content and display it for the world to see. The same goes for e-books as well, but even with the growing popularity of the e-book, people still enjoy having a physical book as opposed to an e-book, kindle, nook, or various other mediums.
In the end, everyone will have several mediums to access their content, which only benefits the consumer that much more. Just goes to show that to be successful, you need to hit each medium to get maximum exposure.
Hey Sam, you make a really good point about different people responding to different mediums.
That being said, I don’t think the long history of television is a good support for that; while it’s true that it’s been possible to consume video for a long time, it hasn’t been accessible for people to *produce*, and I think that’s what’s new in just the recent little while.
Of course, ultimately, I agree – video isn’t killing anything, certainly not copywriting.
Creating a good convincing video, for a squeeze page for example, would still require some good copywriting, wouldn’t it? You still need to tell a good story. And you probably would write out a script first. And to do that…copywriting!
Yup, I think so too!
Danny-
Great post. Really.
I do videos for a living (http://simplifilm.com/work)
And, coming up with a good script, concept and story are the hardest parts of what we do. By far. nothing is close. Nothing compares to the difficulty.
My partner and I are opposites. Jason is a visual artist. He can imagine things I can’t, and he’ll conjure something in his brain and then go find the tools to do it. That’s why our videos cost as much (and perform as well) as they do.
But, even people that can achieve the effects that we can with AE/CS5 aren’t doing the work we can do because Jason is a storyteller. I script it, we haggle, and Jason comes up with amazing stuff (sorry if I’m immodest – the biggest professional treat of my life is working with him each day and finding clients to dazzle).
There are plenty of people that are as good at using AE, but telling the story + craft = the reason why our stuff works.
Awesome post, man. (And FWIW- a good 150 word script is friggin’ HARD to write).
Hey Chris, thank you so much for stopping by – I checked out your site, and you’re doing some pretty awesome work!
You make a really great point about the importance of pairing good technical skills with real storytelling ability. It sounds like you guys have a really great thing going on, and I’m looking forward to seeing more great stuff coming from you both.
And yeah… a really compelling 150 words isn’t easy at all!
I agree with you Danny, text will always rules… for various reasons.
1. There will always be people who shy away from video (and audio) and not make the transition.
2. Google only can read text so for SEO purposes text still dominates in SE… although you can optimize videos on youtube and videos are fast approaching taking a big chunk in search engine rankings.
3. There’s a level of skill and interest (as you stated) that you have to put out to get your videos (and audio) noticed and viewed regularly.
4. There are still many people who prefer to read over watching video (I know, crazy! But I’ve actually surveyed this).
That being said, I LOVE video and I think people who are using it in their marketing efforts will be ahead of the curve in comparison to their competitors. The best option is to use all three! Appeal to all preferences to the people you are targeting. Why not?!
Great article Danny. Thanks for sharing.
P.S. And oh, just opted into your ezine. OK, you got my attention. I’m a sucka….LOL Ciao!
Awesome, Michele, I love it when people agree with me for more than one reason!
But seriously, you’re right – some people will never make the transition to making video, and many will never switch to preferring video. It’s really interesting that you’ve actually done a survey – I’d love to see your results, especially since I fall squarely in the camp of preferring to read rather than watch video!
And yes – I’m not knocking video, and think it’s very important (and we do use video here at Firepole Marketing, just not exclusively).
And listen, I’m thrilled that you opted in to the free video course – I’d love to hear what you think of it once you’ve been through a few days. (speaking of video…
)
Danny
Timely article. And a good topic.
I’m tired of seeing so-called ‘gurus’ telling people that they can turn a video camera on, talk into it for 5 minutes, and upload that to YouTube and getting a ton of traffic.
Or recommending that you write an article, paste that article onto powerpoint slides, narrate those slides and upload THAT shit to Youtube. And you’ll get a ton of traffic.
There will always be a need for writers. Period.
If you’re producing audio or video, you need a script for everything except interview content. And writing for audio is a different – although similar – skill to writing for text. And writing for video is even more demanding – you have to write ‘visually’ – or write something normally, and then rewrite it for video production.
So video isn’t killing copywriting. But it is changing the rules and adding more formats. and more challenges – writing for video is HARDER (IMO) than writing for text only uses. But copywriting skills will still be needed….the copywriter will have to evolve.
Paul
I know – exactly!
“Just flip on a camera, talk for 5 minutes, and people will be beating down your door” – what a load of bull. How is that any different from just blathering in writing for 5 minutes?!
I’d even go further, and say that you’ve got to do a lot of preparatory scripting for interviews, too, in terms of researching what questions will be best to ask for the interview subject.
Changing the rules is a really great way to put it – which makes this a time of huge opportunity for the writers who are talented, smart, and paying attention. Like a certain blogger I know over at One Spoon…
For me, video requires a time investment and it honestly moves slower then I would like it to sometimes. With a text post, I can speed read, skim and grab the points that I want, and if its jam packed with good stuff, I can move at a slower pace. Its much harder to change pace with video.
Video from the content creator standpoint does offer the ability to connect a little more and offer more of your personality, but it doesn’t always work for everyone.
Text will always rule, but I do enjoy video every once in a while. Thanks Danny!
That’s why I generally prefer text – I can skim text, jump ahead, and jump back, and you just can’t do that with video. I compensate by downloading video whenever I can, and watching it at 150% speed in VLC… but that only compensates to a point…
Thanks for stopping by, Jason, it’s great to see you here at Firepole Marketing.
I’m not a fan of watching business videos myself (they can be such a cringe fest) but I know so many people who would rather watch than read, so I appreciate that it’s different strokes for different folks.
I’ve actually been brought in to write a few video scripts recently because business owners are recognising that they should utilise different media channels to catch different audiences. Thankfully they also understood the benefits of getting a pro in to distill their message. They might not have read the script word for word but they knew they had the good stuff there.
I like the accessibility of new marketing channels like social media and video marketing but I don’t think they will ever push us copywriters out of the picture!
I think you’re right – and on the contrary, not only will copywriters stay in the picture, but I think that as the quality of video content keeps having to improve in order to compete, copywriters will be taking center stage.
The sheer scope of copywriting projects would make it nigh on impossible for copywriters to be killed off by video. Can we really expect video to replace instruction manuals, videos, ebooks, DM letters, websites etc.?
Like many others here, I much prefer being able to skim through an article, ascertain the relevance and read in more detail if I want to. I usually can’t be bothered waiting for a video to load, then having to sit through every minute of it (hard to “skim” a video) only to find it hasn’t really offered anything particularly interesting or useful.
Nor can you hit CTRL+F and search a video for relevant keywords.
Next question: Did video kill the radio star? (I don’t think it’s done that either, but it’s still a great song to have stuck in my head.)
That’s a really good point, Anna – often when people make proclamations about writing being dead, they really mean just a very small subset of the total scope of the writing industry.
And yes, even that small part that they think they know about is probably safe – although I wonder if the bias towards reading vs. watching video might be predominantly found among writers like me, you, and several of the other commenters here today.
Also, a lot of the things that have been described as limitations of video (not being searchable, or indexable by Google) are likely to change in the next few years – but the requirement that we use all of our senses (meaning watching and listening, which precludes a lot of other things in a way that writing, or even just audio, does not) will probably make it so that some people will sometimes *still* prefer text.
As for the radio star – I’m really the wrong person to ask, as I don’t watch TV or own a radio… unless Pandora and Grooveshark counts?
Until they make a video tool that makes every person look perfect, bright eyed and bushy tailed… I think your copywriting job is safe
Different people engage and react to different things, over on Birds on the Blog we get 80k unique visitors a month, and a whole heap of pageviews. We tried video, 3 views… it doesn’t make our audience get excited (yet). We tried audio, again not popular with our audience, so we stick with the written word lashed together with some stunning images. When our audience tells us they don’t like it, we’ll try again with audio and video.
Personally, I can read faster than what most of these people talk about in videos, they are so busy being persuasive they don’t realise I have got up, walked away and fed the kids / dog/husband and left them talking to themselves. I doubt anyone here has watched a video and solely focused on that video; they are too busy be distracted by their ads, Twitter, email and anything else running in the background.
LOL – very good point, Sarah!
That’s a really important point, that different audiences just want different things; some audiences will go for video, but many never will – it’s just not the way we enjoy consuming our content.
I’m with you on being able to get through text faster than video – even when I download and watch it at 150% speed, I still feel that reading would be faster. And yeah, despite the extra “bandwidth” that video requires when we’re watching, somehow text gets more of our critical attention…
Interesting analysis. Television didn’t kill radio. Google+ isn’t going to kill Twitter. While copywriters aren’t going to be killed, the good ones really need to develop more of a storytelling menatality rather than a product pitch mentality.
Very well put, David, and thank you very much for stopping by and weighing in – I really appreciate it!
Hi Danny – thanks for inviting me to take a look at this!
As a copywriter naturally I’d agree we’re not an endangered species, simply because copywriting is about communication and at its heart communication is about words. Great words win business; poor words lose it, whether they’re spoken or written. So a copywriter’s skills have to evolve, just as they needed to for the evolution of SEO website copy, but we’ll take it all in our stride.
It will be interesting to see how search engines adapt to the rise of video. One huge advantage of online marketing text is the power of keywords for search visibility – an area where video is obviously lacking. I wonder if even now the technology is being devised for search engines to scan videos to extract words which can be fed into the algorithm? Doubtless this day will come.
Ultimately, for all the popularity of video, in terms of marketing it still has a niche which is hard to escape. The great liberation of the internet is the power to absorb information in the way you want, and for most people that means quickly. Most people reach a web page and decide if they want to stay in a few seconds – a video will find that tough to achieve. Plus auto-play videos are a pet annoyance of many surfers, so the words are still crucial, even if your website features videos.
One day doubtless there will be applications sending messages straight into the brain, but they’ll still need words to communicate and neuro-script copywriters will be ready and waiting.
My pleasure, David, thanks for stopping by!
I think that’s what it really comes down to – copywriting isn’t about text, but rather about communication. And yes, it’s not a function of video becoming more sophisticated – until we evolve telepathy, communication will always be language-based.
I think that if anything, over time, as search engines get better at “reading” video, the importance of a good writer for video will get more and more prominent. I think that can’t be more than a couple of years away – they’ve already got technology that can do it, though not always in real-time…
But if you hear about those direct-to-brain communication devices, send me a link, will you? I’m definitely interested…
Danny, the difference between a PGA golfer and your average weekend lousy golfer is what learning theorists and neuroscientists call “implicit knowledge.” What that means in “regular-people language” is: there is a structure to each swing and each move, and it is internalized deep in the mind of the pro. The amateur ain’t got it — at least, not thoroughly.
Same with content and sales messages. Anyone can get lucky. But to get consistent quality and consistent results, you need to know the structure. This does not come as a gift from God, or from going to an Ivy League school, or from some secret conspiracy. This knowledge comes from experience.
Like, having done it over and over and over, and having learned something each time and gotten maybe a little better.
So, as far as videos on the Web — sure, they’re here to stay. Yes, as a marketer, and as a content provider, if you don’t have them, you are showing your age, and it’s not pretty.
But putting them together requires internalized knowledge of the structure(s) that work(s). There are people who can “copy-speak” a video but freeze up when they have to put the words in writing. Nevertheless, they have mastered the structure. Just not the writing of it.
So, to address the question you raise, video will not kill the copywriter. It will create new work for copywriters.
But copywriters will plunge their own copy-pens and copy-pencils into their beating copy-hearts if they don’t learn what’s different about video and how to write it. It’s largely the same, but there are some important differences that make it pop or make it drag.
Thanks for bring this up and inviting so many of us in to talk about it. Important conversation.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, David – creating good video takes the same skills as creating any other really solid content, and that is writing – not just the text, but the structure.
Thank you very much for coming by and jumping into the conversation, David, I really appreciate it!
Danny, the difference between a PGA golfer and your average weekend lousy golfer is what learning theorists and neuroscientists call “implicit knowledge.” What that means in “regular-people language” is: there is a structure to each swing and each move, and it is internalized deep in the mind of the pro. The amateur ain’t got it — at least, not thoroughly.
Same with content and sales messages. Anyone can get lucky. But to get consistent quality and consistent results, you need to know the structure. This does not come as a gift from God, or from going to an Ivy League school, or from some secret conspiracy. This knowledge comes from experience.
Like, having done it over and over and over, and having learned something each time and gotten maybe a little better.
So, as far as videos on the Web — sure, they’re here to stay. Yes, as a marketer, and as a content provider, if you don’t have them, you are showing your age, and it’s not pretty.
But putting them together requires internalized knowledge of the structure(s) that work(s). There are people who can “copy-speak” a video but freeze up when they have to put the words in writing. Nevertheless, they have mastered the structure. Just not the writing of it.
So, to address the question you raise, video will not kill the copywriter. It will create new work for copywriters.
But copywriters will plunge their own copy-pens and copy-pencils into their beating copy-hearts if they don’t learn what’s different about video and how to write it. It’s largely the same, but there are some important differences that make it pop or make it drag.
Thanks for bring this up and inviting so many of us in to talk about it. Important conversation.
This is the beginning of an interesting post in my mind. Have you ever read any Marshall McLuhan or Leonard Shlain’s book The Alphabet vs. The Goddess?They have long contended with the differences between word and image and the effect it has on perception and society.Marshal McLuhan developed the notion of hot vs. cool media that operates on a continuum of intensity of the senses used to engage with said media.One thing that Shlain looks at is the types of culture that emerge when alphabetic literacy i the dominant form of media transmission. Shlain shows how massively cultures change (treatment of women, religion, bellicosity among others) when literacy comes in.One feature of more video based posts is the rise of increased orality (slowly). Before alphabetic literacy people remembered and recited stories. The introduction of writing induced more forgetting.If you really want to crank up new insights in this realm, certainly as it pertains to marketing McLuhan and Shlain are foundational.
Matt, thanks for sharing – I’m going to start with The Medium is the Message, and work my way through some other books from there. I’m excited to get started!
Danny,
I am DEFINITELY bias towards video, but only GREAT video.
In fact, I skip most videos because they suck. Some guy or girl talking. I skim the text and then if I want to invest the time, I watch.
HOWEVER, a GREAT video can usually make a bigger impact than great text (in my BIASED mind).
We are in agreement that copywriters won’t die and like Chris Johnson wrote about his copywriter for his videos, this is where I think more writers will have to get work as we start to have more videos that are EASIER TO WATCH (bloggers must realize that them sitting in front of a computer is boring, guys like me with interesting videos will motivate them to compete, and bigger screens, more pixels, more visual effects, more colors, and technology will make watching videos much easier).
For example, I just watched a video that was one minute long about a man who traveled to a handful of countries. He didn’t say word.
Rock the world!
Benjamin, a bias towards GREAT video is a bias that I can get on board with!
And I agree – most video sucks, and it’s a pain in the ass to have to sit through it all. But a great video can make a huge difference, and connect more (or at least more easily) than text. Those videos are few and far between, though.
I think I saw that video, Benjamin – care to share a link?
Danny,
Thanks for inviting me to join this conversation. Great topic and I love the way you walk us through the evolution of these different mediums.
I don’t think that video will ever kill the copywriter, but – as David Meerman Scott alluded to – it will push the traditional writer to evolve. Although much of what I provide my clients is, technically, “copy;” I believe that really great “copywriters” are idea people. We do more than just craft words into cohesive narratives. We come up with new ways of looking at things. We get inside the heads of our intended audience and figure out a strategy that will help us connect with them in deeper and more powerful ways.
When it comes to video and audio, there is a certain segment of the market that will always do the “off the cuff” thing. Some will do it well and some will do it badly. However, there is another group of people who will take a different, more refined approach to producing their multi-media assets. This group will value the skills of a good storyteller and writer to help them concept and craft the words that support the piece. Because even though audio and video are not text on the page, they are still built on idea and those ideas are typically expressed using words … the tools of the writer.
Multi-media can, I think, actually present enterprising writers with great new opportunities to work in different forms. I have enjoyed working on several video and webinar projects. Though the output isn’t pure copy, my skills are still put to good use.
Thanks for the grt conversation!
Hey Jamie, thank you for stopping by and getting involved!
I agree with you and David – video is forcing writers to evolve, and I think that’s a good thing – with change comes opportunity for those of us who are quick on our feet and paying attention, right?
And I think you’re right – great writers aren’t just about the writing, they’re about the ideas that we then go off and write about. Without the ideas, the writing doesn’t make all that much of a difference. And it’s those ideas that will make videos truly stand out.
Thanks again for jumping in – it’s great to see you here and connect!
I would definitely never suggest ditching WordPress for YouTube simply because again, you’d be trusting another provider with all the eggs in your basket. Although he got it restored, ProBlogger had his YouTube account suspended, so for a day all of his videos were just gone (with the message of this user violated our terms / conditions). Definitely not good for branding. I’d say keep the WordPress, embed your YouTube videos (if you’re going that route) but also keep a backup account (maybe Vimeo) with all of your videos in the off chance that you lose YouTube.
Also, copywriting is still important for those people who just don’t like or can’t watch the videos, like people on the iPad and how they can’t watch anything that is a flash-based video, people on mobile phones that don’t have a good enough signal or data package, or people at work who don’t have headphones. Hence, if you have a page with no text and just a video, you’re losing out in sending your message to anyone who can’t (or just won’t) watch.
I always suggest for your visitors and for SEO purposes to transcribe the video or put the most important bits of wisdom in text with the video on your blog. That way people get the most out of it (especially the ones who like to scan an article before committing to it) and search engines will know what the content is about as they can only see the title of a video and not its content.
Yeah, no, I was kinda kidding about that – I’d hate to trust a YouTube or Facebook with the hosting of my brand – just too scary, and Darren is just one of many who’ve been burned by them.
You make a really good point about people not being equipped to consume video, but I think that’s something that will likely change in the short- to medium-term. Even after that, though, writers will still have a purpose in creating videos that people will really want to see.
And yes – the fact that even now we create transcript versions of our videos is a strong indicator that some people just want to consume content (in addition to the search engines).
Thanks for stopping by, Kristi, it’s always great to have you here around the old Firepole.
I have an adversarial relationship with video. I often find it intrusive, totally despise it when I click to a site and a video automatically plays. As a mom who uses her computer while her family is sleeping I particularly dislike it when some unplanned video experience pops up and starts playing…
With that all being said I can see it’s power and often it can be useful when words would just take too long. I think you hit on the most important point for all media forms… the storytelling and no matter the format, to be really excellent that will always take some form of copywriting.
Kathy, I usually feel exactly the same way – though there are exceptions, for example Corbett’s videos. But yeah, I’ve gotten into the habit of hitting “mute” before clicking on a link that I think might lead to a video.
And yeah – it all boils down to the storytelling, no matter what the format might be. And doing that well takes a writer.
Danny,
Thanks for inviting me to join in.
You said it yourself — first you have to understand your audience and what matters to them. That includes whether or not they gravitate to video over reading. In research I’ve conducted for B2B clients, I’ve verified what many of us surmise — everyone has a different preference when it comes to content consumption and no business should risk alienating a certain segment of its audience by only delivering one content format. (I’ve also found that B2B prospects often prefer video at different stages of the buying cycle).
Certainly anyone can pick up a FlipCam and make a point-and-shoot video. But I’d guess that if you pulled back the covers from many of the most engaging videos, you’d find a script (i.e., a copywriter).
Stephanie, thank you for stopping by and jumping in!
Yes, people really tend to miss the audience distinctions when they make pronouncements about how video is the new marketing panacea (or any other medium, for that matter).
I’d love to know how you did that verification – is any of that research public, or publicly available in some way?
Hey Danny,
I love this article – I got to see the evolution of rich media, and it’s well illustrated. Those graphs coommunicate a lot of information effectively. I’m wondering why there is no added effort to effective communication with text (the last graph)? After all, there are over 130 million blogs all fighting for attention. So to be effective with writing, there is in my opinion an added effort. What do you think?
On another point, I see video as a great way to communicate subtle (or not-so-subtle) emotions, and to gain trust much faster thanks to our body language. How much more work is it with text to achieve the same results?
I feel (yes, it’s a feeling, not data-driven research
that text, audio and video are at the same level in terms of competition for attention. Yet, video is complete (body language + content) communication, whereas text is mainly content, and indirect emotions.
That being said, I find that writing is more comfortable – I don’t have to put myself out there as much, and fear judgment as much. There is a sort of emotional barrier between me and my readers.
Hey Matt, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Of course you have to make an effort to write well, but you have to do that anyway – there’s extra effort to create video or audio, on top of it. In other words, it’s work to write a great script, whether it’s a blog post, or will be turned into another media. But if it’s a blog post, you’re done, whereas there’s more work to be done for audio and video. Does that make sense?
And as for the subtle and not so subtle emotions, it depends – you need to be a good writer to do it, but then, don’t you need to be a good actor for it to work in video?
I have to disagree with you – it’s true that video is complete, but it’s also unfiltered, and with most people and most videos, you don’t really want that extra material… do you know what I mean?
As a copywriter, and particularly as a copywriter who routinely writes video scripts, I naturally don’t think video can take my job. As other commenters have said, I know that video appeals to some and text appeals to others. I prefer text because I like to control the speed of delivery when I want information, but video dresses up our websites, for sure! I also really like video for tutorials — sometimes you simply need to see the process as well as hearing the description.
Multimedia gives our visitors opportunities to choose the channels they prefer, to get the greater learning opportunity afforded by exploring information with more than one medium, and to feel more engaged with the site owner because they’ve seen and heard him or her.
And yet, as you point out, with the end of novelty for videos comes the end of visitor’s tolerance for the …ummm…uh…no I didn’t mean to to do that…just a second… amateur unscripted video. As standards rise, copywriters become more important for video, just as we are now essential for professional websites.
In other words, reports of our death have been exaggerated.
Yup, that seems to be the consensus – different strokes for different folks.
And yeah, it depends a lot on what you’re trying to communicate, too. For something very visual, like a tutorial on how to do something, picture really is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a thousand pictures. But for other things, no, that isn’t the case – so it really depends on whether the additional richness of media is really adding value.
And yes – it is definitely true that audio and video are more “natural” forms of communication than text, and allow for a much easier and more intuitive connection.
So yes – reports of our death have been GREATLY exaggerated!
Hi Dan,
If anything, video is providing a fantastic new revenue stream for copywriters. I have one client who called for help when their video wasn’t working. They thought they needed social media coverage. They didn’t. They needed a script instead of a shoot-from-the-hip ramble by their CEO. The agreed to let me write a script for them and, not surprisingly, their updated video worked great. (They put in an order for 20 more scripts.)
As a copywriter, I’m embracing the video surge in popularity.
Cheers,
Sarah
Hey Sarah, thanks for stopping by! I agree – there’s a lot of money for us to script videos, if we can just be smart enough to grab the business. Thanks for pointing that out!
Good video (especially a sales video) absolutely requires copywriting skill. I agree with the first comment from Sarah – video provides a fantastic new revenue stream for copywriters.
Yup, I agree with Sarah as well. Thanks for stopping by, Vic, I appreciate it!
I hope so too, Natasha!
Did TV kill radio? Did either of them kill newspapers (completely) ? I did an email newsletter for years (still do), and got very little feedback. I turned that same information into an audio podcast and got feedback from Germany within a week (I’m in Ohio). Why, because it was more personal. It had tone of voice, and it was delivered in a more entertaining fashion.
Yes anybody with a usb microphone can create a podcast. This does NOT mean they should. Do not forget. CONTENT is king. Great content takes TIME (I tell me people it takes four minutes to produce one minute of audio podcast). What the gold rush rush of Podcasting and Youtube has done has made it hard to find the GOOD stuff. You have to step over the junk to get to it. The bright side is many podcasters quit before their seventh episode because it takes TIME to create GREAT content, and they thought they would be famous overnight by listing their podcast in iTunes.
I hear this same question about audio podcasting (is video going to kill it). Its not. Audio podcasting allows you to multitask. I can’t watch a video and drive to work. Also, many videos are simply “talking heads” and if that talking head doesn’t have great content, it’s not going to work.
You need to deliver content in the format people want it. I still deliver my podcast in a newsletter format for those that want it. You can listen to it on my website, or you can subscribe via RSS.
In the same way, Gone With the Wind can be found on VHS,DVD, and Blu-Ray. Same content delivered in the format the audience wants.
If you have a newsletter, FOR PETE’S SAKE turn it into a podcast. People will blow $300 on a hobby known as Xbox with Kinect. But they stop dead in their tracks when it comes to putting out $200 for a microphone and mixer.
I wrote a book called “More Podcast Money” and explain all the ways people are benefiting from podcasting.You will be seen an expert, sell ads in your pdocast, sell ads on your site, get free stuff to review (I will be reviewing a USB interface later today), and much more. I interviewed a podcaster last week who had a listener donate to him in the form of a $12,000 check. It was his way of saying “thank you” for the content.
You make a really good point (not sure about the newspapers, though, but I think that’s more a factor of a business model that’s dying than it is about people not being interested in text).
But yeah, you’re right – the saturation means that it’s really, really hard to find the good stuff – which is frustrating, just as it is with the over-abundance of text content on the net, much of which is just garbage.
But that’s where writers come in: creating great content that truly stands out.
I think you make a very good point about multitasking as well, that some others have touched on. The truth is that we like to be able to do other things (I can clean my house while listening to audio, but not watching video, for example).
The $12,000 cheque really caught my attention – care to share how he managed to do that?
Well it didn’t hurt that the guy was a millionaire. You can hear the interview at
http://davidjackson.org/2011/08/cliff-ravenscraft-visits-today-in-podcasting/
Heh, the devil’s in the details, right?
Sometimes I’m in the mood to watch a video, but most of the time I greatly prefer the written word – especially in well-executed, well-organized copy that has been distilled to contain the essence of the topic. Text is faster and easier to search and use for reference. (Try finding just the point you need in a video some time. You know it is there – somewhere – but where exactly. You can’t really search for it – unless you know something I don’t know.)
Exceptional video requires excellent copywriting AND a voice, a presence, and the ability to connect. For me, the written word is usually more compelling. Maybe I’m just showing my age, but even in this age of ebooks there is nothing like sitting down comfortably with a physical book.
I’m with Podcashcoach – partly. Radio isn’t dead. Newspapers could make a resurgence if they would combine what they do with what we do online, support the local businesses that still need them, and collaborate with local bloggers. Some people like to listen to audio while working. I’m not big on that either and I multi-task in interrupt mode more than most anyone I know.
As many have mentioned, there will be plenty of work for talented copywriters who can tell stories that will be effective on video. Just as television hires voice talent, businesses that don’t have anyone in house interesting and capable enough should seriously consider finding someone else who is.
I’m with you, Gail – video can be a nice break from the work of the day, but when I’m in a hurry with lots of things to do (which is most of the time), I much prefer text – also because I can copy and paste key ideas for reference later, or print and highlight… you can’t do any of that with video.
And yeah, I’m with you about physical books as well – my fiancee loves her Kindle, but I still want a real, physical printed book to read. It’s just not the same!
I think your most important point is that regardless of preferences, for video to work, it’s got to be really good, and that takes a lot of skill, time, and work to produce. I’m looking forward to more businesses wisening up to that truth!
Thanks for stopping by, Gail, your contribution to the discussion is always valuable and very much appreciated!
Hey Danny, wow, it’s really hard to comprehend how many videos are being served up by YouTube on a daily basis! What I’ll be interested in seeing is if there is any backlash over the emergence of advertising on YT. I think that’s one of the main reasons that online video has become so popular, because of the DVR effect; no need to watch or wait through commercials. Now ads are very much becoming common place with online video…and it sucks!!!
As far as video replacing copy, I am from the school that copy content comes first in the search results. I am also from the school of balance, that while you are blogging, you should have a presence on Youtube, and other popular social media channels, even Slideshare.Excellent post! How do you see video evolving from here?
-Adam
Yeah, those numbers are just enormous, and yeah, I’ll be very interested to see how people react to the ads; I just find them annoying, but at the same time not very compelling at all… I understand why YouTube wants to do it, but I don’t think they’ve cracked that nut yet…
I agree with you about writing not being supplanted by video, but I don’t think it’s a function of search results – the search engines will probably learn to read video within a few years, after all…
I think it’s going to be interesting to watch the evolution of video over the next little while. Advertising isn’t quite working there yet, but they’re going to find a way – it’s just a matter of time…
Danny,
I think people operate under a misconception that because the tools have made video easier to produce, that the somehow they take less effort than words. As you point out, that is not the case. Even with the tools, video requires more effort, particularly video consumes a lot of time. Words may require more
skill, but creating good video takes longer than creating good words.
That’s exactly right, Jay. And the truth is that doing video takes the same skill with scripting and storyboarding, and then there’s the video creation skills, too… that’s a tall order!