The Introverted Creator’s Guide to Appearing on Camera

It’s true that many people who appear on camera have some very extrovert traits, but that’s honestly not the case for everyone. If you are a natural introvert but still want to appear on camera, we have five valuable tips that should make your life that little bit easier.

Most of us are used to watching videos from big, outgoing personalities, so it might surprise you that most YouTubers are introverts. There’s a reason why they prefer talking to a camera than to real people! Videos with a charismatic front person tend to do well because they have a genuine personality to carry them. It’s easy to get discouraged if you don’t feel you can perform as well in front of the camera, but you can work towards overcoming that fear.

Tip #1: It’s OK to be an Introvert on Camera!

It may help to remember that many YouTube creators are intrinsically introverted. If you’ve ever attended a big-time video event like VidCon, you may have noticed that the people who appear twice as large as life on camera are much more reserved in real life. 

Often, it’s only when they first appeared on camera did they realize how comfortable they felt there. Most people have enough personality to engage others, so give it a go. You don’t have to be bouncing all over the screen to get your point across.

Tip #2 Only Shoot Video When You Feel Energized

It’s essential that you give yourself every chance you can to appear as natural but personable in front of a video camera or mobile device. 

Pick a time of day that you know you will be at your best. That can be before you’ve gone through all the tasks in your day that drain you, like long phone calls or meetings. Or maybe for you, it’s after all those tasks have been completed and you can just sit down in a quiet room and talk to a camera.

Tip #3 Really Push Through Your Perceived Limits

For an introvert, even the thought of appearing in front of a camera can be a terrifying prospect. But, many introverts actually feel good about themselves after pushing through something potentially uncomfortable – like talking to a camera lens. 

The more you do it, the better you’ll feel. Pushing yourself to be on camera may help in other parts of your life too!

Tip #4 Don’t Be So Overly Critical of Yourself

If you are just getting started in online video, and you haven’t talked to a camera much, it WILL feel uncomfortable, and you’ll hate seeing and hearing yourself on playback. 

Like most things, the more you do it, the more comfortable you feel. Don’t be a perfectionist. Put your best foot forward, you probably won’t like it, but that’s ok — just force yourself to go with it anyway. It’s probably good for you.

Tip #5 Structure Your Shoot to Make You More Comfortable

We often really thrive on systems and structures as introverts, so use that to your advantage. For instance, always use a teleprompter, schedule your shoots for the same time every week, and follow a similar format for each video. Do whatever helps you feel like you’re in a rhythm for your video creation process.

We hope our tips have inspired you to take a chance on yourself. Take it one step at a time, and soon (we promise), you’ll wonder what you were ever afraid of.