Picking Your Topic

‘What will make a good MindBite?’  — we get this question quite often, so here’s our top tips for picking content…
1. First and foremost, you need to be teaching something that people are interested in learning.  If it’s something everyone knows (how to tie shoes), consider taking a new spin on it (how to teach your child to tie his/her shoes). 

2. Come up with a topic that isn’t completely covered by free content online.  Oftentimes, this means that the topic is new (and trendy) or is somewhat niche (like how to make a Pillowcase Dress).  To see what’s out there, google your topic and look for videos on the free video sites.  If there’s loads of detailed free content on it (strip tease videos), then reconsider your selection or try to position it slightly differently (strip tease for exercise).

3. Try to pick a topic that benefits from or requires some sort of visual representation.  If I can learn it from a printout, then there’s little reason for me to buy a video. 

4. Don’t try to be too broad as this will come at the expense of depth.  If you have a lot of related things to cover, consider making a series of different but related videos.  A video that covers ‘fitness’ or ‘losing weight’ is going to be way too broad - you’d be better off making deeper videos on ’stretching your legs for a jog’, ‘what your heart rate means’, ‘weight training - beginner exercises for your biceps’, ‘weight training - beginner arm workout in a hotel room’, ‘nutrition - for building muscle’, ‘nutrition for losing fat’, etc, etc.  Don’t worry about not being able to fill up enough time to make the video - it’ll go by surprisingly fast once you decide to incorporate some of the nitty gritty details.

‘What can I teach…to whom?’.  People are often disheartened by this question, but honestly, we have yet to find someone who can’t teach anything.  You’d be surprised what some of our authors teach (and make money off of).  The second half of this answer should also consider who you will be teaching - are there people wanting this knowledge?  The good news is that, if you were, at one time, wanting to learn whatever it is, chances are that others want to, as well. 

1. First, think about what do you do for a living?  Are you a repairman - teach folks with broken stuff some basics about how to fix whatever it is you fix.  Are you a physical instructor (personal trainer, yoga teacher, math teacher, baseball coach, etc) - teach some potential new students what you teach in your classes.  Are you a student - teach others something you’ve learned in your classes.  Are you an investment banker - teach some amateurs how to use Excel like a wizard.  Are you an IT professional - teach a small business how to set up a basic IT infrastructure.

2.  Next, think about what you do in your non-work time.  Are you an amateur hobbyist (model airplane maker, seamstress, gardener, home-fixer-upper, quilter, painter, potter, gamer, baker, runner, swimmer) - teach an interested novice about your craft or hobby.  Are you a parent - teach a new parent something about parenting or living with/entertaining/taking care of kids.  Are you a gadget guy - teach someone decidedly less tech-savvy how to hook up speakers/TV or pick out and get a great deal on a TV.  Are you a domestic goddess - teach a domestic disaster how to iron and fold clothes or host a dinner party.

3.  Third, think about things you’ve done or learned and places you’ve visited.  Are you fluent in Tagalog - teach someone who’s heading to the Philippines how to get by.  Have you traveled extensively in Eastern Europe - tell other tourists how to find great deals and what to visit and when to go.  Did you learn how to wrap a sari for a friend’s Indian wedding - make a video to show others how (or remind those of us that are forgetful).

4.  Fourth, think about who you may know.  There are tons of people out there that you know that are unnecessarily scared of the whole prospect of filming and putting a video together, but I bet you can talk almost anyone you know into sharing their knowledge if you handle the production/editing for the video.   

After you’ve come up with a few things you could make into MindBites, revisit those first four tips we listed to vet your ideas.  If it’s something you had to figure out or learn at some point, chances are that others will need to do the same.  I’m sure they’d appreciate some help from someone that’s been down the road already.  Are there already a ton of free videos that come up in Google when you search for it - try taking a slightly different spin on it (incorporate kids, incorporate exercise, incorporate groups, show different methods, use different tools, make it on a budget, show it in a new context or setting, etc).  Could I explain how to do this over the phone with little to no effort or are there parts that really need some kind of picture (or ridiculous amounts of wordy explanation)?  People are more apt to want to find a video for how-to help if it’s an activity that requires some visual learning.  Is this a topic that you can cover very deeply in 8-20 minutes?  Is there any way to further subdivide it to make multiple videos?  If so, go ahead and break up the topic and make sure you give your viewers the detailed nuts and bolts that they’re paying you for.  Basic, surface-level information is too easy to come by these days.

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