Antoine Dupont directly addresses camera:  Hate the way you look on video? Get over it because you're missing a huge opportunity to reach home buyers and sellers and establish yourself as a real estate expert.
      I'm Antoine Dupont, owner of Dupont Communications in Fort Lauderdale. I currently run two successful YouTube channels, and I've learned a lot in the process. Let's take five minutes to talk about the lessons learned and how to get engagement on your videos, whether they are on TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook, YouTube, or multiple channels.
      The most glaring mistake I've seen is not starting. Video marketing is what people want to consume. And, what stops people from starting? They don't like the way they look or sound. But, trust me, you are your biggest critic. Here are some ways to get started and get engagement.
      First, you must do research to determine the kind of content to create. Rather than promote yourself or talk about things people don't care about, take some time to see what other successful real estate agents are doing. What does your sphere of influence like? What do they want? For example, if you specialize in working with first-time homebuyers, your video content should be geared toward that audience and offer valuable information on financing as well as education on the home-buying process.
      My wife and I started a channel several months ago. We have more than 50,000 subscribers and about 4 million views. It's exploding and it's not because we're highly talented, we're just regular folks. But we figured out a need and focused on offering information that provides solutions and value. Your videos don't have to be real estate related. Maybe you love Michelin-starred restaurants and videotape your reviews. Or you love estate sales and can show your finds as well as offer tips for finding treasures.
      Once you figure out the content, you should know that the first 30 seconds of your video is the most important. What you feature will determine whether someone will stop and watch it. So, don't start by introducing yourself. Instead, start by identifying a challenge or issue people are facing. Then, immediately explain that there is a solution or better way of doing things. Reveal the problem and give them a promise.
      Here's what you might say about the current market: "People have a problem finding the right home for their family because they're just selling  like hot cakes, but it doesn't have to be that difficult. In this video, I'm going to tell you three tips to ensure you find the right home and buy it at the right price. Let's go." Boom. I'm invested because you talked about my problem, told me the promise, and told me exactly what I'm going to get out of the video.  
      What next? Let's talk about video structure. A video needs to have a lot of pattern interrupts. What's that mean? It's a way to hold a person's attention. It's hard for people to watch someone talking for a long time, so you should "interrupt" it with a graphic or image. I use a subscription program called Storyblocks that has thousands of clips I can use in my videos.
      Finally, keep a crisp pace in your videos. Edit out all the "ums" and "huhs" and dead space to keep the video fresh, crisp, clean and quick.
And, there you have it: A few ways to get started with video and a few more to help people stay engaged with your videos. So, forget about how you look and sound and get started today!