Ask Jim Edwards Your Video Questions!
Ask Jim Edwards your questions via Video
Right here on his blog!
“Discover The Secrets To Making Your Own
“Talking Head Video Profits” TODAY!
98 Responses
Jim:
This course looks quite good, and a great value. Will it show me how to edit the video and overlay text on the blank monitor screen?
It’s a very effective technique.
Thanks, Sven
Jim, is this a joke…did you do this for some ploy, or did someone really hack into your blog?
Please don’t toy with me, it gets confusing enough out there with the games some marketers play…
I hope you thought it was fun too 
Jim
Uh, it was a joke….
Hi Sven,
Yes… the course will show you how to overlay text on the screen using Sony Vegas Movie Studio… but you don’t need a monitor next to you like I have unless you want one (just how my office is set up and kind of how my “set” evolved). You can also do this technique with just a black overlay on the screen and then put text on top of that. It’s actually really easy once you understand what to to and how to do it.
Jim
OK< You Got Me!
I totally agree with Dy Witt, Jim: your email sent out was VERY GOOD – who would *not* click the link after reading that email! (Would love to know the Clikc-Through Rate!)
Cheers,
Virpi
Maybe I need to get out of marketing when I cant’ even tell the difference between jokes and reality….. 
Excellent video blog…great way to get folks to come to your blog. This answered two questions for me in my business.
Thanks!
Jim, how come you don’t have a “Notify me of any posts” to these comments? I usually like to follow comments to your posts,
Hi Virpi,
Long time no talk… how’ve you been?
I think the click-through will be high… but, it really was a tongue-in-cheek email… so I’m sure there’ll be a blacklash (sigh).
But I can also see how a teaser like that could be viewed as manipulative, especially if it led to a straight sales pitch.
BUT (and Big BUT) – since this teaser led to a piece of valuable content with a VERY SOFT sell at the end, would it still be viewed as manipulative, or just “fun”?
I think that’s really the issue (just thinking out loud).
If it’s a huge “curiosity” play that makes you feel like you’re getting ambushed with a blatant sales pitch, I can see how you would get mad (I know I would).
But when used this way and it leads to real content, does it create a different reaction, or is it still a problem for some people?
Curiosity is one of the most potent things you can use in sales copy…. did I go too far with this teaser, or does what makes it feel “too far” come from where you end up and the message you receive once you get there?
Do you feel “manipulated” or do you feel like it was all in good fun?
Comments?
Jim
Cuz when we get going hot and heavy on the posts (hundreds), I’ve had people complain that they’re getting too much email, so we turned it off.
Jim
You’re a good sport 
Excellent
Ruth,
I think it also comes down to “Do you trust me (Jim)?”
And if you feel like I violate that trust, then you have the right to be mad at me.
But if you take into consideration that it’s “me”, then maybe it’s okay to have some fun and surprises everyone once in a while… and shake things up a bit?
Jim
Very cool Jim!
You got me to click. ;o)
Met your brother on the internet marketers cruise.
Are you coming next year too?
thanks for your ever-inspiration and great teachings, you’re awesome!
Cheers…Amanda van der Gulik…Excited Life Enthusiast!
Interesting questions and answers.
I don’t have the plugin you mention – I use a WordPress template that allows me to select which pages are visible in the page navigation menu. I de-select the private page with optin info on it, and password protect it for good measure (I could probably miss out that step). I then give the password out in the auto-responder followup message.
Ha Ha Ha–I knew from the start it was planned you joker. Jim, I cannot thank you enough for the knowledge you give to me and all your subscribers. It has become a daily, invaluable tool.
Mike
A real clever way to get a higher click through rate. You are always on the cutting edge Jim.
Jim, you are an insanely compelling marketer! I just love following you!
I thought that the video was excellent, and the advice on using the black screen in the background equally excelllent. The soft sell did not bother me, since I have already signed up.
But the manipulation was disturbing, not alarming – but disturbing. You can’t have integrity some of the time, and just occasionally be dishonest! It’s like the Husband who says, “I really love my wife, I only cheat occasionally!”
I like how Mike Stewart handled the question!
I’m up to my eyebrows in work… yet I still clicked to see what this was about. Very clever, and additional proof that you really know marketing!
I laughed, I was impressed, and I’m still here, actually leaving a comment.
It was a good break during a busy day. Thanks!
Hi Mike,
How’s life?
Jim
Hi Doug.
Thanks
Jim
Well, since I had just looked at these early this morning, I found the email about hacking to be a disappointment. Sorry…. tactics too much like all the turkeys out there that I’ve recently unsubscribed to…. I’ll check to see how this all turns out.
Hi Bill,
Well, I honestly don’t think I was dishonest… I asked a question and then others filled in the blanks.
Was it on purpose? Yes.
Was it intended? Yes.
What it dishonest? Not in my opinion.
Thanks for your comment, sharing your opinion, and thank you for your business
Jim
Hi Eileen,
Thanks
Jim
Oh, and did I walk a fine line with the teaser?
Absolutely Yes!
Part of the whole exercise was to start a discussion… there is usually a method to my madness.
Jim
Fair enough
Jim
Jim, your marketing expertise is amazing! I’m trying to decide whether to improve my website so it gets more traffic or concentrate on getting more people to look at my blog (which has a more personal touch).
Hi Amanda,
Thanks!
BTW – I do my own cruise called “The Jim Boat”
You should come on ours too!
Jim
Nice Blog Jim.
I totally agree, that the slick type of video is not what people really want to see. when I started out on the net and came across videos that were natural, Bingo that catches my attenction. As for the way I got to your website that does not matter to me but I am glad I found it. I belive that no matter how much anyone knows about anything, there is always something new to learn everyday and it is great.
Jim I hope you are having a good
Regards
Gerald Lyons
As long as it gets the job done you need and it works, that’s all that matters.
Here’s the link to the plugin I mentioned in the video:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/page-link-manager/
Jim
Jim, honestly, you are the only one I always trust, and jokes and good fun only make you human, which is what I like about you.
Honest…truly, if I was ever given an option of who do I stick with, hands down, it will be you
Hi Jean,
My vote: do whichever one will make you the most money and get the most mileage first… then bring the other along too.
It comes down to best value for the effort expended… especially when you have a limited time investment to make.
Jim
Catchy email subject line: but it only caught my attention because of the “personal relationship” resulting from your webinars and courses (I guess that is a given DUH). Also loved the demonstration of the huge value of using talking head videos. Your course on this topic is golden,.
Hi Gerald,
Thanks… I appreciate that very much.
I agree with you about the video too (as I demonstrate by what I DO rather than saying one thing and doing another).
People want real… not hype.
Also, for you as the video producer, keeping it real is easier and takes less time to produce… and people are drawn to you.
Jim
Hi Sybal,
Thanks!
I think it’s part of the total package (relationship + video + relevant topic + real good info).
As for your compliment on the course, thank you… we’re going to be adding some more stuff to it over the next 3 weeks, so stay tuned.
Jim
Ruth,
Thank you… I don’t take that trust lightly.
Jim
Jim, I would still like to address the issue of YouTube or not to YouTube.
You know I love YouTube for a number of reasons.
But almost no one in IM gets the fact that YouTube is chock full of tools that are not available elsewhere.
When you know how to use YouTube it can rock out unbelievable traffic. Like 1 to 2 million views just by posting a video. And I am talking every time you post a video. Not just a fluke.
I can present my side in video if you want, or you could just give us your viewpoint in a future segment. Let me know if I can give you more insight on YouTube if you choose to clear up what you think we should do.
We shall see… reason I say: People may not give it enough thought to see the humor I intended and just get mad (maybe).
Jim
Hi Jim,
Well, I must say you had me going with your email and then when I saw my face on your video, it really made me laugh. It’s unfortunate that some people may have a thin skin about your tactics.
Anyways, I’ll check out the plug-in.
Thanks,
Rainer
My opinion on YouTube is very simple:
1 – Great POTENTIAL (heavy the word potential) with NO guarantees of traffic. Too many people have the lottery mentality when it comes to YouTube, etc.
For every video that gets 1 million views, there are countless videos that get very few, if any… and you can’t build a business solely counting on YouTube traffic.
2 – Using Youtube as your hosting service and video player on your blog is a MISTAKE. Why? Because if youtube blocks your account for any reason (or no reason) you’re screwed.
3 – So my opinion is:
- Use Mike’s player and S3 to display videos on your own site and blog
- Optimize your videos for YouTube as well as possible, post them, wash-rinse-repeat.
That’s my opinion in a nutshell.
In other words, I’m NOT negative toward YouTube, I think it’s great. But it’s not a savior or a magic source of traffic.
Jim
Hey Jim,
Great discussion about subject line! I did come away with a little bit of a “manipulated” feeling. That said, I think what I was expecting with that subject line was something either weird or hysterically funny, based on my experience of you.
When we got into a straight training thing, I thought the content was great, but there was no “big bang” like the subject line set up, (Man you and Smacker could have gone to town! I can see Smacker now in a red Hawaiian shirt now pretending to be you.) so it was kind of a let down.
Anyway, I upset? No because I trust you. And I am glad that you’re starting to answer the video questions. (I can’t wait to see if you answer mine). I am also curious about how basic the talking head course is for those of us who already have experience in video production or have other peeps to handle it.
Thanks for everything!
Karen
Rainer,
Excellent… thanks for submitting your question
Well done!
Jim
Jim – I’ve been watching you for a long time, my buddy Kirt Christensen turned me on to you when you did that fantastic FTC interview. I’ve only been watching from the shadows, but I needed to say thank you. Your creative and innovative take on things are truly inspiring. I can’t come to your website without cracking a smile =)
Keep up the great work brother
-Kwin
Apparently I should have TWO cups of coffee before I make blog posts!! Yeep!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it!
Smacker is sleeping right now, but you may see him Friday
Also, regarding your question:
I am also curious about how basic the Talking Head Video Profits course is for those of us who already have experience in video production or have other peeps to handle it.
That’s a great question!
The course helps both levels of people (beginner and advanced). If you already know how to make a video, then Talking Head Video Profits will help you get to the next level faster.
- Mike’s Sony Sound Forge Tutorials are perfect for training a staff member to do your videos.
- The Cheat Sheets and Process Maps will show you how to go way beyond just answering questions.
- The case study analysis will help you see more patterns you can use right now in your own business.
- Also, and this may be letting the cat out of the bag, but Mike and I are doing another webinar on March 16th ONLY for people already enrolled in the course. The topic: “Using Videos To Generate Targeted Website / Blog Traffic”
That webinar alone will be worth the price of the course.
So, even if you’re already up to speed on the mechanics, this course has (and will continue to have added) a LOT of value.
Hope that helps.
Jim
Hi Jim,
Nice video! You mention “InnKeeper” but don’t explain what it is or where to get one. Is it hardware or software, or that cute little lady in the Durndl who greets you at the front desk every morning when you’re visiting the chateau in the alps?
“InnQuiring” minds want to know!
Thanks!
Brad
Jim,
I’ve been with you since 2004. What people may not know about you is that you have always given real solutions to real problems some of us are having in the internet world. I’ve listened to you talk about using video for a long time. Sorry to say, I’ve procrastinated using video because I’ve been overwhelmed. I didn’t get it, I thought it was too difficult to do. Well, things are getting easier and I will start using video this year [2010]. Thanks to you and how your take real situations and give common sense answers I feel more confident now.
Keep up the excellent content you provide.
Thank you,
Hal
Hi Kwin,
Thank you… I appreciate that very much
Jim
HI Brad,
LMAO – no it’s not Heidi from my Swiss fantasy dream.
It’s a piece of hardware… I got it from Mike Stewart… you can check it out at Mike’s http://www.TeleSeminarTools.com – that explains how it all works together.
It basically links your phone to your computer with the help of a USB audio capture device.
The easiest way to do what Otis wants to do is to have both sides capture the audio and pair it up.
Jim
Hi Hal,
Thanks!
And it’s never too late to get started… it’s easier now than ever, so a whole new crop of people need to learn HOW in 2 areas:
1- How to make the video (mechanics)
2- What to say and how to say it in the video (sales & psychology)
So jump in with both feet… you still have time to win!
Jim
Hi Jim – I knew if someone had ACTUALLY hacked into your blog – you wouldn’t be sending an email about it – you’d be too busy fixing it and trying to find out what the heck happened!
Got a question about page link manager – when a page doesn’t show up in the navigation but is otherwise unprotected, will it get found by the search engines based on content?
Thanks much
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne,
LOL – you know me TOO well
Re the page and SEO
As long as you don’t have the page listed in a site map for the blog or linked from another page that the search engines could find and then follow the link, you should be okay.
Search engines can only follow links.
Now, if somebody were to submit the page to the search engines, then yes, they’d find it. But if you don’t optimize it for a keyword set and keep it generic, then it’s not a big deal because even if they know about the page, it probably won’t show up in a search.
You could also password protect the page from within WordPress if you want… or if it’s a BIG deal, then you’ll need to use a membership site management solution.
But overall, for just keep a page off the radar, the plugin should do the job for 90% of the cases.
Jim
Jim, I definitely agree, giving control of your content to a free resource is not a smart thing to do.
But that is no different than using Facebook or Twitters viral marketing potential. But we use those mediums to allow our followers to follow us where they want to. If you are worried about getting kicked off these kinds of sites then you are doing something you should not be doing in the first place. Fergitabodit!
But getting back to YouTube, it is the fact that I can get a YouTube video to rank top 10 under a highly searched term much more easily than I can a blog post.
I ranked top 10 for the term Google OS for 6 months. Took me a days work. I outranked sites like TechCrunch, Mashable and Cnet all that time and pulled over 11,000 views.
My blog or your blog would never have been able to rank for that term against top sites and not in the #4 spot, above the fold as I did.
Another reason I love YouTube is they stream much better for slow connections and offer multiple versions of quality depending on connection speed.
iPhones and Androids now that they run flash and WiFi has brought back the dial up issues of old. When I am on the road, as I was for the last year, I can not watch your videos because they are hosted on S3. It could take a half hour to watch your video on hotel WiFi. Not with a YouTube player though.
Lastly there has been a lot of talk about YouTube ranking well. My advice is to get videos ranked in YouTube for your main terms before you competition takes them over.
Oh, and YouTube is the #2 search engine in the world. More searches are performed there than on Yahoo or da Bing.
Anyways that is my side of things, I still think a show by you focused on the plus sides to YouTube and your recommendations for businesses would be way valuable to us all.
Hi Jim:
I suspected this was a put on due to the wording of the e-mail. For instance, you asked the question about whether your site was hacked rather than stating you were hacked. In addition you were not totally upset in your message as a genuine victim would be. And of course, the big one, you’d have been doing damage control on a genuine hack rather than sending out an e-mail on your auto-responder asking for comments on such a dastardly deed.
All in all, a perfect use of Social Psychology principles; reminds me a great deal of the master marketer, P.T. Barnum! I’m sure you will get many clicks on the link.
I just wanted to take the opportunity to say I really enjoy your products and have learned some valuable information from them. I hope I can eventually be successful using them.
Sincerely,
R. Michael Stone, M.S. – Counselor
Creator of The Unlearn Smoking Success System?
Gotta be honest first thing I thought before I clicked was “bollox, I’m gonna be pitched something” but fair do’s it made me click. Haven’t seen the vid yet but liked the tactic. I respect your stuff Jim so not gonna bad mouth you. Naughty is nice!
All the best dude,
Rich
You can also deny search engine robots indexing the page from your robots.txt file or in a meta tag on the page. Either will keep it out of SEO.
I myself like it when I get new traffic straight to a video page. It is usually my my best stuff and my opt in form does well on these pages.
Hi Michael,
Thanks
You captured the spirit and the mechanics much more succinctly than I could have… so I thank you for that summation… well done
Jim
Hi Rich,
LOL… thanks… I appreciate your sense of fair play
Jim
Hi Chris,
I’d be interested in talking to you more about this off of the blog.
Please contact me through my help desk
http://www.ebookfiresupport.com with a few links to videos you’ve done that rank well, terms they rank for, etc.
Thanks
Jim
That can be hard for the novice to do with a single blog page.
Do you know of a plugin that will insert that into a single page on a blog and not affect the other pages / posts on the blog?
Jim
I clicked on your email today just because of the headline. I was so worried that you were “hacked”. Glad it was a joke. I like your stuff Jim so keep it coming!
ohhh how this happen? they hacked your blog?
Hi Elisha,
Thanks
Jim
Hi Samy,
No, we’re okay… just having a laugh (as my UK buddies say)
Jim
Aren’t there sites/services that record the webinar for you and allow you to download it?
Aren’t some of them reasonably priced or free?
That was the impression I got from some IM trainers. Maybe the videos are not as cool as yours—with the added words and music, but your process sounds really complicated, using special equipment and software that is probably expensive.
As much as I love technology and the Internet, I’m tired of learning curves. I’m looking for quick, easy ways to do things, even if they are not always the absolute best.
So I hope you don’t mind if I ask why you chose the methods you use? And are there really easier ways to do videos?
Thanks for this one, BTW. Great info.
P.S. Yes, I know there is a free version of Camtasia (which is inexpensive to begin with), but I was talking about the other software, such as the Sony video editor. Plus all the work of a multistep process.
Hi Kathleen,
Other than outsourcing everything, I don’t know of an easier way to do the talking head than the way Mike and I teach it now?
As far as webinar, the question was how to record both sides. If you want to record just you, GotoWebinar will record it as part of the software, but just your side of it.
I hate to say this, but with any and everything, there has to be some sort of learning curve… but at least it’s a LOT shorter than in the days of “Website Video Secrets 1 & 2″
Smile
Jim
Well, Sony Vegas is less than $75… I don’t know of an alternative.
I’ve seen some cool things that are fast, but they have their own learning curves too.
Hey Jim,
You mentioned the “Page Link Manager” plug-in to hide pages for opt-in, why that instead of making the page “private”?
Keep up the great content.
Ken
You got my curiosity up. I clicked the link to see what it was all about… but did realize you were up to something other than a “real” hack.
I LOVED your intro with the billboard!!!!! (and the honking car horns). Is that Stella’s work? If so, I’m impressed.
Great questions and great answers. The plug-in is something I will use to hide with, just have to find the time to play with it all.
Thanks,
Gail
Hi Jim,
I almost didn’t listen to the video because I thought it was a joke. I receive soooooo many e-mails that I have to choose which ones are important for me to read. So I like your humor in your videos but I’d prefer what it’s going to be about up front to decide if I want to take the time to listen. That’s my feedback. And I do love you and what you do. Oh, and I’m in the process of buying my Kodak Zi8. SEems they are out of stock most places on-line. Target has them in stock. Do I also need to get a mic or is the one in the Zi8 adequate?
Thanks.
Blessings, Leah
Ken,
I’m honestly not sure… this is just the way we’ve done it in the past.
Anyone else know the answer to if Private will solve the issue, or create another issue in its place?
Jim
Hey Gail,
Yep, Stella did that intro in Sony Vegas using Mike’s instructions on how to use the software.
YOUR questions (Gail) get answered next week along with Suzanne’s… so stay tuned!
Jim
I found the answer:
This is off the wordpress site
Private: Posts are only visible to blog Editors and Administrators. Private posts are not visible in Blog Surfer, feeds, or in any search. A post can be private without being password protected.
So no, private would not work in this situation described in the video
Jim
Thanks, I’m going plug-in shopping.
Hey Jim, I know there’s a lot to video. Do you know of any good training courses?
I know Video Boss just came out with a training course but for those who do not have 2 grand to dish out…what would you recommend/how did you go about learning everything?
Thanks a Jim for your help and time,
Kevin
Hi Gail,
Thank you so much BTW great questions!
Stella
Hey Jim. Love the info you guys put out. I was wondering, wouldn’t it be just as easy for Rainer to leave all his videos as emails if he’s going to use Aweber anyway? What would the benifit be hiding them on WordPress? I would think a drip capaign would work..
Hi Leah,
Point taken
You can use the internal mic in the Zi8, but it does have the external mic jack (which is one reason why we like it) and I would advise getting an external mic at some point.
Jim
Hi Kevin,
Do you know of any good training courses?
As a matter of fact, I do… check out Mike and my new course, at http://www.TalkingHeadVideoProfits.com
It will teach you everything you need to know to make cool talking head videos just like we do!
Jim
Hi Dave,
He could… but unless you’re giving them links to download the videos as mp4 files, you need somewhere to display the video so someone can watch them online.
So that’s why he needed to know how to hide the page that displays them until after someone had opted in.
Jim
Hi Jim, I get a lot of e-mails (Alot!!) but I was interested to see what you were talking about and I also clicked through because it was a video. Great job!! It is not easy now a days to get people’s attention and have them notice you. I say “Way to go Jim”. I did sign up for your program and I am excited to keep adding to my knowledge of videos. I am in AM2 with you, will you be in LA?
Make it a GREAT day!!
xoxox
Helen
Jim,
Excellent piece of marketing! Great info as usual – caught me off guard:)at the beginning.
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/pc-robotstxt/
Then all you have to do is add the path to the page you want to disallow. Denies all know spam bots too.
I click on everything from you. I guess I’m a Jim-a-holic…great idea and quick follow through. Some day I’ll get brave enough to do one of those to ask you a question!
Keep up the terrific work please
Terrie
Hi, Jim, I could just tell you were going to give us Something Really Good, although I was prepaired to Protect You anyway I possibly could. The Information was Great, although I,am new to everything about the internet, I Really do Appreciate Great Coaches like You. Please Keep up the Good Work, I need all the Help I can get. Thank You Very Much and the Lord Bless You until He comes. Thanks Again, Scott
Hi, Jim,
I found out the hard and agonizing way about private pages. I had a sales page on a WordPress blog that sent buyers to PayPal. At PayPal I indicated the page on the blog that the person was to return to.
In my practice runs I had all my pages listed as Public because it was easier to edit them that way — and everything worked just fine in my sequence. Then when I thought I was finished, I changed the pages to Private that I didn’t want people to see.
When testing things again, I was shocked to find that on the return from PayPal, I got a 404 error — page not found. I had made several changes so I didn’t know that the problem was the change from Public to Private. It took days of frustration before I discovered that a page has to be Public for PayPal to get back to it. So the solution is to use the page-link-manager plugin to hide the page.
Hope this helps.
Anne
Very cool… thanks… will check it out.
Hi Helen,
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the encouragement
But… I’m not in AM2… I think you have me confused with someone else.
But thanks again for your support
Jim
Hi Mike,
Thanks
Jim
Hi Terrie,
I think a question from you would be a great first step… that’s your assignment and I promise to answer it asap!
Thanks for being you
Jim
Hi Scott,
Thanks… I appreciate that
Jim
Sorry Jim, thought you were in AM2. I was lucky enought to hear you speak in Vegas in November for Big Seminar and also looks like I met you at Bob Burg’s XBM as I have a picture with you from last April. Anyway.. small world and you’re very popular! I look forward to your talking head video trainings.
Thanks!! Keep up the great and curiosity driven e-mails, heehee.
Helen
G’Day Jim,
I had too laugh. I particularly liked the bit when you were answering Rainer’s question and waved your right hand too high and it went behind the text on the screen behind you. I played that bit several times.
That bit of teaser email is no problem to me as you are already inside my spam filter. I get way too much email though so I don’t click ‘em all.
Keep up the good work, keep us entertained as well as teaching us good stuff. It all works in some fashion.
That was the most clever way I have ever seen to get us to click and go see. It was so intriguing I had to go. Even though I dont have a CLUE about videos.