Want to know the most common response when I tell people they need to get on camera? "Ugh, I hate seeing myself on video."

Then they usually follow up with something about using AI avatars instead.

Here's the thing - I get it.

My first videos were awful. Like, properly awful.

But it didn’t matter.

Let’s get started:

I hate this

This hurts me but will help you. So here goes.

Here’s one of my early videos:

It starts with a Millennial pause. I’m breathless for most of it. I keep covering my face (bizarrely) with images.

It also took me forever to do because I was faffing around in editing.

Worse. Because I hated the process so much I stopped making videos for months before coming back and trying again 6 months later.

Here’s how those went:

Couple hundred views each. Lots of experimentation. Lots of grinding. Lots of hating the whole process.

This time though I committed.

4 more months of it actually. Until this:

OK let’s go! We were off to the races. And from here the rest is history (ok that’s a bit overblown!). That video was less than a year from the time I’m writing this - 11 months actually.

But that video changed everything. It was a pivot point. And here’s the thing - we can engineer a pivot point for you.

Why Video Beats Everything Else

Look, I've tried it all. Blogs, threads, LinkedIn posts, newsletters. But nothing - and I mean nothing - builds trust and authority faster than video. There's something about seeing someone explain complex AI concepts clearly that just clicks with people.

It’s YOU, raw, authentic. They are spending time with you. And you are spending time with them - just at scale.

Take that video above. It’s sitting at 40879 hours of watch time. That’s 1703 days or 4.66 years. Of people watching and listening to me. Absolutely obscene leverage considering it took 5 minutes to record and post. Video gives your that leverage.

But why short-form specifically?

Here's what most people get wrong - they think longer content means more authority. They plan elaborate 30-minute YouTube videos with fancy graphics and transitions. Then get overwhelmed and never start.

Long form has a place. Absolutely. But it’s lower in the funnel. It’s for people who are ready to “spend” more time with you. Getting someone to watch a 20 second video is much less investment from them than a 1 hour webinar.

So starting out short form is simply the most effective format you can possibly be using. It’ll get you to your goals of having an audience to sell to in the shortest possible frame of time.

Short-form video is just built different:

• 30-60 seconds to make your point

• Film and post in under 5 minutes

• No fancy editing needed

• Lower pressure = more consistency

• Faster feedback on what works

Plus, the algorithms are literally begging for it.

Let's talk numbers for a second. TikTok: 1.5 active billion monthly users. YouTube Shorts: 2 billion daily views. Instagram Reels: 675 million daily viewers. LinkedIn and X? Both pushing video content hard in their algorithms - both adding dedicated short video tabs.

The Trust Advantage

"But Kyle, can't I just use an AI avatar? Or do faceless videos?"

Look, I get the appeal.

Here’s my counter: in a world where everything is becoming AI-generated, being genuinely human is your superpower.

I may be wrong. We will see. But this is my play and I’m recommending it as yours too.

Think about it. If you're trying to become your industry's trusted voice on AI, doesn't it seem a bit backward to hide behind an AI avatar? People aren't just looking for information - they're looking for someone they can trust to guide them through this transformation. A person. Specifically, you.

What platform?

Short form video works well on pretty much all the platforms now. Because it’s what the social media platforms want.

Each platform has its sweet spot:

• TikTok: Loves talking head educational content, especially tech explanations

• Instagram Reels: more produced, animated explainers

• YouTube Shorts: Ideal for how-to content because of the SEO

• LinkedIn: Eats up anything AI business-related

• Twitter: quick tips and insights, deeper level knowledge

You don't need to be on all of them. Start with one. Master it. Then expand.

If you are choosing one to start with I’d heavily suggest TikTok.

This is obviously caveated based on the (maybe) ban in the US. And this is relevant even if you are not in the USA because of second order effects - if US creators are removed from the platform audiences may follow them to Instagram or others. Which drops overall audiences even in your region.

TikTok has two major advantages:

1. Each video is shown to audiences based on its own merits. Not on the number of followers you have. IG and YouTube naturally show to more people when you have a higher follower count - big accounts get bigger. This means they are much slower burns as you day by day add followers. TikTok is different - if your first video is engaging it could go directly to 100s of thousands or even millions of viewers, regardless of your follower count. This makes it an amazing place to start.

2. The built in recorder is top notch. It allows start/stop recording, allowing you to get clip by clip by clip rather than having to shoot in one take or edit together clips later. Instagram has a similar recorder but the other platforms do not.

LinkedIn will obviously be a valuable platform for you (because you’ll be talking to your industry) but it doesn’t have an in-built recorder (technical barrier) and mainly shows to your followers (audience barrier). Use it as a secondary platform for this reason. The name of the game is ease!

Overcoming Camera Fear

Let's address the elephant in the room - camera fear. Here's what helped me:

1. Watch my first videos. No, really - go look at them on TikTok - you can filter by oldest and see the cringe. Even someone like Gary Vee's first videos were awkward. Everyone starts somewhere - you will too, and that’s fine.

2. Remember the "Coffee Shop Rule": If you can explain something to a friend over coffee, you can explain it on camera. Same energy, same person.

3. Focus on helping one person. Forget about the masses. Imagine explaining AI to that one colleague who keeps asking you questions.

4. Embrace imperfection. Some of my most successful videos were shot when I was rushing out the door. My most viral video? Shot wearing a jacket because I was heading out - people kept asking if I was cold. That "imperfect" video generated hundreds of thousand in business. (btw this makes smartarse comments about the jacket a lot easier to handle ha!)

Apart from that it’s all about practice. Turning up daily and shooting a video. Making it a habit. Making it boring rather than terrifying!

It is a skill and it can be learned. It just requires putting in the reps.

This is why I recommend simple simple simple when it comes to production. Don’t layer in complexity but instead focus on talking head videos, talking to camera. It’ll help you level up your skills faster and remove the need for editing and post-production.

Here's something most people don't realise: the algorithms (especially on TikTok) actually prefer authentic, "normal" looking content over highly produced videos. Why? Because that's what people engage with more.

When someone's explaining AI concepts clearly and naturally, viewers stick around. They comment. They share. And the algorithms love that. All hail our algo gods.

What's Next?

In Part 3, we're diving into exactly what to talk about. I'll share three content pillars that take the guesswork out of content creation. Nothing is worse than sitting down to record and having no idea what to say!

This is another barrier we need to remove so I’ll show you how to never run out of video ideas.

Remember, every Key Person of Influence started somewhere. The only question is, when will you start? Don’t make the mistake I made of waiting, stopping and starting and only eventually committing. I kick myself about it often!