If you feel stuck starting using video then today could be the day that all changes. I will guide you through how to script, shoot, edit and caption your first LinkedIn business video in one hour and without you spending a cent.

Really? Yes. It's a case of make hay while the sun shines. A few things have fallen into play at the same time that makes this possible and I argue essential.

1. Understand LinkedIn is handing you an opportunity

LinkedIn wants you to use video. Their algorithms are preferencing video content 3x more than text content. Those who start making video now will get the jump on those that don't.

An essential video we will all need and right now and very few have is a video profile. LinkedIn lets you add video to the top of your profile. 

So jump at this. In the next hour, you can make a one-minute profile video. It's the perfect way for you to break the ice and jump into creating more regular video content that we all need.

2. Pickmee Video Edits has a one-minute free trial

Pickmee Video Edits is an online service to dress up your video with captions, a title, a progress bar and your logo. They have just created a one-minute free trial. Let's use it.

3. You already own a pocket-sized TV station

If your smartphone is under about six years old then you have everything you need technically.

4. Don't overthink. Use this script template

If you have to think too much about what you are going to say that can derail this opportunity. Use the simple script template I have provided below. You can easily update this first video with more refined videos at a later stage. 

What you'll need:

• an hour of your time
• a smartphone
• a discipline to follow the steps below and not over think this
• a LinkedIn account and an internet connection
• a smile

Step 1. Write your script

Be clear that you do not have to 'write' a script and deliver it word perfect. Scripting means thinking and planning ahead what you are going to say.

If you are ready to go straight out of the gate with this, remember you MUST keep this under 60 seconds for this free editing offer to apply. So you must know how many words are spoken on average in 60 seconds? It is 130 words.

Open a word processing document and spend an extra few minutes writing out what you will say.  Use the word count feature to see if you are in the ballpark. It is so easy to underestimate.

This template below will serve you well. Stick to the point and it will get your LinkedIn profile video in comfortably under the 60 secs.

But I'm a more complex person than this!

What if you do many things? Choose one or two only. This video is not a life history, it's an introduction. People will read between the lines. Do you look like someone they can do business with? This is the real purpose of this video.

Hello, my name is.....

I'm a ....... or what some people would call a ........

I help these people ...

with these issues ...

get these results ...

so they can ...

But I'm not always working. I also love to ...

the best way to contact me is ...

finish with your smile ...

Here's what I would say:

Hello, my name is Julian Mather

I'm a speaker writer educator. People often call me an authority on 21st-century video for business

I help individuals and businesses

who feel stuck starting using video

to use their smartphones to be self-sufficient for nine out of ten of their business video needs

so they can get back to attending to their core business

But I don't just work. I love learning with the world's greatest thinkers by listening to podcasts

the best way to contact me is through my website at www.julianmather.com

That is 94 words. It doesn't take much to fill up a minute.

Step 2.

Face a window. Put your smartphone in the selfie camera mode. Place your smartphone at eye level somewhere in front of the window, pointing at you. Support your camera.

Choose a quiet location. Your inbuilt smartphone microphone will work well in most situations where you are about one and a half arm's lengths from your smartphone camera.

If there is a radio station with music playing, move. If there are people talking and laughing, move. If there is someone mowing a lawn outside the window, move. If you are right under a noisy airconditioning unit, move.

Birds chirping, a bit of traffic noise and the general day to day hum of life are all ok.

Frame yourself in the shot to approximate a newsreader. By that, I mean centre yourself in the frame with waist to head framing. Don't get too fussy. As long as it doesn't look like a passport photo and you're not so small in the frame like a class photo from your school days.

If you don't have a tripod, here are two simple fast alternatives for getting your smartphone video steady.

Coffee cup tripod: a DIY way to support your smartphone video at the office

Bag of lentils: a DIY way to support your smartphone video at home

Record your video. It does not have to be perfect. It does not have to use the template I provided. Just use this template as a rough guide. You can do it line by line, pausing to look at your notes in between. Use the native video editing app on your phone to cut out the pauses. This is entirely acceptable to do in the 2020s.

Step 3. Use PickMee Video Edit

It makes a lot of sense that if you find video editing too overwhelming (it's not but that's another post) or time-consuming, then it makes sense to outsource it. For whatever reason that you don't want to do video editing yourself then this might be a solution for the videos you want to post on your mobile phone. It's called Pickmee Mobile Video Edits. 

You can record your video, upload it to them, then they add titles, branding logo, captions timed to your voice and a time bar that shows how long the video has left to play.

They do this for $8 a minute and now they have a free one-minute trial. Give it a shot. I think your LinkedIn profile video is a great way to test this offer and to nudge yourself into starting.

I have contacted the owner of this business. Ben Price is a genuine guy trying to provide a genuine service to help businesses get started with video. He's Brisbane based and wants to improve and grow. I get nothing from Ben for sharing this. It seems like a good product to me and I want you to know about it.

Ben Price from PickMee Mobile Video Edits

I understand why Ben has called this video editing but to be clear, it's not making editorial decisions about your content. You need to provide an edited version and Ben packages it with all the bells and whistles that are required by consumers of mobile video in the 2020s.

This would be perfect if you are making one-take video recordings like My Monday Minute or Tip of the Week.

All of this so far could be done in an hour. Some of you will do it in half an hour, others maybe it will take an afternoon.

Step 4. Upload it to Youtube

Once you have sent it off to PickMee, it will be back within 24 hours, usually much less Ben advises.

LinkedIn doesn't have the facility to upload a video directly into your profile. You will need to add a link to where your video is hosted. Popular sites like Youtube and Vimeo let you host your videos for free.

If you don't know how, then do a search for 'how to upload to Youtube 2019'

Step 5. Add to your LinkedIn Profile

Go to your LinkedIn profile and click the pencil on the ABOUT section in the first section of your profile and follow the prompts to upload the link to your video.

Done! You have started your journey into the video age. I hope this is useful for your business.

Help your friends and your tribe. Please share this post with your networks.