Don't fall into the scripted storytelling trap of micromanaging details to the point that your video looks like the Truman Show.

St. Louis, March 2021 - When it comes to video storytelling, perfect is the enemy of authentic. We have all heard the saying that perfect is the enemy of good .

I’ve always taken that to mean trying to make something perfect can prevent us from making it just good. You will fail at achieving perfection.

It can also be an excuse for not trying something. If I can’t be perfect, why bother. For a good part of my life that has been my default setting. If I can’t do it perfectly, I just won’t do it. Needless to say, that can wall you off from a lot of things in life.

Eventually I learned that mindset - which is really just being afraid to fail -- can be a debilitating crutch that holds you back from a better life. Let it go. Nothing is perfect. Perfect is essentially impossible.

It is better to do something well, good enough or even just okay than to not do it at all.

That is the case with using video storytelling to promote your brand. You need to be using video right now. Don’t let the desire for everything to be perfect be a reason to not dive into it. That goes for DIY video and professional video production .

If you decide to go the route of hiring a professional production company, be careful about trying to make it absolutely perfect. If you shoot for perfection, you will spend a fortune and you will likely fall flat with your audience. Don't make the mistake of trying to get everything into one video. It doesn't work.

So often in video storytelling, perfect becomes the enemy of authentic. I think it is the mindset of the typical PR flak that drives most of this. It has been my experience that, more often than not, a well-intentioned public relations person or a slick marketing guru is behind the push to make a video look like that perfect Super Bowl ad.

Left to their default settings, the PR flaks and marketing-types will micro-managing every little detail down to multiple versions of a script.

The woke mindset of some flaks and their almost OCD obsession with perfection undermines authenticity.

I know because for a long time that was me!

I wanted everything to be perfect.

There has to be a better approach to achieve honest video storytelling that connects credibly with an audience.

I’ve staked my professional reputation – and my entire business - on finding another way that doesn’t involve the scripted PR/advertising approach to video storytelling that may look beautiful (and drive up my profits as a production company) …but isn’t real. That doesn't serve clients well today.

There has to be something in between the DIY cell phone video that may be authentic but looks bad and the fancy throw-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink into a pseudo cinematic corporate video that you blow your entire marketing budget on.

Look around you. Everyone in social media will elevate the poorly shot cell video as this wonderfully authentic video. They celebrate. Jump up and down while talking about authenticity. The irony is that one of the reasons that video stands out is because so much of the flak driven video production is anything but authentic. The honest and often accidental cell video by an amateur includes elements scrubbed out of most corporate video these days. Think about it.

Why does professional video have to be so sterile? Unreal?

I think because it starts with some whiteboard session and a committee of well-intentioned "experts." It is a top down, scripted storytelling model. Like everyone is designing the next Netflix hit show. Your Brand -gerton

Professional video production is too reliant on the scripted approach.

I have waded into the pool of scripted video production more times than I want to admit.

It has a legitimate place in marketing a brand, but not in the world that demands you consistently share videos . I mean, who can afford the time, creative energy and money to do scripted videos monthly or more often?

One of the reasons we don’t recommend scripted storytelling is unless you are working with actors, most people don’t come across as authentic reading from a script. You are literally putting words written by a creative agency into other people’s mouths. That is not natural. Nor is it authentic.

Sometimes a company spokesperson isn’t reading a script, but the PR person has prepared them with talking points. There is nothing wrong with this at all unless the talking points essentially become a script.

I’ve seen PR people over coach their spokespersons to the point where they come off as wooden on camera. For the record, I'm guilty of this.

You know what I mean. You’ve seen it. The spokesperson is so focused on what words they use that they look bad trying to regurgitate them. It is painful to watch.

This has actually happened to us with a client who had a public relations person involved in the process. The spokesperson was over-coached to the point where her initial answers where incomprehensible jargon and business speak. I was there witnessing all of it. I couldn't understand what she was saying.

Luckily our experienced journalist was able to reframe questions to get her to open up and talk like a real person. She finally answered the question in a colorful way that revealed her personality and allowed to understand what she was saying.

It is experiences like that that make me a firm believer that there should be a Hippocratic oath for everyone in public relations . Do no harm to the patient. Especially if you are billing out your time at $400 an hour.

Sadly, too often, I’ve witnessed things going awry because of the PR person’s obsessive commitment to getting everything perfect.

I’ve got news for you. Life isn’t perfect.

People aren’t perfect.

Genuine stories aren’t perfect.

Advertising might be perfect, but life isn’t some Madison avenue concoction . And your brand stories shouldn’t be either.

Keep in mind that credible stories are genuine. They are honest. They are human (by definition, imperfect).

When you are doing video storytelling, focus on being honest. Be genuine. Be yourself.

Most importantly, use brand journalism. Discover the power of a simple question.

Interview your spokespeople. Have the spokesperson focus their eyes on you as the reporter. Have them ignore the camera and have a real conversation with another person. You are much more likely to get honest, authentic and credible results with this approach.

Don't overthink it too much. Just do it. Get going with video right away. Do it yourself or hire a professional. Just don’t lose sight of keeping it real in your effort to make it look great.

How ever you decide to do it, be real. Don’t allow perfect to become the enemy of authentic in your video storytelling.