Where to Look When You Record Yourself

Eye contact is essential when you are building a relationship. The same applies if you are on video: Where you look makes a big difference in the audience's impression of your brand. So where should you look while the camera is rolling? You typically have two options, either you can look straight into the camera or slightly to one side. Most importantly, though, you should keep looking the same direction throughout the video.

#ProTip: Keep looking at the same spot throughout your video.

When you look directly at the camera, you seem to be speaking to the audience directly, and this tends to work well if you are making an offer, a direct appeal, or giving a tutorial. If you are not used to being on camera, though, this tends to feel unnatural and requires a lot of practice. You can look slightly to one side if you are speaking to an interviewer or sharing personal stories about your brand or your experience. This is easier and tends to help the audience connect with you because you feel more at ease and show more natural emotion. Flitting your focus from the camera to something alongside it (like a cue card or an interviewer), however, will make the audience feel uncomfortable. It feels like the digital equivalent of a person who is not making eye contact, or not paying attention to a conversation. If you have something specific to say, a teleprompter can replace the cue cards and allow you to speak directly to the camera without any difficulty. That way, you will be able to maintain that essential eye contact with your audience and keep their comfort, and connection, at a maximum.

Katie Rutter is the executive producer of Thing in a Pot Productions. She has received multiple awards for her videos and the overall quality of her work, including being honored as Video Producer of the Year in 2018 by the Catholic Press Association. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our video ProTips in your inbox every month!