How Writers Can Thrive with Visual Media

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There are so many skilled writers out there, and I’m sure masses of them would have been deterred from pursuing their talent because of the way online media is heading. Look at social media alone.

Back in 2010 was when social media jobs started to become commonplace. A decent writer could easily slip into a role like that. There were plenty of opportunities that suited people that could research quickly and type great copy besides a brand’s promotional images.

These days, the person responsible for social media would be expected to be the one that creates the imagery for it – whether photography or graphics – and write any associated copy that goes along with it. The demands have gone up massively, and it’s tricky for those that could have previously made money by freelancing such roles, or acting as a VA to support a brand’s online promo activity.

In the past five years or so, things have gone a step further; imagery isn’t enough. These social media specialists need to know their way around video editing software too. And it can be intimidating to those that know that the visual side isn’t their strength.  

Visual media has become a lot more achievable for more people to get into over the past few years. Cost and awareness are big factors, with the former going down and the latter a lot more prominent than it ever has been. In addition to that, you have to give credit to lower barriers and the age at which people are introduced to advanced technology these days.

A while ago I put together a list of the ways you can monetise your writing skills, but they were a little too writer-centric. These days, if I was young and hungry to take advantage of my writing skills, I probably wouldn’t go the route that I did. I wouldn’t be writing articles for clients. There are plenty of other ways to thrive as a writer these days, all of which take advantage of this upswing in visual media. It’s time to pick a lane and stick to it.

Research and Pitch

There are masses of articles out there that would perform so much better if they were turned into YouTube videos, and video makers are already exploiting this. There’s plenty of content out there for them to repurpose into videos. Just focus your time on finding channels that make the kind of content you’re interested in and pitch video ideas to them.

A lot of channels have a great core, but just haven’t got the time to research in-depth into new topics to create additional content at the rate that their viewership wants. Exploit this by becoming the fuel for more content.

I should have loads of music, wrestling and even fiction pieces turned into a video format, if I applied myself. I’m sure there’s plenty that you could do for your favourite subjects too. 

Focus on Script Writing

As a writer, you know how to convey words in a manner that clearly communicates ideas. Some channel owners may not have this skill. It’s up to you to spot the channels with potential, but just need that little nudge in the right direction to bring the best out of it.

Some channel owners know that they need to entertain a little more than they educate. For example, they may need to sprinkle a few jokes into their informational content, in order to keep viewers watching for longer. Scriptwriters shouldn’t find it too difficult to track down narrated video channels that need a little assistance in this department.

Just Write What They Say

A YouTube channel may begin with a local audience which rapidly increases to a global one. With this comes translation issues, that can be (at least partially) overcome by adding subtitles to videos. It benefits in many ways that you may not even realise.

In order to enhance their video content and make it more palatable to global audience –  even ones that speak the same language (but with vastly different dialects) – some channel owners have begun to self-caption videos, so everyone can follow on. It’s a win-win for all involved, but requires that extra time investment to make it work. If you’re in a position to help, there’s so much monetisation potential say waiting for you.