Video Experiences That Create Loyalty, Engagement, and Conversions
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Hey there, it's Michael Stelzner. Before we get started with today's show, I wanted to let you know about our newest show, the AI Explored podcast, hosted by me. If you're wondering how AI can improve your work, you are going to love this show. Simply search for AI Explored, follow the show, and download a couple of the episodes, or visit socialmediaexaminer.com slash AI Explored.

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Welcome to the Social Media Marketing Podcast, helping you navigate the social media jungle. And now, here is your host, Michael Stelzner. Hello, hello, hello. Thank you so much for joining me for the Social Media Marketing Podcast brought to you by Social Media Examiner. I'm your host, Michael Stelzner, and this is the podcast for marketers, business owners, and creatives who want more exposure, more leads, and more sales.

Today, I'm going to be joined by Luria Petrucci, and we're going to explore how to create online video experiences that truly connect with people so that you can move people down the path you hope to move them down. Maybe it's more authentic connections. Maybe it's ultimately more conversions. I think you're going to find today's show absolutely fascinating. And just a side note, I am recording this literally today.

days after social media marketing world. So my video is just my voice. I mean, it's just a little not perfect. And I make some mistakes along the way, but give me, give me, give me a break because like, honestly, I should probably be sleeping right now, but I'm so excited to bring you this show instead.

Also, if you are new to this podcast, be sure to follow the show and just know my voice won't be nearly as deep as you hear right now. With that, let's transition over to today's interview with Luria Petrucci. Helping you to simplify your social safari. Here is this week's expert guide.

Today, I'm very excited to be joined by Luria Petrucci. If you don't know who Luria is, she is the founder of Live Streaming Pros, a business that helps entrepreneurs create unforgettable video experiences. She offers consulting courses and professional studio builds. Luria, welcome back to the show. How are you doing today? Fantastic. Congratulations on... Oh, I shouldn't have said that. No, it's totally good. Congratulations on Social Media Marketing World. No, it's totally cool. I mean, it was amazing. I was like, wait...

No, you got it. Social media marketing world. I mean, yeah, we just literally wrapped a few days ago. And thank you so much for saying that. It's been a great experience. Yeah. And Luria, it's been a couple of years since you've been on the show. And today what we're going to be talking about is...

exploring creating video experiences that help create loyal and engaging conversations. But before we get into that, I'd love to get kind of a quick catch up. You know, you've been at my conferences and various other things over the years, but it's been a couple of years since you've been on the show, like actually five years almost. So why don't you bring us up to speed on a little bit of what's happened and

you know, since COVID with you and your business and kind of share a little bit more about what you're doing now and all that fun stuff. Yeah. So it's interesting. I took a step back from speaking for quite a few years just because I had gotten roped into what I was feeling in the moment of, you

Everybody just wants me because I'm the tech girl, like the video tech girl. And I was getting sort of frustrated and out of alignment with that definition of myself. And last year I was in Marie Forleo's New York office. If you don't know her, she's bestselling author. She's been Oprah, like one of the best human beings.

And I was producing and directing her live stream launch for her app to dream club. And she changed my world that day. And so like, if we back up up a couple of years ago where I was kind of starting with this, I woke up one day kind of realizing that

I'd burnt out and I loved the work that I did, but I really was hating the day-to-day of my business. I didn't wake up excited. I think we all hit that moment from time to time, right? And I couldn't explain it,

but I knew in my gut that I just needed to simplify. So I cut, I slashed, I threw everything in my business into the shredder. I removed courses, team members who had been there from day one, systems. It was the most trying time of my world. And yet also once I was

kind of down to the bare bones, my brain was finally free to see what I couldn't see before. And it wasn't necessarily that I was burned out or that I didn't really want to, you know, be known as the tech girl. And I was just out of alignment because what I had been building, it was half right, but it wasn't really designed to my greatest strengths.

And I've been doing this for like 19 years, talking tech and video gear. And I realized on the set of Marie, I wasn't great at just talking about tech. I was great at simplifying tech concepts. And I'd been teaching live streaming for all this time, doing productions for all these amazing clients.

And what I realized was it wasn't the production I was great at. I am, but it was actually a step deeper about I was crazy.

great at creating an audience experience. And those live environments, whether we're talking a YouTube live stream, a webinar, a Zoom call, Facebook Live, whatever, those live worlds is the most powerful way to create the experience. And so when we kind of get back to Marie Forleo, that

moment in time, like she doesn't need any help on camera. We know that, but she was super collaborative with me. And I love, love, love clients that do what they do best and let me do what I do best. Right. And she did that. And so we were really creating an engaging experience for her audience. It was fun. It created a community feel that were inside jokes created and crafted within an hour's worth of time. And that's

super powerful. So it was really the moment that I realized like I'm not burned out about talking about tech. It was how the tech was used, right? It's a tool. Tech is a tool and it should serve you in the process of serving your audience. And that got me thinking about all my other clients like

Michael Hyatt and Stu McLaren and Amy Porterfield, which she is like freely admitting that she hates the tech. And then I got to thinking about my students as well inside of my courses who don't have quite the resources that they do. And I was like,

How can I make it so simple when it comes to the gear set up and the software that it was really able to free them up from not fussing with the tech, but that they could actually create that amazing experience for their audience too. So that's kind of really where I zoned in on over the last few years is really just

I got super obsessed with creating simplicity, ease of use, workflows within the video creation space. Love it. Okay, so let's address the question that I think might be on people's minds, which is why is video?

creating video experiences so important. Said another way, if we do this right, what's the upside for those that do this? - If you create a video or a live video in the environments that is considered live, and to be clear, when I say live, I'm talking, it could be social live like YouTube or Facebook Live, like I said earlier, but it's also that webinar, any kind of launch event, a challenge, a Zoom call. So if you create a video,

then great, you've actually helped people with like some information, right? That's awesome. But if you focus on crafting an experience, now what you're doing is creating a connection, right? And you're making it possible for the viewer to feel something. And now at this point, you get to stand out above the competition because

because you're standing out in the customer's brain. It was Maya Angelou. I don't know if you know this quote, Mike. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. And I love

love that quote so much because it's really about helping people feel heard, seen and understood. Isn't that what we do in marketing all the time? Like that's basic 101. We need them to feel seen, heard and understood because what that does is it leads to loyalty. It leads to engagement. It leads to conversions.

And when you use the techniques that I've been doing for so many years, my webinars convert at 28 to 38% regularly. So any- That's crazy, Tom. Yeah. And it's because it's-

not just another webinar. It's an experience. It's a connection. I'm standing out in their brains and they are super engaged. And when they are engaged, they convert. I love this. And I'm coming off the heels of social media marketing world. Yeah. Literally a few days ago, you've been there. We create experiences there too. And it's a very similar thing. So if anybody's ever been to a really great event, um,

That isn't more than an event. It's an experience. They understand exactly what you're talking about, Luria. There's something you feel that transcends the events itself. You feel seen, you feel heard, you feel connections, you feel like something. And that is really hard to do online. And that's why I'm excited to talk to you about this, right? Because if you can...

Take some of that experience that we and many of us have been to places that have great experiences, like a nice restaurant or Disneyland. And we know what that experience feels like. Yes. And if you can bring that online, you can connect deeper, which I think is so important now. Right. And so let's get into it. Like, what is this video experience?

Let's just explore. Well, actually, let me just see what's my question. Let's explore. My brain is so shot. Let's explore what video experience engagement is. Okay, there we go. Yeah. What is this thing we're talking about? Let's like define it and let's dig in a little bit more on it. Yeah, for sure. And I love how you said social media marketing world is an experience. I don't know if I've ever told you this, Mike. I took my team member who had never been a,

to any type of industry event. She came from a totally different world into my team and I took her to two conferences in the same year, her first year with me. And she went to the other ones first and she came away kind of blah and meh. She went to yours and you were out in the hallways

meeting people, talking to people. You weren't at the top of the food chain, hiding away and being like, you know, inaccessible. And I think that that's correct me if I'm wrong. One of your ways to set the tone of what you want your audience to feel is, am I correct? Oh yeah. That's my main mission. My main mission is to connect with the speakers, make them feel comfortable and also connect with the attendees and just be accessible.

And when we talk about when she talks with any of my students or any of this thing with me about conferences or about the experiences, she brings you up as an example of this. And so when we define what a video experience engagement is, it's really about looking at

what do you want your audience to feel? This is where people go wrong. They just put their brand out there. They just put these videos out there. They just launch their products without ever first identifying what is the feeling I want my audience to have when they are surrounded by me. And that's what I realized first.

oh, I'm doing differently and that's why I convert so high and why people stick around and are so loyal for me for many, many, many, many years. I was thinking about this this morning. I am not loyal to most brands. Toothpaste, I could care less. Brand of chip, I could care less. Like,

outside of a couple of brands that I do have loyalty to, and Dove is one of those. 11 years ago, they did a campaign called the Real Beauty Campaign, I believe. And it was...

It was beautiful. It was setting a tone of difference in the beauty industry. And now, 11 years later, when I'm shopping at the store, I don't even think about it.

about it, I go for dove. And so that's a really powerful thing. 11 years ago, that video is still ingrained in me, right? And so when I think about what do I want my audience to feel, I want them to have the gift of care. I want them to

feel like I care about them individually, not just as another number. And so everything I say, do, present is with that core value that I'm working to bring everything together with. So I want you to ask, what do you want your audience to take away from it?

Once you do that, then everything else falls into place and becomes so much easier. Let's explore this. If I had to ideate, because I don't know, sometimes people like me don't think about feelings as much, you know what I mean? Because I'm very analytical. And it's not something typically you talk about in business, but it actually matters. Yeah, it totally matters, right? So if I had to think about like for my product, my social media marketing world, I want them to feel welcome.

I want them to feel like they can relax and be comfortable in this environment. I also want them to feel like they can connect with other people. I think those are two things that I want them to feel. And we engineer the environment so that it's easy for them, for anyone to feel welcome and to be able to connect with other people. Because I hypothesize that if they feel welcome, because I've been to too many events where I don't feel welcome, that's

then they're going to maybe be open to stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something new, like interacting with a stranger.

Does that make sense? And that way, and they'll make connections. And I know if they make really meaningful connections, then that will be a memory seared in their mind forever. Is that an example? It's a perfect example. You're setting the tone of what you want them to walk away from. What is your brand? What is the thing that connects you and them? And I think that even though you say you don't think about feelings as much as

I think you do. And that's very obvious from the way you've crafted your experiences. And so it really helps you make the decisions all throughout the process of how complicated do I want this to be? How simple do I want it to be? Do I show up in the hallways or do I...

Do a dancing countdown if I want them to feel like a sense of joy. I could say I want them to feel comfortable enough to get up on a live stage in front of strangers and do live band karaoke, right? Which is what they do. There you go. Right? Or to dance with a bunch of strangers, which they do. So what about like in the case of Marie or Amy or Michael, do you have a sense just so people can hear other examples of the kind of feelings that maybe from your experience working with them that you think they're trying to elicit through their live experiences? Yeah.

Yeah, that's a great question. You know, Marie, I can't speak for her specifically or anybody else. You can reverse engineer it though, right? Yeah, for sure. So with her brand, her overarching brand is a sense of fun. She dances, she makes jokes.

Her videos on YouTube are not straightforward information. They have story in it. They have humor in it. So from her brand's perspective, you know, I think it's a really a sense of fun and empowerment. And if you take like, let's say Amy Porterfield, she is.

is really, really focused on making sure that people are feeling empowered, but in a different way, right? They have to have two different, like empowerment is there, but there's a caveat. Marie is more on the fun dancing style. Amy is in this total,

safe zone, if that makes sense. Right. Like, so I think that that's how I would define those two as just examples. I love that. And everything about everything they do speaks to that. Like in Marie's live launch, I was going through the script. We were collaborating on that and I was looking at how can I merge my

her personality with the tech or the outcome of what the viewer is seeing, feeling, and thinking. So there was a moment in her script where she said something about peaches or peach fuzz or something like that.

And I like went and I grabbed a graphic of a peach fuzz and I threw peach and I threw that up on the video. So match the outcome of the video with the personality and the emotions and the feelings and the things that are being discussed inside of that video.

I love it. Yeah. And you're really transitioning perfectly into my next question, which is, do you have any tips on how we can, I mean, well, let's just back up and summarize a little bit here. So first of all, you got to figure out what it is you want your audience to feel in this live experience. And if you don't know what you want them to feel, my guess is you could look at some of the, some of the,

some of the messages they sent you after the last time you did something, right? Like, or the comments, right? And you could probably throw all that into chat GPT and say, hey, what's the feeling that I'm emoting here, right? If you're not too, you know, like, hey, right? You can kind of get at it, right? So like you said, in the case of Marie Forleo, it's about fun. In the case of Amy, it's about empowerment. But what I love about what Amy does is she brings it down to very basic fundamentals where anyone can understand it. She doesn't go over anybody's head, right? It's not too advanced or anything like that.

So I'd imagine in the case of everyone listening, my guess is you're probably going to be reverse engineering the personality of the person. Really, is that kind of what we're doing here? Really, it is. It's well said. It's like, who are you as a human being? And I get that if you're in a brand, a bigger brand, sometimes you have to kind of take a step

Outside of that, what is the personality of the brand and the value system of the company? It works either way, but who is on screen and how can we emote that? Love it.

Okay. So now once we kind of get that and some people probably instinctively do that, but they don't intentionally do it. And that's where the like the intentionality of it is key here, because again, you're going to then match that to the next pieces. Yeah. So tell us like, how do we communicate that? Like you started talking about the peach example, but keep going with that.

other examples of tips of how to essentially share that feeling somehow through the experience, video experience. There are three key moments

moments or ways that you can do this. And one of the strongest, as I was just describing, is the visual aids aspect of it. So software can actually help you create visual elements that speak volumes for the content. It helps you craft a story. And as we know, story is

so vitally important, but it really helps you create that connection and stand out so that you can convert higher. So for example, my brand is professional videos. So I put an overlay that matches my branding, my tagline and name on screen in my webinars or launch events. I'll pick some visual aid moments.

So for example, if I'm talking about a point that they find confusing, the tech is overwhelming, that kind of thing. I'll put on this overlay that has all these math equations kind of going on. And the feeling that people get from that is like, oh yes, like that math. I can't do math, right? And I always say, I don't do live math. Yeah.

So there's the way that you like, what is it that you're saying? And how can you bring that to a visual aid? When people buy during a launch, I'll literally throw confetti graphics up on screen that says welcome. And it makes other people want to get in on that action.

tapping into FOMO makes a big difference, right? And people have bought twice just to hear their name called out, just to see that graphic being thrown out. This is taking me back to Twitch days, right? Because it wasn't like...

I mean, right. I mean, like, wasn't this like a big deal on Twitch where you could throw these things up on the screen in the middle of live streams or is it not just Twitch? It's not just Twitch. It's been, I mean, I've been live streaming since when? 2007. And it's always been the case. It's just gotten easier and easier and easier.

Are you wondering how AI can help you be a better marketer, creator, or entrepreneur? Be sure to check out the AI Explored podcast hosted by me, Michael Stelzner. Each week, we'll explore topics such as prompt engineering, creating AI workflows, crafting AI assistance, and a whole lot more. Pause this podcast, search for AI Explored,

Follow the show, download a couple of the episodes and thank me later. And now back to the show. It's so fascinating. So for folks that are listening, I think the best way to describe this, like it's,

in my language is if I was giving a live presentation, this is almost like the slides that come up on the screen, except they can be interactive. Right. And this is what we might notice when we're watching a TV show. Like if we're watching a sporting event, right? Like this is probably the best example. If you're watching a sporting event and a touchdown happens, there's like an animation that pops up on the screen. Right. Yeah. Or if you're there, there might be fireworks going off if it's a baseball game. Right. So it's the same kind of concept,

That you're communicating here, except it's being overlaid on top of the video. Is that correct? Exactly. That's perfectly well said. So you said there were three things, right? Did we get to the third? Okay. Visual aids is number one. The second thing is the words that you use. And I find, again, going back to intentionality, people don't necessarily think that.

about the words that they're using. So for example, if I'm saying step one, step two, step three, and this is how you're going to accomplish something, then really it's not just about here's step one, here's step two, here's step three. Where can you infuse with your words the feeling that you want them to

get from you. So if I'm the gift of care, then, or if my feeling is the gift of care, then when I say here's step one, step two, step three, I'm actually going to match that a little bit better by saying, I know this is overwhelming, but this is a safe place for you to get through the messy. I've got you covered, right? That kind of tonality and words. Yeah. Do you think about that? I'm just curious. I mean,

As you're talking, I'm starting to think about the verbal experience that I create for the audio listeners to this podcast. Yes. I feel like with all my shows, the thing that I'm trying to help people feel is to make the complex simple. And I feel like you're the same way. Yeah. So what I do often with my guests, many people are aware of this and I've even done this today, is I will kind of reiterate what I heard you say. Right. And that's helpful for the audience to,

to kind of make it more instructive because I know that I have a learning audience. They listen to me because they want to learn something. And by summarizing what I hear you say, that's my way of doing what I believe you're talking about. Is that correct? Abso-freaking-lutely, yes. Yeah. Okay, cool. Yeah. And I love it. Abso-freaking-lutely. That's so cool. No, I mean, I get it. And how can we be more intentional about this though, right? I mean, because sometimes it takes practice to actually like...

connect the how you want them to feel with the words that you use? Is this something you have to practice a little bit? You know, I think if you can connect to your why, right, your reason, the thing that you're trying to accomplish here, I think it does take practice for some people. Well, like everything that we learn around these parts, some things are going to come easier. Some things are going to take a little bit more practice. So if it does take practice, it doesn't need to be a heavy lift.

It really just needs to be a thought. And honestly, like I show you how to go to the moon and back. You don't have to do all of the things. Even one or two shifts can make a massive difference. What would that do to your bottom line if you took your conversion rate from three to four percent?

then four to 5%, it doesn't have to jump from three to 30. So like, I think that that's the kind of exercise that I would encourage you. It's like when you're putting together a presentation, ask yourself that early question of what do you want that audience to feel?

And then work it in where it makes sense to you. Find one or two places to do so and then continue to get better and better over time. Perfect. I think that kind of leads us into that third thing, which is human call to action. Whether you're doing a social video or a launch or whatever, this action.

intention of what you want your audience to feel needs to match the way you deliver your call to actions. And I think that this is probably one of the hardest things for people to really get their brains around, but it needs to feel authentic to you, not sleazy. And I think that, you know, it's, it's words like you just laughed at the fact that I say abso-freaking-lutely. That's something that I use in every video that I, like, if I'm saying absolutely, I'm

I don't say absolutely. I say abso-freaking-lutely. It's just my personality. And so if I'm going to, you know, do a call to action, then do I abso-freaking-lutely believe that this is the right program for you? Yes. Or do I believe that this is going to work for you? Abso-freaking-lutely, right? I could even throw that up on screen if I wanted to. But people react like you did and it...

What did that do for us? We just took a step deeper and that makes the selling part a whole lot easier. When we were prepping, you had this person named Evan Greger that you're going to share an example. Can you share that?

Yeah. So Evan Greger is one of my students and he is a chill guy. He does EFT tapping. He's a coach and he's such a chill personality. What is EFT tapping? Just so people, if they don't know what that means. I don't know if I can describe it right, but it's a method of therapeutic discovery. Right. And so like you tap to discover and release trauma.

You know, he is a super chill guy because it requires that. And he was really worried about how he delivered call to actions and how he asked for the sale. I worked with him on that and was like, you don't have to sound like X, Y, Z. It doesn't have to sound like an actual call to action. What we can do is just say, yeah,

And I would love to take this a step deeper with you. And here's how. And it's, I find that people put too much pressure on themselves to, you

have a call to action to be it to take to sell. And when you can find ways to match your personality with this intention into that call to action, it's going to do so, so, so much for your experience. Oh, and by the way, Evan, he tripled his conversions in the first two months of 2025. And

from all of the conversions he had last year, which it was just a small shift and it can make such a huge difference. In my last webinar, I was telling a story of why I put together this particular program that I was selling in that. And I literally pulled out Snowball, my stuffed animal from my childhood and told a story about my dad and

how it connected to the product that I had created. And really, it was about creating the snowball effect of impact and really leaning into that. But he is a reminder of me daily of what I am here to do. And so I just told that story. And it was so impactful for people watching and really helped them hear the product offering,

Without this sense of, oh, she's selling to me. She's selling. Right. And it's not a manipulative thing. It's just like, this is how I need to make this offer because it's all about heart to me. Yeah. I love that. So what I heard you say over the last few minutes is number one, visuals help, especially when you're creating a video experience, visuals can help kind of create that emotive feeling that you want to create.

communicate to the recipient who's watching it. The words that we say, the choice of words, how we say it, that also is a signal. And then when we get to the point where inevitably we are asking people to take an action, like sign up for this or fill out this form or pull out your credit card, we should do it in a way that's authentically relevant for us so

So that it feels very natural to us. Is that right? Is that what I'm hearing you say? Exactly. And notice how my childhood stuffed animal matches with my intention of a feeling of gift of care. Those two things go hand in hand for me. And I'm not saying you need to pull out your stuffed animals. I'm not saying that at all.

Again, it's just a small shift that you can make. And again, I've been doing this for a number of years, so I can take it a step further, right? But like, just make small shifts. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, but ask yourself, where is the friction point when I am delivering this information? And that'll lead you to the question of what needs to change. I might dyslexically mess this up.

But the phrase is people buy from those whom they know, like, and oh yeah, trust. There it is. That's the word. So,

First of all, getting them to like you is a lot easier when you're being authentically you, right? And getting them to trust you is even more available to the recipient if they get a sense that this is not a fabricated experience. This is who you are, right? And by you sharing that story of your childhood, you're making a connection to other people who have similar stories like that in their childhood. And if we're intellectually honest, the reason why I ask people

All of my new guests and all of my haven't been on the show in a long time guests to share their stories is because that also gets that same thing accomplished, because I know and you know that if you get a chance to talk about the challenges that you've faced and how you've overcome them.

or even if you haven't even overcome them, but you're still working through them, that's a connection point to the audience that would not have been there if I didn't ask otherwise. Right? Yes, exactly. And I love that you do that. And I think that people, when it comes to business and marketing, you know,

I get this pushback often and it's like, but people don't want to know about me. They're here for my business. They're here for my content. And that's like the number one missed thing in video creation or in marketing. I think in general, we're here for the information that you're there to provide, but we're

We don't care unless we care about you. Well, and we might not come back. Right. We might come in for the info and stay for the person. Yeah. I think that's the key thing here, right? Exactly. Because the more people get to know

the person, the more they begin to connect to that person and the more that kind of not that more that invisible bond begins to happen because they're rooting for you and your success. Right. I love that phrase invisible bond. Yeah, it's really cool. Since you've talked about some of this cool stuff, let's talk a little bit about tools.

Like, how do we accomplish some of this stuff? What are some of the technology or tools that you use to do some of these things? Because some of this stuff isn't intuitive for people to be able to figure out on their own. So there are a few things here. So your gear, which is the cameras, the lights, the mics, and there's the software that allows you to

make it easy. A lot of people are using just straight zoom. And when you want to share your screen, for example, you have to click this button and then you have to click that button. Well, what if it was push button simple?

Software allows you to make that so. And then there's the background. Those are kind of three key pieces of what it takes to put it out there. So the gear, the software and the background. And we can dive deeper into each of those if you want. Yeah. Before we get into that, I just want to know what your thoughts are about. Like one of the things we were talking about in prep is like how these things can signal change.

You mentioned like, hey, what's your desired outcome? Like, what do we need to be thinking about before we start diving into tech? Do you understand what I'm asking? Like, talk to me a little bit about that.

So I believe that there's a benefit to kind of raw content and there's a benefit to professional content. So the professional vibe is going to come from the gear that you choose, the making sure that you have good lighting and good audio, a background that speaks to that. And I'll go deeper on that in a second. But when it comes to your kind of strategy, um,

The raw allows you to like on social kind of connect on a deeper level. The more professional quality that you put out allows you to gain instant credibility with your viewers. You don't have to

Get them to understand that you know what you're talking about. It's kind of understood, just generally speaking, because we're trained to appreciate quality as human beings. So that's why I like having a setup that is set it and forget it and presents you and your brand differently.

in its best form possible that allows you to then also do all of the things that we've talked about today. Your background definitely is what's kind of setting the tone of your environment, right? You are creating an environment. So again, kind of going back to what feeling do you want your audience to experience? If I'm wanting to get people riled up,

Then I'm going to use reds in my background and the color that matches kind of the emotion. There's a whole science behind colors and emotion and what people take away from that. If I want to stop the scroll, I'm going to do something like I have in my background, which is some wavy panels on my wall.

with two different colors of LEDs shining at them and it is attention getting. If I want to create an environment that is perfect

personal to me in my old set I had. It was my living room. I was literally inviting my audience into my living room because that's where my video set was. You could see all my plants in the background, the brick wall. It was an inviting environment that set the tone that, hey, we're hanging out. So the visuals from the gear to the background all can really help set that tone that you were talking about. Fascinating.

Okay. So yeah, let's get into a little bit of the tools. I know you used to be the tools gal, but it's still important to have the tools. So let's talk a little bit about that. Part of what I still talk about. Yeah. Let's start with the hardware side of things and then the software side of things and whatever else you want to talk about. But what are some of your recommended tools for people who want to get started, but maybe don't want to spend a fortune? Because I know- For sure. They're not going to build a Michael Hyatt or Amy Porterfield studio necessarily. Some might, by the way, but-

Let's assume that not everyone listening will. Yeah. And by the way, you don't have to write notes as you're going about this. I'm going to give you the list of the gear that you need. But the camera. So from a starting perspective, if you have a newer Mac, for example, those cameras are

You're talking about the ones built into the monitor? Into the laptop. Yeah. Okay, cool. Sometimes I test my audience and my audience knows my quality. And sometimes I'll just go on using that. And they're like, what camera are you using? It looks great. So...

You can start there. You can. It doesn't give you everything you need if you want to have a workflow that is really, you know, like that kind of does it all. But it's a great place to start. The Sony ZV-E10 is my favorite professional camera that...

gives you the capability to have a blurred background if you care about that, that gives you the ability to have that higher quality professional look and feel. Lighting is definitely the most important. Well, audio is the most important.

Which is a shock to a lot of people. We'll come back to the audio. Yes. Okay. Well, actually, why don't you just pause for a second? Why is audio so important? Like, explain that. So people will forgive a bad video. People will forgive the fact that you're halfway down the screen and they can't, they're looking up your nostrils. It's not ideal. Right. But...

they will forgive it if they're getting what they want out of it. They won't forget bad audio because a lot of people are listening in their earbuds. And so if you have audio that hurts them, guess what? They're never coming back to you, right? Because that was a bad experience. So I want you to kind of think about that for sure. You can start with a USB mic and

Elgato Wave 3 is a fantastic option. It's plug and play, doesn't require a mixer or anything like that. And then you can step it up from there if you want to get higher quality audio and use something like the Rodecaster Pro that I know you use, Mike, and being able to like really

fine tune that audio a little bit more. Yeah. And just so people know, Rodecaster Pro isn't a microphone. It's more like a mixer box almost. It's probably the best way to say it. Exactly. So let's get back to lights. Like, talk about that, because most people struggle with this one for sure. Yeah. Lighting is one, a personal preference. That doesn't mean that it can't be easy. Lighting is one of the most difficult things for people to get right.

because people aren't trained to know what good lighting is or not. The one thing you could start with just window lighting, it's not ideal because it fluctuates. So you never want to have your back turned to the window. Otherwise, the window will blow you out on video. But if you're using if you're facing the window and using window lighting, what's going to happen is if you're on for any length of time,

That sun is going to go behind the clouds. It might start raining and your edit or the experience of that one hour video is changing and you might get too dark at one point. You might get blown out at another point. And what we want with the equipment that we're choosing and how we're setting up is to never make the audience think about your tech setup. There you go. There you go.

And so like, that's what we're trying to avoid here. So lighting is really important to pay attention to. So I prefer, I want you to shut off all the overhead lights, all the room lights gone, close those blinds, make sure that you're not getting a window light come in. That's controlling the light is what we call that. And then you actually put two lights on you, one on each side of your face. During the pandemic, ring lights were

were all the rage. Everybody was buying ring lights. I don't know who started that rumor, but they were wrong. I don't mean to say that if you got a ring light. What was the rumor? That they're good? That they were the thing to buy. Yeah. Oh, okay. Just like everybody was buying them. And it was like the simplest and easiest thing, which I agree with. Like it was the simplest and easiest thing for people during a pandemic to get access to and start using. But it

Ring lights have a very specific purpose. If you've got one, use it, but also realize that they're not providing you the best quality or the best experience. They're very specific purpose that is used mostly in photography. The more light you have, the better. So that's why you see in professional settings these big domes.

Not a lot, not everybody has space for that. So you have to consider how much space are you willing to give to your lights? Or like, are you using it for shared space? Or do you really need something super small?

And that's what I actually teach in my courses is like an actual low profile setup that doesn't require a whole lot of space. And for that, I actually use the Elgato key lights. That's what I'm using right now. So people are watching me. I have two of these things and they propel up above my desk and they're they're really only like 10 by 10.

by eight or something like that. They're really small. I think they're eight by 11. Yeah. They're really, they're really awesome. And you can control the temperature on them and everything. Yeah. And you don't have to take up all your space to get a good setup is the key point here. The bigger, the light source, the better,

better light you have, but that doesn't mean that small is bad. It just means you kind of got to use it right, if you will. Should we talk about the software side of things? Yeah. So software, the key thing that you need to know is there's

Two different types of software that you can use to create productions like we've been talking about. Browser-based and software-based. So browser-based is something like what you use, StreamYard, where you're just logging onto the browser. And the pro of that is that it's super easy to get started with.

The con of it is that it can't do all the things. Now, EVMUX is a newer browser based service that is actually kind of blowing my mind. They're doing a lot more than some of the other platforms are in terms of capabilities. Is it spelled like it sounds? EVMUX, is that right? Yeah, exactly. Oh, cool. Never heard of it. Yeah, I was going to tell you after this, you should check that out.

And then on the downloadable software side of things, that's where it's a little bit more of a learning curve. However, you have full production capabilities. You can do anything you see what you described as like the sports, you know, shows or broadcast TV, anything you can imagine you can accomplish.

through a downloadable software. I use Ecamm on a Mac. vMix on a PC is a great option as well. And those are my two preferred ones. A lot of people will ask about OBS. It is a free option. It's a little bit more difficult for people, generally speaking, to use. So that's why I don't really recommend it as the option, but it is a free option if you want to get started. And that's on both PC and Mac.

Love this, Luria. I know you're going to mention where to get that gear list in just a second. But before we go there, if people want to connect with you online,

On the socials, do you have a preferred platform? And if they want to consider working with you in your various services you offer, where do you want to send them? Yeah. So first of all, come hang out with me on my live streams on YouTube or watch my videos on YouTube that will help you through all of this stuff that we've talked about. So youtube.com slash live streaming pros. And I'm on Instagram. I would love to see you over there. I'm trying to amp up my Instagram action. And that's...

And that's my name. Is that under your name? It's my personal name. Yeah. Luria Petrucci. Okay, cool. Which you'll have to link to. Oh, yeah. No, we'll have it. We'll have it in there. If you're interested in discovering how we can work together one-on-one or anything else, then feel free to just reach out to me. My website is livestreamingpros.com and you can find all of the details there.

I just love helping. So feel free to DM me any which way on any platform. And I would love to like support you and what you're doing. And then how do they get that gear list you were talking about? Yes, the gear list. So if you want to understand what it takes to have a low profile, but professional quality setup, the gear list is livestreamingpros.com slash SME. And that'll be just for you guys. And yeah,

because it is for your audience, I'll throw in a lighting guide to help you get better lighting quickly. - That's livestreamingpros.com/sme. Luria Petrucci, thank you so much for coming on today's show and sharing your wisdom with us. - Thank you so much. I'm glad to be back. - I'm excited you're back.

Hey, if you missed anything, we took all the notes for you over at socialmediaexaminer.com/663. And if you're new to the show, follow us on whatever app you're listening on. And if you've been a long time listener, I would love it if you would consider giving us a review or sharing us with your friends. Do check out our other shows, the AI Explored podcast and the Social Media Marketing Talk Show. This brings us to the end of the Social Media Marketing Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Stelzner. I'll be back with you next week.

I hope you make the best out of your day and may your marketing keep evolving. The Social Media Marketing Podcast is a production of Social Media Examiner. Want more good stuff? Sign up for our top-notch social marketing newsletter. We deliver it straight into your inbox three days a week. Visit socialmediaexaminer.com slash get updates.