Seize the Day

It's Saturday morning. Your alarm has woken you up at 6 a.m. It's still dark. The entire world is fast asleep, cozy in bed, yet you leap out, ready to start work after a strong cup of coffee.

This is what would-be entrepreneurs dream of doing. Yet how often does it actually unfold? Based on the number of work colleagues still doing the same thing after years of dreaming of breaking out, it's a good guess that the number of people that realize their plans is very small.

When faced with the unpleasantness of early morning weekend wakeups, or late-night website updates, or saying no to vacation plans, what is one thought or image that you can hold on to to give you the boost you need? What makes you leap out of bed at 6 in the morning?

"The ones who make it are the ones who show up day after day."

Microphones and Audio

Although most people quickly whip out the cell phone when something instantaneous happens, some of you have access to better camera equipment. The question is: how is your audio equipment? Do you own one or more microphones that allow you to capture sound properly? Or do you rely solely on the mic your camera came with? (P.S. The second one is the wrong answer.)

Even on a clear, sunny day, the slightest breeze can ruin an otherwise great interview or soundbite. Same goes for when something happens in the environment around you. Unless you're in a sound studio, it's almost inevitable that your camera's microphone will pick up a door closing, a car driving on a street one block away, or a kid screaming. Murphy's Law.

However, if you look at your camera's manual carefully, and figure out how to plug in an inexpensive microphone designed to record interviews, your videos will turn out much better in the end. This topic and more is covered in my book, Make Money with Video: Sell Footage to News Stations and Get Paid.

A cheap clip-on can get better audio than the mic

 of your camera.

When submitting video to news stations, videos with proper sound can equal a better cash return. Don't let bad audio ruin your chances of having your footage shown on-air.