How Jon Weigell of Condé Nast makes sticky content
On this week’s episode of the Dear Video podcast, I have a wicked fun conversation with Jon Weigell. Jon is an Associate Video Producer at Condé Nast where he works to create content for brands like Bon Apétit, Epicurious and Architectural Digest.
We talk about how Jon approaches making sticky content, why it pays to develop real relationships with people (even through video), and how any size business can make great content.
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You should listen to this episode if…
You’re a business owner or marketer who knows you should be making more video, but you’re not sure where to start. Jon does work for a big company at Condé Nast, but he also produces his own shows from his apartment - without any of the big expensive gear he has in the studio at work.
Three lessons for better video marketing
- If you want exposure for your work, try giving it away.
Jon got his own show by approaching a company that needed more content and offering to create weekly content for their audience.
What does this do for you?
You may not realise it yet, but you do have a story to tell and sometimes the best way to spread the word is to leverage an audience that is already there. What do you do in your business that another business’s audience would find valuable? You can do like Jon and offer to provide them content.
Another example of this approach is Bryan Harris of GrowthTools.com. Bryan started implementing Michael Hyatt’s teachings and as he started to see results, he shared those with Michael. That turned into a regular column on Michael’s channels and helped Bryan grown his own audience to what is now tens of thousands of people. - To err is human and that’s pretty damn relatable.
To make your videos more sticky and to help them resonate with the people watching, Jon recommends being real. “This is probably the most important part of relatability is that nobody is perfect,” Jon says. “If you can pull someone out of their environment and make them feel comfortable” that’s when you make a connection.
What does this mean?
To me, it means that you shouldn’t put too much polish on your videos. Think about when you feel most comfortable with people. Is it when they’re acting casual, friendly and just like you? Or is it when they’re being stiff, rigid, professional and almost perfect in a weird way?
Jon recommends you keep your video direct, casual and conversational with the viewer. - You, yes you, have stories to tell.
Even if you don’t think you do, there are stories in your company that you can tell that will help grow your brand and your business.
How do you find good stories to tell?
Talk to your teammates and ask them what makes them excited to pitch people. What gets them pumped to serve customers? Dig into the stories you tell each other at work and record those conversations. Chances are you’ll find some golden stories worth sharing. This works because people buy from people and no matter how strong your brand is, a customer who feels like they know the people behind the brand are more likely to buy.
