By Jodie Cook, Senior Contributor. Mar 03, 2025, 12:00pm EST
Your reputation is built through screens. Your presence is felt through video. 91% of consumers have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service, and 78% claim that watching a video influenced their purchasing decisions. Even when the stats are this compelling, most business owners hesitate to get started. They stumble over words, and feel awkward when they hit record.
The world needs what you’ve got, and right now you’re holding back. In 2025, appearing confident on camera is a superpower anyone can master. I have spent thousands of hours on camera, learning the hard way what makes great delivery.
Here’s your guide to being instantly better.
How to be great on camera: 5 proven tips
Get in a peak state
Your best work happens when you are full of energy and enthusiasm. The camera picks up everything, and low energy looks twice as bad. Make sure you get your game face on by doing what you need to do. A 10-minute meditation, a hard workout or getting some fresh air. Show up feeling alive.
Most people roll out of bed, check their phone, respond to a bunch of emails, then try to motivate themselves to record. They wonder why they look sluggish and sound tired. Take a shower, get dressed, and put yourself in the right headspace. Take time to prepare to perform.
Talk to just one person
Everyone freezes up when they think about lots of people watching their content. So stop doing that. Pick one specific person and talk directly to them. When you imagine people judging you, things get messy. When you picture talking one-to-one with a client, it all flows easier.
Set your intention that every video is being recorded just for one person who needs what you have. Look through the lens and straight into their eyes. Make them feel seen, understood and special. Your delivery will transform and your following will grow.
Use stupidly simple words
Camera confidence comes from clarity of thought. Complicated sentences and fancy words make you stumble. Keep it simple. Say exactly what you mean using words your best friend would understand. Record one point per video and nail it with impact. The best speakers aren’t complicated.
Record as if you were telling a story to a 10-year-old. Pause more. Speak slower. Let the silence create emphasis. When your message is crystal clear, your delivery will be too. Don’t try to look smart, try to be understood. Simple words hit harder.
Drop all the pressure
No one is keeping score of your content. Your first video won’t go viral. Getting it perfect doesn’t matter, but getting it done does. The camera will be your friend when you stop trying to impress it. Just hit record and share what you know. Get it out there and improve as you go.
Building an audience happens through consistency. Perfectionism is not your friend. Post your first video before you feel ready. Do it scared. Keep showing up and notice how much easier it gets. The only mistakes that matter are not getting started at all. Trust the process and keep going.
Focus on your audience
The secret to camera confidence is getting out of your own head. Stop thinking about how you come across and start thinking about how you can help. Focus on the person watching and what they need to hear. Hold their attention by making everything about them. Share a message that changes their world.
Make them feel understood. Give them hope that change is possible. Light the way forward with stories that inspire action. When you focus on serving your audience, the camera becomes invisible.
Make video content your superpower: be better on camera today
Looking good on camera is a skill anyone can learn. Get yourself in a peak state, talk to just one person, keep your words simple, drop the pressure and focus on your audience. Build your reputation through content that hits home. You were born to make an impact and your content can reach thousands. Hit record before you’re ready. Share what you know and watch your business outperform.
Story originally featured on Forbes.com
Jodie Cook
Senior Contributor | Entrepreneurs
Founder of Coachvox AI – create an AI version of you. Forbes 30 under 30 class of 2017. Post-exit entrepreneur and author of Ten Year Career. Competitive powerlifter and digital nomad.
Follow me on LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
