I shot my first YouTube episode in the new studio which will go up tomorrow and I am very happy with the results. The sound quality is the best it’s ever been, the lighting is good and although the backdrop needs work, it’s not bad. I also applied a few suggestions from our good friend Meg. When we were staying with her in London a few months ago, we talked about my YouTube channel and how some improvements could be made. She has spent a lot of time in marketing and understands what it takes to produce good content. She suggested I lose the spit bucket and take less time analyzing the wines. Since I am the blue collar wine guy, it makes sense to simplify the content to reach a broader audience. She is not the first person to suggest that I don’t use a spit bucket. Since I only review a few wines in each episode, it makes sense to take that part out of the episodes. Unfortunately, my first episode which goes up Tuesday is a canned wine blitz. In the episode, I review at least ten or more canned wines in under 18 minutes. I have to say, that I felt it after the shoot. An exception to the rule of course, and sans the spit bucket, it definitely went quicker than it normally would have.
Taking less time to analyze each wine is a tough one for me since that is my passion and I really get into it. However, with a little discipline, I think I can come up with the same results in less time. As I said, I need to de-geek a bit. I believe it came up in the London conversation as well that I might think about just giving each wine I review a thumbs up or a thumbs down, instead of grading each wine. I’ve decided to stick to the grading system and here’s why. If a wine is stellar and deserves the highest grade (A+), I want the audience to know that. A simple thumbs up does not convey the quality of the wine I am reviewing. If it is an average wine with no flaws, giving it a “C” lets the audience know that it is probably a safe bet and there may be no harm in giving it a try. Any wine in the “F” or “D” range has some serious flaws and by giving the wine that kind of grade (it doesn’t happen very often) it is a good indicator that one should not waste their money on said wine. A simple thumbs down does not have the same impact as an “F” would. So by toning down on the descriptors, a grade will convey to my audience how I feel about the wine without all the explanation as to why. I hope that makes some sense. I would appreciate any comments from you about this as I try to fine tune my YouTube episodes for the benefit of my audience. I so appreciate all the advice that Meg gave me and I hope she continues to give me much needed input.
Susie and I are diligently putting our new place together and we are liking the results. I am still having difficulty getting back into the routine of writing for my blogs, but I feel a sense of urgency to get back at it again. There is so much to do to the new place, but I cannot afford to slack on my writing. Once again, thank you so much for your support, it means the world to me.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
