Pre-Production is The Valentine You Give Yourself

Hey guys, it’s our favorite day of the month: Upload Club Newsletter Day! (Oh, also happy V-Day to all who celebrate.) We’re back with Part Two in our Five Part Series… 

ANATOMY OF AN UPLOAD

A Five-Part Guide to Better Posting

Last month we covered the Idea Phase: how to generate 100 Ideas in 10 Days. Now that you’ve got your killer ideas in hand, we’re moving onto Step Two: Pre-Production. 

Think of this phase as that Ocean’s 11 scene where George Clooney is walking his crew through the heist plan… Only instead of how to evade the Bellagio’s infrared sensors, you’re planning how to translate your content idea into action.

Pre-production is about building the road map for your shoot: outlining; scripting act breaks, cliffhangers, and teasers; securing and prepping the filming location… Basically, this is working out what you’re going to record, and how you’re going to record it.

Of course, the process is different depending on if you’re shooting a scripted comedy, a lifestyle vlog, or a product review series. But a few steps hold true across genres—as do the most common mistakes creators make…

(1)  YOUR THUMBNAIL COMES FIRST

Maybe the biggest misconception in content planning is the idea that “packaging”—selecting the thumbnail, title, and description of your video—comes at the end. Because that’s how it works in most creative fields, right? First The Rock shoots his jungle movie, then the studio figures out what’s going on the poster.

Creating with a goal of strategic growth on YouTube is different. Ideally, you should know what your title & thumbnail are going to be BEFORE you shoot. 

Why? Because these two elements are how a viewer decides whether to click. 

• If you let them be afterthoughts, they will look like afterthoughts. 

• You will forget to take hi-res photos for your thumbnail on shoot day. 

• You risk your content losing focus, straying away from your central idea. 

The packaging isn’t just packaging: it’s the embodiment of your idea. So don’t make it an afterthought! 

• Plan an actual photo shoot to take high-quality, well-lit photos for your thumbnail. Do this at the start of your production - no one wants to do this after you wrap! 

• Head into your shoot day knowing your title & teaser cold, so you can echo it in the narration. 

Bottom line: if you truly can’t think of a visually compelling thumbnail for your idea, THE IDEA MUST GO. The best content ideas lend themselves to strong visuals.

(2)  YOUR SCRIPT IS FOR SHARING

Your video has a script even if you’re a creator who speaks on the fly. Pre-production is where you hone the structure of your post: that perfect first minute, those moments of foreshadowing, your cliffhangers, and the grand payoff at the end. 

One way to get your script really crisp is… share it! Show it to the people who’ll be helping you shoot. Get their feedback. 

• Can the first minute be snappier? 

• Are the cliffhangers set up to leave the viewer truly wanting more? 

• Does the end deliver on the promises you set up at the beginning?

Outside perspective at the pre-pro phase is a gift: it’s never cheaper to change things than at the blueprint stage. And your friends & collaborators’ input before you hit record is invaluable.

Bottom line: pre-production gives you a chance to tap into your support network, and lean on your community for insights. 

(3)  A PLAN IS NOT A STRAIT JACKET

One interesting pattern we’ve noticed at Upload Club? Creators often spend days or weeks with their teams planning a post… only to toss out the concept last-minute, and come in with a totally new idea on shoot day.

To be clear: tossing things out late in the process isn’t always bad. Sometimes, all your planning is actually the thing that led you to your big discovery. Suddenly all the loose ends and question marks click into place, and you have total clarity. This is a good thing.

Buuuuttttt…. What happens more often is, creators begin to feel impatient, bored, or confined by the pre-production process. They start doubting their ability to execute while still keeping spontaneity. All of a sudden, the plan everyone’s been working on feels stale, and the NEW idea that came along at 3:30am after scrolling TikTok feels fresh and exciting! 

This is a lie. This is the Algo Devil at work. Do not trust him!

The urge to chuck it all at the 11th hour may feel thrilling… but it means you’re allowing your subconscious to drive. And our subconscious is really, really susceptible to fads. 

Without realizing it, your last-minute idea may be leading you towards content that’s more derivative and less interesting than your original idea.  Simply reacting to trends does not always serve your channel or your brand. 

Pre-production is your friend. It’s the craft of what you do as a content creator: using critical thinking to get your script, locations, titles, and themes in tip-top shape, and then making it look totally off-the-cuff and natural.

Bottom line: your pre-production work should not feel like a straightjacket. It should feel like a pair of wings. Consider it a valentine to your future self….the one who will be executing the plan on shoot day!

OK! You’ve made it to the end. Buy yourself a pink carnation to celebrate. See you next month for Part Three of our “Anatomy of an Upload” series… SHOOT DAY. Bye!

– Hayley