My camera equipment (1000USD) got stolen, will voice over presentation work?

[PramodGeorge]

Hey guys,

Do you have any insights if a spoken voiceover presentation is better than a talking head video? Considering this is a Udemy "Course" and not simply a YouTube "Video".

My Topic is about business and marketing so don't really need LIVE B-roll.

Thanks for your answers!

[AliciaPaz · Accepted solution]

First off sorry your stuff was stolen.  Non-talking head is fine especially with what you teach.  Also might not be as nice as whatever equipment you were using but a good Smartphone works well- I did that for years with no complaints from students.  I also rented a DSLR once using an app called Omni (I am in the US) for $50 to shoot one day before when I wanted to check out the quality.  Many marketing and tech courses don't utilize talking head but have slides and such over voice and do well.

[AliciaPaz · Accepted solution]

First off sorry your stuff was stolen.  Non-talking head is fine especially with what you teach.  Also might not be as nice as whatever equipment you were using but a good Smartphone works well- I did that for years with no complaints from students.  I also rented a DSLR once using an app called Omni (I am in the US) for $50 to shoot one day before when I wanted to check out the quality.  Many marketing and tech courses don't utilize talking head but have slides and such over voice and do well.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

The voice-over approach is absolutely fine if your content is valuable. I know many instructors would disagree and consider the talking head version the best of the best, but I think it's just a matter of preference. It's not like people do not pay to listen to podcasts and audiobooks as long as there is value in the content.

All my courses are presentation and voice-over since there would be absolutely no gain for my students from a different format if that would be the only change. Many of them listen to the course during their commute. It's the content that counts on topics where no demonstrations are required.

Some of my students conveyed their preference for the talking head format, but I never got bad reviews for not having it. In fact, two out of my three courses have been "Highest Rated" in their sub-category for months at a time, even though that's a dynamic criterion.

So, to anyone who worries about the format, I would say the value of content remains king. Focus on that. You can change the video format later should you wish to do so.

Best wishes,

Lucia