Is Perfectionism Keeping You From Recording Video Content?
- Scott Murray
- Feb 22
- 4 min read
It's truly remarkable how many ways we can psyche ourselves out by obsessing over concerns that do nothing but prevent us from making a connection with our audience. This is especially true when it comes to creating video content.
Are all of the concerns legit? No.
Are some of them legit? Yes.
So which ones should you worry about?
Well, you shouldn't "worry" about any of them because they can all be easily addressed. However, let's cover some of the most common concerns you can drop right now:
A perfect studio setup
A perfectly written script with no "mistakes"
An inability to be good on camera
Now, here are some concerns you should care about:
Does your video end up pixelated, or will it provide good quality (notice I didn't say perfect quality)
Does your audio sound clear.
Are you able to talk to a person? If so, you can talk to someone on the other side of the video.
What a lot of this boils down to is an inherent belief that we have to record a high-caliber production with perfect lighting, and seamless, polished dialogue. As someone who spent years in TV and video production, I can relate to that obsession. Over the years, I've had to teach myself to approach online video content differently.
Here's what's important to recognize: We have to stop thinking about ourselves so much.
Are there people out there who seem to have everything perfectly aligned in their videos - lighting, studio setup, sound, scripting, graphics, etc. Of course.
However, AI can also create that "perfect" video. Meanwhile, consumers continue to express frustrations with seeing it everywhere.
To them, it's a sign of laziness. With so much of it rooted in speed/quick turnaround, it forces people to think:
"Why not take the time to talk to me?"
"Why not spend the time to create something of value for me?"
"Are they trying to fool me?"
In Animoto's 2026 State of Video Survey, 36% of consumers say AI-generated videos lower their trust in a brand, while 78% trust videos with real people.
That's a lot of risk in the name of polish and perfection.
So where do you draw the line?
Last year, Alex Rynne, the senior content lead at LinkedIn, had a conversation with Purna Virji, a principal consultant at LinkedIn and author of High Impact Content Marketing, about what actually makes video work for B2B.
She said don't obsess over being too perfect. In fact, she made the point that an overly produced video can actually work against you, because it takes away from the authentic connection that makes video worth doing in the first place. If you're posting that video on LinkedIn, for example:
"Talk to your audience as if you're talking to a friend and you'll do well. And while both low-produced and high-produced videos can perform on the platform, there are two things to keep in mind. First, use the vertical format - horizontal videos don't perform as well. Second, make sure your video is clear. Even if it's lo-fi, the audio should be easy to hear and the video itself shouldn't be pixelated."
That's not just a nice thing to say. It changes the whole frame.
The "hey guys" problem
A key part of her advice is the "best friend" factor. It drives me nuts that so much YouTube content starts out with "Hey, guys!" Not only is it another example of a rampant trend due to people copying each other, but it's also less likely to connect with that one viewer who is watching. After all, they're not talking to that one person - they're everyone!
So, what does it mean to talk to a friend?
A creator named Deya, who gained 100,000 subscribers and started making six figures from content in about a year, said that everything changed for her when she stopped trying to make everything look perfect and started talking to the camera the way she'd talk to her best friend.
Not just "a real person." Her best friend specifically.
Someone she knows is smart, someone she respects, someone she'd never talk down to.
I love the point about brushing her hair back, and how that felt authentic to the viewer. After all, if we're aiming for perfection, would that even happen? Would it make the final cut? Yet, how often are we trying to be perfect when we talk to our best friend?
I guess with that concept in mind, I will rephrase what I said before and say:
If you can talk to your best friend, you can talk on video.
A few practical things worth knowing
If you're worried your audio isn't good enough, it's worth knowing that tools like Descript have a feature called Studio Sound that can take audio recorded on a built-in computer mic and make it sound significantly better with one click. Tools like Riverside and Streamyard can also improve how video looks after the fact.
In other words, you have so many tools to make the content look and sound better. Then, you just have to be yourself.
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