Tips for Starting a Digital TV Series

Tiffany Roman’s Tips for Starting a Digital TV Series

With the creation of the internet, the idea of television changed forever. Once an obvious and direct extension of show business, television has come down to earth in the in the last twenty years. In fact, with platforms like YouTube and Facebook Live allowing anyone to tell their story from anywhere, the divide between T.V. and reality has become less pronounced. There are light and dark sides to this shift, but one of the best things about it is that the internet has democratized access to television and made it easier than ever for someone to create their own series. That said, there’s still lots to consider when creating your own DIY television show over the internet if you want it to be successful.

Recently, Malibash sat down with Tiffany Roman, veteran, mom of two, and creator of the digital TV show and podcast Small Biz Highlight, which she created from home in the height of the pandemic to support small businesses. In the interest of helping you get your own series started, Roman shared a few of her favorite digital tools, her strategy for networking, and other tips that got “Small Biz Highlight” off the ground and even led her to make a deal with Roku.

?

Malibash (MB): What were some free or inexpensive digital tools you’ve used to make graphics for your TV show?

Tiffany Roman (TR): Canva is?my best friend! Free version is absolutely worth it and more than enough to create amazing graphics for your show. I also use a program called Ripl that allows me to not only create posts/short videos, but also connects to my social sites to share directly to the pages. There is a free version, but I did opt for the paid version simply because it offers the ability to schedule posts. So, I could plan out an entire month's posts in one night and preschedule them. Ripl will send it to whatever social channels I choose on its own and it even tracks comments, reactions, etc. It has saved me on multiple occasions by helping me not have to remember myself when to post something.

MB: Why are graphics important to the overall product? What do you think they add to your show?

TR: Graphics draw viewers in and help tell the story to them before they even start to watch/listen. I know we are taught to not judge a book by its cover, but it is human nature that if we look at something and it causes a positive reaction or emotion, we are immediately drawn to it. That is exactly what graphics do for any type of show. Personally, because my show is focused on building connections, I use graphics to not only tell people who will be on the show but use their picture so they know what they look like. They get that immediate appeal, want to see what they are about so they watch the show and then maybe end up becoming a customer or client. In this line of work, I think graphics are key.

MB: Did you have experience previously as an interviewer? You mentioned that you took a lot of free online courses during the pandemic—did you stumble across anything that has helped you hone your interview skills?

TR: I had zero experience as an interviewer before starting Small Biz Highlight. Because of my lack of experience, I didn't want to make it scripted?with pre-done questions. I was concerned it would only make me more nervous and it wouldn't feel authentic. I definitely wanted to make sure I was comfortable so that it would be easier to help my guests feel comfortable, so I decided making it more of a casual conversation. It has absolutely paid off.?

The trainings I did during the pandemic were more geared toward building a business, podcast, growing email lists, etc. Everything I learned about hosting a show, I learned from watching other podcasters, YouTube shows, and even broadcast news or interviewing shows. Not all of them are going to fit my style, but I can learn at least one thing from them that I could take with me to help enhance the show.?

MB: Do you have a favorite microphones? What about lights? Why should people invest in good quality lighting and mics?

TR: I actually?don't have a favorite Mic or lights. I do use a ring light and microphone I bought off of Amazon, but they aren't from any special brands or anything. Because I am not making a whole lot of money in the business right now, those are things that I just haven't been able to afford yet. I do love having a designated office space that I can use natural light from the window and the artificial light.

When I started my show I was using a Microsoft Surface Pro to record my episodes. The microphone and camera were the ones that came standard in the device. There were a couple episodes that I even used my phone to record the episodes. Yes, good quality mics and lighting help to really make your show look and sound crisp and professional with added features that help the background noises disappear. I think for people that can invest in them, that's great, but I don't believe people should feel obligated to invest until they can afford to. It's is absolutely ok to start off with what you have and can afford at the time to build up to the fancy equipment. It just means you'll have to work a little harder to drown out the sound behind you, get the lighting just right for no glares, etc. There is no shame in that.

MB: What tools do you use for production? Do you tweak sound and video after the show is filmed—I assume since you moved from FB live it’s no longer live, right?

TR: Thanks to StreamYard, I am able to stream all my episodes live to FB, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube at once. Because they are streamed live, there is no tweaking the sound or video after it has been recorded. Once I hit live, there's no take-backs. As nerve-wracking as that might sound, it is actually very freeing.?

I did start using this amazing free soundboard called VoiceMeeter to help my microphone sound a little crisper and to practice adding in sounds like clapping and laughing. I haven't used them during a show yet, but am looking forward to perfecting it so I can enhance the show even more.?

MB: How do you get the word out about your TV show? How did Roku find out about it and take it on?

TR: Roku wasn't actually the one to get a hold of me. The CEO and co-founder of Quantum Star TV Network, that happens to be on Roku, reached out after catching a few of my episodes and my annual Small Business Saturday event. She loved what I was doing, has a big heart for helping veterans realize their dreams, so she offered me the amazing opportunity of working with her and her team to get my show on Roku. Quantum Star TV has been so helpful and such a huge supporter since I started. I am forever grateful for the chance they were willing to give me.

MB: How have you grown your ability to network with interview subjects??

TR: I created a Facebook group that is filled with only the people that have been featured on my show so they network, share their discounts, etc. Soon I will be able to offer my very own networking platform through the Small Biz Highlight mobile app. I cannot wait until it officially launches!

MB: Any other challenges you faced in the beginning that you were able to solve with reasonably inexpensive or free tools??

TR: Yes! Extracting audio for the podcast and compressing the videos that were too big to upload to Instagram and our app was a challenge at first, and I had to learn as I went for most of the things I do for the show. StreamYard saves the audio and video recordings from each episode and even stores a certain amount on the site now, but originally the recordings were only available for 14 days. I didn't start my podcast?until after my one year anniversary so I had a lot of episodes to catch up on. Thanks to?https://audio-extractor.net/, it made it super easy. I was able to upload the video and let it extract the audio and save the file. The best part is it is completely free! For compressing the videos to a size that would meet standards for the app and Instagram I was so glad to find Wondershare Uniconverter 13. It was very user friendly and, although?I had to pay for it, it was very affordable.?

Learn more from Tiffany: www.smallbizhighlight.com

?Article written by Alexa Peters - freelance journalist and copywriter & founder: www.alexapeterswrites.com

?

?