How To Overcome Being Camera Shy Forever

Want to overcome being camera shy and take your videos to the next level?
If you can overcome being camera shy, you will can really impact your viewers, and create celebrity status online!
What if overcoming camera shyness didn’t require a superpower or decades of experience, but just a few simple tips?
In this article I will share 5 top tips to teach you how not to be camera shy!
Step 1: Practice on your phone
If you want to learn how to not be camera shy, start to practice on your iPhone.
This step may seem simple and obvious to some, but it’s an important step, and it’s super easy.
Do it when you’re by yourself. Reach in your pocket, pull out your phone, hit record and talk about your day. It’s that easy.
When you’re practicing, you don’t need to post those videos, because you can delete them right after.
Hopefully the takes off some of the pressure.
Generally the first 10-40 seconds are super awkward, but once you get over that hump, it actually becomes fun. Because honestly, who doesn’t like listening to themselves talk a little bit?
My business partner and I started doing FB live videos recently, and I found that the first few were uncomfortable, but like anything you start to get used to it, and it becomes easier.
So set a goal of doing 1 video/week (or/day if you wanna speed up your camera confidence).
*Remember, you don’t need to show them to anyone. They are just for you.
Watch your confidence start to soar after 5 – 10 videos!
Another key tip: Only talk about what you love. This will get you going, and it may even be hard to stop!
Step 2: Overcome Shyness With A Warm-up
A simple warm up can really help you overcome being camera shy.
Lebron James doesn’t just step on the court and steal the show. He warms up.
Likewise, if you do the same, you can start to perform at an expert level because your on-camera presence will be at it’s peak.
Ready for some simple warm up tips to overcome being camera shy?
Warm up your face:
Stretch your mouth, tongue, and cheek muscles, so that you speak with clarity and precision. Be humble, don’t mumble.
Warm up your hands:
Get comfortable using them, moving them. Hand signals keep our attention, and when we see your hands, we feel like your authority.
Warm up your mind:
Also, practice the content you want to say, so that is sounds natural when you are creating your video.
If you were doing a Ted Talk, you would practice for months, so why doesn’t your video get the same love and care?
Give your content the prep time it needs, and you will ROCK during film day, and as a result, you will boost your marketing success.
Ready for your next tip on how to not be camera shy?
Step 3: Interview a Guest
Ok, maybe being in front of a camera is just TOO SCARY!?
No problem. Put the pressure on someone else 🙂
Guest interviews are an awesome way to create genuinely engaging content, and you don’t have to toot your own horn either.
What types of guests you can invite?
- People who have a following or market you want to tap into.
- Industry experts
- Your favourite clients
- Your industry mentors
This one is such a cheat, because you don’t even really need to overcome being camera shy at all.
Make sure you ask them relevant questions to your industry, so that the content serves as a promotion for your offering.
Be gracious and thank them for participating, and ask them where the public can find them, so they get some promotion out of it as well.
Want another great tip for how not to become camera shy? Read on, you brave soul.
Step 4: Use A Teleprompter
This is one of the best tools for video marketing, and teaching you to overcome being camera shy.
Reading off a teleprompter takes virtually all the fear out of being on camera since you only need to read. This will save you hours and hours of film time.
Recently we did a video shoot in Vancouver for a marketing manager of a large firm.
He was having trouble delivering all his points word for word, and kept stumbling through his material. As a result, he started falling way behind schedule.
Ever experienced this? (It’s pretty common.)
On day 2, we introduced the teleprompter. It literally changed everything!
We were able to 3x the speed in which we got through the videos, and he sounded way more confident.
Whether you want to boost camera confidence, or just want to speed up the filming process, the teleprompter is the way to go!
Step 5: Hire An On-Camera Coach
Above all, if you really want to take your video marketing to the next level, and overcome being camera shy forever, and stand out from all the competition, seriously consider an on-camera coach.
They will help you with posture, presence, mindset, and a whole gamut of other hacks that you only learn from being on television and movies!
As a result, you will look like a pro.
Looking like a pro will help you get more views!
Hire them for one training session, or have them there throughout your video shoot.
At UpMedia, we almost always supply camera coaching to our clients.
One of our staff is an actor, so she can massively boost your confidence after one session, especially if you’ve never been on camera.
Want more confidence on camera? You can work with me hands on to improve your confidence in our DIY training.
This is where we will hold you hand and teach you everything you need to know to be a star on camera, and make the kind of videos you’ve dreamed of.
We’ll also be able to answer your questions as they arise.
Click here if you want to go to the next level.
Looking for personalized training to become an on-camera expert quickly? We now offer video training for individuals and groups!


By Anthony Madani
Anthony is the Director at UpMedia Video, and an expert at Video Marketing, with a rapidly growing business. He’s spent over 18 years in media production, from award winning television shows (on Netflix and HBO), to producing ads for large corporations such as Toyota, Flight Center, and Canada Life.
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