Right Brain vs. Left Brain

We are all, by human nature, both creative and logical. It’s rare that someone is truly one or the other. What’s important is where and why you apply logic and where and why you apply creativity.

Sometimes, when you’re too focused on the logical end of things, you might miss an out of the box solution. The opposite can be true as well; being too creative about a problem can often lead you away from a very logical, and very obvious, solution.

When it comes to creating and publishing a video you need both sides of your brain, but there are two places where it’s advantageous to tell the other half of your head to keep its trap shut.

When you’re creating the content for a video – whether your brainstorming with a team, or working on a story board, put the logical side away. Think of creative ways to convey information to your audience. If you think too logically, you might miss on a compelling way to tell your story. Good storytelling is at the heart of any video – whether it’s a 1:00 product demo or a feature length classic.

Take “Will It Blend?” for example. It’s a great and creative way to showcase a simple product. Every episode Blendtec wants to see if their blender can annihilate another goody, like a CD, iPod, etc. Someone was clearly using the right side of their brain when they came up with that concept. They’ve sold a lot of blenders because of it.

But a great idea is worth nil if your audience can’t find your video. That’s where the left side of your brain should kick in. DO NOT BE CREATIVE HERE. Seriously. No really, I’m not joking. Can you tell I’m serious? Good, please continue.

Let’s look at my above example. If someone at Blendtec was being creative, they would have named the show something like “Blendtec’s Chopper-Rama” or “We Turn It To Dust!” Horrible, terrible examples, I know, but the folks who came up with “Will It Blend?” took an awesome idea and said, “Let’s makes sure people can find it, remember the name and share it with friends.” The title of the show says it all. If you told 100 people there’s a web-show called “Will It Blend?” and asked them to guess what the show is about, I’d wager at least 95 of them would nail it.

So, quick recap. When you’re thinking about making content, be creative, be bold, be right-brained. Try new things to tell your story in new ways.

When it comes to titling a video, writing a description, or coming up with keywords, be boring, be conventional, be left-brained. Try using words and descriptions that many people would use to search for the topic you’re covering.