Quick and confident: Advice for online video from ISTV

Online video has become a priority for many publishers over the last few years, but the transition from text and images to a multimedia approach isn't always a smooth one. So how can you ensure you're on the right track?

Finnish outlet Ilta-Sanomat set up an online video operation called ISTV two years ago. It now boasts 4 million video plays per week and a staff that grew from just two people in the beginning to 20 today.

ISTV channel director Hanna Kouri spoke at this week's Digital Media Europe about Ilta-Sanomat's approach to online video, revealing that 50 per cent of the outlet's stories have relevant videos as the main image.

Journalism.co.uk caught up with Kouri after the event to get some advice for publishers looking to improve their online video offering.

Move quickly

Acting quickly is important as you will never feel ready, she said, and by the time you feel your technology, strategy, content and plan are in place your idea will already be outdated.

"Start quick but be careful what you're doing," Kouri told Journalism.co.uk. "It's not going to help you to have 100 bad videos that nobody wants to see and nobody finds."

Have confidence

Publishers already know the types of stories their readers are interested in so those subjects are a good starting point for online video – and don't be afraid of mistakes.

"You have to be very confident even if it's a new business for you and you feel a little bit scared," she said.

Online video is a learning curve. "The best things come when somebody has this crazy idea, and start from somewhere in the content."

You're not making TV

Bringing in new talent with experience in online video is also important – and there's no guarantee those with experience in TV can make it work online.

"If the linear TV is sucking already, if you put it online it’s going to suck so much more," Kouri told conference delegates during her presentation this week.

She then explained an in-house studio should not be the first investment for a publisher setting their sights on online video – learn how to make it work in the field first.

Video Business: "Be cost efficient: Don´t buy tv-company. Get out of the studio!", Hanna Kouri, Sanoma #DME15 pic.twitter.com/GCvKlJGVyh

— BDZV (@BdzvPresse) April 21, 2015

It's not about length

The idea that online video needs to be short to match viewers' attention spans is not necessarily one you should consider gospel.

Kouri told Journalism.co.uk the length of the video is not the issue, and media organisations should instead make sure the video matches their audience's habits.

During the morning commute for example, people are more likely to want short videos, but in the evenings and at the weekends longer videos should be an option – ISTV broadcast five hours of election coverage last week.

Don't do video for the sake of it

Ultimately, it's about offering relevant videos that complement your stories, and are visually interesting. Avoid filming interviews just to add videos of talking heads to an article, she advised.

"[And] that is the biggest mistake: 'we have to do the video, we have to do the video'.

"No you don't. If you don't know how to do it, if you don't have an idea, don't do it."

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