HIRE ME TO SPEAK
HIRE ME TO SPEAK

Stop obsessing over video release forms

I write about strategies to turn fans into customers and customers into fans. I also share ways to use real-time strategies to spread ideas, influence minds, and build business.

Brand Journalism  |  Best Practices

Contract3 Many people obsess over getting legal release forms signed prior to posting a video interview online.

However in my experience, the mere act of thrusting a legal document in front of someone and demanding they sign causes many people to re-think permission.

I am not a lawyer!


This short video shot at a recent VisibleGains conference where the subject of permissions came up.

I'm not offering legal advice here. Rather, I want to share a practical alternative. I simply ask the person I am about to interview if it's okay to post the video.

Then in the edit process, I save the video permissions and post the interview.

It works great. I've interviewed and posted video with rock stars and Fortune 500 CEOs and top government officials using this method.

Steve Garfield also suggests asking the person to spell their name.

Interestingly, a few days after the VisibleGains conference, I was interviewed for a special segment to be aired on the MSNBC Your Business program on October 31, 2010 and the first thing the producer did was have me spell my name.

Image credit (without "no" symbol): Shutterstock / April Cat

Disclosure: I am on the VisibleGains advisory board.