On pitching over Zoom
What to do when you can't get in the room
I’ve been getting a few questions around how to pitch on Zoom, so for this two part post, I partnered with the lovely folks at Aura Pros to give you a pro guide to looking and sounding your best during Zoom meetings.
Today’s issue will cover the top 10 easiest (and cheapest!) changes you can make to your setup, but please stay tuned for more advanced tips (external cameras, advanced microphones, and upgrading your Zoom subscription) in the future.
Aura Pros Top 10 simple tips for Zoom setups:
Turn on your computer’s Do Not Disturb settings for the duration of your call. Endless notifications will not only disrupt your pitch flow, they will also make you look unprofessional.
Set up your camera to be slightly above you, looking down on your face. This is the most flattering camera angle for most people, and helps avoid the dreaded double-chin-face.
Set up with the light in front of you, not behind you, for the most pleasing facial illumination. The brightest light source in the room (also called a key light) should be behind your camera or computer screen. Sitting in front of a window and getting daylight on your face is optimal. Never Zoom from a dark room or with a bright light/window behind your back.
Use a ring light that attaches to your laptop or set up behind your computer screen to further help illuminate your face, especially if you can’t sit facing a window.
Use Bluetooth headphones with a microphone to quickly improve the quality of your audio - Apple Airpod Pros or Klipsh T5II are both great.
Clean and de-clutter the space behind you to keep your audience (i.e. the VCs) focused on you. Even if you’re planning to use a virtual background, Zoom has a native chroma key, and it works significantly better with a homogenous background or green screen.
Use a virtual background especially if you’re not rich enough to be a Room Rater 10/10. There are some great Zoom backgrounds online (give that content marketing team a raise!), or you can use the Palumni.VC virtual background if you like. You can also use a photo background kit and paper roll for something more subtle.
Turn on touch up my appearance to keep the audience focused on your content, not how tired you look. Don’t forget to adjust this up and down depending on how good your lighting is and how much time you’ve had to get yourself ready.
Turn on noise suppression to limit background noise. Zoom offers native noise suppression that can be adjusted for your specific environment. If excessive background noise (dogs, family members, street noise) is an issue for you, there are also more advanced background suppression apps like Krisp that work with your computer microphone.
Brand your profile: upload a recent photo to your profile to make yourself easily identifiable. If you’re using a virtual background, consider adding a logo to the image or using an all-in-one virtual office visual solution. Keep “always display participant’s name on their videos.” checked in Settings > Video so people don’t need to focus on remembering names.