Screencasts: what they are, how to make one and how to generate revenue with them

On today’s post, we’ll talk a little bit about screencasts, a digital feature that has become increasingly common on the Internet. It definitely has a lot of potential for making sales.

If you plan to make money with videos on the Internet, this is a valuable tool. Learn about it on this post and put it into practice right away!

What are Screencasts?

Screencasts are videos recorded from the computer screen. Some people call this kind of content of “on screen video”, however, the most commonly used name is Screencast.

The greatest advantage of Screencasts is that they allow Producers to create videos at extremely low costs, without the need of renting a studio space or special equipment. The Producer can record all that’s showing on her screen and then show it to any person who is watching the videos. Therefore, it’s possible to come up with interesting content by using this technique. Here are some examples:

• You can create a Screencast in which you teach other people to use a website or online service;
• You can create a Screencast in which you teach people to use a software, such as image editing programs, video editing, advanced resources for word processors, etc;
• You can create a Screencast in which you make a lecture or course about a determined subject. You create a presentation on your favorite software (such as PowerPoint – for PC -, Keynote – for Mac) and record the screen while you go over your script;
• You can create demos or presentations about your products, increasing the chances of buyers getting interested by them thus making a purchase.

How to create a Screencast

To create a screencast the first thing you’ll need is a screen capture software. There are several different ones in the market, some free, some with trial versions and many paid. If you are interested in using screencasts in your marketing strategy or even on your product strategy it’s worth researching a bit more into your software options. However, we can give you some pointers:

Screen capture software:

• CamStudio: it’s a good tool for recording screencasts, but it has limited options for personalizing and editing the video. 
• Webnaria: another free, reliable tool. 
• Camtasia: the best of all screencasts software in the opinion of several people. It has a free trial version, however, the complete version is paid and costs around US$ 299. 
• Microsoft Expression Encoder 4: sound software with a free version that allows recording screencasts that are up to 10-minute long. Access the official website here.

Video Editing Software:

After you’ve recorded your screencast, you will surely want to edit some parts make cuts, add music, etc.

If you have used a paid tool to record your screencast, most definitely you will already have a great part of these resources within this tool. On the other hand, if you have used a free software, you’ll need a different one to edit. Here are some tips on video editing software you can use:

• Windows Movie Maker: the simplest and easiest of all video editing software. It’s ideal for beginners or amateurs and it comes with the original version of every Windows.
• Apple iMovie: if you’re a Mac user, this is an excellent editing software, besides, it’s free, easy to use and comes with every Mac computer.
• Sony Vegas Pro 10: outstanding video editing software, however, it’s paid.
• Adobe Premiere: this is the software most professionals in video editing area.
• Shotcut: This is a free video editing tool that works for PC, Mac and Linux. Their website provides free tutorials to help users get started.

How to make money with Screencasts?

Now that you already know what you need to create screencasts, the next question is: how can you make money with them?

There are two ways:

• You can market screencasts. Shape your content like courses, or you can teach people to do something on their computers;
• You create screencasts to use as a marketing tool and promote your videos for free on YouTube, for example, by making presentations or promoting a product.

If you intend to market screencasts, Hotmart is the ideal platform for you! You can even associate as many files as you want to the same product (as long as the files are up to 250MB), thus taking advantage of all infrastructure and automation resources Hotmart has to give support for your sales.

Besides, you’ll have all the benefits of an Affiliate Program, in which many people can sell your screencasts in exchange for the commission you decide.

If you want to create and sell your online courses by creating videos, take advantage to read our post on how to make a good video!

Do you use other tools to record screencasts? You you have any other questions about this topic? Share them with us in the comments section below!

Making screencasts is a great option for those who are creating an online course. However, using this tool to record third parties’ courses and commercializing them is forbidden. So, only make screencasts if it is to recorde your own content.