Do you show your face in the videos?

Question

I started a discussion on Reddit last week which got over 17K views and lots of engagement. It seems to be quite an interesting topic for many. 
Especially for people creating Youtube content.

Curious to know how many of you here create content for Youtube?
And if you do, what's your view on faceless videos?

Ps: Here's a great blog post by my collegue Eric comparing Talking Head & Faceless videos 👇
https://www.canvid.com/blog/faceless-videos-vs-talking-head

Matty Reed · Accepted Answer

We are building a remote company, so showing face is important. It really comes down to communication bandwidth. Humans evolved to take visual cues from facial expressions, without these visual cues, information can be lost or misunderstood.

in-person > video call > call w/o video

Answer

TBH, I am naturally shy 🙈 but was exposed to showing myself from a young age (performing, photoshooting, hosting events, creating videos...). So after some time, you feel that embarrassment less. Of course, it is something different to record yourself when you are in the room alone and when there are 6 other people. 😀

Faceless videos can work if the topic, storytelling/narration are good enough. There are many faceless streamers and VTubers with over a million subscribers on YT. But personally, for me, showing face increases trust in the person.

CY Zhou · Answer

Yes, I do! I believe showing my face helps build a more personal connection with my audience.

CY Zhou · Answer

Yes, I do show my face in the videos. It helps create a more personal connection with the audience.

Amit Arora · Answer

Anytime, videos with faces are more welcoming and more interesting.  If needed I will always put on my camera and show my face even while showing a process or explaining a document. Even for creating video SOP I'll prefer to add my face to make it more engaging.

By the way, liked your product Canvid. :)

Kostya Bolshukhin · Answer

I feel much more comfortable on live events than on video. Started experimenting with talking head format.

It's cool as helps building a little connection and recognition between you and a reader at, say, Linkedin.

I do faceless mostly for demo or product announcements staff

Answer

I started creating faceless videos because I was shy in front of the camera, but I've found it to be a great way to connect with a global audience

Answer

Showing your face in videos can build trust and create a personal connection with your audience. It humanizes your brand and can lead to higher engagement rates.

Simona O'Neill · Answer

@asaayushii Good for you! Well done for stepping out of your comfort zone :-)

Simona O'Neill · Answer

@amit_arora Excllent! Glad that you checked it out 🤗

Simona O'Neill · Answer

@busmark_w_nika I think that it certainly does depend on the type of content. And yes, good story telling skills and the script does make a huge difference. Making faceless videos is certainly less straining as you don't need to worry about your appearance or messing up. But showing your face does make you more relatable and adds that human realness :-)

Gurkaran Singh · Answer

Oh, I'm like a mystery box in my videos - no peeking at my face! It's like content creation hide and seek, keeps things exciting! How about you, are you a face-first or a faceless content creator?

QING LI · Answer

I create content for YouTube and have experimented with both talking head and faceless videos. Here’s my take:

Talking Head Videos:

Pros: Build a personal connection with the audience, enhance trust and relatability.
Cons: Require more effort in terms of presentation and setup.
Faceless Videos:

Pros: Easier to produce, focus purely on content, and can be more creative with visuals.
Cons: Might miss out on the personal touch and engagement that comes with showing your face.
Personally, I think both have their place depending on the content and audience. I mix both styles to keep things fresh and cater to different viewer preferences.

Looking forward to hearing more thoughts on this!

Answer

I think talking heads are a great way to build a connection and trust with your audience - you start putting a face to the name, and voice - it's just awkward - and it also really depend on the type of video you want to create. What is the goal? For a tutorial with screen recording you want to keep it dynamic. I saw what Canvid does and it's a great way to keep the audience interested. However, adding a face will often create the extra layer of trust / recognition. We're building Shuffll to complement this - and to help people record themselves for b2b

Aayushi Singh · Answer

I don't want to but nowadays i am trying to break that barrier as facial expression play an imp role in delivering effective message.

Do you show your face in the videos?

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