Hi Cashflow Creators, This week I’ve been working on an incoming lead video: a short clip showing the benefits of advertising on my channel, Withington TV. You might wonder why media outlets spend money advertising their own advertising. - They’re selling results, not space - businesses don’t buy a newspaper or a TV slot just for the paper or screen. They buy customers, leads, and footfall. - They need to prove it works - a small ad showing why advertising with them drives results builds trust and urgency. - It creates incoming leads - businesses see the ad, realise the potential, and are motivated to take action. It’s the same principle I’m using on Withington TV. My video is short, sharp, and designed to generate immediate interest and enquiries. Just like the big media outlets, I’m showing why working with me is the fastest way to attract customers. If you want to see the impact of incoming lead content in action, this is exactly how it works. How will you advertise your local video services?

Good morning new members @Xzondria Williams and @Veronica Edwards. Thank you so much for joining Local Creator Cashflow. We're working together to create local 'TV' in our home towns. I'm working through the course together with us all in real time, and already the results are wonderful. Tell us more about what you'd like to learn. Do you have any experience with vlogging?

Another brilliant week of building the absolute foundations of a vlog channel in my local town. I’m starting with relationships, not revenue. So far, I’ve introduced myself to the regeneration lead and made a short film about upgrades to the local square. He was immensely flattered. When you spotlight someone’s work in a positive, professional way, you instantly move from “random creator” to valuable ally. I’ve also contacted the local civic society. They champion improvements across the area and I’ve been invited to their AGM next week. I’ve offered to create a short film about their work too. Now, on the surface, it might look like I’m handing out freebies. I’m not. These “civic interest” videos are strategic assets. They help you: - Build credibility - Grow local audience trust - Get known by decision makers - Create a visible portfolio of impact Once you start becoming known as a champion of your town, doors open. You get introduced to councillors, business owners, community organisers, event planners. The people who shape what happens locally. And when they already trust you, you’re no longer pitching from cold. You’re being welcomed in. This is how you position yourself as the go to local storyteller. And yes, offering a few strategic free projects at the start can be powerful. Not forever. Not endlessly. But enough to: - Get on the radar - Build proof - Create social validation - Show what you’re capable of Free is expensive if it’s random. Free is powerful if it’s intentional. Foundations first. Monetisation second. That’s how we build something that lasts, and that's how we open the door to paid videography projects. Here's a very short clip I made on Canva to low-key announce my arrival. I've posted it on the local Facebook group that has 14k followers. Feel free to copy and use.

My local video project is starting to take off. My short film about upgrades to the town centre is on 1.5k views! I have dozens of new followers on my Facebook page. I've impressed the regen lead, and now I'm on the radar of the local Civic Society, see their enthusiastic email attached. Plus, I've had my first incoming lead - a local band want me to film their comeback after 30 years! Even though the Civic Society probably won’t pay, this is exactly the kind of opportunity that can open doors. They’re connected to local councillors, business owners, heritage groups, and community leaders: all people who notice quality work and have influence. By offering one strong free video, I get on their radar, demonstrate my skills, and start building a portfolio of high-value local content. This kind of strategic freebie is not wasted effort - it’s an investment in visibility, credibility, and future paid work. Once people see the results, it’s much easier to move from free to commissioned projects. In short, one well-targeted free video can pay off in opportunities, connections, and social proof far beyond its initial effort. For me, this sure beats sitting home alone churning out videos to battle a cold, unfeeling algorithm on YouTube or TikTok. It gets me out of the house, meeting interesting people, and getting recognised in my home town, which is where the commissions will start to come from. Is this something you feel you could do too? Let me know!

My first ever documentary is LIVE! Filmed on an old but brilliant iPhone 12 Pro, and edited on iMovie. As you may know, I'm working through the Local Creator Cashflow course alongside you, making myself 'famous' in my hometown first, and building up from there. I've done it in several areas before, but not in my new Manchester location. My usual method is to make short funky reels, which require very little narrative structure. Quick to bang out, but about as mentally nutritious as a Big Mac and fries. The film is only five minutes long, but it took me three weeks to conceptualise, film, edit, voiceover, finesse and upload. Here's how I did it: 1) Found a topic of public interest that I could film for free. In this case, it was upgrades to a local square that was originally a cluttered, anonymous street corner. 2) Found an angle. The square was named after a nuclear pioneer, Ernest Rutherford, so the film is about him, and all of the interesting upgrades to the area. This took some serious thinking and re-editing. 3) Went out filming on a sunny day. ALWAYS try to film in the sunshine - I've noticed videos get many more views with blue skies, sharp shadows and bright light. 4) Spent days hunched over my desk putting it together. I'm trying to emulate BBC documentary style here, with concept, pacing, voiceover, sound design, shots, etc. 5) Completed thumbnails, artwork, description, hashtags...and eventually managed to upload it, after some fraught rendering. Over an hour to save a five minute piece? I really need a new laptop. 6) Uploaded it to my Youtube and my new Facebook page, Withington TV. I highly recommend setting up a Facebook page for your local videos, and naming it TOWN/ AREA TV by the way. Even if you're not a proper TV station, it generates interest and makes you look official. I used Canva for my artwork and logo design. 6) Once it was live, I tagged in relevant venues and organisations. As it happened, while I was co-working, I met the lead responsible for the town's regeneration. A tremendous stroke of luck! He provided me with archive images and quotes, and even watched the full film when I asked him to 'proof' it.