VSLs should be filmed horizontally. 16:9. But if you already shot it vertical.. there’s a clean workaround. Drop the video into CapCut. Drag the clip onto the timeline. Find the Ratio button and select 16:9. Resize the video so it fills as much of the frame as possible without cutting off your head. Now click on the video again and find the Canvas setting. Turn it on. Choose Blur. This adds blurred bars on the sides and instantly makes the video feel intentional. Now you’ve got a horizontal video that actually looks good. While you’re there.. add captions. Drop in some light background music. Done. No reshoots. No excuses. Ship it! 🚀 - James

This was from a private training I did with my Inner Circle a few years ago. The video and training never was seen after that by anyone, and I found it this week and thought that it would benefit a lot of you who are struggling to figure out how to design yourself as a character. Stephanie Dove Blake was on the original training, and afterwards dropped her takeaways (which are a pretty amazing summary of the video) - so here you go! ==== SO many incredible golden nuggets in this @Russell Brunson! Thank you! 👏 I thought I’d share my takeaways… 👉 The value of education & info you provide will keep a customer for a few years… but the value a relationship with YOU will keep a customer for LIFE. 👉 The majority of ones expertise is disseminated in the first year of a customer’s entry into your world…you can’t keep dispensing brand NEW info for the rest of your life… train on one thing in many ways. 👉 Business isn’t about core info - it’s about characters. 👉 We’re not in the info business, we’re in the RELATIONSHIP business. 👉 Those who WIN at business realize that: Your business isn’t the products you create — your business is your HERD/TRIBE/PEOPLE. They are the only business ASSET. 👉 Know your market and make sure you have “Message to Market Match” 🤩 Good, Fan-worthy Characters: 😍 - Can’t be boring - Have an origin story - Have a back story (what they did before) - Have parables  - Have experienced miracles - Have “insider” language  - Have a measure of likability  - They do likable things. (This is why comics aren’t about the villains.) - Are good at what they do - Have overcome adversity  - Are emotionally complex - Experience substantial change - Show their flaws - Have a position - Have a philosophy  - Shows courage that others want to emulate - Share their likes/dislikes - Share their failures as well as their failures - Share their beliefs - Share their pathological behaviors  - Share their incompetencies - Share their religion/belief system - Share their significant life events - Share their envy/desire