Looking Good on Camera (Even If You Feel Awkward)

Hello friends,

I’m excited to share the second-to-last chapter of my upcoming book with you. Hard to believe we’re already at Chapter 20 and just a few weeks away from finishing the manuscript.

This chapter is the tactical twin to Chapter 19. You don’t need a studio, a ring light wall, or a TikTok influencer kit. You just need to control the basics so your setup fades into the background and the spotlight stays where it belongs: on you.

Looking Good on Camera (Even if you feel awkward)

You can have the world’s best pitch, but if your internet cuts out, your face is in shadow, or your audio makes you sound like you’re talking through a tin can, the investor is going to focus on that and not your brilliance. Whether you’re recording a pitch video or meeting live over Zoom, you need to take charge of your setup.

Background: Keep It Simple

We’ve all been in online meetings where someone’s shoulders fade in and out of a virtual Golden Gate Bridge. It’s funny on a team happy hour (is it, though?), but distracting in a pitch. Investors should be focused on your face and your words, not trying to read the titles on the bookshelf behind you.

The safest bet is a clean, neutral background. Light gray, beige, off-white - it doesn’t have to be fancy. If you want to give a sense of your space, that’s fine, but don’t let it pull attention away from you. If your normal virtual meeting background is chaotic or messy, it might be best to move to a simpler space to record or present your pitch.

Appearance: You, Not Your Clothes

What you wear matters less than how clearly people can see you. Busy patterns and neon colors might look fine in person, but can strobe or blur on camera. A solid top in a color that pops against your background works best.

If you wear glasses, make sure the glare from your light or your screen doesn’t cover your pupils. This can not only be distracting, but it also prevents you from making any type of eye contact, which makes it harder for the investor to feel engaged by your presentation. If you can’t ditch the glasses, adjust your lighting or tilt your frames until the glare disappears. Unless jewelry is part of your pitch (you’re selling earrings?), skip anything noisy or reflective.

Camera: Eye Contact Without Going Cross-Eyed

Camera position can make a big difference! If your webcam points up your nose, you’re giving investors a front-row seat to your sinuses. Not ideal. Your camera should be at eye level or just above. Stack your laptop on books if you have to - it’s worth it. The wrong camera angle can create a sense of inexperience or unpreparedness, whereas being framed within the screen instantly elevates your sense of credibility and professionalism.  

Sit about an arm’s length away so your shoulders are in frame with some space around them. Center yourself, keep your eyes in the top third of the frame, and, this is the hard part, look at the camera, not at yourself. Stick a little dot next to your webcam as your “person” if you need a reminder.

Lighting: Bright Face, Darker Background

Good lighting is like good framing in photography: you don’t notice it when it’s done well, but you definitely notice when it’s not. If your face is shadowy or washed out, it’s distracting.

The rule is to keep light in front of you, not behind. Facing a window is perfect. If not, put a lamp or two in front of you. A $20 USB ring light is plenty if you want an upgrade. Avoid sitting with a bright window behind you unless your goal is to appear as a mysterious silhouette. If you look grainy, it means there isn’t enough light in the room.

How it’s Different for The Rest of Us

For The Rest of Us, video isn’t just about learning where to put the light or how high to stack your laptop on books. It’s about managing the extra weight we carry into every interaction. Maybe your “office” is your kitchen table. Maybe your accent makes you self-conscious. Maybe you’ve been told to tone yourself down, straighten your hair, or “look more professional” so investors will take you seriously.

Those “traditional” investors you’ve been trying to impress, the ones who can’t see past their own biases, were never going to write you a check anyway. You don’t need to twist yourself into knots trying to please them. That energy is better spent finding and activating the people whose eyes light up when they see and hear you talk about your business.

A pitch video helps you do exactly that. It’s a filter, not a performance, that lets the right people feel your conviction, your energy, and your clarity while allowing the wrong people to self-select out. That’s not rejection; that’s efficiency and respect for your own time.

So don’t chase perfection. Don’t chase approval from people who aren’t aligned with you. Focus on showing up with clarity, confidence, and authenticity. Your goal isn’t to convince everyone. Your goal is to connect with the investors who see you, believe in you, and want to go on this journey with you. Video - awkward, vulnerable, imperfect video - can be one of the most powerful ways to make that connection.

That’s it for now. Even though we’re just a couple of weeks away from finishing the beta reader process, we’re still accepting new readers. There are now over 130 in our group!

Join us, and you’ll be able to read the entire book before it comes out.

Become a Beta Reader

Happy pitching, happy building.

-Allison