Fix Your Eyeline! - Simple Improvements for Better Eye Contact When Recording
Daniel Litwin shares practical fixes for holding your eyeline on camera, from the sticky note trick to teleprompter tools. Better eye contact starts with one small habit change.
Transcript
Hey. What's going on, folks? It's Daniel Litwin, voice of b two b, and I've got some quick tips on how to level up your video with a very simple fix, your eyeline. Eyeline, staring into the camera and really just sort of acknowledging where do my eyes land as I'm recording my content, this is a very simple but effective way to present with more confidence when you're going to record content. What I see often is people's eye line drifting down to watching themselves on screen the entire time. Right? Or having a script on another monitor, and you're trying to play coy, and you're doing this half the time where your eyes are just going trying to, like, read the script, but, you know, pretending like your audience can't see your eyes darting across the screen. These don't present with a lot of confidence. Right? And if you can find ways to train yourself and build the habit to look into your camera lens when you're going to record, it's gonna do a lot to elevate your video and make you present again with more confidence. So let me give you some basic tips on how to begin approaching this, right? It's not that complicated, but there are some best practices. So again, make sure your eyes are finding the lens, not the screen. One of the biggest things we see is people watching themselves in the preview window when they are recording. I do it often. Right? My eyes will just kinda lock in on me. Hello, me. Rather than centering back on the camera lens. Right? It's okay if your eyes drift. It's not to say that if your eyes drift even once, you know, oh, this is now a terrible piece of content. No. Definitely not that. Rather, it's to say, remember where your anchor point is. Your anchor point is the lens, not your display and definitely not a script or something on another monitor. Right? If you're slightly looking off screen the entire video, it's gonna read as distracted or disengaged. So make sure you identify where's the actual pinpoint lens of my webcam. If you're on a laptop, it's gonna be that little dot, right, in the kind of top part of your webcam or your laptop screen. If you've got an external webcam, it's obviously pretty clear where the lens is. Right? Now how do you break the habit of your eyes going back to you and watching you? Well, try the simple trick of putting a sticky note literally on your screen and covering yourself when you're going to record. It might seem a little, I don't know, archaic. Right? But it is an effective way to get your eyes away from going back to what's comfortable, which is that mirror like, you know, dynamic of staring at yourself while you're going to record, and it's gonna keep you less distracted. Right? It's a reminder to get your eyes back to the lens. Now my pro tip is to also try to use the teleprompter screen in MarketScale Studio to help keep your eye line closer to the lens. Right? This isn't one hundred percent perfect because, again, the teleprompter let's see. Let's open this up. Right? The teleprompter sits, you know, not literally on your webcam. But if it's even close to the top of your window and you use this as an environment to type out your script or to put bullet points, this can now act as a quick reference point that gives you confidence, but also that reminds you, look at the camera. Right? This is better than it being, you know, all the way down here or something where you're looking like this, or imagine this being on a totally different screen where it's like I'm having to kinda dart my eyes over to look at a script half the time. Again, your eyes can wander, but try your best to get this teleprompter window as close to your camera lens as possible, and then let your eyes naturally drift back to the comments, naturally drift back to, you know, your notes, that's totally fine as long as you lock back into the camera too. Right? Okay. Now last thing is make sure that you hold that gaze into the camera both three full seconds before hitting record or at least three full seconds before beginning your talking points, and then also hold that stare, even though it's a little awkward, when you're done speaking. Right? So, okay, signing off. Daniel Litwin. See you next time. That was an intentional long pause. Right? That's kind of the vibe you need to give when you're wrapping up your video. Main reason being it gives you padding on editing, and it helps when you're wrapping up that final shot. It doesn't go, okay. Thanks so much, guys. It was, you know, great doing this video. See you next time. Right? Your eyes immediately drift back to you or drift back to the stop button. Hold that gaze. That's a really good way to open and close with confidence. So my call to action here, folks, is before your next recording session, try some of these tips. Cover yourself on screen, minimize the window, use the teleprompter view to cover yourself and to kind of get your notes a little closer to the webcam, and practice keeping your eyeline here rather than drifting back to you or to your notes. It's gonna be tough the first few times, but I promise, if you can master this, you are going to see your content present with more confidence, and you're gonna feel better about the stuff you're producing. Alright. Those are my tips, folks, on fixing your eyeline and leveling up your recordings. Good luck out there.
Overview
In this 5-minute training, MarketScale host Daniel Litwin breaks down why maintaining consistent eye contact with the camera lens is one of the most impactful habits a presenter can build. The video covers three practical techniques — the sticky note method, the teleprompter view inside MarketScale Studio, and a deliberate open-and-close gaze — that help speakers appear more confident, connected, and credible on screen. Each tip is designed to be immediately actionable, regardless of your current experience level on camera.
What Is This?
Eyeline, in the context of on-camera performance, refers to the direction a speaker's gaze travels while recording — specifically whether that gaze is directed into the lens rather than at a screen, notes, or elsewhere in the frame. Consistent lens contact is the on-camera equivalent of making eye contact with another person and is essential for projecting confidence and building viewer trust.
What You'll Learn
- Understand why looking into the camera lens — not your screen — creates genuine connection with viewers
- Apply the sticky note trick to redirect your gaze toward the lens during any recording setup
- Use MarketScale Studio's teleprompter view to keep your script and your eyeline aligned
- Open and close every recording with a held, deliberate gaze to anchor your presentation
- Recognize the common mistakes that break eye contact and how to self-correct in the moment
- Build a consistent pre-recording checklist that prioritizes eyeline before hitting record
Key Insights
- Eye contact with the lens is the single fastest way to make a recorded video feel like a direct conversation rather than a broadcast
- The sticky note trick works because it gives your eyes a physical target at lens height, removing the instinct to look at your own image on screen
- Opening and closing with a held gaze signals confidence to viewers and gives editors clean entry and exit points in post-production
- MarketScale Studio's teleprompter view solves the classic tension between reading from a script and maintaining natural eye contact
Deep Dive
Most presenters who struggle on camera share one common habit: they watch themselves instead of speaking to their audience. When your eyes drift to your own image on screen, viewers immediately sense the disconnect, even if they cannot articulate why the video feels less engaging. Correcting this single behavior can transform the perceived quality of a recording without changing anything else about your delivery.
The sticky note technique is the simplest entry point for building better eyeline habits. By placing a small note — or even just an arrow drawn on a piece of tape — directly beside or below your camera lens, you give your eyes a clear, physical anchor at the correct height. Over time, this external cue trains your gaze to return to the lens naturally, even without the visual reminder.
For presenters who rely on scripts or talking points, MarketScale Studio's teleprompter view removes the familiar trade-off between reading accurately and looking into the camera. Because the text is positioned close to the lens, your eyes remain near the correct target even when referencing your content. This is particularly useful for longer recordings, complex technical topics, or any situation where going off-script could compromise clarity.
Finally, the habit of opening and closing with a held gaze does more than polish your presentation style. It communicates intent and composure to your audience, signals a clean take to anyone editing the footage, and gives you a reliable ritual to settle into before you begin speaking. Even a two-second pause at lens level before your first word can shift the entire tone of a recording.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does looking at the camera lens matter so much in recorded video?
The lens is the viewer's point of connection — when your eyes meet it, the audience experiences something close to direct eye contact, which builds trust and attention. When your gaze drifts to your screen or elsewhere in the frame, viewers perceive a subtle but real loss of presence. Consistent lens contact is one of the most reliable signals of a confident, prepared presenter.
Can the sticky note trick work with any recording setup?
Yes — the sticky note method is device and platform agnostic, making it useful whether you are recording on a laptop, a dedicated webcam, or a professional camera. The key is placing the note as close to the lens as possible without blocking it, so your eyes are guided to roughly the right position. It takes less than thirty seconds to set up and produces noticeable results on the first recording.
How does MarketScale Studio's teleprompter view help with eyeline?
The teleprompter view positions your script text near the camera lens rather than in a separate window lower on your screen, which is where most presenters' eyes naturally fall when reading. Because the text and the lens occupy roughly the same visual space, you can reference your content without significantly breaking your eyeline. This makes scripted content feel far more natural and connected to the viewer.
Related Topics
Presenters who want to build on these eyeline fundamentals should also explore framing and camera height, since poor positioning can undermine even strong eye contact habits. Topics like vocal delivery, on-camera pacing, and how to structure a confident opening are also covered in the MarketScale on-camera performance training library. Together, these skills form a complete foundation for recording professional, engaging video content.
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