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Instagram rocked the Insta-World recently when they announced the direction of the platform was changing and they would be focusing their efforts on video content going forward. While many took this to mean “No more photos” on the app, it really means “Time to get using videos” on the app. Of course, there are still going to be photos in the newsfeed, but Instagram has made it very clear, video is the way forward.
While this may seem intimidating to someone who hasn’t started making video content yet, even someone with rudimentary technical knowledge is capable of producing sleek and cool-looking videos, I promise. If you want to create better videos and find better traction with your audience, try these video editing tips:
Aim for Funny & Entertaining
There are no hard and fast rules for creating funny and entertaining video content–just look at TikTok and you’ll see a wide variety of content that’s considered entertaining. You need to aim for catchy visuals that sustain the interest of an audience. One way of doing this is to play with the available design elements and transitions your video editor offers.
You might also be able to add the occasional graphic sticker or sound element to add a bit of humour. Use special effects, texts, transitions, and so on to create a video product that brings in the fun element and keeps the audience entertained when you showcase your personality and add an honest dose of creativity in your videos.
With the multitude of video editors available in the market, it has become much easier for small businesses to create videos with branding and fun effects. And you can even use a variety of apps on your phone or something like Instagram Reels or TikTok to make the process easier and more spontaneous.
Make Your Video Compatible
Find out which formats are best for where you’re uploading the video. Most screens today happen to be square and vertical, and the videos need to be compatible with that orientation. Incidentally, square videos look good on most newsfeeds (except YouTube), especially when viewed on mobile devices. If you know you want to create a square video, there is likely a setting on your mobile phone or camera to capture the footage in square format, but there are also many video editing apps that can resize your video and crop it to square afterwards.
Enhance the Visual Factor
It is the visual appeal of the video that determines the reach and acceptance of the audience. In most cases, it’s the visuals, the action on-screen, that will attract an audience and keep people watching. One way of knowing the visual impact of a video is to edit the videos on mute. Can you tell what’s going on without the voiceover?
It’s also important to add captions to all your videos. Not only is this good practice for accessibility in your social media, but many people will watch your video on mute and read the captions. Some platforms will auto-add captions for you now, but if your account hasn’t received that function yet, or you want more control over the look of the captions, check out some third-party video editors.
Optimize the Video Length for the Platform
The length of the video is ultimately determined by where you are planning to upload it. If it’s a great video, you’ll want to create multiple versions of it unique to each of the networks you use:
- Instagram: The newsfeed allows a maximum of 60 seconds, Reels are currently 60 seconds. Stories are uploaded in clips of 15 seconds each, but you can string them together for a much longer video. IGTV can house videos 30-60 minutes, like episodic TV shows.
- Twitter: The audience’s attention span on Twitter is quite low, and they prefer their videos to be not more than 45 seconds long.
- Facebook: The Facebook algorithm still prioritizes videos and we now have a variety of formats available, like Instagram. Newsfeed videos should be one to two minutes. Live videos should be 10-20 minutes as long as you’re giving value, longer if it’s a planned, educational session. Facebook TV is similar to IGTV and can showcase longer, episodic videos.
- YouTube: The audience on the platform is geared for longer videos and anticipates videos that are anywhere between 2 minutes to 1 hour.
- TikTok, Reels, Facebook Short Videos and YouTube Shorts can range from as little as seven seconds long to three minutes (on most TikTok accounts).
Ultimately, it is all about creating content that clicks with your audience, enabling you to create a personal brand that can be leveraged in the best possible manner. While these video editing tips might help edit your videos into the right formats and lengths, it’s important to be authentic. Just because there are all kinds of cool, flashy features available doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use them. Do what’s right for the content and context.
