6 Tips to Create Better Videos for Social Media

A woman sits at a table filming herself on a smartphone. The phone is attached horizontally to a tripod on the table. Also on the table in front of her is a cafe latte, and to one side is an open laptop computer. Behind her are some empty chairs and glass doors with thick wooden frames.

If you want to grow your audience online, start creating videos for social media.

Why? Because video is such a powerful way to connect with your audience. They get to see you and hear your voice, allowing them to feel like they know you on a deeper level. And as we all know, that’s the first step in building the important Know, Like, and Trust Factor.

Video is also great for boosting exposure and engagement, which is something all of us want in these days of ever-changing algorithms. But if you haven’t taken video content seriously, you might be wondering where to begin. Let me help with that!

6 Tips to Create Better Videos for Social Media

Before you dive head first into creating all sorts of videos for social media, there are a few tips you’ll want to keep in mind. These six tips will help you produce quality content that resonates with your target audience every time.

1. Have a Clear Purpose in Mind Before Creating

Filming videos for social media is going to require some time and effort on your part. So, you want to make sure these videos are actually serving you by helping you get closer to your end goal in business. Consider what you’re working towards and how video can help you get there.

Are you wanting to simply generate more brand awareness? If so, you may want to film some behind-the-scenes content so people can get to know you better. Are you trying to boost your conversion rate by landing more email subscribers or paying customers? You’ll want to film videos that talk about the transformation your product/service delivers. When you know what your goals are, you can create videos on topics that will get you those desired results.

2. Consider the Platform You’re Filming For

We all want to work smarter, not harder. So, if you’re filming a video that’s going to be used across multiple platforms, you’ll need to keep in mind that each platform has preferred specs. This way, you’ll be able to accommodate what each one requires, as opposed to filming the same video multiple times. Not productive!

Video Specs for the Top Platforms

  • Twitter: Videos can be shared in square (720 x 720 resolution), landscape (1280 x 720 resolution), or portrait mode (720 x 1280 resolution). The maximum file size for a video is 512MB and the length can only be up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
  • Facebook: Recommended video dimensions for both landscape and portrait feed posts are 1280 x 720. The maximum file size when uploading directly in Facebook is 4GB. And your videos can be up to 240 minutes in length.
  • Instagram: Due to its different available formats for video content, you can choose to share square, landscape, or portrait videos on the platform. Videos in the feed (square format) have a minimum resolution of 1080 x 1080 and the max file size you can upload is 4GB. These videos can be up to a minute long. Reels prefers the 1080 x 1080 resolution as well, but videos can only be up to one minute in length. For IGTV, the recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920 and you can upload videos that are up to one hour long using the desktop website.

On another note, TikTok and Instagram Reels are pretty popular content formats these days. It’s understandable that you may want to create a video that can be posted to both. If you do, make sure you film in your camera app or use a tool to remove the watermarks. Instagram won’t promote videos that have a TikTok watermark on it.

3. Work With the Equipment You Have and Upgrade Later

You cannot let a lack of fancy equipment stop you from creating videos for social media. These days, our smartphones have pretty amazing cameras that produce high-quality visuals. There’s nothing wrong with using them to film our content! At the end of the day, the message you’re sharing is really the most important aspect of your videos.

Once you’ve decided that video is going to be a crucial part of your content strategy moving forward, you may want to invest in better stuff. In this case, consider purchasing a quality camera, a microphone, and a ring light. They’ll definitely take your videos up a notch, but again, it’s not necessary when you’re just getting started.

P.S. I have a page dedicated to my favorite recording equipment. Check that out if you’re looking to upgrade!

4. Stick to Short and Sweet Videos

Listen, we’re busy people. We don’t always have time to sit down and watch lengthy videos for social media platforms. Instead, we want to get the information we seek in the fastest way possible. That’s why you should keep your videos on the shorter side by getting straight to the point you’ve shown up to make. This way, people will be more inclined to watch the entire video without clicking off before it’s over. And as a bonus, your watch time will increase too.

The Animoto blog offered some helpful tips on getting the right length with your videos.

5. Grab Attention in the First Few Seconds

There’s a lot for us to check out on social media. If a video doesn’t peak our interest in the very beginning, we’ll be on to something else. Just think about how quickly you’re probably swiping through that TikTok For Your Page! You don’t want your videos to be the ones that people exit immediately because they’ve lost interest or gotten bored.

Make those first few seconds of your video the most captivating by using a powerful hook that will leave people wanting more. Oftentimes, a good way to start off a video is with a question you know would provoke an emotional response in your target audience.

6. Make Sure All Content is Accessible With Captions

With more platforms adding auto-generated captions, there’s no reason not to have accessible video content these days. We need to keep in mind that there may be deaf or hard of hearing people in our audience. They wouldn’t be able to enjoy the videos we’ve worked so hard to create if they didn’t have captions. Plus, sometimes people just watch videos with the sound off. Be mindful of their needs and preferences by taking the time to add and edit captions.