Short-form videos are everywhere
If you’re using short-form video content to promote your brand, you’re putting yourself in the lineup for more user engagement and audience retention. Trends show that short-form video content is most engaging and compelling to audiences. According to HubSpot, marketers report that video-centric social media platforms are the most effective and offer the best ROI. TikTok videos have the highest average views, followed by Instagram and then Facebook. YouTube shorts come last. This 2024 Short-Form Video Study from Metricool analyzed 3 million+ videos across platforms and shows that the first three seconds of any video are the most important for user retention. It comes down to how you edit the video! I’m mapping out all the main ingredients of video content creation so you can DIY it, or learn about my process.
For simple edits, I use CapCut. For more in-depth edits, I use DaVinci Resolve
Both have free options! CapCut is available on mobile and desktop. It allows you to edit virtually any video content, from full YouTube videos, to short-form videos, to Ads, and everything in between. You can upgrade to Pro+ for more advanced editing and design features. But I’ve found that the free version has plenty of tools to create quality videos! It can also be time-saving, compared to editing reels in the native Instagram/TikTok apps.
If you’re adding text on-screen, here are some go-to CapCut fonts that look very similar to the ones in Instagram:
Tangerine
Futura
Reeniebeanie
Plunct
Rammetto One
Playfair Display
Poppins
Punctual
DaVinci Resolve is a higher-level video editing software that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics AND audio post-production. It’s more comparable to nonlinear editing software like Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro. The layout was very nostalgic for me, bringing me back to my news reporting days. And yes, there’s a free version! It’s easy to learn, yet still reliable for professionals. Fun fact: it’s known to be used by Hollywood professionals!
Trending sounds can help with reach
A trending song on Instagram is when multiple users are using one sound and it begins to explode in popularity. Using these trending sounds increases your likelihood of being seen by a wider audience or being shared by new people. But how do you go about finding these trending sounds like this one, this one and this one?? You can scroll reels on TikTok and Instagram to get inspired, but here are some time-saving methods I prefer:
The Creators Instagram account has a plethora of information regarding Instagram lives, trending songs recommended by creators who are very in tune with the everchanging trends on the app. I’ve also bookmarked this page and this page from Metricool, where they provide weekly updates of trending audios on Instagram and TikTok.
How often should I post reels?
This is a frequently asked question! According to the Metricool study, huge accounts (those with more than 50,000 followers) are the ones that maintain the highest posting frequency, across all analyzed platforms. Larger accounts strive to maintain high engagement by publishing short-form video content almost daily. So yes, maintaining a higher posting frequency is necessary to grow. But it’s about finding a balance between quality and quantity. The more content you post, the more likely you’ll start growing and the more your community will get to know you — which in turn builds trust and gives them a reason to engage with your content. You’ll also get better at content creation, which will help you see what types of content resonate more with the audience you’re building. According to this study from Later, it also depends on how large your following is:
Make it stand out
Nano accounts (0-10K followers) post an average of 2 feed posts per week
Micro accounts (10K-100K followers) post an average of 3 feed posts per week
Mid accounts (100K-500K followers) post an average of 5 feed posts per week
As your following grows, so should your post frequency!
Be mindful of Instagram’s Copyright rule
Instagram can remove audio or clips of audio from your content if it detects a potential licensing violation. They can also block content or delete content if they believe that you have infringed their copyright rule. If you feel a trending audio isn’t necessarily what you’re going for, you can use royalty-free music from CapCut, Uppbeat.io, Pixabay.com or the Meta Sound Collection that fits the vibe. The Meta Sound Collection is an audio library of sound effects and music that you can download for your videos. Anyone can access it at NO COST from a desktop. Select your favorite sound, download to your computer, then upload to your preferred editing software!
Not everyone is skilled in, nor has the time for video editing, much less content ideation
I offer promotional reels for social media, using my video production + storytelling skills from my TV news days! Here are 2 recent reels I shot on an iPhone 14 Pro:
So do you feel empowered to give video content creation a try? I’d love to know! Sometimes it makes more sense for a business owner to offload this task to their very own social media manager. Send me a message if this is you.
