Tips for Creating Effective Social Media Videos
Produce your content with the edit in mind
If doing interviews, take time before the shoot to prepare the right questions for the soundbites you need. Get plenty of extra footage, with multiple cameras while on location. Cut interviews using both views so that you can splice audio and keep only the most relevant audio segments of your interviews.
Be concise
Don’t take 3 minutes to say what you could in 90 seconds. With the exception of Youtube, where it may be appropriate to post a longer video, try to keep social videos between 10 and 60 seconds long.
Take the time to prepare your subject
Spend a few minutes before you shoot to brief your subjects on what to expect. Letting them know you plan to edit out “ums” and mistakes can make them more comfortable speaking.
Light the subject, not the camera
Situate the subject so that the light source is behind the camera, not in front of the lens. (Don’t place your subject in front of a window or presentation screen!)
Zoom in with your feet
Get close to your subject to fill your video frame. With children, it helps to get on their level.
Consider platform placement and target audience
Marshall McLuhan famously said, “the media is the message.” For social media videos, think about your audience and what their relationship is to a specific platform. For example, videos on Facebook are excellent for reaching school parents. Instagram reels and stories reach younger parents and students. On TikTok, you’ll find an almost exclusively student audience.
This video is a great example of the following best practices:
Produce your content with the edit in mind
Take the time to prepare your subject
Light the subject, not the camera
This video is a great example of the following best practices:
Be concise
Zoom in with your feet
Consider platform placement and target audience
Guide to Social Media Platforms
YouTube:
YouTube is replacing Facebook as the most popular social media network, with roughly 2.3 billion active users and a significantly faster growth rate. Furthermore, YouTube is the most popular social networking site among 18-29-year-olds, indicating that it will not disappear anytime soon. According to a recent report, YouTube’s user base grew steadily from 73% of adults in 2019 to 81% in 2021.
Facebook:
Facebook was the most popular social media site in 2021 with 2.9 billion active users. The largest user base is males 25-34 years old (19%) with males 18-24 (15%) coming in second. Females 24-35 make up the third largest demographic (13%). The myth that Facebook is just for old people doesn’t really stand up to the true statistics, but it is the go-to platform to reach parents and older adults.
TikTok:
In 2021, TikTok was used by 21% of Americans and had over 1 billion users worldwide. Younger people make up the majority with TikTok’s share at 48% among 18 to 29-year-olds. If you want to reach a younger audience then TikTok is your #1 choice.
Instagram:
Instagram has 1.4 billion users. Statistics from 2021 show that videos receive double the comments compared to the images posted. Instagram offers video content using IGTV, Instagram Stories, Reels, and usual video posts. 25-34 year olds make up the majority of IG users (31%) with 18-24 coming in second at 31%.
Twitter:
We certainly understand that Twitter doesn’t work for all school district audiences, but according to Sprout Social, tweets with video get up to 10 times more engagement than tweets without. In 2021 Twitter had a user base of around 450 million active users.
YouTube
Optimal Format:
Horz – 1920×1080
Max Length:
12 hours
Max File Size:
256GB
Optimal Format:
Square – 1080×1080
Vert – 1350×1080
Max Length:
<10 min.
Max File Size:
650MB for <10 min.
3.6GB >60 min.
IG Reels & Stories
Optimal Format:
Vert – 1080×1920
Max Length:
<60 Sec. (Reels)
<15 Sec. (Stories)
Max File Size:
4GB
Optimal Format:
Horz – 1920×1080
Max Length:
<240 min.
Max File Size:
10GB
TikTok
Optimal Format:
Vert – 1080×1920
Max Length:
<10 min
Max File Size:
72MB
Optimal Format:
Square – 1080×1080
Max Length:
<2 min. 20 sec.
Max File Size:
512MB
Looking for more video ideas?
View more examples in our portfolio.
