8 Tips to Make Your Videos Look Insanely Better
Video content is the most well-received form of content across almost all social media platforms. That doesn’t mean you can just throw any video up on your profile or business page and expect to get amazing results, though. Below, we’ve outlined our 8 tips to make your video content stand out from the crowd.
Location, Location, Location
The number one thing you can do to drastically improve your video content is to pick the proper location. Your ideal location has plenty of natural lighting, a clean background, and is quiet.
If you can’t find a location that hits all those marks, the biggest is a quiet location. You can use artificial light to enhance your videos, and you can always tidy up an area or zoom in to see less of your background, but there’s only so much you can do with audio.
Don’t Wing It...Have a Plan
One of the biggest setbacks in video production is going into a filming session with no plan. There is a time and place to wing it...your videos are not that place.
There are a few questions you want to ask yourself while planning your video:
What’s my subject?
What is the subject of your video? What is your theme? This is the topic you will cover in the video.
What’s my purpose?
Are you solving a problem, giving advice, entertaining? What are you hoping to accomplish with this video? Is it educational, or will you have a call-to-action? Having your purpose in mind makes the entire process much smoother.
Who’s my target audience?
Who is this video intended for? Make sure you’re using the right words and tone. If your video is meant for people in a certain field, you’ll want to use terms that are common for that industry. If your video is intended for clients, you’ll want to use terms that are easy for someone not in your industry to understand.
What platform will I be sharing this on?
Different social platforms have different recommended sizes, lengths, and formats. For Instagram, you’ll want your video 60 seconds or less (unless you plan to go to IGTV). For Facebook, you may want to consider the length of your video to avoid ads.
Once you’ve answered these questions, WRITE A SCRIPT. You may think you don’t need one, but I promise you, you’ll want to save yourself the headache and do the prep work. It doesn’t have to be a full script. Keynotes and talking points are perfectly fine, but make sure you’ve got a plan going in.
Use the Right Gear
Last week we shared a post on what gear we recommend when filming your own videos. I highly recommend checking it out if you’re looking to step up your production game. However, you don’t have to spend a small fortune to record great content. Using your phone works just as well, as long as you know how to do it.
Always, and I mean ALWAYS, use the back camera of your phone for professional videos. If you’re recording a quick, 10-second chat or call-to-action for your story or a quick post, the selfie cam can work fine. However, if you’re recording more professional videos, USE YOUR BACK CAMERA. The quality is so much better.
For lighting, if you can find natural lighting, always use that option. If you don’t have natural lighting, try to find neutral artificial lighting or invest in a few lights. I don’t recommend using your camera flash, as this can be too harsh for most situations. You’ll also want to avoid sitting in front of bright light sources, as this will highlight behind you and can darken your footage to an unusable point.
Example of a backlit photo. Never have your back to the light source!
Make sure you’re not neglecting your audio, either! We have some great audio gear on our RECOMMENDED GEAR LIST, but you can always use headphones or AirPods with a mic as well. Your goal is to have crisp, clear audio with little or no background noise.
Understanding Composition
The composition can really set your video apart. A great tool for nailing your composition is the rule of thirds. In the example below, you can see a grid over a photo that demonstrates the rule of thirds.
Example of rule of thirds
The idea is to place the points of interest on the intersections or along the lines so that your video appears more balanced. This balance allows a viewer to see the scene more naturally and is a subtle but effective tool to use. If you’re using your cellphone to record, you can add a grid to your camera to aid in setting up your shot. We’ve linked a video walk-through of how to do this above.
Try to use landscape over portrait whenever possible. Portrait mode has its time and place but is typically a no-go for professional videos. Usually, it results in black bars on the sides of your video, which can be distracting, and take away from your video.
Lastly, check your focus! Nothing ruins a great piece of visual content like a lack of focus.
Work on Your Presence
If you’re not used to being on camera, filming can be a little nerve-wracking. Looking nervous, fidgety, or uncomfortable will show on camera. The best way to avoid this is to practice and watch your videos back. The more you’re on camera, the more comfortable you will be.
You’ll also want to remember to smile. This seems silly to say, but if you’re focusing too much on what to or not to say, you’ll find yourself forgetting to smile and you’ll look awkward on camera. You’ll want to slow down your speaking if you’re a fast talker and try to avoid using those filler words such as um, uh, like, you know, and all those words we use without thinking. A good way to help with this is, again, to watch your videos back and see where you could improve.
Record Multiple Takes!
Make sure you do multiple takes of your video. You can choose the best take, or if you’re comfortable with video editing, you can cut between multiple takes to get the perfect video. You can also try a few different angles and different verbiage in these takes, to see what feels right to you.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Good Editing
Good editing can help just about any video. Keep your editing simple, especially at first as you’re building your skills. You should consider adding background music or transitions to your videos as well. While you shouldn’t go crazy with it, used properly these things can add to your video. Once you’re comfortable with editing, you should also consider going in and cutting out long pauses or breaks in the audio.
Post + Market
You’ve planned your video, recorded it, and edited it. So what’s next? It’s time to post and market your videos!
Make sure you’re formatting your videos for your specific platform. This could be the 1:1 ratio for Instagram or ensuring you’ve got the right length to avoid ads on Facebook. Once they’re formatted, upload these videos to your channels. You’ll also want to learn the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) to ensure you’re writing great descriptions, picking the best keywords, and tagging your videos properly.
Once you’re published, make sure you’re interacting with your audience. If someone comments on your videos, respond to them. Answer any questions that come up. Most of all, be consistent. Start by posting videos once a month or bi-weekly, and slowly start posting more frequently as you get into a sustainable rhythm.
Remember, content is king, but consistency is queen.
We hope this helps as you continue to improve your content quality. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, or if you have any tips to help out other creators, let us know in the comments or on social media!