Digital news video consumption is increasing in general and across all the dominant social media platforms. When videos published to social are designed specifically for the medium and by extension for mobile devices, they tend to perform better on measures of audience engagement. Though there are differences in best practices for each particular social channel, there are some basics that apply across the social landscape.
- Must work without sound. A huge percentage (85% or higher by some estimates) of social media video is watched with the sound off. This is likely a by-product of mobile viewing, which often takes place in public spaces. (This doesn’t mean that the audio is unimportant; however, the best videos will also include crystal clear and relevant sound.)
- Use subtitles. Without sound, you will need to communicate the information through text. Great copy-editing skills will come into play here as you try to boil the details of a story down to the essentials. This includes the sound bites you use – many videos use transcriptions, which may or may not be word-for-word – however, be sure you don’t change the meaning of the content by leaving out important nuances from the interview. And avoid overloading any one screen with too much text – it’s OK to break up the information into two or more screens.
- Use big and colorful fonts. Remember that this is a “readable” and watchable video. Consider the color choices you make for the words you add to the video – be sure they stand out from the video background. On a small screen, you can make words pop by adding a color block behind them, too.
- Begin with a bang. The first :03 have to be compelling. That means you will need to forgo the branding of your news organization off the top and get to the content. You can add the branding as a “bug” on the screen and/or at the end of the video.
- Think about the screen size. With much of social video consumption occurring on smartphones, it’s also important to think about shot selection in the shooting and editing phases. Close-ups often work better than more loosely framed shots.
- Add music and hashtags. As journalists, we often avoid adding anything to a story that might suggest we are editorializing, but background music seems ubiquitous on social videos. And don’t forget the way social media works – to make your stories easier to discover, use appropriate hashtags and tagging practices.
