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11 Tips For Creating Standout Video For Online Success

Written by Martin Balous | 8/19/24

Content

Introduction
Tip 1: Knowledge About Footage
Tip 2: Make Professional Hooks
Tip 3: Best Software For Editing
Tip 4: Cutting Clips & Transitions
Tip 5: Using Music and Sound Effects
Tip 6: Subtitles and Captions
Tip 7: Editing Workflow
Tip 8: Where To Post Your Videos
Tip 9: Importance of Using Hashtags and Engaging with Viewers
Tip 10: Follow Video Fundamentals
Tip 11: How to Create Call-to-Action (CTA)
Conclusion
FAQ

Introduction

Are you prepared to succeed on social media with your brand? To make that happen, video content has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for engaging audiences and driving marketing success. 

Whether it's social media, websites or advertising campaigns and you are a seasoned videographer or a novice looking to improve your video production skills, these tips can be game-changing if you use them wisely.

Tip 1: Knowledge About Footage

Start by knowing how to navigate and work more efficiently by capturing the right footage. The quality of your footage can make or break your video and therefore influencing its overall impact and viewer engagement.

Types of Footage

Raw Footage: This is the unedited video directly captured from your camera. It's essential to shoot high-quality raw footage as it forms the base of your video.
Stock Footage: Stock footage can be a lifesaver, especially when you need specific shots that are challenging to film. Websites like Shutterstock, Pexels, and Adobe Stock offer a vast array of high-quality clips that can be integrated seamlessly into your videos.
User-Generated Content (UGC): Leveraging UGC can add authenticity and relatability to your videos.

Planning and Shooting High-Quality Footage

Camera Settings:
  • Resolution: Aim for at least 1080p resolution. For higher quality, consider shooting in 4K.
  • Frame Rate: Typically, 24 fps (frames per second) is standard for a cinematic look, while 30 fps or 60 fps is used for smoother motion.

Pre-Production Planning:

  • Script and Storyboard: Begin with a clear script and storyboard. Figure out exactly what you want to shoot and what your plan is.
  • Location Scouting: Choose locations that align with your video's theme.

Lighting and Sound Quality:

  • Natural Light: Utilize natural light whenever possible. Shooting during the golden hours (early morning or late afternoon) can give your footage a warm, appealing glow.
  • Artificial Lighting: For indoor shoots, invest in basic lighting equipment like Three-point lighting.
  • Sound Quality: Clear audio is crucial. Use external microphones rather than relying on your camera's built-in mic and get rid of the background noise.

Tip 2: Make Professional Hooks

An engaging hook is vital for capturing and retaining your audience's attention within the first few seconds of your video.

What is Hook

Hooks are elements in a video that are meant to grab the viewer's attention the moment they see it. They are crucial because they determine whether a viewer will continue watching or scroll past your content. A strong hook will blow up your video.

Examples of Effective Hooks

Hook can be either written or said. Keep in mind that your hook should follow your video description, but should not be the same.

Question Hook: Start with a thought-provoking question that resonates with your audience's interests or pain points: "Do you want to double your video views in just a week?"

Bold Statements: Make a bold or surprising statement that raises curiosity: "This simple trick can transform your videos overnight!"

Visually Striking Scenes: But hook is not just about the words on the screen. It can even be a visually stunning or intriguing clip. This could be an unexpected angle, slow-motion shot, or a quick montage of exciting visuals.

Tips for Creating Compelling Hooks

Know Your Audience: Understand what interests and motivates your audience. Tailor your hooks to address their needs and desires.

Keep It Short and Sweet: Hooks should be concise. Aim to capture attention within the first 5-10 seconds.

Create a Sense of Urgency or Curiosity: Use language and visuals that compel viewers to keep watching to find out more.

Tip 3: Best Software For Editing

If you're new to video editing and find the whole process overwhelming, you can hire a freelance editor on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Professional editors can help bring your vision to life, saving you time and ensuring high-quality results. But you can also learn the process. It's not complicated.

Comparing CapCut and Adobe Premiere Pro

Choosing the right video editing software can be challenging, especially with numerous options available. Two popular choices are CapCut and Adobe Premiere Pro. Here’s a detailed comparison to help you decide which suits your needs better.

Comparison table

Which One to Choose?

CapCut is ideal if you are a beginner or casual editor looking for a free, easy-to-use tool primarily for social media content. Adobe Premiere Pro is the better choice if you are a serious editor or professional needing advanced tools and precise control for complex projects.

Tip 4: Cutting Clips & Transitions

The editing process involves organizing, refining, and enhancing your video to ensure it delivers your message clearly and compellingly.

Cutting and Trimming

  • How To Make Cuts: Make cuts so that they have a purpose, whether it's to remove unnecessary content, to cut through, to have a quiet moment of respite to maintain a steady pace.
  • Trim Excess: Remove any parts of the footage that don't contribute to the overall message. This keeps the video concise and focused.

Transitions

  • Smooth Transitions: Use transitions to smoothly shift from one scene to another. Simple cuts are often more effective than elaborate transitions. For example zoom in, zoom out, slide to left. Always keep in mind that the video must flow.
  • Consistency: Maintain consistency in your transitions to ensure a professional look.

Tip 5: Using Music and Sound Effects

The right audio can set the tone, evoke emotions, and keep your audience engaged throughout the video.

Choosing the Right Background Music

Match the Mood: Choose music that fits the mood and message of your video. For example, energetic music lends itself to energetic and fun videos, while slower and softer music may be more appropriate for emotional or serious content.

Avoid Overpowering: Ensure the background music does not overpower the dialogue or main audio. It should enhance the content, not distract from it.

Licensing and Copyright: Use royalty-free music or ensure you have the proper licenses for the music you include. Websites like Epidemic Sound, AudioJungle, and YouTube’s Audio Library offer a wide range of options.

Adding Sound Effects

For example, adding ambient sounds like birds chirping or city traffic can enhance a scene’s atmosphere. Sound effects can be also used to highlight specific actions or transitions, such as a swoosh sound for text appearing on the screen or a ding for a call-to-action button.

Tip 6: Subtitles and Captions

Captions and captions are essential to making your videos accessible to a wider audience and grabbing people's attention.

Even research has shown that almost more than half of people watch videos without sound. A't anymore it's on the way to school or work.

Adding captions can also improve your video’s SEO by making it easier for search engines to index the content.

Tools for Adding Subtitles

YouTube: YouTube offers automatic captioning, which you can edit for accuracy. You can also upload your own subtitle files.

Editing Software: The aforementioned CapCut and Premiere Pro allow you to create subtitles with subsequent editing as needed. You can adjust movement, size, speed, color and much more.

Mobile App: With just a few clicks, the apps Captions and Submagic can make the whole process easier for you using AI to detect voice.

Tip 7: Editing Workflow

1. Organize Your Footage
  • Categorize Clips: Group similar clips together and label them appropriately. This makes it easier to locate and select the right footage during editing.
  • Create a Rough Cut: Start by creating a rough cut of your video. Arrange the clips in the desired order and trim them to the approximate length.

2. Refine Your Edit

  • Fine-Tune Cuts: Go through your rough cut and make precise cuts to improve the flow and pacing of the video.
  • Add Transitions and Effects: Include transitions, effects and overlays to enhance your video. Keep in mind that they have to fit here. If not, leave them out.

3. Final Review

  • Quality Check: Watch the final edit to ensure there are no errors or inconsistencies. Check for smooth transitions, clear audio, and balanced visuals.
  • Feedback: Share the video with a small group of trusted individuals for feedback. Use their input to make any necessary adjustments.

Tip 8: Where To Post Your Videos

The platforms differ from each other in the type of their audience. While there are people on Facebook who have been using it since the beginning, younger audiences prefer other networks such as Instagram or TikTok. On the other hand, people go to X to enrich their knowledge. 

YouTube, on the other hand, is perfect for longer videos such as happy customers and product demos. YouTube's SEO is very key as it is the second most used search engine. Optimize the title, description and thumbnail.

If you are interested in the details of these social networks, read this article: Uncovering the Secrets of Social Media Marketing

LinkedIn for B2B

LinkedIn is a powerful platform for B2B video marketing. Use it to share professional, insightful content that can position your business as a thought leader. Types of videos that perform well on LinkedIn include industry updates, company news, product demonstrations, and expert interviews. 

LinkedIn also offers video ads that can be targeted to specific professional demographics, making it easier to reach decision-makers in your industry. Remember to optimize your videos with appropriate keywords, compelling titles, and detailed descriptions to maximize their reach and impact on LinkedIn.

Tip 9: Importance of Using Hashtags and Engaging with Viewers

Using hashtags helps your videos get discovered by people interested in the same topics, increasing your reach. Engagement with viewers by responding to comments and asking questions builds a community around your content. For example, If you are posting about ice cream your hashtag could be: #icecream #summer #dessert #food. You can try this website “HASHTAGS” for generating hashtags for you.

Tip 10: Follow Video Fundamentals

By following these basics, you increase the chances of our success. Review the important differences in the table below:

Tip 11: How to Create Call-to-Action (CTA)

A Call-to-Action (CTA) is a crucial element in any video, designed to prompt the viewer to take a specific action.

1. Be Clear:

  • Your CTA should be straightforward and easy to understand. Use simple language and get straight to the point. For example, "Subscribe now," "Learn more," or "Buy today" are effective CTAs.
  • Avoid long-winded explanations and stick to a few impactful words.

2. Create a Sense of Urgency:

  • Encourage immediate action by incorporating urgency into your CTA. Phrases like "Limited time offer," "Sign up today," or "Act now" can motivate viewers to take action quickly.
  • Urgency can be a powerful motivator, driving viewers to act before they miss out.

3. Make Your CTA Visual and Verbal:

  • Combine both visual and verbal cues for your CTA. Include text on the screen alongside a spoken prompt to reinforce the action you want viewers to take.
  • Visual CTAs can be buttons or text overlays, while verbal CTAs can be integrated into the video’s dialogue.

4. Position Your CTA Strategically:

  • Place your CTA at a point in the video where it feels natural and unobtrusive. Common placements include the end of the video or at a pivotal moment when the viewer is most engaged.
  • For longer videos, consider adding multiple CTAs throughout to capture the audience’s attention at different stages.

Examples of Effective CTAs


1. Ask Viewers to Like and Share:
  • Ideal for increasing engagement on platforms like YouTube and Facebook. Example: "If you enjoyed this video, please like and share it with your friends!"
2. Direct Viewers to Another Video or Webpage:
  • Useful for keeping viewers within your content ecosystem. Example: "Want to learn more? Watch our next video or visit our website!"
3. Encourage Sign-Ups or Subscriptions:
  • Great for building a loyal audience. Example: "Subscribe to our newsletter for more great content!"

4. Promote a Product or Service:

  • Effective for driving sales. Example: "Interested in our product? Click the link to buy now!"

5. Request Contact or Demo:

  • Useful for B2B videos. Example: "Want a personalized demo? Contact us today to get started!"

Conclusion

Creating standout videos requires a lot of thinking and  planning. Short form videos are ideal for quick engagement on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, while long form videos excel on YouTube and websites for more in-depth content. Utilizing the right tools, maintaining clear audio and visuals, adding subtitles, and engaging with your audience through effective CTAs are essential practices for video success.

Ready to elevate your video content and achieve online success? We can help you develop a tailored strategy that aligns with your business objectives and engages your audience effectively. Let's take the next step together.

FAQ

1. What are hooks in videos?

Hooks are elements designed to grab the viewer's attention within the first few seconds of a video.

2. How can I improve the quality of my video footage?

Use 1080p quality and eliminate background noises.

3. What are the differences between CapCut and Adobe Premiere Pro?

CapCut is user-friendly and free, while Adobe Premiere Pro is a professional-grade, subscription-based tool.

4. Why is it important to add subtitles and captions to videos?

We need to grab attention, and many people watch videos with their phones muted on the go.

5. Where should I post my videos on social media?

Post on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, depending on your target audience and video length.

6. What is a Call-to-Action (CTA) in a video?

A CTA prompts viewers to take a specific action, like subscribing, visiting a website, or making a purchase.