🔴 How To Make Good Videos For Instagram
Whether you’re just starting, or have been doing social for a while, you should know how to make good short-form videos.
Here are some tips from someone who’s made a living from short-form videos for the last 5 years (me).
I like to make short-form explainer videos about my interests, because…
I can share my interests with the world
Make friends with similar interests
Friends lead to the opportunity to do more of the things I’m interested in
When I make a short-form explainer video, they generally start with a statement or a question.
For example, this video explaining the Bitcoin halving starts with…
“Today Bitcoin hit $60,000 and has nearly doubled over the last six months BUT most people have no idea what the halving is”
The first 3 seconds are ESSENTIAL to a video performing well.
What makes the first three seconds of this video strong?
The imagery behind me clearly shows Bitcoin’s price going up, along with the on-screen text asking “Why did Bitcoin hit $60,000 today?”, hinting to the viewer that they will get the answer if they continue watching.
In addition to the imagery, the first sentence hints that the viewer is about to get information that other people don’t have, which is valuable for them if they want to benefit from something as complex and volatile as Bitcoin.
I also added on-screen captions to engage anyone who may have the sound off.
🔑 The viewer needs to know exactly what to expect in the video and why watching the video is worth their time. Now deliver on that promise!
Throughout the video, I share insight about Bitcoin’s price they likely haven’t heard about, all of which were written in my best-performing newsletter “Here’s Why Bitcoin Keeps Coming Back”
For informational videos, you’ll know you hit the mark when it gets shares and saves. People share when sending the video to their friends, which is the most effective form of marketing for you and your brand.
You should aim to provide so much value in your video that the viewer has no choice but to share it with a friend or save it for later.
The video also earned me 50 followers on Instagram and 15 subscriptions to the newsletter!
The key component to the video’s success was hitting a white-hot topic (Bitcoin’s price) only hours after the price went up.
Then, I was intentional about keeping the viewer’s attention by getting to the point. Everything from the visuals to the audio pushed the story forward.
The number one mistake I see aspiring creators make is wasting the viewer’s time by keeping scenes that take the viewer’s attention away from the main point of the video.
If it doesn’t drive the story forward, delete it from the video. Many 60-second videos can be cut down to 25 seconds and be just as useful to the viewer.
Honestly, the shorter video will probably perform better.
That’s because if someone watched 10 seconds of a 100-second video, they watched 10% of the video. But watching 10 seconds of a 20-second video is 50%, which is a good signal for the algorithm.
So generally, especially on Instagram, shorter videos packed with value get boosted by the algorithm, which simply means people are seeing you and your content for the first time.
When your content gets boosted by the algorithm, you need your content to be easily understood by those who know nothing about you if you want any hope of converting them into a follower.
Summary
Make the first three seconds visually and audibly interesting.
Delete everything that doesn’t drive the main point forward.
Give so much value that the viewer has no choice but to share, save, or follow.
Delete any redundant statements, even if you’re only deleting a second.
Seriously, delete, delete, delete.
Provide value to those that don’t know you or your content.
Take a screenshot, print it out, memorize it….
Do whatever you have to do to implement these five bullet points into your next video.
See you next Monday at 7 am EST :)