The Video is Done, Now What? A Simple Guide to Making the Most of Your New Video
So you’ve just made a video. Now what? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just uploading it to YouTube. There are many different things you need to consider, many mistakes you could make, and many things that are outright confusing.
In this post, I’m here to demystify the process, answer any questions that may come up, and share some useful tips that will help maximize the video’s engagement and distribution.
Where should you post the video?
Choosing where to post your video will mostly depend on your marketing strategy, target audience, and what you aim to achieve with the video. Let's dive into the most popular platforms currently.
Website
In most cases, you will either upload the video directly to your website or you would upload it to YouTube first, and then use the YouTube link to embed it on your website. YouTube will give you the option to make the video public, or unlisted. The latter allows you to hide the video from public view but still gives you the ability to put it on your website.
Youtube
Unless the video is solely for social media and mobile, YouTube will be the starting place for your video. Upload it there, and you’ll have access to a link that can be used across the internet. Choose between public, unlisted, or private to hide the video while still allowing sharing between selected contacts. While this platform is most popular among individuals aged 15 to 35, its appeal has broadened to include all age groups.
LinkedIn is all about videos these days. So, if you've got a video that your LinkedIn followers will like, go ahead and post it. Don't worry about the format - LinkedIn can handle both horizontal and vertical videos just fine. The platform predominantly attracts users within the age range of 24 to 35.
Businesses are finding that Facebook has become less effective for posting content due to the sheer volume of videos present. And given the attention spans of people today, only highly engaging ads or viral clips truly succeed on the platform. However, posting on Facebook may still provide value. Similar to LinkedIn, Facebook accommodates both horizontal and vertical video formats. The bulk of the user base falls within the 24-35 age bracket.
Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and Tiktok
These platforms are the home of short-form vertical videos. Here, you have the flexibility to post videos ranging from a quick 10 seconds up to a full 10 minutes. The real charm of these platforms lies in their potential for virality - anyone and any content can suddenly become a viral hit. So it’s a great time to post a wide range of content. Most folks using these platforms are between 18 and 34 years old.
Instagram and Facebook stories
Stories are videos that are posted and disappear after 24 hours. This format offers a perfect space for sharing more informal or 'behind-the-scenes' content, and updates, and even promoting more impactful content hosted on other platforms. The bulk of the user base for stories lies within the 24-35 age bracket.
X (Formerly Twitter)
If X is your primary platform, then naturally, it makes sense to post your videos here. However, as it stands, for most users, X may not be the most rewarding platform to invest in for video content. Still, it's worth keeping an eye on X's future developments, given their ambition to evolve into a comprehensive, all-in-one platform.
Email newsletters
Consider blasting out your videos via email to your subscriber list. This can be a direct and effective way to engage your audience since they are already interested in your content or company.
Email Signature
If your video shares your company's story, why not add its link to your email signature? It's a simple way to boost your brand awareness.
When should you post the video?
According to Hubspot, it’s best to post on YouTube between 6:00-9:00pm and 3:00-6:00pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. What time you post is something to consider, but it’s not something that needs to be strictly followed. In the long run, it probably won’t make a huge difference.
For short-form content, like Tiktok or Instagram, people generally watch it throughout the day, so there isn’t really a best time to post. As a general rule of thumb posting between morning and afternoon is a great choice.
Can you post a horizontal video on a vertical platform like Instagram or Tiktok?
When posting a traditional horizontal video to a mobile native platform like Tiktok or Instagram, you have a few options.
Option 1: Keep the video just the way it is and don't crop it. If you do, it'll end up looking smaller and not as good on mobile. It's not the end of the world if you have to do it, but it's usually not the first choice.
Option 2: You can zoom in or crop the video. Doing this will basically cut off the sides of the video. It'll make your video look good, but if you didn't plan for it, you might lose some important stuff on the left and right. Whenever you can, this is the way to go.
Option 3: Another option is to have the person who made the video rotate it before it's uploaded. This lets viewers see the video as it was meant to be seen, but it also means they'll need to turn their phones to watch it. I'm not a big fan of this option because it makes the viewer do more work. A lot of times, video editors will add a small animation at the start of the video to show viewers they need to turn their phones.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer here, so choose what suits your situation best. I'd lean towards option 2 first. But, if zooming in causes you to lose too many details, option 1 could be worth considering.
Tips for posting on Tiktok or Instagram reels
Vertical videos can be great, but after you post one, you might notice that parts of your video are hidden by the app's icons, the video description, and various buttons and features.
So, it's crucial to keep this in mind. Whether you're letting your video editor know so they can ensure nothing vital gets hidden by the app's overlay, or you're adding graphics and text directly in the app, it's important to be aware of where not to place anything.
Do you need a thumbnail?
Wondering if you really need a thumbnail? The answer is a big yes! Having a good thumbnail can significantly boost the views and engagement your video gets.
What is a thumbnail?
A thumbnail is a preview image of the video that the viewer sees before they press play. It gives potential viewers a snapshot of what the video is about. If the thumbnail is blank or just a dull image, viewers might think the video isn't worth their time and decide to skip it.
When it comes to thumbnails, you'll typically find yourself in one of two situations: Either you'll have the option to upload your own custom thumbnail, or you'll get to scroll through your video and pick a frame to use as the thumbnail.
Uploading your own thumbnail
Going with the first option is generally recommended. The best way to handle this would be to ask the person or company that made the video to provide you with a few potential thumbnails or frames from the video. If you want to do this on your own, you can open the video on your computer, find a visually appealing frame, and take a screenshot. Thumbnails featuring smiles or people looking directly into the camera tend to work best. But if you're uploading the video to YouTube or putting it on your website, it's worth considering a custom thumbnail. This could be a blend of a frame of the video and some text, which can do an even better job of drawing people to your video.
Choose a thumbnail from the video
If you decide not to upload your own thumbnail, you'll have the option to scroll through the video and pick a frame to use. Try to find a frame that's relevant to the video's content, ideally one with a smile or someone looking at the camera.
Repurpose your video for more content
Repurposing content is all about getting the most bang for your buck. Instead of uploading one video and moving on, think outside the box. For example, many companies take snippets from their long podcasts and share them on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. It's a smart way to get more from what you've already created.
Even with a short 2-minute video, there's potential. If it's about the founders sharing their journey, you can break it down into bite-sized clips. Each segment could easily fit into 15-30 second videos for platforms like Instagram or Facebook Stories. It's about making content stretch and adapting it to different formats.
The idea is to get creative and think of other ways to utilize your content. How can you get it in front of more people, and how can you maximize its value?
How to post the video effectively
So, you've just uploaded your video, and you're eagerly awaiting those views to roll in? Not so fast! Simply posting a video isn't enough in a world where 3.7 million videos get uploaded to YouTube daily. There's a strategy involved to get that content seen and appreciated. Let's dive deep into the essential steps and techniques to ensure your video gets the attention it deserves.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
For platforms like YouTube and TikTok, the title and description of your video are critical. The right keywords help the platform categorize and present your video to the target audience.
Hashtags, which are short labels preceded by the '#' symbol, are also important. They group content by topics or themes, making it easier for users to find related content. Remember to add relevant hashtags in the description, as they boost the video's discoverability.
Subtitles
An interesting fact is that most video content is viewed without sound. So platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn come with a built-in auto-caption feature for your videos. However, oftentimes it produces errors in the text so it’s recommended to get the creator of the video or the production company to handle the captions, ensuring everything is correct. You can either embed the subtitles directly into the video or, on many platforms, upload a separate subtitle file (.SRT). This gives viewers the option to toggle them on or off. Just a heads-up for LinkedIn: if your video already has embedded subtitles, remember to turn off the default auto-captioning.
Tagging others in the video
Tagging individuals involved in your video, whether they're on screen or behind the scenes, is a savvy way to boost its visibility. When you tag them, you're not just acknowledging their contribution; you're also prompting them to share and engage with the content, broadening its reach and sparking more interactions.
Engage with your audience
Right after you post the video, keep an eye out for any engagement in the form of comments, or social shares. As the video is gaining traction this is a prime opportunity to respond to comments. The more engagement on the video, the more the platform will push the video to others. Also, when others see comments are actually being replied to they as more likely to comment themselves, so be active.
Promote the video and then promote some more
Promoting your video is key to having a successful campaign. Think about sharing clips on Instagram or Facebook stories, blasting it across all your social media accounts, writing a comprehensive blog post for your website, drafting a press release, including it in your newsletter, or even embedding it in your email signature. Each channel can significantly boost visibility and engagement.
Remember, there's always a fresh set of eyes, potential customers, or new followers who haven't seen your content. So as long as the video stays relevant, don't hesitate to share and reshare it again.
FAQ
The video is loading slowly on my website
If your video on your website is taking a long time to load, it's likely due to its large file size. You've got a few options to tackle this. You can compress the video to reduce its size, but you might end up sacrificing some quality. A more effective approach is to use a platform like YouTube or Vimeo. These platforms are designed for video streaming and optimize videos for quick and smooth playback. By uploading your video there and embedding it back on your site, you can achieve a balance between quality and performance. This method is commonly preferred for an optimal user experience.
How do I compress the video to make it smaller?
There are many websites where you can upload a video and compress it to a smaller size, but I would recommend asking whoever created the video for you to do the compression. It will be the most effective way and result in the least amount of quality loss.
The music in the video has been flagged as copyrighted
When uploading videos online, sometimes a copyright notice might pop up regarding the music. This happens even if the music is legitimately licensed. Online platforms have automatic checks that, while handy, can occasionally misfire and flag content mistakenly. If this happens, reaching out to the video production company is a good move. They can usually help address the issue with a quick appeal and provide proof of licensing.