Video editing for social media

by Megan Landry

These days, video content rules the internet. From cat memes to global news, video is quick and easy to consume. It is a powerful communication tool because it’s the most engaging way to convey information. But, there are a few key factors to follow for the best success in producing video content for social media.

(1) Keep it short

Truly, less is more! Short-form video pulls the best engagement on social media, and is generally prioritized across “home”, “explore”, and “for you” pages by algorithms.

Most users have an attention span of 5–10 seconds before they keep scrolling, so creators must make an immediate impression to stand out among the sea of nonstop content online.

With the exception live streaming, longer videos with more information are more digestible if they’re broken up into smaller, bite-sized clips. Spreading out the engagement as a series of clips will likely make a bigger impact than compiling it all into one video.

(2) Know your audience

To effectively cater to your audience you must understand who they are, what they want, and why they’ve connected with you.

Consider factors about your target demographic(s) such as age, gender, location, interests, and behaviours. Then, tailor your posting approach accordingly.

If there’s a specific goal or call-to-action your video is advertising, 100 viewers who fall within your target audience are far more valuable than 1000 viewers who don’t. Quality beats quantity!

(3) Follow the specs

Platforms often have different specs, rules, and posting procedures to adhere to.

The rise of cellphone usage over the past decade has greatly influenced vertical video orientation, and most social media is accessed via cellphone.

Mobile-first platforms like Instagram and TikTok are solely centred on vertical video. Veteran desktop platforms like Facebook and X (Twitter) have traditionally centered on standard horizontal video content. But even they are now catering more to the rising popularity of the vertical format.

Since SnapChat introduced “stories” in 2013, the rest of the industry giants (IG, FB, TT, X, etc.) have followed suit. Even one the grandfathers of social platforms, YouTube, jumped on board with YouTube Shorts.

As a rule of thumb, however, vertical video is the way to go for social media. Videos that were developed in a horizontal format should be formatted to vertical for social media posting.