I recently had the privilege of hosting and leading a master class on how to create the best online video experience. For context, the audience for the class was a group of solopreneurs who are specifically using Facebook as a platform for building their business.

I shared some stats on video performance based on a BuzzSumo study of over 100 million videos and then provided some tips on how to create the best video experience for your audience. I thought I’d share an outline and summary of that class here with you.

Best Practices for Facebook

BuzzSumo Article Summary

http://buzzsumo.com/blog/facebook-video-engagement-learned-analyzing-100-million-videos/

• Keep it short: The videos were typically short with an average length of 115 seconds and a median of just 65 seconds.
• Keep the intro crisp: The introductory text to these Facebook videos was also short with a median of 61 characters. The post text encouraged you to just dive into the video.
• Try going Live: Facebook is promoting Facebook Live video, and these can be longer – think 15 to 20 minute focused sessions.
• Hacks, Tips and How-tos: These types of videos perform particularly well, as do inspirational and humorous videos.
• Create shareable content: The top videos were more likely to be shared than liked. This makes videos very powerful for content marketers and publishers on Facebook. Studies show that people like to share valuable and entertaining content and this particularly applies to video.

Content

Length

1. Pre-recorded, produced, edited – The sweet spot for video length is 60 to 90 seconds.
2. Live
   1. Analysis of Facebook Live videos found that interactions increase the longer the video lasts, until about 15-16 minutes. After this time the interactions remain fairly stable.
   2. The top-performing 10,000 Facebook Live videos were 20 minutes long on average.

Intro Text

For top performing videos the introduction text was very short. The average was 84 characters and the median was 61 characters.

Ideal Environment

1. Anywhere with lots of natural (sun) light.
2. Anywhere with low, or no, background noises.
3. Anywhere with more soft surfaces than hard surfaces. Think carpets, drapes, soft furniture, etc. This helps eliminate excessive reverberation which can make your speech less intelligible.

Lighting

1. Your footage will look best when you shoot with lots of light. If you’re shooting indoors, adding supplemental lighting will go a long way.
2. If you can, face a window and turn off any overhead light.
3. Do everything possible to remove shadows from faces.

Background

1. Neutral, solid colors, ideally.
2. Very little additional movement.

Noise

1. Soft surfaces reduce reverberation.
2. Get the mic as close to your sound source (typically you or your subject’s mouth) as possible.

Equipment

Video

1. Camera – The best camera is the one you have with you. Most modern mobile phones are more than capable of capturing great video. Learn how to use it well, practice, repeat.

1. 1. Use a tripod.
   2. Don’t use digital zoom.
   3. Light your video with good lighting techniques.
   4. Use the exposure lock.
   5. Get your microphone as close to your subject as possible.
2. Lighting
   1. Neewer Ring Light Kit
   2. Chatlight
   3. Selfie Light
   4. LED Video Light CommLite
3. Other Accessories
   1. Arkon Tripod Mount for Mobile Phones
   2. Velbon EX Mini 2 Head Pan Tripod
   3. Slik Video Tripod
   4. Ugrip Kit
   5. DJI Osmo Mobile Handheld Smart Gimbal
   6. Zhiyun Smooth 4 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal Stabilizer

Audio

Mic

1. Mobile Phone Mic Options:
   1. Boya M1 https://amzn.to/2HnZ6bb
   2. iRig https://amzn.to/2HjpPcW
   3. Rode Smart Lav+ https://amzn.to/2JiGlXl

Zoom, Skype, BlueJeans, FaceTime (or other conferencing)

1. Think about and use good lighting techniques.
2. Reduce excessive movement. (Ceiling fans, TV in background, rocking chair, office chair that rocks or swivels, etc.)

Posting video: YouTube vs Facebook

The question was posed whether to post to YouTube or Facebook. My answer was, “Both.” Facebook first, if that’s where you do most of your connecting. At some point, though, to expand your reach and connect with prospective customers and team members, establishing a YouTube channel will be beneficial. But it’s not necessary to focus on that initially at the expense of maintaining an engaged following on Facebook, in my opinion. It really comes down to whether you’re trying to grow your audience or whether you’re maintaining a connection with an existing following, I think.

 

BONUS: Creating a Facebook Cover Video

• Adobe Spark – https://spark.adobe.com/home/
• Wave.video – https://wave.video
• Rocketium – https://knlgy.me/rocketium
• Reevio – https://reevio.com/