The basics
- Vertical, 9:16, filmed on a recent phone. Clean the lens first.
- Hook in the first second. Start on the most interesting moment: the pour, the reveal, the finished job, a question on screen.
- Short. Most local videos work best at 7 to 30 seconds.
- Captions on screen. Many people watch with the sound off.
- A real caption below. What it is, where, and when to come in.
Ideas that work
- Restaurants and bars: the signature dish or drink being made, start to finish, in 10 seconds; tonight’s special; the room filling up; behind the bar during a rush; staff picks.
- Shops: new arrivals, unboxed; three ways to wear or use one item; what a regular always buys.
- Contractors and trades: before and after with a quick cut; a 15-second tip that saves the customer money; a time-lapse of a job.
- Professional offices: one common question answered in 20 seconds; meet the team; what to bring to your first appointment.
- Everyone: a review read aloud; a day in the life; a milestone (100th job, five years open).
Things that hurt
- Stock footage. People can tell, and it says nothing about you.
- Videos with another platform’s watermark. Instagram has said it shows fewer of these.
- Copyrighted music on a business account. Use the platform’s commercial music library.
- Filming customers without asking.
Written by Nikita Huttenlocher, founder and lead engineer at Huttenlocher Technologies, a web design and software company in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.