The Socialize Podcast

Helen: 00:01

Welcome to the socialized strategy, the Friday edition of the socialized podcast, where we take a deep dive into the topic of the week. My name is Helen Polise. Nice to see you. Thanks for spending your Friday with me or whenever you're listening. This week flew by for me.

Helen: 00:16

I'm all ready for a night out. So dressed up for the podcast today. Before I dive in, I do wanna let you know that my next free workshop, the free editing series, the next one is live for registration. It will be held on March 12th, And it ties nicely into the topic for today. We are going to talk about how tips for editing can help improve your content.

Helen: 00:41

So I'm gonna take you through some of my pet peeves of videos I see where it's problematic editing and things could be improved. And am I saying that editing is going to make or break a viral video? Absolutely not. There are plenty of videos that are poorly edited, not edited, and even against all the things I say in terms of what makes great content, and they will still go viral. So this is not to say that you can't have a successful video unless you do all these things.

Helen: 01:10

Absolutely not. What I'm going to share here are tips to make your videos look better. Really to improve your content and make it look a little more professional. And it doesn't have to look like slick like a TV commercial or anything like that, but little things will make a difference And I'm gonna explain why when I talk about my first tip. Making sure your video starts immediately and is tightly edited if you are doing speaking videos.

Helen: 01:38

There is nothing worse than being on a video when it's scrolling on your for your page or your feed in Instagram or Facebook, and there's a big giant pause. Sometimes I think the the screen is frozen because the person's not speaking right away. And it's really not a good idea because a lot of people might think the screen is frozen and scroll, or they might just be wondering what the heck is going on and not wait. So then, again, it causes a scroll. Or they realize that you're you really have nothing important to say.

Helen: 02:06

So or they'll they'll feel that way immediately. So it's a good idea to make sure that is tightened up. I also love to teach how to tighten up your copy for in between so that there's not giant pauses, extra filler words. I often say, you know, and I try to edit it out. A lot of times I can't edit it out.

Helen: 02:25

I just leave it. But I try really hard not to say it. But if you're a person who uses a lot of filler words, it's a really good opportunity to remove those in your content. But I'm going to mention a pet peeve peeve of mine when I hear someone who has edited their content, and they make this huge mistake, in my opinion. They're cutting off the end of their word before they start the next sentence.

Helen: 02:48

And I there's I could call out a creator, but I won't. But there is somebody that I I listen to. I stopped watching her videos because every time she gets to the end of the sentence, she doesn't finish sentence, she chops off. And then when she says the last word, and then she's on to the next thing. So she's cutting off the ends of her words, and it's really horrible.

Helen: 03:08

I can't listen to it. I I literally, it makes me scroll. And I think there's a lot of people who would not know exactly what's wrong, but maybe be bothered by it because it's constantly chopping off the end of the sentence. It's the same if you're chopping off the beginning of your sentence. So editing carefully and zooming in on your timeline when you're editing so you can be more precise is really going to help your content.

Helen: 03:31

I love to do the editing workshops. They're my favorite type of workshop to do because I show all little tricks and tips on how to make your edits perfect, persnickety. They used to call this, when I worked in production well, I think we still call it this in production. And I don't say it often because it involves a bad word. But when you're particular about every single frame of your video, we call it frame fucking.

Helen: 03:56

So it's like you're messing with every single frame to make it exactly perfect. And I've been doing that my whole career in production. So I'm really particular about editing, and I try and teach it so you can learn it. So if you're a beginner and you wanna learn how to edit and you're still intimidated, think about visiting hellosocialize.com and looking at some of the free editing workshops over there. It's so helpful when you're at when your content is edited tightly.

Helen: 04:21

The next thing is to think about where your graphics are. Think about if you're going to put titles and graphics on, not to overdo it. Do it so that it enhances your video. It provides different information. A lot of times I'll see different styles of creators doing this.

Helen: 04:37

They might put exactly what they're saying in big text, not just the captions, but they might have the keywords of everything they're saying. Or the other style is to have something different in text than what you're saying. Because a lot of people's brains work really well in this way of absorbing 2 messages at the same time. So you might be saying one thing and then seeing another, and the viewer can absorb that. So use your text wisely, especially because the platforms typically the algorithms do know what that text is and they're taking that text into consideration and when they're putting you into the search engine thing.

Helen: 05:15

So make sure that you're optimizing your text in that way, and at least using some words that are key. But again, overdoing the text can be really annoying. There are some trends where the trend itself is just text all over the screen, so it forces you to stop scrolling and read. But you've gotta have well written text to keep a viewer. Because if I see a big block of text like that, if they don't catch me in the first few words, I'm out.

Helen: 05:39

I don't wanna read a whole thing. I'm I'm here to watch videos. And so it's really viewer dependent. A lot of people love to read. So maybe they'll stop and read a big long thing that's on the screen.

Helen: 05:48

None of these things are right and wrong. And if you're listening to social media gurus who are telling you this is the way it is and this is the only thing that works, I will always beg to differ. Because there's never a one way and only way, my way or the highway, way to do anything. It's your style and people will they could have told Risa Tisa, oh, a long story like that. No one's gonna listen to it.

Helen: 06:12

And look where she is now. So you cannot think there's one way to do something and it's the only way to do it. There's definitely styles and you can develop your own style. Do it the way you choose. These are just tips and suggestions on how you can make your content more viewer friendly.

Helen: 06:31

The next one is one of my favorites because I love using overlays. They're so helpful. And that what they are, if you don't know what they are, is when you can put something else on top of your scene. So if you're speaking and then on the side, there's maybe an image of something that you're talking about, a photo, or you can have another video video. You can have another video playing in the corner that you can be referring to.

Helen: 06:54

So that's one way. The other way is to take that overlay and make it large so it completely covers up your scene. So it's replacing your face, almost like b roll. And that what that is is when you're watching and think about watching the news at night and the reporter is talking, and then they cut to scenes of what's happening. So they have an emergency situation, and they're talking about it, and they have the reporter on camera, and then suddenly the reporter continues talking, but you're seeing other scenes.

Helen: 07:21

That's called b roll. And that means you're covering up your speaking content with other images. And this is a great way to use overlays where you can cover up what you're talking about. You can still hear your voice and you can be seeing other things on the screen. And that was going to help your engagement as well, because then the person isn't staring at you talking the whole time.

Helen: 07:42

You're keeping them engaged with imagery. So I love that. And I've linked a couple of tutorials in the newsletter today. So if you are listening to this on the podcast, there'll be a link or 2 here, but all the links are available in the newsletter. So make sure you're subscribed so that you're getting everything we're talking about.

Helen: 07:59

You can create overlays in TikTok directly if you have that option, and some people don't have the full editing capabilities in their features. So in that case, you can go to CapCut and do it. And I always prefer CapCut anyway because you're making your video. You'll have a nice finished video saved that you have no watermark on it, and then you can use it on multiple platforms. So when I edit my videos in CapCut, I can then post it on TikTok, post it on LinkedIn, post it on Instagram, post it on YouTube, Facebook.

Helen: 08:30

And it's it's basically like posting original content for each platform. So the platform doesn't see it as reused content if it has a TikTok logo when you're posting it on Instagram or vice versa. It definitely looks like it's repurposed. So this way your content will always look original for the platform. That's a hot tip.

Helen: 08:51

The other thing is, it's a great style and it's fun, but a lot of people overdo it. And that is inserting jump cuts and zooms after you record or while you're recording. Now in TikTok, and I believe Instagram too, if you're pressing hold on the record button and then slide your thumb up and down, you can be zooming in and out as you're talking. And a lot of people use this as a style, and some of them overuse it to a point where it's annoying. You don't have to do it when you're recording because sometimes maybe you'll slide too far and you'll be cropped in on your nose or your eye, but you can do it after when you're editing the video.

Helen: 09:28

You can create those zoom ins. And you can create those zooms using a key frame style in cap cut or or you can create them using just jump cuts, and that can be done in any of the forms because a jump cut is different than a Zoom. I'm gonna take a minute to explain that. I just explained this in a workshop. And if you're watching this instead of listening, I'm gonna do my best to try and describe it if you're just listening.

Helen: 09:55

A zoom is when you can see the image move in closer in real time. So you can see the travel in and out. A jump cut means you're in a wider shot and then there is a cut, and then suddenly you're in a close shot. So it's changing the camera, but we're not seeing the travel from one change wide to one change close. Hopefully, that explains it visually for those who are not watching.

Helen: 10:25

And that there is a difference. And the the technique itself will help your engagement. It definitely keeps people interested when you're popping and you're changing the camera to some extent. And again, this is all these things can be overdone and that becomes a problem with creators that overdo all the all of these things. And then it becomes either annoying or it's their style and people buy into it.

Helen: 10:45

Now if you do want to create a Zoom after you've recorded, that is a little bit more challenging than creating just a jump cut. So I've included the tutorials on the 2 different ways to do it. A jump cut versus a zoom and how to create that. Because the second one, seeing the move in and out, requires you to set keyframes. And this is a little bit more advanced in editing, although I did teach it in a very beginner style on the last workshop.

Helen: 11:14

But it if you are new to editing, that is a little bit more of an intermediate to advanced technique to use. So you may struggle with it and you may wanna just opt for a simple jump cut where needed. That that's for sure because keyframes can definitely be challenging. The other fun thing that keyframes can do though is if you show something on the screen and you're talking about something in an overlay here next to your face, for example, and then you point to it and then you wanna swipe it off the screen by by just, you know, make magic with your finger sliding. You can do that with keyframes.

Helen: 11:49

So that's a technique that, again, is a little bit more intermediate or advanced, but it's fun and it can make your content more engaging. People will watch if things are moving on this on the screen more. If you're just a talking head, unless you're really compelling and you have something really great to say, a lot of times it's not gonna keep hold the viewer, just your face alone. So I I don't know. I I think I need to challenge myself to use more imagery in my videos.

Helen: 12:16

I tend to get so into the lesson that I can't I can't be bothered to add all this extra stuff on the screen. But I probably am going to try and challenge myself to put some more interest on the screen here and there. I'm gonna take my own advice. Beyond what I shared in the newsletter, some other things to think about are how to use music to keep your viewers engaged. The music that you choose on a video can really change the mood.

Helen: 12:43

And I've noticed sometimes when I'm doing a speaking video about something personal, if I put a more gentle emotional music piece on there. I have people in the comments saying that they're crying, listening, and I don't think what I was saying was that emotional necessarily. But music can elicit an emotion that you might be lacking in just your speaking voice. So I I see this all the time on videos. If you if the sound is off, it doesn't really make you cry.

Helen: 13:11

But the minute you put the sound on, you hear the emotional music coming. The next thing you know, you're crying and the whole thing is just an emotional train wreck. So think about that. When you watch a movie, the same thing happens. It it calls up an emotion when you hear certain music.

Helen: 13:24

Just like when you hear scary music, you suddenly get put on edge. So music can really enhance your content. And so it's a good thing to think about in your editing if it's going to help or or it's not needed in your videos. While we're on the topic of music, I am going to mention something that answer to a question that I get frequently, very recently, I've been getting this question more, which is why people don't have access to certain music tracks. So I wanna point out that if you are going to a music track and you hear it on someone else's video and it hasn't been muted from the UMG thing.

Helen: 14:01

If it's there, if it's available, it's on TikTok, and you hear it on other people's videos, but when you go to try and use it, it won't allow you to use it. That usually means your account is a business account. So take a look at your settings, go click on account, and then you can switch to personal or you can accept that you want yourself as a business account because you want the email link in your profile. And you're not gonna have that if you don't have a 1000 followers. You're gonna need to be a business account if you wanna link in your profile.

Helen: 14:29

So just keeping that in mind that if you're not seeing access to certain music and you're struggling, it could be that's what's going on. So do check your settings and see what your account type is, and then determine if you want to change it. Now let's just carry on about editing because there isn't one last point I want to make with the editing topic. And that is if you're trying to always make your videos longer than a minute, let's say for TikTok, you're in the beta program and you wanna make sure that your all of your videos qualify for monetization. That is definitely going to be somewhat I won't say debilitating to your creating, but I do try and take that out of my brain.

Helen: 15:09

And I let the video be as long as it needs to be. Because if I was constantly thinking I have to make this longer, I don't think the videos would be as successful. I don't think because you want to just extend it for time sake, you're going to be able to hold your audience for that time. So don't necessarily make your videos really long and dragged out. That said, if you want to lengthen a video, you'll need to insert some visual interest to keep your viewer around.

Helen: 15:37

So that's gonna lead me to answer another question, which I get often. How do I add videos from YouTube onto my into my content? And, yes, can you screen record on your phone videos and clips from YouTube and add them from movies and such into your content? Yes. But you will likely get your content copyright violated from TikTok.

Helen: 15:57

They'll mute it or they'll take it down and say that you didn't follow the community guidelines. I don't know why some creators can get away with this whereas other creators cannot. But, Instagram, on TikTok, any platform that you are on, if you are using video footage, even if you are taking it from a football game that was on TV already, that is you do not have the rights to use that content in your in your content. So and especially if you're monetizing your account because they're certainly gonna take that off if you're trying to make money on views of content that you don't even own. So don't think that, oh, and that's the answer to everything.

Helen: 16:34

I'm gonna go ahead and take videos from YouTube, and I'm gonna have an account that has lots of views. It's really not the right thing to do. So just keep that in mind if you're struggling with that. Couple of other bonus tips about making your videos engaging with editing is, ours are the techniques of, for example, overlapping your voice over so that you are stepping on your own voice, which will keep your viewer interested just because they're gonna keep listening. Because you're not finishing a sentence.

Helen: 17:05

You're keeping them into the next sentence. So overlapping the voiceovers is a really fun one without doing it to the point of annoyance. And another thing is if you do character videos and you're overlapping your characters, that is also a fun tip a fun editing tip. So that you don't always have character 1, character 2 cutting back and forth. You have character 1 talking and maybe you're looking at a reaction of character 2.

Helen: 17:29

And so things are overlapping and they're not straight up linear black and white going back and forth. So that's another technique. There's definitely advanced editing techniques that you can use to make your videos more interesting. So when you think about coming to the editing workshops, because they really do help. I'm gonna teach now the next one I'm gonna focus on is transitions, and that is probably my last tip on how to keep your viewers super engaged is using some transitions here and there because they're unexpected.

Helen: 17:59

Even if you're in a speaking video and you do a head turn transition so that you're turning your head and then you're showing your yourself turning into another spot or moving locations by doing, a wipe transition. So we're gonna do we're gonna cover those things in the next workshop because they will help to keep your viewer interested. They're also clever. And then your viewer is gonna think, oh, I'm I'm watching an expert, even though you're not an expert. Some of the things that I first started doing on TikTok with these transitions, people thought I was an advanced TikToker because I knew how to make a clothing transition.

Helen: 18:33

And it was really is a simple editing trick that anybody can do. It doesn't take an advanced, an advanced editor to actually be able to do those. So keep that in mind. Transitions are fun. There are also a lot of these apps love good transitions and makes it makes for fun visuals when you see it, a fashion person jumping and then their outfit changes or spinning in their outfit changes.

Helen: 18:57

Lots of fun simple transitions that you can do. So I'll be covering those in the next workshop. So grab the sign up, and I did include the sign up in the show notes here. It's also in the newsletter, And, hope to see you there because that's gonna be a real fun one. Now before I wrap it up, I'm going to let you know that one of the questions we received is how how to go live successfully.

Helen: 19:20

I have a difficult time going live. How do I do it? So we are going to dedicate next Friday's strategy newsletter is going to be dedicated to that question, and I'm gonna cover all the tips for going live, how to be successful going live, how to get over fear when you're going live. I'm gonna share some of the things that happen when you're live and how to deal with them. So we'll be dealing with that next week, and I hope to see you next Friday.

Helen: 19:43

Everybody have a great weekend. As usual, if you landed here from just a podcast search or from another platform or just from popping on to, one of my teasers and seeing it, don't forget to subscribe to the email newsletter because that is where all the links for all the things I've talked about in all the episodes are given, and I provide them in written form right into your email box. Also, on the website, hellosocialize.com, you've got your free TikTok course, tutorials, free workshops, everything there is free, and you can come and learn and enjoy because I love teaching it. Alright. Everybody have a really good weekend and I'll see you next week.