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Social Media Production

Social media videos should capture the authenticity of the Brighter World brand.

Producing engaging, authentic videos for social media platforms often requires something other than professional camera equipment. Instead, most creators today just use their phones. Here are some tips to create videos for use on social media. 

Expandable List

Here are a couple tips to help you create the most engaging social content possible.

  • Consider the audience: Tailor your content to what people expect and want to see on each platform. A LinkedIn audience is very different than Instagram, so plan accordingly. 
  • Get creative: Social video can take many different forms, so don’t be afraid to get creative! Just be sure to keep McMaster’s brand in mind when experimenting with different styles and trends.

Learn more about social media best practices by checking out our Social Media Guidelines.

Phones are advanced these days, so even if you don’t have access to professional equipment, you can still create some stunning visuals for your stories on social.  

  • Best practices: Proper lighting and shallow depth of field, such as portrait mode on your phone, can go a long way to giving your video a professional look and feel. 
  • Audio: Using an external microphone is the best way to capture crisp, clear sound. If you don’t have access to an external microphone, try to get as close to the person as possible to ensure the phone picks up their voice.  
  • Be authentic: Social media video should reflect reality, so encourage those being filmed to be themselves and not to take things too seriously. Have fun with it!

Social media content may not be professionally produced, but we cannot neglect adding captions. This is an important step to take to ensure our content is accessible for all audiences.

  • Embedded captions: When creating embedded captions, integrate the brand colours, particularly maroon. Some platforms allow you to upload a caption file (such as SRT) instead of creating embedded captions. 
  • Auto-generated captions: It is recommended to proofread and revise auto-generated captions to ensure correct spelling and grammar. In particular, pay close attention to names and places, which can often be misspelled.