Get More Fans in the Community Event Space With THIS Type of Video for Social Media

Having spent the summer field-testing different styles of video for a local market’s social-media page, I’ve found that one type of video gets more views, fans, positive comments and heart emojis in the community event space.

It’s called the highlights video, and it appears to work according to the photo-album analogy.

Think about the last time you flipped through a family photo album. Yes, it was fun looking at pictures of other people. However, you likely had an equally strong or stronger fascination with seeing pictures of yourself because nostalgia and other emotions connected to remembrance typically feel good.

The highlights video appears to work the same way.

By offering people 2-3 minutes of random footage from a community event and posting a video to that community’s social-media page, people are drawn to watch the video in the fascination they may see themselves.

To amplify viewer engagement, I’ve found five key things work well:

1. Keep individual video clips short.

Briskness tends to intensify viewer focus. (Otherwise, they might miss something.)

2. Use mixed media.

Three minutes of standard color footage is quicker to edit together, but the sameness can get monotonous. So toss in some surprises. (Who doesn’t love a surprise?) Set the occasional clip to a black-and-white filter. Or use a copper filter and overlay the video with another clip, like some grainy stock Super 8 footage. The possibilities are endless, though I find that the “old time” look aligns well with community events and the warm feelings of nostalgia I mentioned earlier.

3. Consider using a Pattern Interrupt intro.

When used correctly in the form of presenting an unanswered question, the Pattern Interrupt immediately heightens engagement by letting people know that something unusual is about to happen.

4. Talk to people and ask them to pose for pictures.

While crowd images shot at a distance are fine (and easier to do), people are naturally engaged by the faces of other people. So approach people. Tell them you’re shooting images for the event’s social-media page and would like to feature them. When approached right, most people tend to be agreeable (or downright happy) about having their picture taken.

5. When shooting close ups from a distance, opt for a camera with an optical zoom.

Digital zoom options can pixelate video footage to make it appear grainy and washy, depending on your device. Optical zooms are true zoom lenses and produce better-quality images.

Here’s a really big one:

Choose the right soundtrack to convey energy, excitement and celebration, and you don’t need to contact SOCAN or ASCAP to pay expensive licensing for some song. There are tons of awesome and inexpensive royalty free soundtracks available online.

So what does it look like when you bring it all together?

Here’s an example—my recent highlights video from a local business festival.

Hope you enjoy it.