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How to Make a Buzzworthy Video with Basic Tools

The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” originated long before YouTube. Today, videos are worth a million words. Videos can do everything pictures can't – they allow for movement and sound, which often creates a better story than a picture ever could. For businesses, a video can be a great tool to engage potential customers and hires.

Check out these 10 tips on how to create a successful video:

  1. Choose a goal: What are you looking to accomplish with this video? Determine this before diving into it.
  2. Plan out the shooting method: Is it easier for you to shoot the video in its entirety or shoot it in sections? Create a plan before you start shooting.
  3. Pick software: Choose user-friendly software. If you live and breathe all things Mac, iMovie is a good choice with a simple interface. For PC lovers, check out MovieMaker.
  4. Focus, focus, focus: Choose between one and three messages to share. If you go beyond that, you'll lose your viewers. For example, Justine's Fun Fact videos entertain the audience with a single fact.
  5. Get off to a good start: If you don't draw viewers in during the first few seconds, they'll make a quick exit. Grab their attention early on.
  6. Keep it short: Once you've got your viewers hooked, you have about 30 seconds before their attention will start to break. Say what you want to say before they don't care.
  7. Pick the right soundtrack: Music that matches the tone of your message will keep the video flowing and enhance its overall success.
  8. Watch volume levels: When you upload multiple video files into the player, they often don't have the same volume level. Tweak your clips until the sound is consistent.
  9. Ensure high visibility: You want your video to attract a large audience, but how can you make that happen? The answer is to optimize your SEO.
  10. Make it easy to share: Include social sharing buttons to sites like Facebook and Twitter to make it easy for people to spread your video.

Want some inspiration? Check out Metis' videos here.