Video Content Creation Tips

Shorts pay me only 10% of my entire YouTube income. Yes, I earned 5 lakhs from videos, and just 70 thousand from shorts even though shorts have more views. So, the idea is to create more long format videos which more people are watching. But how do you maximize your audience? ➣Unique Topics: Stop blindly copying, whatever is trending on the internet. Think of topics that have not been done before, or if you are copying, tweak it in a way that shows more of your creativity and personality. Trending topics don’t always guarantee views. I cover social issues and the uniqueness of India's districts, but I stay relevant by timing my videos with trends, like covering Vrindavan during Holi or the coldest place Ladakh in January. ➣Thumbnail: The more attractive your thumbnail is the more clicks your video will get. I get multiple thumbnails made for a particular video and use YouTube's A/B testing feature. This test enables you to put 3-4 thumbnails simultaneously and shows you the best- performing one. ➣Introduction: Your thumbnail is crucial for sure. But what about the content? You need to retain your audience as soon as they click on your video. Deliver on the promise, made in your thumbnail in the first minute to keep your audience engaged. If you have claimed the coldest place show yourself in the coldest place in the start itself. ➣Retention: To make sure people watch your video till the end, create a curiosity loop. You must have noticed creators keeping the best point or a surprise element at the end to keep them watching. ➣Sponsorships: Most of the viewers leave your video as soon as they come across any promotion or advertisement. Connect with your audience on a deeper level, share personal stories or benefits to make promotions more relatable. I recently promoted a period panty where I shared my struggles with pads as a teenager, and it gained 25M+ views. Which of these tips resonated with you the most?

I keep having bizarre conversions with marketers who seem totally unaware that the industry at its core has totally changed I'm not claiming the marketing process has changed, it hasn't. We still need to understand our customers and build strategies to change their behaviour. However, the way we do that is different from five years ago. This isn't me obsessing over tactics. This is me accepting that, as this Marketing Week article points out, creator content is set to overtake agency-produced advertising. And digital video spend dominates in most markets. Yes, TV is still alive and well despite what anyone tells you. And yes, you can still run big campaigns on traditional media to grow like crazy. But there are brands growing using 100% social, skippable media. And some largely rely on creator content. Tom Roach & Dr Grace Kite refer to this as the move from "big" to "lots of littles". The best marketers now need to understand how these work together, and how to do both well. It weirdly makes creativity more important. If you slow the skip, and earn more attentive reach, you'll see dramatic gains vs piles of dull assets. As Karen Nelson-Field PhD field has shown already. If you earn more attention with well-branded assets, you'll actually grow mental availability. Josh Fruttiger and I have worked over the past year with TikTok and System1 to bring some creative insight to this. As there's a lack of creative evidence to help here. Next week at Cannes we'll launch "The Long and Short (Form) of It". A reference to the brilliant work by Les Binet and Peter Field. We've taken nearly 1000 short-form ads. A mixture of adapted TV ads, social-first assets and creator content. We've tested these with System1's Test Your Ad Social to understand what associations they build, the sentiment they create, how well-branded they are, and how much attention they hold. And matched all this to brand lift and conversion studies on TikTok. The outcome is a 50-page book sharing: - How brands can convert and grow more effectively with short-form video. - How challenger brands vs category leaders must act differently - The huge opportunity with creators when they actually manage to brand and leave people feeling something - The dramatic cost of dull in short-form, more evidence supporting Adam Morgan's global work. - How to reduce creative fatigue, and what that even means (hint: it's not view through dropping a little) Jon Evans will be sharing these insights main stage Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity next week with Alix Earle (Tue 5pm) and running an exclusive session for The Marketing Academy with Isobel Sita-Lumsden. We've decided to also make the entire book free, sign up to get that in your inbox next week: https://lnkd.in/exijWN8a This is a big step in creative understanding for short-form that will bridge some gaps, but it's just a start. I hope you love it. I share #advertising and #marketing insights daily, follow for more.

Good creators overthink everything. Great creators do this instead: I get it - overthinking means you care deeply about your content. You want every post to deliver value, every video to resonate, every piece to perform well. But that same desire for excellence? It's stopping you from publishing anything at all. In my early days of YouTube, I'd spend 80% of my time overthinking what to create and only 20% actually creating it. Here are 5 simple frameworks that helped me flip those numbers around. 1/ Ideation: The Constraint Method Pick ONE constraint for your next video:  🎯 Teach one specific skill  📚 Share one specific book insight  🎬 Tell one specific story This eliminated 90% of my "but what should I make?" paralysis. 2/ Scripting: The 3 Version Limit For any scripted video, I give myself permission to make exactly 3 versions of a script: ✍️ V1: Quick draft 📝 V2: Major improvements 🧽 V3: Final polish After that, I hit "record" 3/ Filming: The Audience of One Method Before hitting record, I remind myself: "If this video helps just one person, it’s worth making." This mindset shift stopped me from reshooting endlessly. 4/ Editing: The Coffee Shop Method Back when I edited my own videos, I’d imagine working from a coffee shop with a dying laptop battery: ⏰ 60-minute timer 🔌 No internet connection 🚫 Can't reopen project after closing It forced me to make quick, decisive cuts. 5/ Sound Design: The Mood Match Method Picking music used to be a big time sink. Now, my team: 🎵 Paste reference track or artist on Epidemic Sound 🎧 Get instant recommendations that match the vibe we’re going for ✅ Pick a great vibey audio from first 10 results No more spending hours finding "the perfect track" I use Epidemic Sound (who are kindly sponsoring this post) for all my videos – their 50,000+ track library means I never waste time overthinking music choices again. I find that it's the best restriction-free platform for music and sound effects, which is super helpful because I never have to worry about claims or strikes on my videos. Start your free trial here: https://lnkd.in/ge9Z-Zjv The Result: By applying these frameworks, I spend way more time creating and way less time overthinking. Successful creators focus on showing up, iterating, and adapting. They post. They learn. They improve. Stop planning your “perfect” video. If you’re struggling with overthinking, which of these frameworks could you try? Or do you have one of your own? Share below!

Your B2B social isn’t boring, it’s just predictable 🥱 The biggest problem in B2B marketing is that everyone feels the need to do things the “B2B way”, which results in a blur of endless webinar graphics and glossy product animations… But, the brands that are winning on social right now are the ones who do things 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, and subvert audience’s expectations of what B2B should look like. And no, not just by creating memes. Here are some simple ways to make your B2B social less predictable 👇 — 😴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳: a boring product graphic 🎤 𝗧𝗿𝘆: an interview with the person who built it ↳ Grab a quick vertical video with your phone and a mini mic, or share the back and forth in a carousel if they’re not comfortable on camera. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? People love to hear from people. Let your employees share the great work they’ve been doing and highlight the benefits it’ll bring to your users. 😴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳: “we are excited to announce…” 👀 𝗧𝗿𝘆: sharing something that went wrong ↳ I know, it sounds very “cringey LinkedInfluencer” but stay with me. Imagine sharing a customer complaint that led to building your best loved feature, or a Slack blunder that gave the team a good laugh. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? Brands are always striving for perfection, but audience have shown time and time again that they love things that are a bit messy. Listen to them! 😴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳: a blurry, out of context webinar clip 🧠 𝗧𝗿𝘆: expanding on the idea (crazy, right!) ↳ Does anyone actually watch those clips? If you want to get people watching on-demand, try a talking-head video where you share an interesting quote and explore it further. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? It’s a way to still recycle that webinar clip but in a format that’s actually optimised for social, and is more interesting to consume. 😴 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳: a copy & paste “3 easy tips” carousel 🧑🎨 𝗧𝗿𝘆: having fun with formats ↳ Don’t get me wrong, I love a carousel. But instead of rehashing the same layout over and over, try being creative and exploring new ways to use them. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? Your audience is overwhelmed with content. If you want to stop them mid-scroll, you’ll need to stand out rather than fit in. — Which cliché B2B posts would you get rid of, and what would you replace them with? Lmk in the comments 💬

🎮 Everyone wants cinematics that don't take control away. But what do we give up in return? 🤔 There's a growing consensus in games: fewer cutscenes, more player agency, keep the controller in the player's hands. It's a reasonable reaction to years of overlong story interruptions. But treating it as a universal rule misses something important. ⚖️ Keeping control has a cost. And that cost is paid by the scene. 🏗️ I built a short sequence to test this. A character runs across a rooftop, notices a plane approaching from the side, and watches it drop a bomb that destroys part of the level ahead. Same scene, two versions: 🔸 a traditional cinematic handoff 🔹 a gameplay segment with a directed camera. The scene is built around three beats: The plane appears ➡️ tension builds ➡️ the bomb lands 🔸 In the cinematic version, all three beats land exactly when they're supposed to be. ▪️ The camera controls where the player looks ▪️ the pacing creates tension ▪️ the explosion has weight 🔹 In the gameplay version, the player is asked to do two things at once: ▪️ navigate the rooftop ▪️ watch the plane. One of those tasks is interactive. The other is narrative. ↔️ Attention gets divided between them and the plane, which is the entire point of the scene, and it becomes a condition rather than a moment. 🎯 An agency only has value when the player can meaningfully affect what's happening. ▪️ Here, they can't. The plane arrives regardless. The bomb lands regardless. Preserving control doesn't add anything to the scene, it just competes with it. 💠 The second version would work in a different scene. One where the player is racing to cover before the bomb lands, or chasing the plane across rooftops. Where the running is the story beat, not a backdrop to one. The question isn't whether a scene should be gameplay or a cutscene. It's whether player control contributes to the moment or competes with it. 🔺 In some scenes, agency is the point. 🔻 In others, it's just another distraction. #GameDev #RealTimeCinematics #CinematicScripting #GameDesign #UnrealEngine

if you tried to post content consistently and failed in 2025, do this in 2026: 1. SET SMALLER GOALS: maybe don't start a 100-day challenge in January. start small with 3, 7 or 21 days, finish then start again, it's true that your dreams should be so big that they scare you. however, your goals should not, otherwise you'll never do anything. break each big dream into smaller, granular tasks that are achievable over short periods. 2. SET PROCESS-BASED GOALS, NOT OUTCOME-BASED: rather than set a goal like "i want to hit 10k followers,” think about the work that is required month-to-month, week-to-week and day-to-day, then set goals based on that. focus on factors that are within your control and do your part. your goal should look more like "post 4 times a week" or “upload 8 times every month for one year." note that it's the process that produces the outcome you want. 3. BATCH-CREATE: leverage your peak periods and squeeze each moment of inspiration to the max. plan ahead and make 5-10 videos each time you set out to create. that way, you can have content to post even when you're not in the mood. most full time creators do not make videos every day. that's how they post daily but avoid burn out. 4. RESIST COMPARISON: don't compare yourself to the people you should be learning from. do not be intimidated by others, be inspired. do not let awareness fuel discontentment. let it inspire education and self development. 5. STOP DELETING YOUR POSTS FGS!! don't delete posts because of low engagement. one day, someone who's been looking for someone like you on the internet will randomly find your page, and there needs to be enough for them to binge. this is how creators build community. 🎁BONUS Remember that effort will not always be rewarded with success, so don't go giving up after 3 months of consistency. remember that success is not only be measured by direct results - it's not only about what you get out of your effort but what you become by it. remember that there is no consistent deposit of time and effort into a meaningful pursuit that will add up to nothing. may not add up when you want or in the way you want, but it always adds up. if you show up authentically, consistently and generously enough, the internet finds a way to reward you. as always, i'm rooting for you. go into 2026 and prosper! 🎉

This is not guesswork, it’s YouTube Strategy at work. The strategy Raj Shamani never shares on his podcasts. If you study Raj Shamani’s Channel closely, you’ll notice a clear pattern in his thumbnails & titles: - He doesn’t stop at one thumbnail. He tests multiple ones for the same video. Because thumbnails aren’t decoration. They’re distribution. - YouTube admits 70% of views come from recommendations, not search. A 1% higher CTR can mean millions of extra views. - MrBeast swaps thumbnails 3-5 times within the first 24 hours. He knows: the first 12 hours decide if a video will get pushed… or buried. - Raj Shamani does the same, testing thumbnails within the first 24 hours. One strong thumbnail can take CTR from 5% to 10%. - YouTube’s own Creator Insider once revealed: videos with thumbnail changes get 2x more chances to recover in CTR dips. - Data from TubeBuddy: CTR above 9% consistently puts you in the top 10% of all channels. I’ve seen this truth play out after managing 20+ channels, at Josh Talks, Unacademy, Adda247: - Average creators upload once and pray. - Smart creators like Raj test and optimize. The best thumbnails tap into 8 proven triggers : 1. Shock (a face, an expression, or a number that stuns you) 2. Authority (positioning as the expert people should trust) 3. Curiosity (leaving a question unanswered so you must click) 4. Controversy (challenging the norm, sparking debate) 5. Novelty (something fresh, never-seen-before) 6. Reality (raw, relatable, no filter storytelling) 7. Secrets (the hidden truth revealed inside) 8. Money (because wealth, savings, or growth always sell) That’s why their videos explode. Every click is a test. Every test is a chance to win. Part 2/5

Most people blow their Zoom first impression in the first 5 seconds without even realizing. Here are 4 common mistakes (and how to fix them): 1. Camera off = trust off ❌ Mistake: Keeping your camera off for most or all of the call. It makes you forgettable and signals that you don't care. ✅ The Fix: Even if you're camera-fatigued, turn it on at least for the first few seconds. After that, if you REALLY want to turn it off, say: “Hey, I've got a bit of Zoom fatigue, hope it's OK if I turn my camera off after we kick things off.” You're still signalling presence without ghosting the group. ____ 2. The Awkward opening ❌ Mistake: “Can you see me?” “Can you hear me?” “Oh, hi there…” Your first impression happens the moment you turn the camera on, not when you start talking. If the first thing people see is you fumbling with audio or fixing your hair, that's the impression they remember. ✅ The Fix: Fix your audio and technical issues before you “Join.” Open with a greeting and wave. But, better yet, come prepared with an anecdote: “Hey, morning. I just found the best breakfast taco in Austin. Ever had one?” It breaks the ice and gives the call momentum. ____ 3. Virtual backgrounds ❌ The Mistake: Using blur effects or virtual backgrounds Harvard research found that fake backgrounds distract people and make you less authentic. ✅ The Fix: Build your background with conversation starter cues: • Books you actually read • Art or something quirky that reflects your personality  • Hobbies or artifacts that invite connection  ____ 4. Bad camera angles ❌ The Mistake: Camera too close (under 3 feet) or looking off to the side  If you're watching people's faces but your own camera's off to the side or too low, you look checked out. ✅ The Fix: • Position your camera exactly 3 feet from your nose (yes, I literally measure this) • Angle your body towards the camera • Get your face as close to the camera lens as possible on screen • Research shows even partial eye contact through a screen builds oxytocin (the trust hormone). So, aim for 50% eye contact with the camera, 50% with their face It only takes a few tweaks to go from “just another Zoom tile” to someone who leaves a positive impression.

Last week I got another letter from an aspiring filmmaker. Same story I've heard a hundred times — passion for making films that "feel honest, human, and meaningful," some mention of Netflix, the usual. But then he said something that stopped me cold: "I don't have many filmmaking opportunities where I live." And I realized he'd fallen into the same trap that catches so many creative people — waiting for someone to give them permission to start. So here's what I wrote back, and what I'd say to anyone who dreams of being a filmmaker, musician, writer, or any other kind of creative: If you want to be a filmmaker, start being a filmmaker. Right now. Today. Where you live. You don't need a Hollywood studio. You don't need a $100 million budget. You don't even need fancy equipment. You have a phone? Then you have everything you need to write scripts, shoot video, edit, add effects, sync soundtracks. In short — to do actual filmmaking. Every great filmmaker you've ever heard of started small. Scorsese. Tarantino. Nolan. They would have killed to have the production power you carry in your pocket every single day.

China turned micro dramas into a $7B market surpassing their box office. Now, is it India’s turn? For Gen Z, content isn’t horizontal, it’s vertical. India already has the audience base that’s bigger and scrolling longer. We’re almost at our own billion dollar story here. When Reels came in, they entertained us but they also changed us. They rewired how long we were willing to sit with a story. 30 seconds suddenly felt long. Now imagine that same scroll culture but with cliffhangers. That’s a micro-drama: 1 or 2 min, vertical, emotional, addictive. Like Lays, no one eats just one. If you think about it, we’ve seen this before. Our parents waited every night for Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. One twist a day, one reason to come back. Today, that format is compressed into 90-second bursts that fit perfectly into our mobile-first lives. And the audience is already there: • Tier 2 and 3 users consume 38 to 42 GB per month, higher than metros • They spend 30 minutes daily on Moj, driving 6 billion plays every single day • While Netflix users open the app 22 times a month, Moj and ShareChat users log in almost double which is 75 plus touch points every month No surprise then that platforms are scaling fast: • 30Mn+ monthly active users on Moj and 150 Mn+ episodes watched daily (App Annie) • ShareChat’s newest offering QuickTV has already reached 10M+ downloads • India ranks 6th globally in overall micro-drama app downloads, already crossing 25 million Globally too, the signals are clear. China’s short-drama market is already bigger than its cinema box office. Platforms like Hongguo grew to 100m monthly active users in just one year, supported entirely by ads. India could be headed in the same direction. Korea is producing two-minute K-dramas with K-pop idols. Studios churn out over 1,000 episodes a month, sometimes even written by AI. So what’s the real opportunity? - For brands, repeated exposure - For creators, bigger audiences - For platforms, habit - For consumers, a new way to consume And here’s the kicker: ads could be a real TAM driver. Just like China, India’s micro-drama revolution can be ad-funded. This festive season, these platforms may become one of the most powerful stages for brands to connect, offering high-frequency, high-habit and high-emotion storytelling in the palm of a user’s hand. Beyond immediate monetization, microdramas have the potential to become scalable IPs. Popular shows already stretch to 50–100 episode arcs in 90-second formats, creating strong characters that naturally extend into merchandise and collectibles. Hit microdramas double up as low-cost pilots for web series or films, de-risking big-ticket investments, while also opening doors to cross-platform licensing across audio, gaming, and TV. The future of OTT is moving from the television set to the scroll and just like daily soaps defined one generation, micro-dramas could define the next. Would you watch?