Today’s Explore Instagram article is a guest post by Kami Simmons, a journalism student at Columbia University that attended one of our automation workshops. As an aspiring reporter and Instagram video creator, she’s now using the Wibbitz platform to build her entertainment media brand on all social channels. She’s seen lots of success when creating videos for Instagram in particular, and has some great tips to share for boosting engagement on the platform around today’s biggest trends.
Many entertainment reporters report on television platforms and are gradually pivoting to online video. As a millennial multimedia reporter, I naturally turn to digital video to cover all things entertainment, pop culture trends, fashion, beauty, technology and lifestyle with a sprinkle of hard hitting news – and have been able to use Wibbitz platform as an Instagram video creator to take my reporting to the next level.
I was originally introduced to Wibbitz at Columbia University Journalism School through the Tow Center newsroom automation workshop, and have continued to use the platform to build my Trensetta Media brand through weekly #TrensettaReports videos. Having the ability to create videos in a shorter amount of time has ultimately allowed me to generate more content that engages with my audience on every platform. At the same time, these tools have allowed me to continue to create videos for Instagram that are different from other entertainment videos within the online space.
Here are some tips for creating a trendsetting entertainment video for Instagram using all of the features that Wibbitz has to offer:
Pair text styles with your voiceover
Even though I add a voiceover to most of my videos, I like to use the Wibbitz platform’s text tools in order to continue to push the story forward and make it more engaging for the viewer – like how I created this video for Instagram on Demar Jay Smith.
- Reach: 744
- Viewers: 944
- 18% of viewers were not already following my account
Embed social posts within your social videos
When I create videos for Instagram, I like to embed posts from Twitter and Instagram to add a social media aspect. This helps make the story feel as native as possible to social users, and also proves that what I’m saying is not just trending, but factual! This video featuring reggae artist Damian Anthony received so much engagement, the artist himself added a comment of appreciation!
- Reach: 6,885
- Viewers: 6,992
- 91% of viewers were not already following my account
Diversify your media with on-air reporting, stock photos and video footage
For this story on Cardi B, I used the Wibbitz platform’s social media post feature, coupled with the photo and video footage, to add more texture. When I use the Wibbitz platforms’s Instagram video creator tools, I always make sure that make the transitions between each media asset fit the pace of the video’s soundtrack. This allows my primarily millennial viewers to have a more lively and captivating experience.
- Reach: 2,130
- Views: 1,146
- 73% women / 27% men
- Majority of the viewers ranged from 18-24 years of age
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