How To Edit a One-Minute Video
People are trading hours of their day scrolling through Facebook, so you have to gather every bit of attention you can get. The easiest way to get people's attention is through video, especially one-minute videos. No one is going to watch a three-minute video if they don’t know who you are. Attention spans on social channels are brief. The average watch time for a video on Facebook is only six seconds. You must learn to grab their attention quickly and pull them into the story you are trying to tell.
Qualifying Checklist
- RAW video with timestamps.
- Social media destination of the edited video.
- Text for the banner title.
- Brand color.
- Bumper.
- Call to action.
- Text for lower thirds.
- Name of the speaker.
- Stage in the marketing funnel or video type based on stage in the funnel—Awareness (#WHY), Consideration (#HOW), Conversion (#WHAT).
Execution Checklist
1. Choose a template based on the desired video resolution, the aspect ratio, and the branding colors of the client or company.
| IF | THEN |
| Edited Video is for Facebook. | Resolution is 1080x1350 or 1080x1080. Default is 1080x1350. |
| Edited Video is for Instagram. | Resolution is 1080x1350 or 1080x1080. Default is 1080x1350. |
| Edited Video is for an Instagram Story. | Resolution is 1080x1920. |
| Edited Video is for a landing page. | Resolution is 1920x1080. |
| Edited Video is for YouTube. | Resolution is 1920x1080. |
| Edited Video is for Facebook. | Aspect Ratio is 1:1 or 4:5. Default is 4:5. |
| Edited Video is for Instagram. | Aspect Ratio is 1:1 or 4:5. Default is 4:5. |
| Edited Video is for an Instagram Story. | Aspect Ratio is 9:16. |
| Edited Video is for a landing page. | Aspect Ratio is 16:9. |
| Edited Video is for YouTube. | Aspect Ratio is 16:9. |
2. Use a persistent visual text hook displayed in the top banner throughout the video. Banners are the rectangles at the top and bottom of the video.
✔ This hook should be visually compelling and aligned with the client’s branding.
✔ Use the top banner in the client’s brand colors.
✔ Do not include any bumpers or opening animations.
3. Remove unnecessary chatter, scenes, and dead air.
We want to make the speaker look and sound professional, so remove speech disfluencies and utterances such as "huh", "uh", "erm", "um", "well", and "hmm."
4. Add lower thirds only once.
✔ Lower thirds last for 5 seconds.
✔ Lower thirds appear only once per speaker.
✔ IF someone is introducing the speaker, THEN add lower thirds for the speaker.
✔ IF the speaker is introducing himself/herself, THEN add lower thirds for the speaker.
5. Add minimal background music.
6. In the last 10 seconds of the video, add an end slide.
| IF | THEN |
| The video is for the Awareness stage | Do not add a Call to action (CTA) |
| The edited video is a #WHY video. | Do not add a Call to action (CTA) |
| The video is for the Consideration stage | Add a Call to action (CTA). |
| The edited video is a #HOW video. | Add a Call to action (CTA). |
| The video is for the Conversion stage | Add a Call to action (CTA). |
| The edited video is a #WHAT video. | Add a Call to action (CTA). |
7. Cut the video to around one minute.
- The edited video can be as short as 30 seconds and as long as 1 minute and 59 seconds.
- IF video is too long and most content is relevant, THEN speed up narration by 10% and adjust pitch accordingly to hit the 1 minute mark
- IF desired video is a #HOW video, THEN you can, but not always, extend the video to 3 minutes.
8. Render the video as a .mp4 file.
Optional
- For some videos, add relevant B-roll and superimposed text or typography to support visuals and for attention reset. Do not use stock images for b-rolls.
- For some videos, you can also punch in or out on the subject to keep your viewer oriented in the space.
- Add captions.
- Apply color grading or correction if needed.
Verification Checklist
The edited video must meet the following criteria:
1. Total video duration is at least 30 seconds and at most 1 minute and 59 seconds.
2. The aspect ratio corresponds to the social media destination of the video.
- Facebook: 1080x1350 or 1080x1080.
- Instagram Post: 1080x1350 or 1080x1080.
- Instagram Story: 1080x1920.
- Landing page: 1920x1080.
- YouTube: 1920x1080.
3. The video resolution of the edited video is the same as the instructed video resolution.
- Facebook: 1080x1350 or 1080x1080.
- Instagram Post: 1080x1350 or 1080x1080.
- Instagram Story: 1080x1920.
- Landing page: 1920x1080.
- YouTube: 1920x1080.
4. The video has text at the top banner which is a persistent visual hook.
- The hook grabs attention.
- The hook has no bumpers.
5. The video has a bottom banner with captions.
6. Video follows the client’s branding colors.
7. Video has no unnecessary chatter, scenes, or dead air.
8. Video has lower thirds for each speaker.
- The lower thirds last no more than 5 seconds.
- The text of the lower thirds matches the pre-approved text.
9. The edited video’s title, banners, or captions have no typographical errors.
10. The edited video has background music that has no copyright.
11. Video has no stock footage.