An essential guide to creating successful videos
Music is fundamental to producing strong videos. To make your video stand out from the crowd, there are various key production aspects that you need to nail.
No one wants to spend hours crafting the perfect video edit, only to have the music choice go wrong and see their audience instantly turn off!
But don’t worry, we here at Loudly have your back! Check out these 6 vital insider tips to help your video reach more people:
- Edit Like A Pro
Pairing the right section of a song with your video is an artform in itself. In order to do this quickly, organize your music library into playlists that use tags such as mood, instrumentation, or even tempo.
Matching the video content with the style and pace of the music is important here. Does your footage feel calm? Then try selecting music to complement it, something tranquil, ambient, or relaxing.
Is your video fast paced with lots of jump cuts? Then you might want to try matching your edit with the beat of music that has a faster BPM.
Do you have a voiceover? Make sure your audio levels are adjusted correctly so that the music doesn’t drown out what you are saying - checking your audio levels is essential.
Utilize simple pro techniques like fade ins and fade outs, synchronization and EQing before you export the video. Audiences will respect your creativity and your professionalism.
- Keep It On Brand
Bad videos can hurt your channel, so make sure you pick the right music to suit both your video and your back catalogue. Being consistent can quickly draw viewers in and not only that, but keep them with you on a longer journey.
Once you acquire the audience, you need to retain them; viewers who enjoy the first video are more likely to watch all your work, but if it doesn’t suit them they will quickly turn off.
Most of YouTube’s recommended videos will either come from a channel that the viewer already interacts with, or from similarly themed content. Therefore it is crucial to develop some consistency with your music choices.
If you have recently posted three videos with hip-hop and rap, it might not make sense for your next video to have an operatic soundtrack. Keep people coming back and develop a long-term viewership by being known for doing your thing, and doing it well.
- Know Your Rights
Music licensing is a complicated business. You need to have a license to use music in your work and making sure that you are allowed to use the music in your video is crucial, for that you need to use copyright free music.
Artists and sources not only have a legal right of ownership but they deserve to be credited with their work. Music licensing is intended to ensure that the owners of copyright on musical works are compensated for certain uses of their creations.
Make sure you have the right permissions for your music selections so that social media platforms don’t block or restrict your videos. It is easy for platforms these days to identify music and they can quickly reduce your number of views if you don’t have the right to use the audio.
- Appreciate Your Audience
Do your research. Knowing your viewers is key to engaging your following and growing your audience. If something isn’t working, consider changing it.
Utilize insights and marketing tools like YouTube analytics to see what works best for you, and make sure you engage people in the comments sections on your videos as interacting with them can build a closer relationship and they are more likely to trust your creative choices.
To get ahead of the game, you can also keep an eye on your peers, competitors, and other influencers in your sphere - what works for them and what doesn’t?
Being in the know and across the latest trends is sometimes just as valuable as being a trendsetter - get to know the game before you break the rules!
Most of all though, just be yourself, and your audience will love you for it.
- Use High-Quality Audio
Present yourself and your work in the best possible way to ensure audiences take you seriously. This means no ripping music from YouTube or recording the radio with your phone.
Audiences want to hear high-quality music, which is now easily available from extensive catalogues like Loudly. Being professional can get brands interested in your work, and help them to see you are the right person for the job, so don’t let your video, advert or campaign suffer with poor quality audio files.
- Try And Try Again
If you aren’t happy, there is a high chance your audience won’t be happy. Curating the right music is what will make or break your video work so don’t be afraid to test out different styles, tempos, genres and experiment with and without vocals.
Play around with some free editing softwares such as iMove or Lightworks and test out different compositions, different sections of the music track, or even different tempos and find out what ultimately fits best.
Keep working on having the most professional video you can by nailing the audio and the music. It will be worth it in the end.
Music is a very important component of any video. Following our six key tips above will help you bring the best out of your video whether you are a marketing manager, vlogger, yoga instructor or award winning documentary filmmaker.
Increase traffic, convert views, and develop brand awareness. Ultimately, you can’t put a price on good music.
