Resource CCNow Guides December 9, 2025

Quick Guide to Social Media Video Journalism

This guide is full of tips and resources to help you get your reporting in front of social media audiences

By CCNow

Woman shooting selfie video. Pexels photo by Đan Thy Nguyễn Mai

Massive audiences worldwide are getting their news on social media, and the numbers are only growing. The good news? If you have a smartphone, you already have all the tools you need to share your reporting on social media.

Here are CCNow’s top three social media journalism tips

You don’t need expensive gear or a background in graphics and animation to make an engaging and informative social video. Social media can be casual and still get great reach, like this example from local TV reporter James Groh.
Personality is crucial on social media. Talk to your audience as if you’re catching up with a friend over coffee and they’ve asked what you’ve been working on lately.
Make it a habit to snap some photos and shoot some B-roll video whenever you’re out reporting — you’ll thank yourself later.

This guide is full of tips and resources to help you get your reporting in front of social media audiences.

Technical tips for filming social video “standups”

Optimize your phone’s camera. If you’re using an iPhone:

Go to Settings > Camera > Format > Choose “Most Compatible.”
Make sure HDR is switched to “off.”
Make sure Record Video is set at 4K at 30fps.
Turn on the “Grid” option so you can see the lines and observe the Rule of 3.

Find a quiet place to film.

Getting good audio makes a huge difference. If you want to go the extra mile, use an audio recording app (like Voice Memos on the iPhone) to record a minute of silence, or “room tone.” This will come in handy when you’re editing; you can use it to fill in any blank audio spaces made during cuts.

Choose a background with depth.

Avoid standing right up against a flat wall. Note the example on the left, which has a flat background. Compare that with the second example in which the background has a lot more space and depth.

Tip: If you have an Apple Watch, you can use it to frame the shot as though you were looking at the back of a camera. Just click on the camera app on your watch and you can see how you look on your phone. If you don’t have an Apple Watch, Airplay your phone to your computer monitor and use that screen to frame your shot.

Silence all phone and computer notifications.
Make sure your camera lens is free of smudges or fingerprints.

Use a soft, lint-free microfiber cloth.

If you’re filming on your phone, use the rear camera instead of the selfie camera.
If you don’t have a tripod to hold the phone, ask someone else to film you. You can also tape your phone to a window, a wall, etc.
Natural light is best.

If you can film outside, we recommend it. But only if it’s really quiet!

photo showing grid using the rule of thirds with CCNow's Mark Hertsgaard.

Use the rule of thirds to frame yourself.

Don’t leave too much space over your head. To avoid this, make sure your eyes line up with the top line on the grid of thirds. (Tip: If you have an iPhone, go to Settings, tap Camera, scroll to the Composition section, and toggle Grid on.)

If you happen to have a mic, use it.

If you have a second phone handy, you can also use that to record the audio (through a voice memo app). Neither is necessary, but better audio quality makes for a better end product.

Film vertically.

For Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, and TikToks, vertical is best. For YouTube videos, horizontal is best.

Don’t use the iPhone’s zoom capability.

Instead, move the phone closer. Using camera zoom can degrade image quality.

Remember to make good eye contact with the camera.

And speak slowly and clearly!

Consider using an app like Teleprompter to help if you’re reading a script.

Other filming resources

17 Not-So-Secret Social Media Video Tips from Hootsuite’s Experts

How to Improve Your Video Filming Techniques | TikTok

Jump cuts are your friend

Posting tools and websites

About CC Licenses – Creative Commons – A refresher on content licensing and permissions.

ClearSky – See how many lists you’re on and starter packs you’re in, who’s blocking your Bluesky account, etc.

Buffer – Schedule posts ahead of time with this tool. LinkedIn’s schedule ahead feature is embedded in its website. You can also schedule certain posts ahead of time on Instagram and Facebook using the Meta backend website.

Social News Desk – A paid service that a local TV social-first journalist says he relies on to post videos to Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, Threads, and Youtube, all at once. (This is a paid tool.)

Editing applications

Canva – Graphic design

Canva is a great resource for graphic design. The free version has a lot to offer, and the Pro version costs $15 a month. We recommend playing around with their customizable templates. They also have a lot of great images, many of which seem to be sourced from Getty. Plus, they have graphic design courses.

CapCut – Video editing

CapCut can be a little buggy and confusing at first, and it’s better for individuals rather than teams, but it has all the features you need for basic video editing — and it’s cheaper (and better for beginners) than Adobe Premiere Pro. We recommend using the desktop, rather than mobile, version. The transcription feature (which is no longer included in the free version) is pretty accurate and saves a ton of time doing captions.

Final Cut – Video editing

If you have access to Adobe Final Cut, there is a feature called “smart conform” that will take your horizontal video and transform it to the right size for reels. It’s not perfect, but it does do the job most of the time.