The Storykit blog

To make a video on social media you need a good script – but what is a good script? And how do you write one? Storykit asked a pro to share her best tips.

Want to learn more about scriptwriting? Download our e-book packed with tips and tricks here.

You can always improve your scriptwriting skills – especially by listening to other writers. Storykit talked to Anna Kleinwichs Magnusson, a copywriter who founded Stockholms Skrivbyrå (“writer’s agency”). In the podcast Storykit Talks she describes how she works with video scripts and shares some key insights. Here are her 10 best tips to write better scripts for social video:

1. Think before you write. What do you want to say – and to whom? How should you tell your story to this person? This way you can narrow the video. If you want to sum up as much information as possible – make several different videos instead. The tighter the angle – the better the video.
2. Make a disposition. Even if you’re just making a 15 second video with 4 lines of text. Make a list of what you want to include in the video and make sure it follows a dramaturgy – that it has a beginning, a middle and an ending. Then you can start with the copy.
3. Be very specific when you choose your words. If you can talk to a niche audience in their language, it’s likelier that you will get your message across. Avoid sweeping, abstract expressions, like “Full Service Agency”. Be precise.
4. Boil the copy down to micro copy. Just like when you’re boiling jam – you start with a pot full of berries. But the more you boil it down, the better the result. Rephrase until you find exactly what you want to say with as few words as possible.
5. Don’t forget punctuation. Finishing your sentences has a good feeling to it – to both readers and writers.
6. Always ask someone else to check your copy. Sometimes a word that seems normal to you might be awkward to others. One example might be “bursting” – for some it’s an energetic word, others feel uncomfortable reading it.
7. Try to be as positive as you can. If your video script has negative expressions, try to twist them around and make the statement in a positive sense.
8. Don’t be too formal. A good jargon is better than written standard in videos. Write as if you’re telling the story to your friend or your mum – without getting chatty.
9. If you get stuck: Ask yourself how you would make the video as bad as possible. A video that no one understands or want to watch. That way you might see clearly what needs to be done to make it good.
10. Tempo is key. Don’t write long sentences that won’t fit in one screen. And try to switch in even shorter sentences. Sometimes a sentence of 2-3 words can be more effective than 10 exclamation points.

If you know Swedish you can listen to the entire interview with Anna Kleinwichs Magnusson on our podcast Storykit Talks, you can find it on Apple, Google,  Spotify, or loads of other Podcast platforms.

Or, you can watch it on Youtube here:

The need for information in a crisis is basically endless. Video is certainly the best medium for delivering that information to your audience. The big question is how you can do that without making any mistakes. Let us help!

We are in the midst of a completely unique situation. As COVID-19 is spreading all over the world, the need for information is growing rapidly. We want to know what to do about our children’s swimming practices, what we can do with the tickets for the concert we were supposed to go to next week, if the local store has changed its opening hours – yes, we have questions regarding pretty much everything. 

Communicating with social video is the best thing companies can do right now. We know that video drives engagement and that people really do pay attention to, understand and remember information that has been communicated with video. We also know that social media is where we can reach our target groups, simply because that’s where they spend their time.

So, what do we need to consider when we create videos under these unprecedented circumstances? We have made a list of six fundamental issues to keep in mind.

6 things to consider when communicating with video in a crisis

1) Identify your target group and its needs

To know who you are talking to and why is fundamental when it comes to all types of communication. But if you are to inform people about something – especially concerning a situation that people are anxious about and when there is a lot of misinformation going around – you have to be absolutely certain about this. It’s a big difference between sharing new opening hours with your customers and reaching out to as many people as possible with hand-washing instructions.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Who are we talking to?
• What do they need to know?

2) Know your role

In general, companies usually have a lot of flexibility in regard to what subjects they can get involved with and talk about; even if it doesn’t concern their core activities, as long as it’s of interest to the audience. But in times of crisis, there must be firm boundaries in place. This is the time to only talk about subjects that are within one’s expertise. Otherwise, it might cause confusion, error and it could even harm people. Let the experts be the experts. 

Questions to ask yourself:

• What is our role in this situation? Is it truly our place to calm people down? Or caution them? (The answer is usually “No, our role is to inform them, and only about our business.”)
• Are we experts in this field? (If you are not, then leave it to the experts.)
• Is this subject really about us and our business?
•  Why are we doing this?

3) Take your video seriously

Video is usually a pretty playful format. But not now. On the contrary, it’s more important than ever to be as clear and concise as possible and to do the necessary research. If you have one minute; make sure that you take advantage of every single second. And avoid being too emotional. Although the video format is great for establishing a personal connection with your viewer, it’s hard to remain informative when emotions take hold of us.

Things to consider:

• Do the work: do careful research and express yourself efficiently.
• It’s ok to have a personal approach but remember to put your feelings aside when making an informative video. 

4) Be extremely clear

In this situation, you can be excessively clear in your videos. You can be clear about what you do know and also about what you don’t know. And make sure to include your sources and make your references clearer and more accessible than ever before. Consider adding a note like “this is official information” or “the advice comes from the Public Health Authority”.

Things to consider:

• Don’t spread any rumors. If you have to share information that you are not 100% sure about, make it very clear (write something like “we are posting updates on an ongoing basis”).
• Proper references are more important than ever.

Your audience's reaction can variate. Here's how to handle any negative comments.

5) Create new material and delete outdated posts

When the information is constantly changing, your communication must do so too. This is the time to create new videos continuously and – which is an unusual recommendation in the realm of social media – make sure to delete old videos. Of course, it hurts when you have to remove a video with 100,000 views, but you really must make sure that you are not holding on to videos that provide false, outdated information.

Things to consider:

• Create new videos as soon as the situation/information changes.
• Use time markers, like “this decision was made on Sunday afternoon” or “the current information suggests”. Why not use time markers at the beginning of the video for clarity?
•  Remove old videos!

6) Sharing is caring

In a crisis, you can ask people to share your video content – more explicitly than you normally would. People are much more inclined to share information that they consider important for others. It’s also very important to share others’ information, especially information outside of your expertise that would be useful for your audience.

Things to consider:

• Have the courage to ask people to share, both in the video and in your post
• Tell others if you have done great things and share it
• If you see others do great things: share, or ask if you may use parts of it
• When you want to provide information outside of your expertise: share!

With social media, you can reach the world with your content. But should you? Storykit explores the benefits and challenges of localizing your content on social media.

Do you want to know more about localizing video with Storykit? Let us know!

There are two trends in social media marketing right now. On the one hand, we are moving towards a more global market. On the other, we try to get as close to the recipient as possible.

Sarah Larsson Bernhardt
Head of Social på SKF

Sarah Larsson Bernhardt is Global Head of Social at SKF, one of Sweden’s largest brands in terms of global expansion. You can find the brand in 130 markets around the world. So making localized content is important.

– Although we are a global company based in Sweden, Swedes are very good at English and we exist in markets where English is spoken – it’s not always the case. If we are on social media, and social media is about the relationship between brand and consumer, then we have to communicate in local languages to be credible, she says.

Is the language the only thing you should think about?

– Language is the obvious part, but the choice of visuals and cultural aspects are also important. There can be different ways of telling things to make it feel natural, Sarah says, and continues:

– In Sweden, we may want to celebrate “The national cinnamon bun-day” in our social media feed. But in Indonesia, there might be other things they want to create content around. Another example is Christmas cards that are snowy in Sweden, but sunny in Brazil.

All about the resources

Traditional tabloid journalism has always been as local as possible, there is a reason why you mostly write about things happening in your hometown. Why isn’t this standard for marketing departments?

– It’s all about resources. Lack of time and competence challenges in the local offices often leads to you doing everything from the head office with English as the company language. But if you have the opportunity to localize, always take it. You get much closer to the audience, says Sarah Larsson Bernhardt.

So how do you localize content?

SKF has solved the challenge of lead times for translations and proofreading, by using Storykit as their tool for video creation. The head office makes a master copy, ensuring that text lengths and graphic profiles are consistent. Local offices then translate the script, change pictures and replace quoted people with a local representative.

– There is an internal pride in making a lot of videos – it engages our followers.

For anyone who does not use Storykit to localize a large amount of video, Sarah Larsson Bernhardt has one golden tip:

– Look at what is most important for you to communicate – at least customize that material.

You can hear the entire interview with Sarah Larsson Bernhardt in the Storykit Talks podcast (it’s in Swedish). Don’t miss her podcast Social by Default, which Sarah co-leads with Deeped Niclas Strandh (also in Swedish).

Or, you can watch the whole episode here:

One second. That's how much time you need to catch someone's attention before your reader has scrolled by. Here is everything you need to know to communicate with your customers on Instagram – successfully.

Instagram users are fast scrollers. Compared to Facebook, where the text comes first, Instagram works the opposite way: the focus is on the visual. That’s why you need to treat your social media channels differently. What works on one platform might not work everywhere.  

But how does advertising on Instagram set itself apart from other platforms? What are the do’s and dont’s? We asked social media expert Cecilia Lyche Simonsson, CMO at Be Better Online:

– Don’t be afraid to experiment, and try things out when it comes to social media. It’s always better to do than don’t.  

But Instagram is not just a news feed – there are numerous functions to market yourself. Here are some tips for the different features to try on Instagram.

How to use the different Instagram features

Instagram Stories 

The story-function is superior on Instagram. Loosen up your tie and use Instagram Stories for a generous and more personal approach.  

– We’re not talking about non-personal, non-social media. Dare to show a glimpse of the person behind the company, give a little more of yourself.  

Tips to master Instagram Stories for business

• Make sure you use the right format (9:16). Cover the screen and maximise your impression. 
• Post often – that will make you pop up in the story feed.  
• Be up to date – talk about what’s happening right now. 
• Recommend posts you’ve made in the news feed. Everyone hasn’t seen them.  
• Build a story. Make the viewer curious about what’s happening in the next story and encourage them to move forward. 
• Experiment! Since the story only has a 24-hour lifespan, there is a lot of room for trying out new ideas.  

Instagram Feed

When it comes to the feed, Cecila Lyche Simonsson recommends a variation between images and video to increase curiosity.  

– Video is great to increase engagement early in the buyer's journey. When you post images, the gallery function is very attractive and it encourages the viewer to interact with your content. We want to know more and will swipe to see what's on the next image.  

IGTV 

IGTV has been a feature on Instagram since 2018. Here you can post longer videos, compared to the news feed, where you are limited to 60 seconds. 

– There are divided opinions on IGTV in the industry. Some are very positive, while others mean that the users aren’t there yet: The audience doesn’t go to Instagram to watch long videos, says Cecilia Lyche Simonsson.  

Here are her best tips for IGTV: 

• Aim your content on IGTV to your loyal followers.  
• Even if the limit is one hour – avoid making the video too long. Even 10 minutes is too much.

3 common mistakes on Instagram 

All companies can thrive off Instagram marketing. You can push sales, build your brand image or attract new employers.  Many companies also audit Instagram – use it as a search engine for research. But a good presence requires an effort.  

To succeed, make sure you have time and money for advertising. When you’ve decided to use Instagram in your marketing there are some things you need to avoid.  

Here are Cecilia’s best advise to avoid common mistakes:  

1. You have multiple purposes with your post 

Are you expecting too much from one single post? If you want people to watch a video, while asking them a question and wanting them to click and convert – you can count on being disappointed.  

– Define your purpose. For example: “This post is to build loyalty with my existing followers”, and then you target it to a specific audience, says Lyche Simonsson.  

2. You're not being specific

Social media is like a chat room where everyone is typing at the same time and you need to catch their attention. That won’t happen if you’re talking in general terms when you’re aiming towards your target audience. You need to adjust your tone of voice so that your audience identifies with you.  

– If I say a sentence and put your name first, you will listen, says Lyche Simonsson.  

3. You’re targeting the wrong audience 

Avoid selecting target audiences by demographics, like age, gender and area code. Use data and target users based on their behaviour. Create target audiences from your existing customers, people who have shown interest in your products and/or have visited your website, says Cecilia Lyche Simonsson.  

Checklist for sponsored content on Instagram: 

• Define your purpose. Limit yourself to one purpose per post. What do you want the viewer to do? 
• Let the purpose guide your choice of channels and format – not the opposite.  
• Create your video/image and copy – adjusted to your target audience, and keep your focus on your purpose. 
• Before you publish – ask yourself if your post will add value to the audience. Don't assume that your audience is interested in the same things as you are.  
• Use the platform’s tools, like a pixel on your webpage, or look-alike-audiences, to optimize your targeting with data. 
• If it’s possible – do A/B-testing, where you can try out different images or target audiences.  
• Hitting “Publish” doesn’t mean that you’re done! Now the real work begins; optimizing your ad to increase effectiveness over time.

Thousands of users have discovered how easy it is to make social videos in Storykit. And with a few tricks up your sleeve, you can make your videos even better. We asked Fredrik Strömberg, VP Product at Storykit, to share his best advice for sharpening up your storytelling in social videos. 

Making a Storykit video is a bit like playing with Lego. Instead of working in a timeline, your video is built with blocks that can be put together in endless ways. One of the most basic building blocks is the Storyboard, where you can make your video with slides. 

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This means that you can work very efficiently with Storykit, but sometimes you might think it's a bit... Well, square. And to be honest – a frequently asked question is: “If everybody uses the same tool, won’t all videos look the same?”. 

The short answer to the question is “No, all stories are different from the next”. 

The medium-length answer is: “Well, if you use the default settings and don’t make any independent decisions – then it will look similar to something someone else has done. It’s as if you use the default template in Keynote.”

To find the long answer for how you can make unique social videos in Storykit (with some other good advice), we contacted the father of Storykit Video Studio, Fredrik Strömberg. 

What is social video?

Before we dive in, we want to quickly explain, what is social video?

Social video is all about using videos on social media platforms to engage and connect with your audience. You've probably seen those short videos, live videos, or behind-the-scenes clips on your favorite social media apps.

They're great for grabbing attention, conveying messages effectively, and getting people to interact with the content.

They're also fun and immersive way for businesses and individuals to reach their target audience, promote their brand, and spark conversations. So, whether it's a tutorial, a product demo, or just a funny video, social video is a fantastic tool to connect with people and create meaningful content.

How does Storykit enable you create unique social video in Storykit?

Below, Fredrik shares invaluable insights into the essential tools necessary to craft distinctive social video scripts, highlighting how Storykit offers the perfect solution.

You need the freedom to make quick changes

– Dare to experiment with your expression. Let the script be formed in tune with how you wish to tell your story, says Strömberg, VP of Product at Storykit. 

Fredrik Strömberg

– If the script says: "You should know French, Spanish and German", then I look at it and think: “How about 'You should know French'; new slide 'You should know Spanish'; new slide 'You should know German'.” I need to have the freedom to change how it’s written. I need to be able to make changes – without altering the message. 

Fredrik Strömberg has two fundamental pieces of advice for users of Storykit Video Studio.

The first one is to always start with the script – but that doesn't mean you should let it limit you later on, in the video editing process. 

– The script first, the assets second, and the styling last. It’s the same as when you work with a more traditional media production – the text comes first, then the pictures and then you finish with the layout. I believe that’s important because the way you phrase your script will dictate which images you’re going to use and how you should work with them. Especially if you’re using stock photos. The text on the slide should dictate how you adapt your asset. And that can change from slide to slide?

Test your script

A good way to test your script is to make a preview without images. To see the text on its own on a black background.

– It’s like when a good proofreader asks the writer to use the font Courier, without any styling, just the text completely raw. It’s a classic trick, says Strömberg. 

In our article on how to write better scripts for social video, you can learn more about how to write. 

You also need good timing in your video, don’t just rely on your words. What slide for what purpose? How will it be received by the viewer? 

– Mind the delivery, is it clear what the key message in your video is? Adapt your pacing and phrasing to how you want your script to be perceived, he says. 

He compares to how newspaper layout editors work when they try to draw focus to certain parts, and away from others. Because, no matter if you’re editing a newspaper, making a Powerpoint or if you are working in Storykit, it’s about creating highs and lows from a pretty homogeneous amount of information. 

– Read your text out loud. Which sentences are vital? Does anything feel like a headline? Should it be delivered word for word, or could you change colours to send out a different signal? 

Make a video, then make it differently

Fredrik Strömbergs' second piece of advice is to experiment. Don't stop after making your first idea for a script or a video. 

Instead, when you’ve finished a video in Storykit Video Studio, duplicate the storyboard and make another version. Be impulsive, play around and try your ideas out. If you think “It would be cool if…”, then follow that thought and try it out. 

– It’s important not to be holy bound to the words you begin with. You need room to make changes when you’re a creative, says Strömberg. 

You can say the same thing in different ways. A text can be presented as a fluent sentence, chopped up to several shorter sentences or maybe as a listicle. Depending on how you write, your text will be interpreted with various meanings and emotions. 

In Storykit it’s not about production cost – since it's so easy to experiment with different expressions. So, feel free to adapt your script, but don’t change your facts or intent. Let the script be formed in tune with how you wish to tell your story. 

The most important thing to realize is that there are no readymade solutions adaptable for every occasion. The best way to make a video will always be determined by what you wish to achieve.  

– There is a concept called “Mainstreaming”, that is equal to death for a teaching process. For example, you might find that “Oh funny cats work, let's stick to funny cats!”. But things only work until they don't. When it stops working and you have no clue what else there is to do – then you’re dead, says Fredrik Strömberg. 

3 ways to sharpen your social video skills in Storykit

1. Beware of the Simple slide trap! 

Avoid making a sleeping pill of your video by mixing up the types of slides you use. A good way to present running text, without risking slowing down your tempo, is to use Quick text. Instead of two Simple slides, use three Quick text. It has a label box where you can write a small headline to help your viewer remember the subject. Dare to use more slides to fasten your tempo, to give the viewer something new. 

2. Choose slides with dramatic effect in mind 

Read your script out loud. How would you tell this story to a friend? Where would you raise your voice, where do your dramatic peaks land? Then think about how you should arrange your slides to match the way you would like to tell your story. 

3. Choose assets based on your script 

If you don’t have premade material, and instead work with stock photos, then think outside the box. Be associative and think symbolical rather than literal. Avoid writing your viewer on their nose. Think twice when you choose your assets and try to see if you can avoid literal images. If your material is limited, work with what you got. Zoom in and out, rotate, filter, blur, change the colours or just use a monochrome colour plate. 

The days when anybody could be successful by posting whatever, whenever, are long gone. Today you need to know what, how and why something is to be done – and by whom.

– It’s no longer enough to just be present on social media to get where you want to be. You have to work more consciously, you can’t afford anything else, says Karolina Winqvist, Head of social media at Be Better Online. 

What is a content strategy?

A successful content strategy should address everything from the publishing purposes and what to publish, to how often you’re going to publish and on which platforms. It should also include goals and target groups. 

Why do you need a content strategy?

Karolina Winqvist lists the benefits of taking time to create a content strategy: 

• It saves you time in the long run since it gives you a clear idea of what must be done. 
• It gives you a structure for what needs to be produced and how. 
• It lowers the threshold to start producing, as you don’t have to wait for creativity to strike you.  
• It makes it easier to measure and evaluate the outcome of your content.

How to create a content strategy – step by step: 

1. Specify your goals.

To create the right content, you have to clarify the purpose early in the process. There’s no intrinsic value in just producing and publishing content, says Karolina Winqvist. 

What do you want to achieve? Do you want to increase brand awareness? Increase sales? Do you want to get attention, lots of comments? These questions must first be addressed in order to create content that gives you the desired effect. 

In order to evaluate how your content is performing, make sure  your goals are explicit and measurable. 

How about reaching your goals? We gathered some tips on how to reach your goals. 

2. Identify your target groups.

To know who you are trying to reach is a prerequisite to be able to produce effective content that the receiver will want to consume. Hopefully, most companies already have a pretty good idea of who their target groups are – but when you’re going to create content for them you might want to take a closer look.  

If your target group, for instance, happens to be urban people who are interested in yoga, creating content might be easier by first creating personas. Give them names, describe their behaviors and preferences. Example: “Anna, 30, career-focused, practices yoga on her lunch break” and “Filippa, 35, stressed mom who practices yoga at home after the kids have gone to bed”.  

This makes it much easier to decide which type of content you should produce.

3. What type of content are you going to produce? 

The options are many. Should you opt for video, long or short texts or images? When deciding, it’s important to have your goals in the front seat – what type of content will get the job done? 

A common mistake when creating content is to demand too much from the receiver, says Karolina Winqvist. Instead of having a single video showing off your new yoga mat, explaining all the benefits from it and asking the receiver to buy the product – it’s way more effective to break it down into several pieces.

Karolina Winqvist,
head of social media at Be Better Online.

– Start by telling the receivers why they should do yoga. In another piece of content, you tell them about your product and in the following one you make them an offer, says Karolina Winqvist.  

Make a clear content plan stating what type of content you’re going to produce, in which formats, who does what, on which platforms it is to be published and, don’t forget, deadlines for each task.  

– Don’t be afraid to experiment early on. Publish and see what works for you, says Karolina Winqvist. 

She also recommends considering “what is in it for them?” Why would the receiver want to consume your content? We often start off with what we believe is the most interesting aspect of our product, but that does not necessarily mean that your target group is equally interested. Therefore, it’s better to have your target group in mind when you decide on what content to create. What is your target group actually interested in? 

4. The work process – who does what?

Who is going to produce the content? Do you have the required competence inhouse or do you have to bring in external resources? Do you have the software needed to create what you want? Who is responsible for what and who gives the final approval to publish?  

Establishing the work process makes it clear for everybody involved where their responsibilities begin and where they end. Also, it helps creating a productive workflow. 

5. Which platforms should you be on?

To answer this question, you have to go back to your target groups – where are they? If it’s a younger target group, Instagram is probably a good platform for you. If your goal is to attract the best talents in your business – then LinkedIn is probably a sensible platform to publish on.  

A tip if your new at publishing content is to start small. Choose a couple of platforms that are relevant to you and build from there. Also avoid posting the exact same content on different platforms.  

– The same person might see your content on multiple channels, which can be perceived as repetitious, says Karolina Winqvist. 

6. How often should you publish?

This depends on the platforms. For example, it is more important to publish often if you are using Instagram Stories than if LinkedIn is your primary platform. 

7. Keep the document dynamic.

When you have finished creating your content strategy, remember that it will need to be updated regularly. Insights about what works – and doesn’t work – for you will present relevant updates. You will also need to add new topics that you want to create content about and perhaps add new target groups that you’ve identified. 

Karolina Winqvist recommends that you keep your content strategy clearly visible for everyone involved.  

– It makes everything easier if everyone is on board with what you’re doing and knows that it exists.

Common mistakes when creating a content strategy

We asked Karolina Winqvist what the most common mistakes are that businesses make when creating a content strategy. 

– Probably that you don’t have a marketing strategy for the company to begin with. You haven’t identified your target group or your goals , says Karolina Winqvist. 

Another common mistake is to focus all your effort into finding new customers.

– Don’t forget to create content for your existing customers. They are ambassadors for your brand, says Karolina Winqvist.