Instagram Stories are a great way to showcase your brand personality, engage with your audience, and drive traffic to your website or products. But to make the most of this feature, you need to edit your videos well and avoid some common mistakes that can ruin your story. Here are some of the most common Instagram Stories video editing mistakes and how to fix them.
One of the most annoying things for your viewers is to watch a video with poor audio quality. Whether it's too low, too loud, too distorted, or too noisy, bad audio can make your message unclear and unprofessional. To avoid this mistake, make sure you use a good microphone, adjust the volume and background noise levels, and check the sound before posting. You can also use captions or stickers to reinforce your message and make it accessible to everyone.
In your Story, poor audio quality is a quick way to make viewers swipe out, but it's not the sole determining factor. If the volume is too loud or the sound levels vary throughout the Story, it can easily lead to irritation. To ensure consistency, invest time in the Instagram audio editor, checking and adjusting the audio spikes to maintain a uniform level. Fortunately, with the abundance of high-quality microphones available today, from brands like Rode and DJI, you can easily attach the lapel to a person's shirt for crisp audio. Even affordable wired microphones can perform well. There is no excuse for subpar audio in your content.
Another common mistake is to make your videos too long or too short for your story. Instagram Stories allow you to post videos up to 15 seconds long, but that doesn't mean you have to use the whole time. If your video is too long, you risk losing your viewers' attention and interest. If your video is too short, you might not convey your message effectively or create enough impact. To avoid this mistake, make sure you plan your content and edit your videos to fit your story. You can also use multiple clips to create a longer narrative or use transitions to make your story flow smoothly.
Video duration is always an important aspect of content delivery, short and sharp is preferable over long and boring! Particularly with shorter attention spans of audiences, and the requirement to get the message across in the simplest way possible.
Your Instagram Stories are an extension of your brand identity, so you want to make sure they are consistent with your style, tone, and message. A common mistake is to use different fonts, colors, filters, or stickers that don't match your brand or your other posts. This can confuse your viewers and dilute your brand image. To avoid this mistake, make sure you use a consistent theme, palette, and logo for your stories. You can also use templates or presets to save time and maintain coherence.
Your Instagram Stories are meant to be viewed on mobile devices, so you want to make sure they look good and fit the screen. A common mistake is to use low-resolution or wrong aspect ratio videos that look blurry, pixelated, or cropped. This can affect your quality and professionalism and frustrate your viewers. To avoid this mistake, make sure you use high-quality and vertical videos for your stories. You can also use tools or apps to resize, crop, or rotate your videos to fit the Instagram Stories format.
Your Instagram Stories are not just for entertainment, they are also for engagement and conversion. A common mistake is to post videos without a clear call to action that tells your viewers what to do next. Whether you want them to visit your website, buy your product, sign up for your newsletter, or follow you on other platforms, you need to give them a reason and a way to do it. To avoid this mistake, make sure you use the swipe up feature, the stickers, or the text to include a call to action in your stories. You can also use analytics to track your results and optimize your strategy.
Ignoring Story Insights: Failing to review metrics to understand viewer behavior. Avoiding these common mistakes can help enhance the effectiveness and appeal of your Instagram stories.
1. Excessive use of filters or effects. 2. Poor lighting or exposure. 3. Overloading the video with too much text or graphics. 4. Unsteady camera movements or shaky footage. 5. Lack of a clear storyline or message. 6. Ignoring the importance of captions or subtitles makes it difficult for viewers to understand the video without sound. 7. Using inappropriate or irrelevant hashtags may attract the wrong audience or reduce engagement. 8. Poorly timed or excessive use of transitions or animations distracts viewers from the main content. 9. Neglecting to engage with viewers through interactive features such as polls, quizzes, or swipe-up links.