We all know it, the time of carousel posts is over. Reels and videos have taken over social media and you have no choice but to willingly board this train! But just posting videos is not enough, is it? 

Life as a content creator keeps getting harder. You have to keep getting better at what you do, keep up with the trends, keep a check on how the audience is responding to your content. So we thought, what better way to help you out rather than provide you with a secret recipe for great video content!

Here we go!

1- The secret Ingredient is always Food

You don’t need to look very hard for the secret weapon, it’s always Food! Nothing stops a hungry internet browser in their tracks faster than a juicy cooking video. It’s one thing to read a recipe from a cookbook or blog, but recipes that ‘show’ not just ‘tell’ are the most engaging for all cooks, especially the first time making a recipe. 

In this craving-inducing blog, we’ll break down how to make recipe videos, how to elevate them with art direction and music, how to adapt them for YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and more. 

Get ready to dig in!

2- Recipe Video Tips

This is what you need to do first - Make a list of your ingredients! See which ingredients photograph better. For example- Lemons are never a bad idea!
When you have the ingredients figured out, here is what you do - 

• Lay it out. Jot down the steps of your recipe before filming and have your ingredients clearly laid out. 
• The 3-second rule. Like any video, be sure to grab your viewers attention ASAP - show a shot of the amazing finished recipe to entice your viewer to watch from start to finish.
• Make it move. Video is all about movement, capturing the action of the kitchen with exciting pour, dusting, and sizzle action.
• Angles. use two cameras or phones to get both aerial and side views.
• Bright, soft lighting. Lighting is to photography as flour is to baking.
• Keep it clean. make sure your workspace isn’t too cluttered and there aren’t crumbs or stains.
• Text overlays. include instructional information from ingredients lists to key step-by-step actions.

This works great if you have a ‘less is more’ aesthetically pleasing blog!

3- Cooking Videos for Social Media

Here’s where you can elevate your video - Customise it for your various social platforms! Add a professional touch with your brand logo as a watermark in the corner of your video. 

Cooking videos for YouTube

YouTube is a great platform for creating a cooking ‘channel’. You can categorise recipes by themes or types of meals with Playlists and a feature video on your YouTube channel homepage.

Facebook recipe videos

Quirk it up! Add a handy ‘shop now’ button if your brand also sells a product. 

Instagram recipe videos

Use a short 30 second or less video in your Instagram feed to entice viewers to watch the full video and/or get the recipe with the ‘link in bio’ method. You can use the same method for clickthrough with Instagram Stories. Or, post longer recipe videos in IGTV (15 minutes when uploading from a mobile device and up to 60 minutes when uploading from the web).

4- DIY recipe video tips

• Lighting. Grab a lamp and safely attach some heatproof baking paper to create ‘diffused light’ in place of a professional softbox.
• Tripod. If you haven’t got a rig, a tripod with a reversible centre will do the trick for that top-down angle. 
• Coverage. Use a wide enough lens or perspective to capture the full view.
• Close-ups. Adjust your zoom for the most drool-worthy moments (like capturing that grilled cheese pull apart).
• If you don’t have access to a DSLR, you can still apply these principles to shooting on your phone. 

Now you are all set to recipe video that hits the right notes!