Short-Form Video: 11 Realistic Tips for In-House Teams (Minus the Hype)
We’ve all seen those bold claims online: “Shoot one day, generate 900 pieces of content!” If only it were that easy, right?
Anyone tasked with producing short-form video knows it’s rarely as simple as influencers make it sound.
At Lightswitch, short-form video isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s practically all we do. 99% of the content we produce is short-form, and nearly everything we make gets repurposed across multiple platforms.
We understand
the real-life hurdles in-house teams face, including:
• Stakeholder Overload: Does your 15-second video really require input as if it were a Super Bowl commercial? Probably not, but everyone seems to weigh in regardless.
• Scheduling Nightmares: Getting everyone on set (on time) can feel like herding cats.
• Prep Anxiety: Missing one crucial detail during planning can haunt your dreams.
• Editing Bottlenecks: Why does editing always take three times longer than anticipated?
• Format Fatigue: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, BlueSky, LinkedIn—keeping track of each platform’s preferred formats can be overwhelming.
• Brand Consistency: How do you ensure your video doesn’t stray off-brand?
• Platform Paralysis: TikTok or YouTube Shorts? Which platforms actually matter, or fit best with your target audience?
• Footage Management: The process of sorting and storing footage can quickly spiral out of control.
Relate? Good - you’re in the right place.
Here are our tried-and-true tips to streamline your short-form video process without losing your mind:
1. Pre-production is Your New Best Friend
Plan meticulously - but know you’ll likely miss something. Prioritize deliverables ahead of time, outlining each format’s specifications. Since the shoot is usually the most expensive part of the process, planning ahead to make sure you extract maximum value is critical. Be realistic with yourselves and your video team about what can be captured in the allocated time and set clear priorities so everyone knows what must be accomplished, versus what would be nice to have.
2. Audience and Platform First
Clearly identify who your videos are for and exactly where your target audience will be viewing them. Creating content without a well-defined audience or platform is not only frustrating, but is also a waste of resources. Tailoring content specifically for the platform and audience you’re targeting dramatically increases engagement and ensures you’re not producing videos destined to collect digital dust.
3. Don’t Write Off “Old” Content
Before planning a new shoot, review what you already have. There’s a good chance past footage, b-roll, or unused edits can be repurposed into something new, either by being re-edited to create an entirely new video, or re-used as supplemental footage in a future project. A well-organized asset library = free content.
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4. Respect the Edit
Editing inevitably takes the longest. Make sure that you’re allocating sufficient editing resources and scheduling ample time to complete your project in post-production. Companies make a common mistake of shooting extensive footage, but then underestimating the time and effort required to edit effectively and finish bringing their vision to life. Clearly defining editing timelines upfront, and understanding that one person can’t shoot and edit 10 videos simultaneously, can help prevent bottlenecks and ensure a smoother workflow.
5. Template Everything
We love templates at Lightswitch. Investing time initially in creating flexible yet consistent templates enables rapid video production later, especially across multiple projects. Templates allow your video team to understand the flow of a project and make sure all deliverables maintain consistency, and stay on-brand across all content, even when the creative of the video itself varies per project.
HOT TIP: Create a video style guide.
While you might have a general branding style guide already for your design team, social team, etc., consider tailoring a style guide to share with your video team. Keeping a shared folder or deck of past videos, brand-approved visual references, tone-of-voice notes, and creative inspiration helps align editors and stakeholders before feedback spirals begin.
6. Stakeholder Management: Set Expectations Clearly
Clearly communicating what stakeholders will receive, the scope of acceptable feedback, and respecting strict deadlines can significantly streamline your production process. Having too many cooks in the kitchen giving feedback can quickly lead to project delays and a slowing of momentum on a project. Setting these boundaries upfront avoids scope creep and ensures your projects stay on track and on time.
Noticing a theme so far? The most important steps all involve planning, which is crucial before anyone steps foot on a set.
7. Protect Your Footage from Stakeholders
Avoid giving stakeholders direct access to raw footage or allowing “paper cut” reviews. Raw footage can be overwhelming and lead to decision paralysis. This is why we like to give the stakeholders say up front, and then set expectations (see tip above) Sharing only polished, edited content streamlines the review process, minimizes confusion, and prevents significant delays.
HOT TIP: Assign one - and only one - person who has the final say on edits.
(This should be decided during the planning phase.)
Everyone else can provide feedback, but only the approver hits “go.”
8. Trust Your Editors
Invest the time and provide clear briefs up front and then trust your editors to deliver a full first draft without additional interference. This empowers your editors to work efficiently and creatively - there will be plenty of time for you to make changes once the first draft is completed, and it’s infinitely easier to provide revisions once there’s something to revise. Once a complete draft is available, consolidated feedback can be provided, saving significant time and minimizing confusion for everyone involved.
9. YouTube Strategy Reality Check
Building a robust YouTube presence is a long-term investment requiring significant resources, planning, and commitment. While it can be extremely advantageous for some, many companies will often discover that there are other platforms that offer better ROI and quicker wins. It’s essential to evaluate carefully if your target audience is active on the platform before allocating the time and budget required to be successful and have longevity on YouTube. We usually advise against it!
10. Performance Principles Stay the Same
Despite constant changes in digital marketing trends, successful videos consistently emphasize authenticity, clear and bold text, engaging messaging, and relatable human faces. Stick to these proven principles instead of constantly chasing fleeting trends. This approach ensures your content remains effective over time.
11. Transcripts and Translation
Transcripts are an important tool to provide alongside your video, whether it be as closed captions, in the description of a YouTube video, etc. Transcripts increase accessibility, improve SEO, and simplify the repurposing of content for global audiences. The same goes for translating your video into multiple languages. This simple step significantly amplifies your video’s reach and effectiveness, and targets various audiences without having to film extra content.
Bonus Tip: Keep an Eye on AI-Powered Footage Management
AI tech is becoming more readily available that can summarize your footage, tag items, label scenes, and make it easy for your content team to search your own footage like it’s the Getty library - keep an eye on tools like Opus Clip, Exemplary AI, and Eddie AI.
Our Ethos: Plan, Plan, Plan, and then Forgive
Planning is crucial, but perfection isn’t realistic. Mistakes happen - acknowledge them, learn from them, and move on. Aim for good quality, not perfection. Of course you want to put out the best final product possible, but it’s important to remember that delivering ‘good content regularly is better than getting so hung up on achieving ‘perfection’ that you end up producing nothing at all.
At Lightswitch, short-form video isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s practically all we do. 99% of the content we produce is short-form, and nearly everything we make gets repurposed across multiple platforms. To put this in perspective, we tackle thousands of projects annually, but our deliverables number in the tens of thousands - all achieved by a small but mighty team.
Above all, aim to create genuinely good content. The video landscape is crowded, but by focusing on quality and authenticity, we can all contribute positively.
