5 apps for Instagram video content when you’re afraid of the camera

“I know I should be creating video content but I just can’t talk on camera.”

“Video is only for good-looking people. I have a face for radio.”

Why is it that so many entrepreneurs are brave enough to invest their life savings and a few limbs into their business, quit their safe corporate careers and upturn their entire lives to follow their dreams… But, when it comes to recording a direct-to-camera video, they turn into shaky little leaves. Video is one of the best types of content marketing and it holds so much power for building a connection with your audience.

It’s a bit like that pesky fear of public speaking that holds so many of us back.

However, just like the fear of tripping up in front of your audience, the fear of talking on camera can be overcome. It’s a topic I’ll save for another day, or else we’ll be here well past wine o’clock, and you wouldn’t want that, would you?

For the purpose of this article, let’s pretend that you have a legit excuse for not recording video content. Maybe it scares you so much that you’d rather go cage diving with sharks. Maybe you can’t speak English. Maybe you have a Nokia 3315 and no video camera.

Well, you’re a lucky ducky, because there are plenty of free apps for creating Facebook video content. The best part? You don’t even need to be techy to use them.

Click here for my full list of the best small business marketing tools.

 

 

1. Adobe Spark

First up, the simplest one. It’s almost impossible to stuff this one up – in fact, I challenge you to do so. And if you do, please let me know.

Whilst it’s the simplest to use, it’s also the most basic in terms of its capabilities. You aren’t given a whole lot of options and your result is more like a slideshow than an actual video.

However, slideshows do have their time and place. Adobe Spark is great for telling stories, explaining things and sharing bulky information in a visual way.

Is your business a novel concept that people struggle to understand? Use Spark to create an explainer video. Frequently write long, info-heavy blog posts? Use Spark to create a teaser for the post. Some people just aren’t into reading long articles would simply prefer to watch a 30-second video summary instead.

2. Quik

This is my personal favourite and I’ve used it a couple of times to create bite-sized videos for Instagram and Facebook Ads.

If you’ve got a bunch of wonderful photos that you’d like to turn in to a video (perhaps with some text overlaid), then Quik is a good fit for you. Created by Go Pro, their snazzy transitions and funky tunes will turn your photos or video clips into a professional-looking video.

The catch here is that it can only be used on iOs or Android, so you’ll need to have small thumbs and a bit of free storage space on your phone.

3. Facebook Ads slideshows

Betcha didn’t know about this one! It’s so easy to use but it’s so underutilised.

When you set up your Facebook Ads, you have to go through three steps – first you set up your Campaign, then you set up your Ad Set, and then finally you set up your Ad creative.

In this final step, you’re given the option to upload an image or a video. But, here Facebook also gives you the option to create a slideshow from several static images.

Simply upload your images, choose some transitions, pick some nice elevator music and you’re good to go.

4. Ripl

This is another app that you can only get on the App Store or Google Play. It’s free but it “offers in-app purchases” and we all know what that can lead to…

This app is designed with business users in mind, so it gives you options that other video-editing apps don’t have, such as tracking post engagement.

They obviously do want you to upgrade to the Pro version (fair enough; good karma doesn’t pay the bills), so the free templates are fairly basic. They’re more suited towards creating tiny, bite-sized videos from static images – but, sometimes, short videos are all you need.

5. Do things a little differently

Before you go and search this one in the App Store – it’s not an app. Sorry. This option takes a little more work, but it can be totally worth it.

Just because every other business out there is creating direct-to-camera video content doesn’t mean you have to. As the wise Seth Godin said, “you can either fit in or stand out. Not both.”

Do you really want your video content to look the same as everyone else’s? I didn’t think so.

So, why not use this as an opportunity to try something a little different. You could DIY your own stop-motion video. You could record one of your team members doing something funny on Boomerang. You could even hire someone to be the “face” of your brand on social media if you’re really, truly deathly afraid of video, and can’t see yourself getting over it anytime soon.

There you have it; 5 ways to create video content that don’t require talking directly to the camera.

You now have no excuse not to create video content – so get out there and get creating.