Vine has blown up in popularity since it started back in January 2013. The short six-second video clip format is perfect for an age where attention spans are much shorter. Over the past couple years, people have become really good at creating Vines. It doesn’t matter if it’s a comedy sketch or something to promote a product. You’ll find great production value in some of these short videos.
If you’re looking to take your Vine game to the next level, you’re in luck. Today, we’re going to share 5 useful tips that will help you make awesome Vines.
Create transitions
Making a quick little transition adds a little bit of production value to make your Vines stand out. There are a few different ways you can do this. The easiest way is to go out and find a transition online and just import it into your Vine. You can find a YouTube video and download it using a website like ClipConverter. Then, you cut out the section of the video you want to use as a transition and send it to your phone.
You should definitely try to get as creative as possible with your transitions. It doesn’t have to be a black bar strafing across the screen. Try something silly, like a screaming goat in between videos (or, maybe a screaming Selena Gomez). Of course, make sure you stay somewhat relative to your niche if you get creative.
Invest in a tripod
If you want to make a high-quality Vine, removing shakiness can help out a lot. Getting a tripod for your phone will protect your video from losing quality as a result of a shaky camera. Using a tripod also helps you stage your shots better, and gives you an extra body to participate in the video. Since you can set the video to auto-record, the person starting the recording can run into the shot. There are a lot of different tripods for phones, some a little more stable or taller than others. You can spend anywhere from $5 – $40+ depending on what you want to get out of it.
Overlays!
Another way you can get creative with your Vine is by adding overlays. This could be a border, an emoji, text, or pretty much anything else. One thing that a lot of users have been doing lately is making their Vine look like a meme. There are a couple different ways you could do this, but an overlay is definitely the easiest.
Overlays go hand in hand with transitions. Having one or the other is helpful, but the two of them together look great. They’re great production value and really help you stand out.
Here’s an awesome use of fisheye to show Earth, shot from the ISS by astronaut Reid Wiseman:
Use lenses
Using a lens will create a unique effect to add even more production value. You can buy a macro, fisheye, and other filtered lenses online, or try some DIY lenses. There are numerous ways to build your own lens, so it all depends on the household items you have available to you. Reading glasses, plastic bottles, even a drop of water – and the list goes on.
Master the loop
It doesn’t work for every type of video, but it’s never a bad idea to try and loop your Vine. To do this, you need to try to eliminate any notion that the clip has come to an end. An easy example would be a video of someone riding a bicycle in a perfect circle. If you start the video when they begin the circle and end it right at the finish, it will loop on Vine.
Here’s a clever use of looping from Viner Starryghostt:
It’s pretty tough to make a perfect loop, so don’t stress yourself out. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just something that catches the eye and makes you want to keep watching. The more loops you get, the more exposure you’ll get.
Get a crowd
A Vine can be perfect in every way, but how awesome can it be without an audience? If you want to be successful on Vine, you need to establish a following. Creating high-quality vines with the five tips mentioned above helps, but only gets you so far. Make sure you are regularly sharing your Vines on social media and advertising on forums.
Loading your Vines up with Likes, ReVines, and Loops from a paid provider is also helpful. This will add some social proof to your videos and get new viewers more interested in checking them out.
Regardless of your strategy, the important thing is to keep at it. Tweak your marketing tactics until you start seeing the results you want. With the right amount of patience and perseverance, you’ll be a Vine star in no time.