Ultra.
As a live streamer, creating short-form video content can help you reach a wider audience and engage your viewers in new ways. By batch-creating videos using VODs of your live streams, you can save time planning social content while consistently promoting your live stream, whether on Twitch, Facebook, YouTube, etc. In this blog post, we’ll explore batching content and how it can help you work more efficiently, particularly regarding repurposing your live streams into short-form video content.
What Is Batch Content?
Did you know that switching between tasks is proven to cut productivity and increase time to get back to a steady workflow? This is where popular techniques such as batch-creating come in handy. Simply put, batch creating is a productivity technique used for completing similar tasks or creating similar sorts of content that require the same systems, programs, and processes to get done. Instead of jumping between tasks, batch creating helps you be more productive by staying in the groove of completing like tasks before switching gears to something different
How to Batch Create Short Form Video Content
Now that you understand what batch content creation is and how it can help you, we’ll discuss ways this productivity technique can help you ramp up your short-form content on multiple platforms. Below are a few tasks to consider batching, plus an example batching work schedule to get you started.
Designate a Day for Reviewing VODs
Most live streamers stream for two or more hours per session. And while having more VOD content to cut down into short-form video is a huge advantage, it is time-consuming to do every time you record a live stream. Instead, choose a day of the week (preferably a day you don’t stream) specifically for scrubbing through your stream recordings to find the best moments to share via short-form video. Look for highlights from gameplay and funny or memorable moments that people on social media would enjoy. Remember to jot down the timestamps of these specific moments you’d like to repurpose for a short-form video.
You can greatly expedite this process by using the Streamlabs Desktop Bookmark feature to highlight important moments as you go. Then on your designated review day, you can review all of the time stamps you created to narrow your list down to the best moments you want to highlight.
Create a Content Calendar
Once you’ve reviewed your VODs and found shareable moments, plan the content you like to share and where it would live using a content calendar. A content calendar is a great tool to help you stay organized when planning short-form video content. With a quick search, you can find a free content calendar template or use software such as Asana to keep track of the content in your pipeline.
Choose a Video Editor and Keep Your Videos Organized
Organization is key in batch content creation, especially when visual assets are involved. One way to ensure you stay organized is by sticking to one video editor to keep clips in one place instead of jumping around between software. The latter is an easy way to lose track of content and slow your workflow.
One easy tool to edit short-form video from your live stream footage is Streamlabs Cross Clip. Not only can you use this web-based tool to convert Twitch/Kick Clips, downloaded YouTube streams and uploaded files to the proper orientation for short-form video platforms, you can store your clips without saving them to your computer and taking up tons of memory. Additionally, you can upload them directly to TikTok after editing your clips or download them to post elsewhere.
If you’re serious about stepping up your content (live streaming and beyond), you may be interested in upgrading to Streamlabs Ultra, which gives access to the pro features of Streamlabs Cross Clip (such as watermark removal and larger uploads), plus other premium creator apps. Read our handy Streamlabs Ultra guide to learn more about how this one subscription can enhance your creative workflow.
Create Engaging Captions
Don’t skip captions! Including captions with your short-form video content can provide additional context, emphasize key points, or add humor or personality to your content. This can make your videos more engaging and memorable. Captions for short-form videos are also crucial because they make your content more accessible to viewers who are visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing. They can also improve engagement by allowing viewers to watch your video without sound in environments where audio is not possible or appropriate.
Find Appropriate Hashtags
Don’t underestimate the power of hashtags. Whether you’re posting on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or another short-form video platform, hashtags are tools created to help you get your content seen by the right people. You don’t have to go crazy using hashtags. However, you want to find a handful of hashtags that correlate with your content and may help amplify your videos.
Schedule Posts in Advance
Everyone knows you must be consistent to grow on any social media platform. One way to remain consistent is by putting your content on autopilot and scheduling your posts in advance. Creating a time block to schedule posts vs. doing so whenever the opportunity arises will remove some of the pressure of staying relevant on social media. Try using in-app capabilities (such as Instagram’s new scheduler function) or find a social media management tool that suits your needs.
Engage and Check Analytics
After taking time to create engaging short-form video content, you must interact with your followers. From liking and replying to comments to asking for feedback, carve out the time to engage with the people supporting you.
In addition to checking in with your community, it’s important to look at the analytics, which provide valuable insights into the performance of your content. Without checking analytics, you risk missing opportunities to improve your content and may not be able to accurately measure the success of your social media efforts. Don’t obsess over the numbers but also don’t ignore them.
Example Batch Creation Work Schedule
To better understand how you can work batching content into your workflow as a live streamer, we’ve created the below example schedule. This particular schedule was designed for someone who streams once weekly and plans social content week over week.
Monday: Engage with followers and check analytics.
Tuesday: Brainstorm ideas for the coming live stream. Prep for weekly live stream.
Wednesday: Live Stream Day
Thursday: Review VOD to find key moments.
Friday: Edit down VODs, create captions, and do hashtag discovery.
Saturday: Add videos to the content calendar and pre-schedule to various platforms.
Sunday: Rest day
Remember, this is a thought starter to help you determine what batching schedule works best for you. Tweak it as much as you need to fit your schedule and needs as a creator.
Overall, using the tips and tools discussed in this article, live streamers can efficiently create engaging short-form video content that resonates with their audience and drives engagement on social media. The name of the game is always to work smarter and not harder—batching your content is a great way to get ahead without burning yourself out in the process.