There’s no use sugarcoating it; everything is expensive. A lot of us are reevaluating our budgets and seeing where we can save a little more money. There’s no shame in that, and there’s no shame in not being able to spend thousands on your social content. In fact, we think audiences are starting to value authentic content over perfected content.
So, if there was ever a time to get creative and trim back the content creation budget, it’s now. And here are five easy, completely free content ideas to get you started.
Repurpose/Repost ♻️
The easiest thing is to take existing content and remake it into something new. You have a backlog of videos that you can use for something new. If you have an old video (we’re talking at least a year) that did well, try posting that! If there’s a trending audio or an easy-to-do trend that you do, pair it with old footage.
The key is to have access to old videos without watermarks. You might be able to download and repost an old video from your profile (some platforms let you remove the watermark). But any b-roll or short clips probably need to come from an old video library or final video cuts. If you haven’t started yet, try keeping a backlog of clips to use for easy content like this.
Ask Me Anything 💬
Also called an FAQ, sit down and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Either post a video asking your followers to ask you questions, or go back through the comments to see what viewers ask a lot. Or, if you can’t find a lot of questions, look up some for your niche!
This video is easy to film and requires little set-up. You can open your camera and start filming. But if you want to make it engaging for the audience and challenging for you, find some kind of way to film it. Work on a project, film a get-ready-with-me, or try fun new camera angles for each shot.
Tips, Tricks, or Facts 💡
Create a video (or two) (or however many you want) sharing tips for your niche. Whether these are things you’ve discovered yourself or common ideas everyone hears, these videos perform well. Even if a person has a passing interest in your niche, they’re likely to stop and listen. Especially if the tips you’re sharing are new and unique.
Just like the questions video, this is an easy video to film. One way to elevate this video is by having a killer hook. “If you’re starting in [insert niche], don’t do this.” “My top tip for people in [insert niche] is this.” Not only is this good practice for the rest of your content, but it makes a simple video more exciting and engaging for the audience.
Pro tip! If you’re responding to a comment on your video, be sure to use the feature that lets you reply with a video! That way, your follower gets a little shoutout/credit for the question, and people can see your reply on the original video.
Behind the Scenes 📸
Turn the camera around and pull back the curtain. You’d be surprised how many people want to hear about your content creation process. Make a video showing us how you plan, script, shoot, and even edit your videos. As viewers, we do like seeing how the sausage gets made. And, as your fellow creators, we really like learning from each other!
There are several ways to film this kind of content. If you have two cameras, record yourself filming; if you only have one camera, get everything set up and pause to record it and explain where you’re at in the process. Or, if you can’t pause in the process, actually talk us through how you film your videos. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, so long as we clearly see your process.
Weekly Recap/Round Up 📱
This is especially good for lifestyle creators or people in food, gaming, book, or project-based niches. And the formats people are already doing are super flexible.
Recaps are just… recapping what you’ve been doing this week. What projects did you work on? Where did you go? Were there any new things you tried?
Round-ups are great for people who consume a lot of content. If you review movies, games, or even books, you can round up what you’ve finished (or been watching) recently. Chefs could recap what they made in a ‘menus’ series, and fitness creators could recap their workouts.
R.E.P.O.R.Ts include a lot of things. What you’ve been reading, eating, playing (music, games, etc!), obsessing over, recommending to people, and treating – either yourself to or changing how you treat something.
Whichever you choose (or if you invent your own!) be sure you’re keeping it to the cliffnotes. Just a quick review of what you’ve been up to. These could be a great series, too.
Frequency ⌚
You might be reading this and thinking, “Some of those sound super versatile. I wonder if I can use them a lot.” The answer is yes, you can incorporate these video ideas into your content calendar several times over! Maybe you start doing weekly or monthly wrap-ups. You can share a new tip or trick each month, and you can find unique ways to reuse some old footage each month.
Just a reminder: you don’t need a giant budget to make incredible content. All you need is your phone, an editing app, and an idea. And content ideas are literally free. Whether it’s a fully thought-out content strategy or the weird idea you can’t shake, you can be a successful creator without spending tons of money.
Clapper is the unhinged social media platform for creators 17+ that can’t help but break the mold. Don’t hide your crazy or try to edit it to perfection. Download the Clapper app to turn your most chaotic content into views and followers.