Tips for successful reels and social videos

The social media landscape moves fast, but there's one trend that has continued to gain traction and shows no signs of slowing down: the rise of reels. These short-form videos, which first debuted in August 2020, have quickly become a staple of online platforms, with content creators and businesses using them for reach, for engagement, and to simply say more than they can with images alone.

But not all reels are made equal, and Laura Hannoun knows this all too well. The French fashion and brunch-loving creator behind Les Paris de Laura has achieved more than 3.3 million views and 75,000 likes from her most popular reel, and counting. "I don't like to pretend to be this serious woman drinking my coffee, with the sunglasses and stuff," she says, eschewing the sophisticated French-girl stereotype. Instead, her feel-good grid is full of lighthearted content where she's nearly always smiling as she talks about everything from coffee to croissants.

Laura's social media success started with photography, but it's her reels that have garnered her biggest audiences. "It was very difficult for me to study video creation because I started with stills," she admits. "It took me a long time to learn about videos, but now I'm posting at least one or two a week. Reels are very important today, to reach new people when you want to, and to develop your account."

But as an acknowledged video novice, what can Laura teach us about creating reels with reach? Here are her key ingredients for successful reels and social videos.

• It doesn't have to be perfect
• Listen to the algorithm
• Write ideas down
• Curate cover images
• Make your content searchable
• Place subtitles correctly
• Consider your kit
• Keep it short
• Choose a fast lens

Laura likes the authenticity of video, so she isn't going to let her food go cold in pursuit of the perfect shot. Even when she's at a restaurant to review it, she likes to enjoy herself. "When you take pictures, the single fork, the napkin, everything is on set and perfectly positioned," she says. "But when I shoot the video, I feel like I'm having more fun. It can be more alive, less perfect. So yes, you can see a little bit of someone's bag in the corner of your shot, and that's okay!"

When reflecting on where she finds her inspiration, Laura admits that she finds it in other people's feeds. "You need to scroll and just watch," she says. "I think if you want to create content that works, you need to consume videos almost every day, so that you know what's trending and what music you can use." And to mitigate the risk of forgetting things as you view tens of videos, keep a list of formed ideas. "When you find those ideas, write them down, don't just save the video. Then you'll have a list ready to go."

"I try to create my feed six pictures in advance so that I can make sure the overall aesthetic of the feed is good," explains Laura. "When I have the final video, I make the cover image in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom before publishing." She also says that it's important to show different aspects of your brand and not focus on only one thing: "I don't post the same kind of content every day; it's not only recipes!"

"The biggest mistake I notice is with subtitles," says Laura. "When you put them at the bottom of the video on social media, you can't read them because there are too many other things written on the screen there." The subtitles will get hidden by your username and the caption, so place them higher up in the video to ensure they're not obscured.

Laura usually uses a Canon EOS R6, but for the Canon Europe Learning Series, she had the opportunity to try out the EOS R6 Mark II. When she's photographing subjects, she shoots manually, but when it comes to video, she switches to automatic modes as this allows her to focus on the content of her shot. "The lighting changes a lot and I don't have much time to get all the shots I need, so I shoot automatic," she says. "Move slowly with the autofocus and you will get great results."

Laura records her videos vertically – not cropping them in post-production – and the vari-angle screen on the EOS R6 gives her control and the creative freedom to do this. "I really like the fact that I can move the screen," she says. "When I get, for example, the shot from the top, I can see what I'm filming, so it's very comfortable."

"I feel like in today's world, to create a nice video, you can't have shots that are too long," says Laura, whose videos always consist of short clips with quick transitions between them. "When I edit the video, the maximum time each shot lasts is about one second. I like it when the video is dynamic."

Laura describes her "look" as "colourful, good vibes", so her preferred lens is the RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM, which has a focal length that gives her a wide field of view and a fast aperture of f/1.8, allowing her to create light and bright images even in dimly-lit cafés.

When she's choosing a lens, the speed is a primary consideration. "I want to make sure I get light, so I always choose a lens which can catch a lot of light. I'm not always sure about what the light is going to be, so I don't want to take the risk. I want to pack the right lens."

Mastering the art of creating successful reels and social videos is within reach of anyone willing to invest time and effort. What Laura demonstrates is how the partnering of automatic settings, a healthy dose of authenticity and the ability to embrace imperfections can deliver what's needed to captivate an audience. But don't forget to enjoy yourself. "When we go to a restaurant, we are going as a client – we pay. We don't want to eat when the food is too cold," she reiterates. "I try to find the perfect timing to get everything, but I still enjoy the moment!"

For more inspiration and advice from content creators, check out the Canon Europe Learning Series playlist on YouTube.