Short videos need ideas, filming, editing and posting, every week. Someone has to do all four. Here’s how the three usual options compare, and the questions that tell you which one fits.
What the job involves
- Ideas and scripts. A month of them, every month.
- Filming at your business. When it’s open, busy and looking its best, which is also when everyone is working.
- Editing. Cutting for pace, with captions, on-screen text, music and sound.
- Posting. On TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts.
- Counting. Checking what each post did, so next month is better.
Most owners underestimate the filming. Ideas can be written on a quiet evening; filming has to happen in the middle of the day.
Your own team
Good at: knowing the business, being there every day, catching moments as they happen.
Watch for: the person filming also has a job. In a busy week, posting slips first. And the ideas run thin after the first month.
Fits when: someone on staff enjoys filming and has hours set aside for it.
A freelancer
Good at: one part of the job, often editing or shooting, with flexible hours.
Watch for: one person usually covers one or two of the five jobs above. Ask who comes up with the ideas, who posts, and what happens when they’re away.
Fits when: you have the ideas and the time to manage, and need skilled hands for one part.
An agency
Good at: covering every job as a team, with a plan before the month starts, and carrying on through holidays and sick days.
Watch for: the price, and templates that make every client look the same. Ask to see films made for businesses like yours.
Fits when: nobody on your team has the time, and you want the whole month done.
A middle way: your team films, someone else plans
If someone on your team films well but the ideas are the hard part, you can buy the plan alone. Our DIY plan is $1,750 a month: Our strategy and content plan, filmed by your own team. It comes with 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard, and our guide to “How to write a short video script” shows how a script works.
Five questions that decide it
- Who will come up with next month’s ideas?
- Who will be at the business with a camera, and when?
- Who edits, captions and posts, and on which platforms?
- What will you be able to count at the end of the month?
- Can you see films they’ve made for a business like yours?
Where we fit
We’re an agency for short video. We plan the month, film at your business, edit and post on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts, and every plan guarantees its views. Read how that went for Icon Auto Centre and Da.Si.Mar Shawarma, or compare the plans.
Questions owners ask
Is it cheaper to hire someone in-house?
It can be, if the person really has the time. Count their hours for filming, editing and posting, then compare that with a monthly plan that covers all of it.
What should an agency show me before I sign?
Films it made for businesses like yours, what a month includes, how many posts you get, and what it promises at the end of the month.
Can my team film while someone else plans?
Yes. With DIY ($1,750 a month), we give your team the strategy and the content plan, with 20 complete post scripts, with references, captions and storyboard. Your team films.
How do I start?
Book a free thirty-minute video consultation with a partner: a few quick questions, then pick a time. Book a consultation