Dipo Olowookere
Digital journalism, be it a one-man-army or a small firm, both required compelling content to compete with mainstream media companies.
The ethics of media journalism and the credibility of the information source are essential factors. But the physical and visual presentation of each piece draws more attention than any other parameter.
It is important to be original and it implies journalism too. They need to master copywriting too, so that it can be leveraged over others, know more about copywriting and its importance by clicking this link here.
In this world of technology and fast-paced information — videos are the only outlets that can deliver the best-in-class results.
Need For Video
Videos find utility by the digital journalist in two ways. The first is in the form of direct content pieces. Which means your video content is the primary source of information. This video is not accompanied by any written reports or supporting articles.
Many users on the internet depend on the video format of content; this type of journalism could fetch you more eyeballs and a higher reach.
The other form of video integration is snippets or trailers within written pieces. As a digital journalist who focuses on the written article format, integrating small snippets of videos will enhance its quality.
This practice will also increase the searchability score of your page. Therefore your news article reaches a broader user based on the internet.
Some journalists also use video for cross-promotions. These are marketing or promotional content created based on the information shared on the primary website. These videos are also shared on social media platforms, email newsletters, etc.
Faster Way To Make Videos
As videos’ consumption is effortless in today’s mobile-driven world, having video content creation has become a prerequisite for all digital journalists.
We often think of video making as complicated as making a film. You imagine large computers and cameras. But the phone and the laptop are the only tools you need. The internet itself feeds you with tools to make internet-content.
Using online video editing tools is one of the best ways to create fast and accurate video content. These tools do not require a software download, professional skills, or an annual membership.
They are simple web-based applications that anybody with a computer or mobile phone can access.
These applications are designed in a way to cater to the lowest common denominator. This means if you have close to zero knowledge of video making, editing, or scripting — these platforms will help you transform your text-based articles into shareable video formats.
The Best Editing Tools For Journalists
Now that you understand the need for video and its application in digital journalism. Here are five platforms that will make your task easier.
InVideo
InVideo is the go-to choice for most online content creators. This sophisticated video creation platform allows you to make text-based or elaborate story-based videos with just a few clicks.
The highlight of Invideo is the presence of more than 3,000 templates. These templates are tailor-made to fit each need and niche. They can be customized to suit the video creator’s needs and exported directly to social media or downloaded on the computer for external use.
The platform also provides pre-designed video templates for various platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. The service is entirely free for anyone to use, and a premium membership will give you access to over one-million free stock footage videos and photos.
The themes and templates of InVideo revolve around current affairs, upcoming events, and festivals. This reduces the time and effort to design each video from scratch. InVideo already understands the journalist’s need.
Youtube Editor
We all think of YouTube as a video platform, but their content development window is just as useful. The YouTube creator page is a great starting point for anyone who has lesser experience with online video generation.
The YouTube platform video editor is a fundamental and straightforward tool. It does not demand any complex actions or over-the-top animations and effects. If you aim to create crisp and uncomplicated video content for posting on YouTube, this tool is a fabulous step-one.
Video Shop
VideoShop is a long-running and simple to use video editing application. It has effortless features like trimming video, integrating music, adding text, and altering the length. Many journalists use these tools to allow easy subtitling for foreign languages or hard-to-listen-audio.
Video shops also have a layering feature that lets you integrate more than one clip at a time. This tool is also available in the form of an app on IOS and Android.
Square Fit
SquareFit is not a per-say video editing tool. It is a tool that enhances video content sizes. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook demand videos to be in a specific resolution. SquareFit helps you optimize any video to accommodate social media norms.
They also allow you to add simple text, add filters (like on Instagram), rotate, flip video, or scale video to the needed size.
SquareFit is a mobile application that saves the video to your phone memory. The user can later upload this video on their desired platform.
InShot
Inshot is one such app that allows very detailed video edits that you might rarely use as a journalist. But very helpful at the time of a specific need. They have advanced features like freeze frame, background alteration, text animation, adaptability to change in resolution, and much more.
This application has often been referred to as user-friendly since it’s a mobile application that is self-explanatory. The digital journalist often rely on this app for its sincere user interface
Final Thoughts,
There is no denying that the need for video has it at an all-time high. Even industry leaders like Instagram and Facebook have recognized this need and created video-specific sections on their platform. (Called IG-TV and Facebook Watch, respectively)
Making videos will soon become as easy as clicking a photo on your phone. And most technological and media changes usually start from the field with journalists.
As a journalist, you face situations where adaptability is the need of the hour. This video transformation is one such change. However, these online editing tools help them get the work done faster.
Gives them time to focus on their primary job – reporting.
