A Primer on Uploading and Distributing Videos
Now that your video is done, some of the most important work still remains
It’s easy to celebrate the completion of your new video and think that it will now magically get seen by the right people. But this is generally not the case. Knowing how to distribute your video is essential to making it work hard for you.
How do I decide how to distribute my video?
There is no one answer that fits everyone. That’s why we’re providing some quick tips on uploading and distributing your video. Following these will help ensure that your video gets the maximum return on your investment.
Where can I distribute my video?
Here are some ways:
Your website. Sometimes it can go in multiple places, so don’t let just one location suffice if it is suitable for more. (Example, a company introduction might go on your home page, product page, or recruiting page).
Your Vimeo or YouTube channel. You should have these for increased distribution.
Facebook. Decide if you want to upload to Facebook and get more views, or embed to Facebook from another platform and keep the traffic going to the same place.
Instagram (must be 15 minutes or shorter).
X, formerly Twitter—(must be 2:20 minutes or shorter.)
Emails and e-letters (to clients, employees, board members, donors—or whomever you’re trying to reach).
Should I host our video on Vimeo or YouTube?
Vimeo and YouTube cater to different audiences. If you’re primary goal is reach, YouTube might be for you. But if you want higher engagement and a better user experience, Vimeo is the right choice. We use both for varying reasons and projects, but prefer Vimeo because of its higher quality player company values.
How to download videos from Vimeo
1. Visit the URL where the video is located.
2. Click the “Download” button and download in “Original” quality.
(Ask Vimeo account owner to change settings if no button exists)
Tips for uploading videos
Be strategic about which platforms the video is uploaded/embedded to.
Uploading vs. embedding can be a complex decision that should be discussed by a team before distributing any video content.
Uploading is the practice of hosting video data on a service site (Vimeo and YouTube are most common). The video will be distributed from where it was uploaded—passing any data and value to the upload platform.
Uploading a video to two or more locations will split the traffic and decrease the perceived value and significance of the project.
Embedding is the practice of “adding an object from another website.” While the video is still uploaded to a hosting site (for example: Vimeo) the video object appears on the website on which it has been embedded. Data and value are still passed to the upload platform, but the visual occurrence passes to the embed location.
Embedding a video to two or more locations will maintain the data and value for all the occurrences since the video is still hosted in only one location.
Deciding which video is posted or embedded on which platform(s) depends entirely on the project content, subject, and goals. These decisions should be clearly thought out and communicated.
For a basic example:
Uploading a video to Facebook will get more interaction and views, but is a much less robust marketing tool as the system is designed to help Facebook before your business.
Embedding a video on Facebook will get less interaction and views, but it will pass rank and traffic to a more robust hosting site.
Uploading a video to Vimeo will be much less likely to get interaction and views, but the hosting platform is built to help your business and the viewer community—making this an ideal platform for sharing content with people who want to see it.
Embedding a video from Vimeo produces a high-quality player and product to display the video, however, videos embedded from Vimeo are not passing search ranking on to the video content.
Uploading a video to YouTube can be an effective way to get your video found by strangers, but the platform is built for Google to sell; small videos can easily get lost in the barrage of other content.
Embedding a video from YouTube provides a lower-quality player and product, but the views and interaction will more improve your search ranking for the topic.
There are many scenarios and strategies to discuss. With so much time invested in each project, it’s important to place similar time and importance on the distribution of the video, to get the most from your investment.
Always upload videos in the highest quality available.
The general standard for uploading is 1080p, however, 2k-4k+ quality videos are becoming much more common with recent advancements in technology. When you upload a lower quality version, it will not look or sound its best. This is exacerbated when shown in larger venues and reflects badly on the team.
Titles matter.
A good title will follow the goals of the project. It may be more descriptive or more emotive depending on the project. Generally, the more targeted the audience, the more targeted the title.
Three examples:
1. The authentic video company that posts their demo reel to Vimeo and host on their already popular website.
They title the video: “Real” Because it says so much about the company in so little time.
2. The teacher who wants people who search for “Adobe Premiere tutorials” on Google to watch his video on YouTube.
They title the video: “How To Get Started with Adobe Premiere Pro CC - 10 Things Beginners Want to Know How To Do” Because it is a functional title that specifically targets beginning users of Premiere Pro CC.
3. The owner of Denver Doughnuts who posts a video to social media wanting their customers to learn about new offerings.
They title the video “Denver Doughnuts – Our 2018 Menu Explained” because it balances functionality and feel.
Keep descriptions interesting and concise. Link out to contributors or relevant websites.
Example:
ON | Athlete Refugee Team - The Human Spirit
There are 65 million refugees on earth right now. The most in recorded history. There are 31 refugees from 5 different countries who train in the Ngong Hills of Kenya as the Athlete Refugee Team (A.R.T). This August 2017, five of the athletes will be at the world athletics championships in London. Go see them run and proudly represent and provide a symbol of hope for the 65 million refugees worldwide.
Thanks Ladi Demko, Olivier Bernhard and Feliciano Robayna for the opportunity to shoot this amazing story and for the support your company has given to these athletes.
Add as much information as possible to the informational fields.
Adding [a(n)]:
Language
Location
Tags
Keywords
Website
Closed captions (CC)
Subtitles
Thumbnail
Audience type
Genre (ex: documentary, lifestyle, etc.)
Etc…
Adding information can improve platform understanding of how to sort and show videos based on user search and interest. As many details as possible should be added to each piece of content. This will help your content get found and viewed by the target audience since hosting platforms use this data to decide which videos to show certain users.
Always include closed captions and/or subtitles.
People frequently watch videos without sound, so we strongly encourage use of subtitles and/or CC. We typically add these at negligible if any cost to videos we produce, but it’s always important to double check so you can reach the maximum number of users.
Consider removing the download button for more control over content distribution.
A common problem is content being downloaded in a low-quality format and then being uploaded to platforms. Consider removing download capabilities in the video settings to minimize the probability of lower than “original” quality content being published.
Create thumbnails that sell.
Thumbnails should be designed and supplied with each video project, as they are vital to a healthy click rate. Check your thumbnail design to be sure it works well in the smallest application—like on a mobile phone.
If the original thumbnail is not easily available/accessible, use Daniel Ehniss’ tool to download one.
Paste the URL of the video into the search bar and download the thumbnail in the highest quality available (likely the default).
Upload the thumbnail to the video platform and ensure that the change has correctly taken place upon upload.
You don’t have to be the expert, but you should call on one if you need it.
How a video is distributed is paramount to the success of your project. Strategies should be discussed at the start of the project and improved throughout its creation and launch.
The number of variables for each project is an overwhelming and complex task to discuss. If you do not have someone experienced in this, contact delona@CMBell.com for help distributing and uploading your video content to get the maximum return on your investment.