At Facebook, we want to make sure that the time people spend on our platform is well spent. With that goal in mind, we’ve previously shared a number of updates about video:
- News Feed ranking update to favor video content that people seek out and return to regularly
- News Feed ranking update to favor videos that inspire interaction and conversation among people watching that content
Since then we have sharpened our focus on these News Feed distribution priorities and will continue to do so. Additionally, we want to show people on Facebook the video content that they’ll find most informative, entertaining, and inspiring. And our research shows that the most informative, entertaining, and inspiring videos share certain elements. We encourage you to incorporate these elements into your video content on Facebook and are sharing these guidelines to help you do so.
These best practices are designed to help you optimize for distribution and monetization. We also take this opportunity to remind you that we are committed to the integrity of our community and advertiser brand safety and to share our guidelines with you to maintain this.
Optimize for distribution and monetization
To optimize for distribution and monetization, ensure your videos capture viewers’ attention for at least one minute, have the highest possible resolution and bitrate (at least 3Mbps if shooting at 720 pixel resolution and 30 frames per second, or at least 6Mbps if shooting at 1080 pixel resolution and 30 frames per second), and primarily feature motion and movement — avoid still images or slideshows.
If you’re interested in generating revenue from ads placed in your video, ensure that your videos are three minutes or longer and adhere to our Content Guidelines for Monetization to ensure advertiser brand safety and an optimal user experience. Additionally:
- Ensure Ad Breaks fit naturally within your content. This will help you optimize your earnings. Content should be set up to have the first natural break point between 1 and 2 minutes and the second between 5 and 6 minutes. This can be a scene change, a high tension moment, or a preview of what’s coming up next. The goal is to create an incentive for the viewer to stick around through the ad break. The earliest possible ad break insertion point is 1 minute, so we encourage creators to program their storylines to accommodate an ad break as close to 1-minute as possible.
- Use our automatic ad placement feature: Our automatic placement feature uses an algorithm to pick the most natural break points in a way that helps maximize your potential payout (e.g., if a natural point exists at 1.5 min mark and 2.5 min mark, auto-insertion will pick the first one above all else to help maximize potential payout for creators). Automatic ad placement is on by default to make the ad break insertion process as easy as possible for you. This feature works best for videos that are already set up editorially to accommodate an ad break.
Ask yourself:
- Are your videos the right length and format to optimize for distribution? And for generating revenue via ad-supported monetization?
- Is your video’s storyline naturally set up to accommodate an ad break at the 1-minute and (if applicable) the 5-minute mark? Are you using storytelling techniques that compel users to watch to and through the 1 and 5-minute marks?
- Are you using automatic ad placement? This will allow Facebook to optimize where your ads are placed.
Do the following:
- Choose the right duration for videos. Seeing howyour audience responds is the best way to find out the “ideal” length for your videos, but as a general rule we’ve found that higher-quality videos tend to capture viewers’ attention for at least one minute. And if you’re interested in generating revenue via ad placement in your videos, make sure they are at least three minutes long in order to qualify.
- For generating revenue, ensure your content is editorially set up for ad breaks. If opting for Ad Breaks, design your content’s flow, pacing, and payoff to accommodate a natural editorial break at the one-minute mark and (if applicable) the five-minute mark. This will compel viewers to keep watching beyond the Ad Breaks.
- Follow our Monetization Eligibility Standards, which govern who is eligible to monetize using our features and encompass a range of low-integrity programming and distribution practices, by committing to:
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- Ensure your content does not violate our Community Standards
- Create content that adheres to our Content Guidelines for Monetization
- Develop content that is original and/or content of which you have full ownership
- Share authentic content – do not artificially distribute or engage in behaviors that involve inauthentic or manufactured sharing
- Give viewers a true video experience, not a slideshow. Minimize still images and focus on content that takes best advantage of video’s capacity for capturing movement and motion.
- Shoot and encode to optimize quality. Aim for the highest possible resolution and bitrate (at least 3Mbps if shooting at 720 pixel resolution and 30 frames per second, or at least 6Mbps if shooting at 1080 pixel resolution and 30 frames per second) — especially if your footage contains a lot of motion or text.
- Minimize compression artifacts. Avoid blurriness, blockiness, and other enjoyment-killers in your content.
Create habitual and loyal viewership
The more people come back to watch your content—whether it be week-after-week or episode-to-episode in a catch-up session—the better the distribution of your content is likely to be. We take into account how frequently viewers return to watch your content and how many you retain on a weekly basis.
Ask yourself:
- Are people returning to engage with you and your content on a regular basis?
- Are you turning viewers into fans who will follow your page and share your content with their friends?
- What are some additional ways you can publicize your Facebook show to all of your fans?
Do the following:
- Publish on a regular schedule. Publishing video content on a daily or weekly basis will encourage viewers to return for new episodes.
- Encourage your viewers to come back each week to watch new content and to follow your page. Focus on content your audience will connect and engage with. Ensure there is a through-line that connects episodes (e.g. theme, concept, cast).
- Track the number of viewers that return to your videos each week. Be sure to track your Returning Viewers against the content you produce each week using Insights in Creator Studio. If you notice a sudden spike or dive in Returning Viewers, learn what type of content drives this behavior.
- Respond to comments and questions. Spending a few minutes to respond to comments and questions can turn a casual viewer into a loyal fan. Viewer comments are also an excellent way to get ideas for new episodes and themes.
- Share the link to your content on all of your properties and social channels. Help fans from other channels find you on Facebook by sharing the permalink to your content.
- Consider how people might use Facebook search to find your video content. Write comprehensive descriptions for each of your posts. Ensure your page name and video titles include the name or brand that’s best known to your fans.
Foster Our Community and Integrity
We want to promote authentic engagement and meaningful interactions in a way that is consistent with our Integrity Guidelines. Here’s how to grow and engage with your followers while avoiding engagement baiting.
Ask yourself:
- Are you inviting authentic engagement from your audience members?
Do the following:
- Avoid asking viewers to respond in specific ways. Specifically instructing viewers to “like”, “tag”, or “share” may result in your content being flagged for engagement baiting.
- When asking for feedback in the description and comments, use questions that allow for a wide range of responses. Questions that have predefined answers — e.g. “What’s your address birth month?” — are more likely to be flagged as baiting.
- Give conversation-starters, not instructions. Instead of telling viewers exactly what to say or how to say it, invite them to share their thoughts, general feedback, and questions.
- Use the post’s description field as intended. Tell viewers about yourself and your content. Share the link to your page and let viewers know what they can expect if they choose to follow you.
More by facebook – https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/blog/video-best-practices
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