Do you want your vlogs, reports, artistic broadcasts or sketches to read a wide and diverse audience? In this article, we'll share a number of tried and tested video editing techniques that will make your content as accessible as possible, boosting your viewing figures and ensuring greater success.
Include Subtitles
One of the easiest ways to tap into a wider audience base is to improve the way your content appeals to those with additional needs. For example, you may choose to include captions for those who are hard of hearing. It's a great idea to use a high quality transcription tool that will automatically generate the subtitles you need. This takes mere seconds and so won't require any extra work from you at all, but all of a sudden, you'll have a far wider reach.
Consider Your Fonts
It's vitally important to consider neurodiversity and those whose sight is impaired when working in a visual medium. In order to be more accessible to these individuals, try to use a large, clear typeface when including text in any of your videos. All fonts should contrast suitably with their background, and you should be sensitive with your use of bright or clashing colors. It's also a good idea to avoid having too much going on behind clips that are text-heavy to avoid distraction. Audio description can be extremely useful too.
Adjust Your Production Stylings
Depending on who your videos are aimed at, you might want to think about the use of flashing images or loud or repetitive noises in your content. These factors may trigger health problems such as epilepsy or panic attacks. Of course, this may be unavoidable in some contexts, or you may have a strong style that you want to stick by. However, if there is any flexibility, it's important to reduce these factors as much as possible. It may also be a good idea to include trigger warnings that will inform viewers of when to expect parts of the video that may negatively affect them.
Make Your Content Easy to Find
Give your videos a clear and logical name and, where possible, arrange for them to be displayed somewhere that is easy to find online. Use search engine optimization to direct potential fans to your videos location by researching the right keywords and including them in your video's description and metatags. This is a great idea when you're working to reach a wide audience anyway, but it is also extremely helpful from the other side. If your content is to be shown on your website, make navigation as easy as possible. You should also consider providing a downloadable alternative or the implementation of a make available offline option for those who do not always have access to the internet.
Think About Perspective
Finally, think about the width of the appeal of your content. Might you be a little too niche? Could you be excluding certain members of the online community without intending to? Think about how well you reflect the tastes and preferences of a cross-section of society, then make adjustments wherever you see fit.
