Feel like you're posting the same video over and over? Or that your social media marketing strategy lacks innovation and diversity?
You scroll past all these fun, clever brand videos and think: how do they keep coming up with these creative social media marketing video ideas? Meanwhile, your marketing content calendar looks like: one product video, repeated weekly.
If that sounds familiar, this article is for you.
We’ve pulled together 10 social media marketing video ideas that are easy to try, fun to make, and actually help your brand stand out. They’ll help you build trust, grow your audience, and yes, drive real results.
10 Social media video ideas to generate engagement online
Quarterly roundups give your audience and customers a quick overview of the business’s top achievements and milestones that they have missed or forgotten otherwise. It's a chance to drive renewed customer interest and traction for new features, products or even business events.
The best way your business can create engaging quarterly roundups is to put your employees front and center. Instead of creating an anonymous video that feels impersonal, ask an employee or two to discuss these business highlights and provide engaging context for them. It humanizes your brand and business, making it more likely that people will actually pay attention to what you have to say.
2. Q&A sessions
Why create this type of social media video?
Q&A videos pull the curtains and take your audience behind the scenes. It builds brand authenticity because your audience can see exactly what went into planning an event, creating new products, or launching a feature.
Ask your audience to send in questions about the event or feature you're hosting a Q&A for. You can record video responses or host a live session to answer their questions and any follow-up inquiries they have.
3. Product walkthrough
Why create this type of social media video?
Employee-led product walkthroughs double as educational and employer branding content. Instead of having an abstract product walkthrough that feels like an ad, ask your employee to demonstrate how products or particular features work.
This type of content is engaging and performs well on social media because it doesn't feel like an ad. Your company’s audience can ask questions, which become ideas for your next video(s).
4. Industry news
Why create this type of social media video?
Industry news is quick and easy to curate. Plus, you don't have to invest in expensive gear or concepts to produce this type of video. With your smartphone and a smart news presenter, you can have this video ready in minutes.
Since news is pretty much table stakes, the best way to stand out is to put a creative twist on your company’s video presentation. Instead of simply reading the news, explain what it means for your audience or share tips to help them use this information in their jobs or business.
Plus, add some humor and personality to boost company engagement — you can't go wrong with both.
5. Event recaps
Why create this type of social media video?
Skits are very likely to go viral, boosting reach and engagement for your brand. Plus, it's a nice break from the usual product-focused content that makes your brand feel impersonal and inauthentic on social media.
If you're creating a skit, you need to find a way to make it engaging by tying it to your brand values, ICP, or products. For example, tl;dv creates skits featuring their ICP as characters. Also, make sure the humor doesn't offend your viewers and avoid sensitive topics that might lead to backlash or a PR crisis for your brand.
7. Customer testimonials
Why create this type of social media video?
Testimonials have a high distribution and repurposing value for any company. You can upload the full-length testimonial on a long-form content platform like YouTube. Then crop and share highpoints to Instagram, TikTok, and even LinkedIn as bite-sized videos.
You can also repurpose these videos as case studies for your company blog and extract quotes to serve as social proof for your website or social media wall.
Sure, a good company testimonial takes time to produce. But once it's done right, you get so much value from it — it fills up your content calendar for a significant period and saves a ton of time you would have spent on ideation.
8. User-generated content
Why create this type of social media video?
UGC often translates into better reach and engagement on social media. When you feature a customer in your video, they're likely to share it with their audience, amplifying your content organically and boosting online reach.
Plus, UGC works well for building brand trust, making it easier to convert customers. For example, Massive’s 2024 State of User Generated Video report found that 85% of consumers rely on user-generated content before making a purchase.
What are the best social networks for video content?
The best social networks for sharing engaging video content are video-first platforms like TikTok and YouTube. While every social platform supports videos, video-first platforms usually provide better reach and engagement than those optimizing for all content formats.
That said, here's a quick table showing the best type of video content to share on each social media platform.
Platform
Video Type
Facebook
Live streams, repurposed reels or how-to videos (1-3 mins)
Short conversational clips or reactions, Reels cross-posts (still early days, light engagement)
Reddit
Informative or humorous videos posted in niche subreddits (must feel organic, not polished)
Tips for creating engaging social media marketing videos
Here are five ways to make your videos stand out and gain your viewers’ attention in a sea of content on social media channels.
Use a strong hookto stop the scroll and let the viewers know what they'll gain from the video in the first 3-5 seconds.
Add subtitles and closed captions to make the video accessible and easy to understand with the sound off.
Keep it short and straight to the point. Don't drag out the content just to meet an arbitrary video length.
Use interactive elements like polls and questions to encourage the viewers to participate in the video and share their thoughts.
Use trending sounds and music. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, trending audio can help your content reach a wider audience through the algorithm.
Create engaging social media marketing videos with PlayPlay!
Want to scale video content production without spending too much time or money? That’s why we built PlayPlay!
PlayPlay is the easiest way to create and edit social media videos at scale. You can use our AI video assistant to create social content from prompts, then edit it to suit your tastes. Better yet, choose one of our customizable social media video templates and tweak it into a unique video that boosts engagement for your brand online. We have templates for all types of social videos — from product announcements to event recaps and tutorials.
“Playplay allows me to create polished videos very quickly, which has made it easier than ever to produce high-quality content for our brand. In a world where video is king, I finally feel like I can actually keep up with marketing trends. Plus, its features allow for brand consistency across all the assets that PlayPlay helps us create.”
Got more questions about using video content for reach and engagement on social channels? You'll find some helpful answers below.
Social media videos FAQs
What kind of videos work best on social media?
Short videos that share bite-sized content work best on social media. These videos are straight to the point, easy to follow, and optimized for quick scroll, which is how people mostly consume information on social channels.
How long should a social media video be?
A social media video is typically 30 seconds to three minutes long. The exact length of your video depends on several factors, such as the platform you're posting on, the topic, and the audience.
What tools can I use to create social media videos?
