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Storytelling for Social Media

Production Tools for Social Media

Production Tools for Social Media

From Thumbnails to fancy illustrations – here are some great production tools to make your social media productions stand out.

Corinne Podger

All social media apps have their own in-app production tools, but to take your multimedia creations a step further, try these tools:

Canva

This cloud-based software allows you to make still images, infographics, animations and videos. It is available as a desktop tool and app for iOS and Android. The free version is sufficient for most users, and the paid version gives you access to stock images and footage, and advanced tools. Canva has an excellent ‘Design School’ packed with tutorials and guides.

Canva has a built-in video editing tool, and this tutorial will show you how to use it:

Headliner

This cloud-based software allows you to turn audio into videos, and you get five free video exports per month. Headliner has an audiogram tool that allows you to add a moving wave-form to a still image, like this:

“How do you test the test? And then—how do you test the test that test the test?”
🔬🧪⁉️ — @TaylorQuimby1 in latest episode of Patient Zero Podcast: https://t.co/pPfPhOrQic pic.twitter.com/Kb8bD3yvNB
— NH Public Radio (@nhpr) September 9, 2019

Here is a tutorial to show you how to use the audiogram tool in Headliner:

Kapwing

Another cloud-based tool, Kapwing’s greatest strength is its Tools section. It has a video editor, meme generator, a tool for adding audio to a video, a subtitle tool, and much more. Kapwing is a paid-for tool, but it has a brilliant free video resizer which is perfect for creating videos in different aspect ratios for all your social platforms.
Kapwing has an excellent YouTube channel that explains how to use all its tools, and keeps you up to date on new ones.

About author

Corinne Podger

Corinne Podger is an Australian journalism educator, author, and training consultant who has worked in the media sector for more than 30 years. Her specialisms include mobile journalism, digital-first newsgathering, online verification, social multimedia production, podcasting and audio storytelling, and strategic audience engagement to drive brand awareness and media revenue. She has helped newsrooms, NGOs and social impact organisations in more than 60 countries to introduce digital innovations to grow audiences and support business priorities.

Corinne is an accredited trainer with BBC Media Action, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and the Solutions Journalism Network. She also works with science and public health organisations to tackle misinformation and disinformation. Organisations she has worked with include Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, UNESCO, Google News Initiative, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, WAN-IFRA, the World Federation of Science Journalists, Internews, Forbes, the World Health Organisation, BBC Academy, Oxfam, and the Global Forum for Media Development.

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