What it costs and who makes it
- CostHow much does short-form video cost?How short-form video is priced, what goes into the cost, how to judge value, and our plans: from $3,599.99 a month for 250,000 guaranteed views.
- CostWhat does social media management cost?What social media management includes, what changes the price, how to compare two quotes per post and per view, what to read in the agreement, and what a month of short video with guaranteed views costs.
- ChoosingAgency, freelancer or in-house for short videos?Who should make your business’s TikToks and Reels: an agency, a freelancer or your own team. What each does well, who owns the videos under Canada’s Copyright Act, and how to choose.
- ChoosingWhat is UGC, and does a local business need it?What UGC (user-generated content) means, how paid UGC creators differ from films made at your business, reposting customers’ videos, disclosure rules in Canada, and what a local business needs.
- Starting outSocial media for small business: where to startWhere a small local business should start on social media: which platforms, what to post, how often, who makes it, and what to count.
- PlatformsIs TikTok worth it for a local business?Is TikTok worth it for a restaurant, garage or café? Where TikTok stands in Canada, business accounts and music, what our films did there, and why we post every video on four platforms.
For your kind of business
- RestaurantsSocial media for restaurants: what worksWhat a restaurant should post on TikTok and Instagram, how often, drinks under Ontario’s liquor advertising rules, your Google profile and reviews, and whether to do it yourself, with films we made for restaurants.
- RestaurantsRestaurant video ideas for TikTok and ReelsThirteen restaurant video ideas for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, each one from a film we made for a restaurant, a grill or a coffee house.
- RestaurantsHow to market a new restaurant with short videoHow to market a new restaurant or location with short video: accounts and a Google profile set up first, a calendar for before the doors open, opening day and the weeks after, and opening offers that stay within the rules.
- FranchisesSocial media for franchises and chainsSocial media for franchises and multi-location brands: one voice for the brand, films for each location, launches in every store, who posts where, approvals, and Google profiles for every location.
- Auto repairAuto repair shop social media: videos that workSocial media for auto repair shops: why paint-job videos stall, the mechanic jokes that went viral for a Toronto garage, explaining estimates the way Ontario’s rules set them, filming a working shop, and reviews.
- ClinicsSocial media video ideas for clinicsVideo ideas for medical, dental and wellness clinics: meet the team, explain a treatment step by step, keep the jokes on the staff, and the Ontario rules on testimonials and patient consent.
- CafésCafé marketing ideas for TikTok and ReelsCoffee shop marketing ideas for TikTok and Reels: the pour, the room, one joke per film, every café its own films, light and music, regulars on camera, and reviews, from two coffee houses.
Planning, posting and views
- ViewsWhy your TikToks and Reels get no viewsWhy a business’s TikToks and Reels stall at a few hundred views: how to check whether a platform is holding a video back, the rules that keep posts out of recommendations, and what to change in the video itself.
- ViewsHow many views is good on TikTok and Reels?How many views is good on TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts for a local business: measure against your own usual, what counts as a view on each, the numbers beyond views, and how to judge views you pay for.
- ViewsHow to go viral on TikTok and Reels as a businessHow a local business goes viral on TikTok and Reels: how recommendations spread a post, what two Toronto shops’ viral films had in common, what holds a post back, and what to do the day after one takes off.
- PlanningHow often should a business post on TikTok?How often a business should post on TikTok, Reels, Facebook and YouTube Shorts: what the platforms say, why a steady rhythm matters more than the number, what each post takes, and how to space them.
- PlanningThe best time to post on TikTok and InstagramIs there a best time to post on TikTok and Instagram? Where each app shows you when your followers are on, and why the video matters more than the hour.
- PlanningHow to plan a month of posts: a content calendarHow to build a content calendar for short video: how many posts, which days, what mix, the month’s moments, a shot list so one visit films many posts, who does what, and a template to copy.
Making the videos
- Making videosHow to write a short video script (template)How to write a script for a TikTok, Reel or Short: the hook, the beats, the payoff, the words on screen and the caption, with a template, a worked fifteen-second script and four films we made, broken down.
- Making videosHow to film business videos on your phoneHow to film good business videos on a phone: vertical, steady, close, in good light, with clean sound, and planned shot by shot before you start.
- Making videosHow to edit short videos for TikTok and ReelsHow to edit a short video for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: the first second, the cuts, the sound, music you may use, the words on screen, the ending and the export, from films we made.
- Making videosHow long should a TikTok or Reel be?How long a TikTok, Instagram Reel or YouTube Short should be for a business: each platform’s own limits, the lengths of twelve films we made, how to let the idea set the length, and how to check it.
- Making videosHow to write captions for Reels and TikToksHow to write captions for Instagram Reels and TikTok as a business: short, in your own voice, with a job the video doesn’t do, the words people search for, hashtags, and disclosure. With real examples.
- Making videosShould a business follow TikTok trends?Should a business follow TikTok and Reels trends? When a trend fits, when to skip it, what the platforms say about copying and music, how to make it about your business, and three trend films we made.
- Making videosPost the same video on TikTok, Reels and Shorts?Can you post the same short video on TikTok, Reels, Facebook and YouTube Shorts? Yes, if it’s your own original with no watermark: what each platform says about copies, music and length, and how to do it.