Notes from the cutting room.
Guides, comparisons, and tips for creators who want to make better content faster.
Make the next edit clearer.
Research, worked examples and editable worksheets for the decisions that shape your video.
Captions · 4 October 2026
Video Captions People Can Actually Read
Make readable video captions with better timing, line breaks and contrast. Includes worked examples and a caption review worksheet.
Read the guideThe cut · 4 October 2026
Remove Pauses and Filler Words Without Awkward Cuts
Cut pauses, filler words and repeated takes while keeping natural speech. Use a worked cut map and a downloadable edit review worksheet.
Read the guideVisual storytelling · 4 October 2026
B-roll for Talking-Head Videos: Show the Point
Choose B-roll that explains your talking-head video. Includes a worked shot list, stock footage checks and a downloadable planning sheet.
Read the guideCreator analytics · 4 October 2026
YouTube Shorts Retention: What to Edit and Measure
Understand Shorts views, engaged views and retention. Improve hooks with worked examples and use a worksheet to compare editing changes.
Read the guideFilming and formats · 7 October 2026
Talking Head Videos: How to Film and Edit One That Holds Attention
What a talking head video is, five formats to choose from, and how to plan, film and edit one for Shorts, Reels and TikTok. Includes a shoot checklist.
Read the guideEditing with AI · 25 October 2026
How to Edit Videos and Reels with Claude
Claude cannot cut video on its own, but a connector lets it edit. Compare the five ways to edit videos and reels with Claude, with setup steps for each.
Read the guideCaptions · 25 October 2026
How to Add Captions to Instagram Reels
Add captions to Instagram Reels with the Captions sticker, automatic captions or an editor. Fix wrong words and keep captions clear of the buttons.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Tier List Reels: How to Make One People Argue About
Why tier list reels pull comments, what 20 breakout tier lists from October 2026 did, and how to plan, film and edit your own, step by step.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Wall of Text Reels: Why They Hold Viewers and How to Make One
A wall of text reel puts a short block of words on screen. See 19 that beat their creator’s usual views, Instagram’s rule on text, and how to make one.
Read the guideData report · 25 October 2026
Outlier Reels, October 2026: What 234 Breakout Videos Have in Common
234 Reels and TikToks that beat their creator’s usual views by 3x or more, posted 25 Sep to 22 Oct 2026: their formats, first lines, sound and length.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Ranking Shorts: How to Make Top 5 and Countdown Videos
How to make ranking Shorts, Reels and TikToks: what 34 breakout ranking videos did in October 2026, a step-by-step method, and what YouTube and TikTok pay for.
Read the guideCreator analytics · 25 October 2026
Instagram Trial Reels: How They Work and How to Use Them
How to post Instagram trial reels, who can use them, when the numbers appear, how automatic sharing works now, and a simple way to test one change at a time.
Read the guideExport · 25 October 2026
How to Upload High-Quality Video to TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Why video looks blurry after you post it, and the export and upload settings for TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, from each platform’s own pages.
Read the guideData report · 25 October 2026
How to Go Viral on TikTok: What 117 Breakout Videos Did in October 2026
What TikTok’s own pages say about For You, and what 117 TikToks that beat their creator’s usual views did in October 2026: openings, text, length, sound.
Read the guideData report · 25 October 2026
Creator Economy Statistics 2026: The Numbers From Primary Sources
Creator economy statistics for 2026, each traced to the report that published it: market size, ad spend, creator counts, earnings and short-form video.
Read the guideEditing with AI · 25 October 2026
Claude Motion Graphics: Make Them Yourself or Have Them Made for You
How Claude makes motion graphics: Claude Motion, Claude Code with Remotion or HyperFrames, and After Effects scripts, with prompts, costs and limits.
Read the guideThe cut · 25 October 2026
How to Edit YouTube Shorts: A Step-by-Step Workflow
Edit YouTube Shorts from raw clips to upload: the cut, captions, graphics, sound and export, using YouTube’s own tools, a phone editor or desktop software.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Green Screen Reels: How to Make Commentary Videos That Explain
How to make a green screen commentary reel on Reels, TikTok or Shorts: what 29 breakout posts did in October 2026, plus lighting, framing and rights.
Read the guideData report · 25 October 2026
How to Go Viral on Instagram Reels: What 117 Breakout Reels Did
What Instagram says about how Reels get recommended, and what 117 Reels that beat their creator’s usual views did in October 2026: openings, text and sound.
Read the guideCreator analytics · 25 October 2026
YouTube Shorts Monetization in 2027: The 10 Million Views Rule Explained
From 1 February 2027, YouTube Shorts revenue needs 10 million qualified views in 90 days. What changes, who it affects, what still pays and what to do now.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Documentary-Style Reels: How to Tell a True Story in 90 Seconds
What 75 breakout documentary and explainer reels from October 2026 had in common, and how to source, script and edit a true story in 45 to 90 seconds.
Read the guideCreator analytics · 25 October 2026
Instagram Hashtags in 2026: The 5-Hashtag Limit and What Still Works
Instagram now allows up to 5 hashtags on a reel or post. What changed, what Instagram says hashtags do now, and how to pick the five that help people find you.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Storytime Reels: How to Tell a True Story on Camera
How storytime reels work, what 30 breakout storytime posts from October 2026 did, and how to choose, structure, film and cut a true story of your own.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
Reply to Comments With a Video on Reels, TikTok and Shorts
How to reply to a comment with a video on Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, which comments to answer, and how to film and edit a reply people watch.
Read the guideViral formats · 25 October 2026
This vs That Reels: How to Make Comparison Videos That Settle a Debate
How to make this vs that comparison reels: what 53 breakout comparison videos from October 2026 did, and how to pick, test, disclose and end a fair one.
Read the guideCreator analytics · 25 October 2026
How to Grow on Instagram in 2026: What Instagram Says and What the Data Shows
How to grow on Instagram in 2026, from Instagram’s own pages: how ranking works, original reels, search, 5 hashtags, trial reels, Collabs and insights.
Read the guideData report · 26 October 2026
How to Go Viral on YouTube Shorts: What 78 Recent Breakout Shorts Did
What YouTube says about how Shorts get recommended, and what 78 Shorts posted 25 Sep to 21 Oct 2026 that beat their channel’s usual views did.
Read the guide