How to Efficiently Create Short Vids for Book Promotion on Social Media

So I am still in the stages of implementing the social media strategy outlined by Kate- Alyne Digital and am having to change up because slideshows for books don't seem to be cutting it anymore. It's all about vids now.

Now Kate gives a very comprehensive method for creating the vids in Canva, but it uses functions of Canva which are part of the purchased packages. Now, since I already have Adobe (which I use for many things), I do not want to have to pay for two packages, so I decided to try and figure out the most efficient way of doing it in Adobe.

Unfortunately this is not as easy to automate in Premiere Pro as doing slides was in Photoshop. This is where it becomes obvious that all Adobe products are not made equal, what is easy in one is not easy in another. This YouTube video gives a detailed rundown of how to import information from a CSV file into Photoshop to create many datasets of the same layout with different word content.

BUT we can’t do this in Premiere Pro. One option is to create text PNGs with transparent background in Photoshop using variable and datasets and then importing those into Premiere Pro to overlay the background video. This is perfectly valid, but there is a little faffing to do in Photoshop (repositioning text, adding back in first “ if using dialog because it loses it on the import etc). Only having to faff in one application is better, and having the text editable in Premiere Pro in case of a mistake is much better.

So we have to go around the houses. My solution requires the following steps:

1. Create text content in Excel
2. Export the content to individual CSV files
3. Convert the CSV files into SRT files
4. Import the SRT files into Premiere Pro
5. Edit the captions so they show in the manner we wish them to show.
6. Create vids

1. Create Text Content in Excel

We can use any editor that allows us to output to CSV, I use Excel because I have Office 365. Google Sheets or Open Office should work just as well, but I have not used them, so cannot vouch for them.

1.1 Format for Each Excel Sheet

Each sheet should have 3 columns (no headers):

1. Start time (00:00:00:00) – where we want the text to start in the timeline
2. End time (00:00:00:00) – where we want the text to end in the timeline
3. Text content

We are basically creating all the information needed in an SRT file.

Format of the CSV file

1.2 Create a Sheet for Each Set of Text

Unlike Kate’s method, we have to have each set of text on a different sheet in the workbook. The easiest way to do this is:

1. Create the first sheet.
2. Make a copy of the first sheet.
3. Change the name of the new sheet to something sensible.
4. Edit the text in the new sheet.
5. Rinse and repeat until we have as many sets of text as we need.

2. Export the content to individual CSV files

Now the easiest, but slower method to do this the following (the methods in other spreadsheet programs may be slightly different):

1. Open the workbook
2. Go to the sheet to export
3. Go to File > Export > Change File Type
4. Choose CSV and save

The only problem with this in Excel is that it messes with seeing the original document because CSVs can only cope with one sheet of data, so it can be a right pain. Having to open and close the original document. 

 

Hence, an easier method is as follows (this is Excel specific):

1. Save the workbook as a macro enabled workbook (xlsm)
2. Go to View > Macros > View Macros
3. Type in “ExportAllSheetstoCSV” in the Macro name field, then hit the Create Button
   
   
   
   
   
4. The MS Visual Basic screen with open with your new empty macro as shown.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Copy the following code and paste it into your macro:
   

   Dim ws As Worksheet
   Dim path As String
   path = ActiveWorkbook.path & "\" & Left(ActiveWorkbook.Name, InStr(ActiveWorkbook.Name, ".") - 1)
   For Each ws In Worksheets
   

   ws.Copy
   ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs Filename:=path & "_" & ws.Name & ".csv", FileFormat:=xlCSV, CreateBackup:=False
   ActiveWorkbook.Close False
   

   Next

   
6. Click the save icon and close the VBA editor.
7. Go to View > Macros > View Macros
8. Choose “ExportAllSheetstoCSV” (if you only have one macro is will already be selected)
9. Click Run – and all your sheets will be saved into the same director as you Excel sheet as CSV files. The filenames will be: FilenameoftheExcelSheet_Nameofthesheet.csv – so name the sheets something sensible.

3. Convert the CSV files to SRT

This is the easiest part, there is a free tool by GoTranscript to do this.

1. Go to this website: https://gotranscript.com/subtitle-converter
2. Click Upload and choose all the CSV files
3. Choose “SubRip (.srt)” from the Select Format menu
4. Click convert and save the zip files it gives you to you harddrive.
5. Unzip the zip file and there are all your srt files – one for each set of text.

4. Import the SRT files into Premiere Pro

In our Premiere Pro project we can drag and drop the srt file of choice into the media list. Then drop it onto our timeline. Premiere Pro will convert our srt file into captions that we can edit to our hearts content.

This Adobe vid gives lots of info on how to do this: How to Edit Captions in PremierePro.

5. Edit the captions so they show in the manner we wish them to show.

The only problem with captions in Premiere Pro is they can only have a max of 2 lines. When we are creating text for vids like this, we often want more than 2 lines. So we have to make them graphics.

1. Select all the captions
2. Go to “Graphics and Captions” in the main top menu
3. Select “Upgrade Captions to Graphics”

Now all our captions are text boxes.

This Adobe vid talks all about text boxes and how to edit them: How to Add Text to Videos in Premiere Pro.

We don’t need to add text because we’ve already done it, but it talks all about editing text as well.

6. Creating the Vid

Now we have our text we can put anything we want behind it.

1. Make sure the text is on the top most layer.
2. Drag and drop our vid background into a layer under the text.
3. Make sure the vid is the right length.
4. Add in a music track if required (Incompetech has some great royalty free music) – if posting to TikTok, use their music, but YouTube, Insta etc having music already on there stops the hassle.
5. Export the vid.

Because we can turn Premiere Pro layers on and off at will, we can load up one project with many sets of text and backgrounds and then just mix and match as required.

7. Summary

Is it easier in Canva – yes most probably.

Kate is a very savvy lass and her courses have lots of useful information, so go check her out if you are an author struggling with social media (her TikTok course is mind blowing). I did not create this post to replace any of hers, I just don’t want to forget how to do all this and if you’re locked into Adobe like me, this is the most efficient way I can come up with without buying third party plugins and having to deal with After Effects as well.

 

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Facebook Group Tools - Did you Know They Exist? #TipsTuesdays 24

So I am in the middle of a book launch (The Machine: Rise of the Gifted - still free LAST DAY), and one of the ways to promote our books is Facebook Groups, some of which have hundreds of thousands of members. Hence my choice of topic today.

Facebook Group Tools
Did You Know They Exist?

Wittegen Press

$4.99 FREE
Amazon
23 Feb
LAST DAY

So I downloaded a spreadsheet a couple of months ago which listed Facebook groups for promoting books, but there didn't seem to be very many on it, so I went searching as well. I visited many, many, many groups and eventually found 70 or so (I'll post a list at a later date) that:

• a) let me in
• b) were suitable for my book launch

I admit, I was a bit perturbed by how many there were. Hence I went looking for a solution and I came across ToolsStar. This is a tool which allows you to post to multiple Facebooks groups in the same way you would send an email to a whole selection at a time, and it spaces out the posts.

Like with email you need to be careful of spamming. The Facebook police will come and ban you if you break their rules, so using a tool has to be handled sensibly.

What I like about ToolsStar:

• there is a FREE option (less functionality, but still usable)
• it has an import groups function which makes it very easy to add all your FB groups
• it allows FB Groups to be put into lists so they can be categorised and it's easy to send to only a few at a time
• when you have added a group to a list it removes it from the pool so groups may only be in one list at a time - this prevents accidental spam
• it is possible to create multiple campaigns (posts) in advance
• it makes it very straightforward to create the campaigns (posts)
• it spaces out the posts so not to spam Facebook (in the free version it uses a 15 min interval, in the paid version you can schedule it yourself)

What is a bit frustrating about ToolsStar:

• it keeps logging me out and there is no option to stay logged in
• some of the actions are a little less than intuitive

Things to be watch out for:

If you use your account to spam it can be banned from groups and even deleted by FB, so make sure you are careful with the way you use a tool like this.

• Don't ever post to multiple groups too quickly - if you have the free option, you can't, but if you are scheduling yourself, make sure the FB algorithms aren't going to think you are spamming. 5 mins or more space between posting at least, is a good idea.
• Don't continuously post all day - you don't have to run your campaigns continuously, in fact breaking them up is a good idea.
• Don't use the same campaign over and over again - change the link and/or the image and/or the text so people don't see the same thing everywhere. They might ignore it in one form, but click your link in another. Also FB is less likely to think you are spamming.
• Don't manually post to the closed groups at the same time as your auto-poster is posting to the public ones - FB is likely to think someone is trying to hack your account and make you jump though many hoops to prove you are a person.
• Don't post in random groups - make sure the groups you pick allow the type of post you want to make. Some book groups allow promotion of free books but nothing else, others allow free and 99c etc.

People don't like spam, so if you spam them, even if FB doesn't jump on you from a great height, they are less likely to buy your book anyway. The golden rule is: be considerate.

For my launch, what I did was break up the groups into lists of 10, then I set off a different campaign to a list every now and then over 2 days. In between campaigns I posted to the odd closed group.

Most groups specify not to post to the same group more than once in 24 hrs, some say once a week, and others have different time frames, so make sure to read the rules of the groups you want to post to. Basically, just be sensible.

Do you have any tools you can't live without during a book launch?

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The Machine: Rise of the Gifted by Natasha Duncan-Drake

Men in black aren't usually associated with figure skating, but when MiBs try to arrest men's champion Louis Hayes, his ex-rival Rafe Derouet finds out to his cost that telepathic x-files really do exist.

Sick And Tired Of Doing Social Media The Old Way? Read This #TipsTuesdays 23

Sick And Tired Of Doing Social Media The Old Way?

So thanks to the lovely Sara C. Snider my Twitter and Facebook have a new lease of life. In a post last week she introduced me to Buffer and I cannot stress how easy this makes certain aspects of social media.

Good things about Buffer:

• It is FREE to a certain level, which is perfectly usable for those of us just wanting to get one account going.
• It has a tool to work out your accounts optimum posting times.
• It allows you to schedule tweets days and days ahead.
• It has are plugins and mobile aps  which means if you find any interesting page/tweet you can simply add it to your buffer.
• Editing the tweet and Facebook posts is really easy even after you've queued them.
• It even has an image ap that helps you to create images to go with your buffered posts if you need to.

Bad things about Buffer:

• You can only have two accounts connected on the free plan (10 on paid).
• You can only buffer 10 items on the free plan (100 on paid).
• Some of the really cool stuff is only available in the "Awesome Plan"

What I love is that I can simply click and add things and then forget about them as Buffer deals with all the logistics and sends my tweets out at the best times for them to be seen. I can still tweet and retweet in between if the urge takes me, but my queue is still sitting there.

As Sara mentioned in her post too, it's kind of fun trying to keep the buffer topped up :).

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