How One Company’s Short Films Got Popular On Social Media

Free People, a popular clothing and lifestyle brand, has always been popular on social media. Fairly recently, they have began cultivating a significant presence on YouTube. Their videos include interviews, recipes, tutorials, and the like, but their short films are particularly interesting.

Here are a few things that YouTubers can learn from watching them.

1. Be subtle with your call-to-action.

At the end of the day, all of Free People’s short films are intended to serve as an advertisement for their clothing. However, the artistic nature of the films allows the viewer to forget that.

Asking your viewers to subscribe to your channel is like advertising a product in a video. Like Free People, try to do so with subtlety. Viewers do not respond well to pleading or pushing.

2. Try using voice overlay.

One of the short films, “Love Storm,” uses voice overlay to move the plot along. The voice overlay allows for the visuals to be edited freely and artistically without the audience getting lost.

Voice overlay can give editors and filmmakers more visual freedom and eliminate the risk of confusion. In your next video, consider using voice overlay.

3. Try something different from your usual content.

Among all of Free People’s short films, one in particular stands out. “Dream Girl” is a whopping 22 minutes long (as opposed to the other 3-4 minute videos) and is set in an alternate reality where one can virtually go on dates in dreams.

The fact that your viewers may have become accustomed to a certain style of video does not mean that you have to adhere to it. Try something different every now and then; try making a video that is unlike your others.

The uniqueness of Free People’s short films can truly serve as an inspiration to YouTubers of all types.

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Jana DeGuzman is a Communication Studies major and French Studies minor at the University of San Francisco. She loves Mac DeMarco, Beyonce, and the ocean.