Welcome to my guide on creating amazing recipe reels for social media!

Step 1: Gather Equipment

You’ll need the following things:

● Smartphone or camera
● At least the 11 (iPhone), or a camera
● You should still start even if you have an older model phone, but I
recommend upgrading as soon as possible
● Tripod
● Small Tripod or Gooseneck Phone Holder
● Lighting
● I recommend filming outside or by a window
● If you’re filming in a dimly lit kitchen or in the evening, you need to have an
LED Panel or at least a Ring Light
● A filming space
● Make sure you have a clean, organized, and consistent/recognizable
background
● If you’re filming outside or in an area other than your kitchen to utilize
natural light, I recommend investing in a Portable Stove

Amazon Equipment List

​ Gooseneck Phone Holder

Small Tripod
​ LED Panel
​ Ring Light
​ Portable Stove
​

Step 2: Choose a Dish & Setup Your Filming Space

● Choose a dish
 ● While you’re getting started, choose dishes that you’re comfortable
cooking and know how to cook well
● Choose a dish that is visually appealing
● For your first few videos, choose something that takes 30 minutes or less
to cook
● Get all of your ingredients organized and easily accessible during filming
● Buy all ingredients
● Have ingredients washed and ready before you start filming
● Measure everything out
● Take everything out of the packaging and place in bowls/on plates
● Set up your kitchen or filming space
● Clean your space
● Assess where the light is coming from and set up your “set” so that the
light is shining on the food
● Set up the camera opposite where the light is coming from
● Set up your tripod (you will need to move it around as you are filming)
● Set up your artificial light if need be
● Set up your cutting board

Step 3: Filming Your Video

● Make sure your phone video settings are:

● 1080 resolution and 30 frames per second (fps) is sufficient
● 4k will produce large file sizes and IG/TikTok will compress your video
anyways
● Play around with the kinds of shots you will be taking
● Shots I recommend:
​ Semi-overhead shot with food in the middle of the frame (minimal
dead space on the sides of the frame),
​ Front camera body and food (together) shot
 ​ Close up shot
​ Super close up shot (turn phone upside down)
​ Plating shot (can be level with the plate or slightly overhead)
​ Handheld slow-moving shots (for the final dish shot)
● Try to take multiple angles of the same step of the recipe
● e.g., whilst chopping an onion, have one shot close up to the onion and
one shot with the front camera of both you and the onion in frame
● Do not film the entire cooking process
● Film only 10-15 second clips
● Make these clips the most beautiful and perfect shots of the process as
you can
● Take a thumbnail/cover photo while you are filming
● Take this in natural light if possible, or adjust lighting to take a high-quality
photo

Step 4: Download the correct software

● Download CapCut - it’s free

● I use CapCut on my phone as well as my computer, download both
● This software is completely free, and gives the best export quality, as well
as a multitude of other features
● Play around with editing a short video you already have
● If you want in-depth tutorials on editing you can check out my Reels
Coaching where you can get access to me and my tutorial videos.

Step 5: Editing Your Video

● Import your clips into CapCut

● Make sure they are sorted in the correct chronological order
● Keep only a few seconds of each clip
● You only want action shots
 ● These will show each part of your cooking process (although you do not
need to include every part in every video)
● e.g., you can group spices together in a bowl instead of adding
each one individually
● e.g., you can chop your onion, garlic, etc., and add them all at once
instead of individually
● Always have a clip of your finished dish at the beginning of the video
● You can include a video of you saying the name of this dish, or simply a
flip of the dish itself maybe clip introducing the dish, process in
chronological order,
● Ending your video with multiple clips of food from different angles, along
with you trying food and giving a reaction/review
● Your review can be whatever you are comfortable with
● Does not need to be lengthy or even include speaking

Step 6: Adding a Voiceover to Your Video

● Prepare a rough script

● As you are starting out, it will be useful to have a general idea of what you
are going to say
● Include a good hook in the first few seconds
● This should either: make people think, shock people, make them
want to stop scrolling
● The first 5 seconds should include: promise, path, proof
● e.g., what they’re going to get, how they’re going to get it, showing
the final dish
● e.g., what you’re making, and what benefit they’ll get from watching
● e.g., “let's make noodle stir fry if you want a delicious quick lunch
this week”
● Give clear instruction for everything you do
 ● OR make a story about something else that relates to the
ingredients to be more engaging
● e.g., “I wandered around the farmers market yesterday and
found this beautiful lettuce and I decided to bring it home
and make xyz”
● End your video with a call to action
● This can be:
● “You can find the recipe in the caption”
● “Follow me for more videos like this”
● Send them to your product or service (in caption, in bio, etc.)
● Have a consistent outro for every video
● This breeds familiarity in your videos
● Do not record the whole VoiceOver in one take
● This will make your video sound amateur with too many pauses. There will
be a temptation to “uhm” and “ah”
● Instead, record your VoiceOver in small sentences or clip by clip
● In CapCut, you can add voiceovers on a clip by clip basis
● You can decide where to start and stop recording and then move the clips
so it all flows well.
● You will need to adjust your script based on how long your clips are

Step 7: Uploading Your Video

● Export your video and make sure the export settings are the same as your
filming settings
● If you filmed in 1080 and 30fps, export in 1080 and 30fps
● Make sure high-quality uploads are turned on
● On IG, go to your settings and turn on high-quality uploads
● On TikTok, this is available in the screen where you post your video
● Choose your music and adjust the volume
 ● Pick a song you like and make sure it fits your video
● Decide if you want your background noise to come through or not
● Adjust the volume and make sure the music is not too loud, and if you’ve
recorded a VoiceOver, that the VoiceOver can be heard clearly
● Write your caption - this can be:
● The recipe
● The name of the dish
● A little story about why you’re making it or its significance
● Upsell a product or service
● Add hashtags
● I recommend 6
● Not too small or too big
● More on this in ‘Step: 8’
● Upload a thumbnail
● Use a high-quality picture you took while filming
● I recommend you upload a picture instead of choosing the cover from your
reel
● You can also adjust the size and positioning of the photo as it will appear
in your feed

Step 8: Social Media Best Practices & Strategy

● How often should I post?

● Before you start posting, have a backlog of 10 videos
● Post 2x a week consistently (minimum), you can post more if you have the
time
● What insights are important to analyze?
● For now, average watch time is the most useful
● This shows you how long people watch your video
● If the hook is good, watch time should increase
 ● Use this information to decide if you need to add a hook change
your hook, etc.
● Engage with viewers and reply to comments
● Also, try commenting on other creators’ posts and building a community
● This is not the most important way to build your page, but it can help
● Try and stand out with a niche or series
● When you’re starting, it is a good idea to have a series
● This gives viewers something to come back for
● “Day 1 of teaching myself how to cook”
● “Day 1 of starting a food truck”
● “Welcome to xxx the series where I xxx"
● How many hashtags do I need to use?
● I recommend 6
● 2 specific to the dish you’re making
● ex) #noodlestirfry #tofu
● 2 broader about what you’re making
● ex) #plantbased #quickmeals
● 2 location or niche
● ex) #London #ukchef
● These hashtags should have between 100k and 1mil posts
● Any more or less is either too specific or oversaturated
● Use a hook
● Make this something that would make someone want to stick around and
watch your video
● Keep this consistent
● Viewers like to hear/see something familiar, and be reminded of
who you are

Now it’s time to go and make a video!!!!

If you want to work with me more closely in my coaching group where I can give you
feedback on your reels which is crucial for fast progress then click the link below!

https://plantfuture.uscreen.io

All the best!!

Jake

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