Making a video your cover photo on Facebook is a great way to showcase visual media and make your profile stand out. With just a few simple steps, you can upload and configure a video cover that will play automatically when people visit your timeline.
Selecting the Right Video
The first step is choosing the right video to use. Here are some tips:
- Length – Videos can be up to 20 seconds long. Shorter videos tend to work better.
- Orientation – Upload a horizontal video. Vertical videos will have black bars on the sides.
- File size – Keep the video under 8MB for best results.
- Content – Pick a video that represents your personality or business. Make sure it’s SFW.
- Quality – Higher resolution videos will look better. At minimum, 720p is recommended.
Test out a few different videos to see which ones work best as your cover. An eye-catching video will get people’s attention right away.
Uploading the Video
Uploading your chosen video cover is easy. Here are the steps:
- Go to your Facebook profile and click the “Update Cover Photo” button.
- Select “Upload Video” instead of uploading a photo.
- Choose your video file from your computer files.
- Adjust the placement of the video preview and click “Save Changes”.
The video will take a few minutes to process before it goes live on your profile. Once uploaded, it will automatically play on loop when people visit your timeline.
Configuring Video Settings
There are a few settings you can tweak to get your video cover looking perfect:
- Placement – Drag the video preview to position it on your cover. Center usually works best.
- Sound – Toggle the sound on or off. Auto-play sound can be annoying for visitors.
- Text – Add custom text overlays to your video if desired.
- Trimming – Trim off any extra length from the beginning or end.
Take some time to play around with these options. The right settings will take your cover from good to great.
Do’s and Don’ts
Here are some best practices when selecting and configuring your Facebook video cover:
Do:
- Choose eye-catching videos with bright colors
- Keep videos short and impactful
- Showcase your brand or products
- Highlight faces and text
- Enhance videos with music or effects
- Trim excess footage from beginning/end
Don’t:
- Use shaky, blurry or grainy videos
- Choose very long videos that get cut off
- Have loud sounds or music without muting
- Upload vertical videos with black bars
- Pick videos unrelated to your brand or interests
- Use stock videos that look generic
Following these tips will ensure your video cover looks great and makes a strong first impression!
Troubleshooting Issues
If you run into any problems getting your video cover configured, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Supported formats – MP4 or MOV files work best. Avoid AVI, WMV, etc.
- File size – Compress larger videos to get under the 8MB limit.
- Aspect ratio – Videos should be in 16:9 widescreen format to avoid black bars.
- Glitchy playback – Try re-encoding the video with Handbrake or a similar tool.
- Slow processing – Give Facebook time to process HD and longer videos.
- Text overlay issues – Complex overlays can cause encoding problems.
As a last resort, you may need to try encoding your video in a different format or resolution. Refer to Facebook’s guidelines for the latest technical requirements.
Customizing Your Video Cover
Beyond just swapping in a new video, there are creative ways to customize your cover:
- Text overlays – Add your name, slogans, captions, etc. over your video.
- Effects – Use filters, animation effects, intros/outros, and more.
- Editing – Trim, crop, resize, or tweak colors/lighting as desired.
- Watermarks – Add a logo or watermark overlay to brand your video.
- Subtitles – Include text captions or subtitles in your language.
Apps like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro make it easy to edit and enhance your cover video before uploading. Get creative with special effects and branding to make your cover truly stand out!
Changing Your Video Cover
Feel free to change your video cover as often as you like. Here are some tips for switching it up:
- Holidays – Use themed videos for holidays, events, and seasons.
- Variety – Change the video monthly or weekly to keep things fresh.
- Promotions – Upload special videos to promote product launches, sales, etc.
- Milestones – Mark major life events like birthdays, weddings, trips.
- Behind-the-Scenes – Give fans sneak peeks at your latest projects.
Stay on top of updating your video cover so followers always see something new and intriguing on your profile.
Measuring Performance
You can get data on how well your video cover is performing with these analytics:
- Views – Facebook shows total views your cover has received.
- Engagement – See likes, comments, and shares your video gets.
- Clicks – Track clicks on Call-to-Action buttons added over your video.
- Traffic – See spikes in profile/page visits when you change covers.
- Conversions – If you link to a product or website, measure resulting sales or leads.
Use these metrics to identify which videos resonate best with your audience. Test different video styles and compare performance.
Optimizing Covers for Mobile
Since most Facebook users are on mobile, it’s important to optimize your video cover for mobile screens:
- Keep key elements near the center – faces, logos, text, etc.
- Avoid small text or details that won’t be legible.
- Use simple, high-contrast designs.
- Test it on actual mobile devices.
- Adjust trimming so the subject is visible when cropped.
A mobile-first approach will ensure your cover looks great on the smaller screens people see most often.
Using Video Covers for Events
Video covers are especially effective if you have a big event or activation coming up:
- Teaser trailers building up to a launch
- Highlighting speakers and sessions for a conference
- Promoting a sale or special offer
- Showcasing new products and inventory
- Countdown timer or imagery leading up to the event date
Drive anticipation and get people excited about your upcoming event with a video cover campaigns across social media.
Driving Follows and Engagement
Compelling video covers will get you more Facebook followers and engagement:
- Call-to-Action button overlays like “Follow Me” or “Shop Now”
- Display your Instagram or Twitter handle for cross-promotion
- Run a contest or giveaway tied to video views
- Ask followers to tag friends or take a shared action
- Highlight user-generated content from fans
Measure the impact video covers have on increasing your fan base and engagement rates over time.
Cover Video Inspiration
Need ideas for your Facebook cover videos? Here are some great examples to inspire you:
- Product demos
- Company culture videos
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Event recaps and highlights
- Stop motion animation
- Excerpts from video ads or campaigns
- User-generated content and fan submissions
- Teaser trailers and promos
- Tutorials and how-tos
- Video collages and montages
Look at covers from brands you admire and brainstorm creative ways to showcase your own products, events, and personality.
Tools and Resources
Here are some useful tools and resources for creating awesome Facebook video covers:
- Facebook Cover Video Maker – Easy editing right from Facebook
- Animoto – Quick video slideshows and collages
- Pixlr – Free online photo/video editor
- InVideo – Video creation and editing
- Adobe Premiere – Advanced video production
- Final Cut Pro – Pro video editing on Mac
- HandBrake – Video converter and compressor
Try out some of these excellent tools to take your cover videos to the next level. Get creative and have fun!
Conclusion
A customized video cover is a great way to showcase engaging visual media on your Facebook profile. Select an eye-catching video, configure the settings for optimal playback, and add interactive elements like text overlays and Call-to-Action buttons. Change up your video cover frequently to promote products, events, and more. Analyze metrics like views and engagement to see which videos perform best. With a well-made video that represents your brand, you can make a stellar first impression on visitors to your Facebook page.