Reels in 30 days
Learn to film short vertical videos about yourself for Instagram Reels and TikTok, and keep going past the first week.
Beginner · 33 lessons · 30 days
Lessons
How short video works
- 2What the platforms actually measureUnderstand, from the platforms' own statements, which signals decide whether people see your video, and turn that into a few simple design rules for your reels.
- 3Anatomy of a reelLearn a simple structure that fits almost any short video, so that you never face a blank page: hook, promise, body, turn, payoff.
Positioning
- 4Your threadFind the recurring thread that makes your videos feel like a series and gives a viewer a reason to follow you, even though your videos are about you and not a narrow topic.
- 5Pillars and formatsTurn your thread into an ongoing supply of ideas by defining 3-4 content pillars and a small set of repeatable formats.
- 6Privacy and boundariesDecide in advance what you will and will not share, so you can film freely and never regret a post. Complete this lesson before you publish anything.
Ideas and scripts
- 7Capture: the idea inbox and voice notesBuild a frictionless way to capture ideas, thoughts and stories as they appear, so you never need to "think of something" when you sit down to film.
- 8Studying referencesLearn to break down other people's videos into reusable patterns, and use those patterns to build your own ideas without copying anyone.
- 9From idea to reelTake a raw idea from your inbox and turn it into a clear, filmable concept: one sentence, one viewer, one promise, one ending.
- 10Writing hooksWrite strong opening lines on demand, using a set of patterns, and learn to test hooks quickly.
- 11Scripting without sounding scriptedLearn a way to plan what you will say that gives you structure and word economy, but still sounds like a person talking.
On camera
- 12Why it feels awful, and what to do about itUnderstand why speaking to a camera feels uncomfortable, and use concrete, repeatable practices that make it easier, instead of waiting for confidence to arrive.
- 13Voice, pace and energyMake your speech clear and engaging on a small speaker: control pace, volume, pauses and emphasis, and match your energy to the camera.
- 14Eyes, face, hands and postureControl the visual side of your delivery: where you look, how your face moves, what your hands do and how you sit or stand, so the picture supports the words.
- 15Drills for natural deliveryBuild a set of short, repeatable exercises that keep improving your delivery through the course and after.
Filming
- 16Phone setup (iPhone as the example)Configure your phone once, so every video you film is clean, compatible with your editing tools and consistent. This lesson uses an iPhone as the example; the principles apply to any phone, and menu names vary by model and operating system version, so check your own device.
- 17Framing and anglesLearn to frame a vertical shot, choose angles on purpose, and film the same idea from several angles so your reels look varied without needing more equipment.
- 18LightGet clean, flattering light without special equipment, and know what to buy first if you ever want to improve it.
- 19SoundRecord clear, clean speech with minimal gear, and learn what to fix first when audio sounds bad.
- 20B-roll, shot lists and batchingAdd visual variety with b-roll, plan shots with a simple shot list, and film several reels in one session, so that consistency costs less time.
Editing
- 21Editing workflow and toolsSet up a repeatable editing pipeline from raw footage to a finished file, pick tools that fit you, and avoid common technical traps.
- 22Cutting for paceLearn to tighten a talking video so it feels fast and clear: remove pauses, fix stumbles, trim beats and use cuts to keep attention.
- 23Captions, music and sound designAdd on-screen text, music and sound effects in a way that helps comprehension and mood without drowning your voice or breaking rights rules.
- 24Export and quality checkExport a file that the platforms will display cleanly, and run a short quality check before posting.
Publishing and analytics
- 25Posting mechanicsPublish your reels with a clear caption, sensible hashtags, a good cover and correct settings, and set up a posting routine that you can keep.
- 26Reading analyticsUnderstand what your analytics show, diagnose where a video lost viewers, and decide what to change, using your own data rather than rules of thumb.
- 27The iteration loopTurn analytics into improvement by running small, deliberate experiments and recording what you learn.
Consistency and community
- 28Systems for consistencyBuild a system that makes showing up the default, protects you from burnout and keeps your content going after the first month.
- 29Comments, collaboration and communityTreat the people who watch you as people, handle comments well, protect yourself from abuse, and use collaboration to grow.
Business basics
- 30Monetization modelsUnderstand the main ways creators earn money, which of them fit a personal-brand channel, and in what order to consider them, without rushing into them before you have an audience.
- 31Disclosure: labeling ads and partnershipsKnow when content must be labeled as commercial, how the platforms' labels work, and what Polish consumer authorities have said, so that you never put your audience's trust or your account at risk.
- 32Pricing, agreements and taxesLearn how to think about pricing a partnership, what an agreement should say, and where to look for tax rules (with pointers for Poland), so you can say yes or no to a deal with confidence.