Start with where the video will live
Tall (9:16), square (1:1) and wide (16:9) are delivery options, not universal app rules or a guarantee that one file fits every placement. Every version needs accurate captions. Reframing the same edit and making a different edit, such as a shorter cut for a time limit, are separate decisions.
Before you talk about shapes, write down every destination. Your list might include:
- Instagram Reels and Stories
- Facebook posts and Reels
- TikTok, if you use it
- YouTube, as Shorts or as regular videos
- Google Business Profile
- Your website
- Paid ads
- A screen in your lobby or at an event
- Email newsletters, as a thumbnail linking to the video
Each destination becomes a row in the worksheet below. A video you won't publish somewhere doesn't need a version for it.
Frame shape, edit, captions, versions: four separate decisions
People often say "format" and mean four different things. Separating them keeps the delivery brief clear.
- Frame shape is the rectangle: tall 9:16, square 1:1, wide 16:9. Changing the shape reframes the same edit. Plan for it on shoot day, so the important action stays inside every frame.
- Edit is the cut itself: its length, its order and its opening seconds. A new length or a different opening is a new edit, not a new shape.
- Captions are the words on screen for speech and important sounds. They can be burned into the picture (open captions) or supplied as a separate file viewers can switch on and off (closed captions).
- Versions are the files you end up with: each edit, times each shape it needs.
Example (hypothetical): a 45-second edit delivered in 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 is one video in three versions. If a selected profile-media upload needs a shorter cut, request it as a separate edit and agree whether it counts toward the deliverables. Do not assume reframing includes shortening.
What the platforms say, as of October 2026
The following statements were checked against readable official pages on October 7, 2026 CDT (October 8 UTC). Check the actual destination again before publishing; profile-media uploads, organic posts and ads can have different requirements.
- YouTube. Its aspect-ratio guidance gives 16:9 as the computer standard, with an adapting player and no added padding. Its Shorts upload instructions specify square or vertical files up to three minutes.
- Instagram. Check the intended Reel, Story or feed preview before committing to a shape. Do not assume one Instagram placement has the same requirements as another.
- TikTok ads. TikTok's advertiser guidance recommends 9:16 vertical creative and captions or text overlays for context. This is advertiser guidance, not an organic-upload rule.
- Google Business Profile media uploads. Google's photos-and-videos guidance lists up to 30 seconds, 75 MB and at least 720p. Its separate posts instructions allow video but do not list those limits. Confirm the intended upload surface.
- Facebook. Check each placement's preview in Meta's own tools before publishing.
Don't rely on one universal "safe zone" for text. Each app places its buttons, names and captions differently, and the layout varies by placement. Preview every version in the app where it will run.
Make the plan practical.
Keep your answers and unresolved questions together before the project conversation.
Use the worksheetPlan captions for every version
The W3C's caption guidance describes synchronized text for speech and relevant non-speech audio, serving viewers who are Deaf or hard of hearing. They also carry the message for anyone watching with the sound off.
- Check every word. The same W3C guidance says automatic captions need accuracy checks and correction.
- Send a spelling list before editing: names, job titles, products, street names.
- Include sounds that matter. If a timer beep or a laugh is part of the point, caption it.
- Choose open or closed captions per placement. Burned-in captions travel with the video everywhere. A separate caption file lets viewers turn captions off, but the player has to support it.
- Keep captions clear of buttons. Preview on a phone.
Placement-to-delivery worksheet
Copy this worksheet and fill in one row per placement. Shapes and edits are your decisions; the platform column holds only what you've checked on the platform's own page.
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Placement | Frame shape | Edit (length, opening) | Captions | Platform check (date and page) | Versions needed | Previewed on a phone? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Example (hypothetical): one month's videos for a local business
Scroll horizontally to see the full table.
| Placement | Frame shape | Edit (length, opening) | Captions | Platform check (date and page) | Versions needed | Previewed on a phone? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram Reels and Stories | 9:16 | Main edit | Burned in | Shape chosen after preview; no verified Meta specification used | One 9:16 file | |
| TikTok | 9:16 | Main edit | Burned in | Advertiser guidance recommends 9:16; confirm organic preview | Same 9:16 file | |
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | Main edit | Burned in | Square or vertical, up to 3 minutes, YouTube Help | Same 9:16 file | |
| Instagram and Facebook feed posts | 1:1 | Main edit | Burned in | Preview in Meta's tools | One 1:1 file | |
| Website and regular YouTube | 16:9 | Main edit | Caption file, or burned in | 16:9 standard on computers, YouTube Help | One 16:9 file | |
| Google Business Profile media upload | Check the preview | If needed, request a separate cut of up to 30 seconds | Burned in | Media upload: up to 30 seconds, 75 MB, at least 720p | Additional edit only if separately agreed | |
| Lobby screen | The screen's shape | Main edit, works without sound | Burned in | Not a platform: check the screen | One file in that shape |
This example is a commissioning worksheet, not an included delivery list. Confirm each placement, any additional edit and its review schedule in writing.
Delivery brief: what to tell your editor
- The placement list, from the worksheet.
- Which edits you need: the main edit and any shorter cuts.
- Caption style: burned in or a separate file, your brand's caption style, and the spelling list.
- File names that include the placement and the shape.
- Who previews each version on a phone before it's posted.
Review each placement before publishing
- Watch every version on a phone, inside the app where it will run.
- Check that captions, faces and on-screen text aren't hidden by buttons.
- Choose the cover frame for each version.
- Check that the first seconds work without sound.
- For your website, check how the video looks on a phone and on a computer.
Planning the shoot itself? Our guide on what to film during a monthly content shoot turns customer questions into a shot plan. For one-off event footage, see planning how you'll use event video after the event. For the difference between cinematic and social-first edits, see Signature vs. Everyday videos. More guides are in monthly content.
How we can help
Our social media management and content-only choices include monthly videos up to 60 seconds with on-video captions. We confirm the requested placement versions in your proposal; 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 are available shapes. Managed posting covers Instagram, Facebook and Google Business Profile by default; TikTok can replace one, and a fourth platform is a paid extra scoped on the call. Any additional shorter edit must be agreed in the proposal. Short-form video lists what arrives with each video.