It’s hard to get engagement on your Facebook profile considering the vast amount of data that goes through everyone’s profile every day. However, social media sites often introduce differentiating features such as the Facebook profile video to help users stand out.
Thing is, most of these features are added silently or without a how-to guide. That’s why you only see a handful of people using a Facebook profile video, even in 2021.
A looping Facebook profile video is typically very eye-catching for that exact reason – the scarcity of it.
In this article, we’ll go over a step-by-step process of how you can create a Facebook profile video, along with some tips to improve your Facebook profile overall.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
How to Make and Upload a Facebook Profile Video
Facebook users can only use this feature if they have the Facebook mobile app on their Apple or Android smartphone. There’s no way to create a Facebook profile video on your browser yet.
Uploading a Facebook profile video on iOS is as easy as uploading a picture on an Android. But there are a few perks that only android users get to enjoy, such as, selecting their thumbnails.
Below, I’ll explain the steps to edit and upload your profile video:
1. Open the Facebook App
Open the Facebook app on your smartphone to get started. After that, if you’re using an iPhone, go to your profile tab located at the bottom of the screen. If you’re using an Android phone, click on the hamburger menu on the top right side and click on the ‘See Your Profile’ button on the top.
2. Tap the Camera Icon
Towards the bottom-right corner of your Facebook profile picture, you’ll find a tiny camera icon. Tap this icon to reveal an entirely new menu where you’ll see the following options:
- Add Frame – is for adding a customized frame around your profile picture. They’re the overlays you see on some Facebook profile pictures, such as frames for different flags, movements, and more.
- Take New Profile Video – is for instantly using your phone’s camera to make a new Facebook profile video. You can use the front or back camera of your phone to record your new profile video. Choose this icon if you want to create a new profile video immediately.
- Select Profile Video – option is used when you want to use a video from your phone’s gallery as your new Facebook profile video. You can use social media videos as long as they follow the profile video guidelines. Use this option when you have created a Facebook profile video and just want to upload it now.
- Select Profile Picture – option is used to upload a new profile picture from your phone’s gallery. It can be a picture of anything as long as it follows Facebook’s guidelines.
- Turn On/Off Profile Picture Guard – option is for turning on a security feature to protect your privacy. It locks your profile picture for people who are not in your friend’s circle and stops them from zooming in, taking screenshots, or even opening your profile picture.
- Add Design – is for adding different kinds of designs on top of your profile picture.
- Make Avatar Profile Picture – option is for creating a custom avatar through another trusted app and using it as your Facebook profile picture.
For the Facebook profile video, you only need to focus on the second and third bullet points.
3. Select Profile Video or Take New Profile Video
You can either browse for a video you already have in your camera roll or shoot a new one. Depending on what option you choose, you’ll get a different prompt.
If you choose to take a new profile video, your camera will open up and you can shoot your video. You can also edit it accordingly after you’re done.
If you’re selecting a profile video, your camera roll will open up so you can choose the video you want to set up.
4. Edit Your Profile Video
For the basic part, you can either trim or crop your profile video. However, if you want to edit your video, Facebook offers a few editing options with filters or transitioning effects. Make sure it’s only 7 seconds or shorter though.
If you use those seven seconds wisely, you can end up with a pretty decent profile video.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, here’s something to consider:
Cinemagraphs never go out of fashion and look very cool. You could also change your attire rather than one dress per picture. Additionally, you can also try mixing some colorful filters to different moments.
5. Upload Your Facebook Profile Video
Once you finish editing your video, you can upload it by following the steps mentioned below:
- Android: Tap “next” and at the bottom of your screen you can select a thumbnail for your video.
- iPhone: Tap on the “Use” button.
You now have a Facebook profile video that will be running on a loop.
How to Improve Your Facebook Profile
You have a few built-in editing options on your Facebook app, as it has to keep its graphics game on-point. These features keep updating to keep up with the ever-evolving features on other social networks.
For instance, Twitter came out with auto-play for videos, just like Facebook. Later, Snapchat added the animated selfie lenses which Facebook also has.
You’re pretty much going to find the same features across all social media platforms.
By using the Facebook video profile feature, you have a chance to improve your personal branding and show your personality in 7 seconds. Think of it as part of your personal brand assets.
Your Facebook profile video can be very effective in grabbing people’s attention and creating a good impression. This allows you to express yourself in a short video.
Alternatively, if you’re into memes, it can be an interesting alternative to meme pictures being shared on your profile.
Some other features Facebook introduced to improve your Facebook profile apart from Facebook profile video are temporary profile pics, featured images, bigger sections for your (photos and friends), and visibility controls.
Let’s go over some of these features quickly so that you have an idea about what these are, and how you can use them to your advantage to rise above the noise.
Facebook Cover Video
This is a great tool for marketers looking for new features to promote their brand. A Facebook cover video is the same as a profile video. It’s a short video clip for the banner above your current profile picture/video.
It’s a great place to show your team members or a chance for you to share something exciting about your business. It allows you to share more about your company and what you do.
If you have Facebook Business Manager, you can make use of this feature. Below are the steps to upload a Facebook cover video:
- Open Facebook through Facebook Business Manager.
- Select the “Upload Video” option, and choose your cover video file.
- Adjust your video according to the dimensions.
- Smash that upload button.
You can do the same for any groups you’re an admin of too. However, you’ll have to take care of the dimensions, such as the Facebook group cover photo size.
Promote Your Brand
While Facebook only has a few options to edit videos, you could use other decent video editing apps. Create something that can boost your brand, but don’t forget to add something that that resonates with your personality.
Keep in mind that you need to try to keep your focus on your business persona, and use your personality to showcase the products your business provides. People find you more credible and creative when you add a touch of your personality to your brand.
You don’t necessarily have to use your profile video for marketing, just keep it personal and simple for your brand identity. Most people tend to remember videos more than an image.
Temporary Profile Pics
The temporary profile picture feature just came out a short while ago. It makes it easier for you to express what you feel, or what you stand with. You don’t even need to change it. It will revert to the original photo after a certain amount of time.
There was a trend surfacing on Facebook a while ago with the rainbow filter supporting LGBTQ rights. In 2015, more than 26 million had used that filter to show their support, but eventually, everyone changed it back when the trend calmed down.
You now have the option for it to change back on its own, after however long you want (you can select the minutes, hours, or days).
Below are the steps to upload a temporary profile picture:
- Open your Facebook profile.
- Select to update your profile picture.
- Upload your selected picture or add any frame of your choice.
- Select “Temporary”.
- Select the time, to have it switched back to your original profile picture.
- Hit “Save”.
Temporary profile pictures are a great way to get in on any trend that resonates with what you believe in.
Featured Photos
Featured photos are the photos that appear below your profile picture as a highlight of your life. These pictures can be viewed publically apart from your profile and cover picture.
The photos don’t appear on your news feed, only people that visit your profile will be able to view them.
They are essentially 3-9 photos that define who you are. You can add memories, defining moments, memes, or anything that gives an insight into who you are.
BioField and Visibility Controls
Facebook has had this feature for quite some time. You can control your privacy for every detail on your Facebook profile page and news feed.
However, a new feature that came out a while back was the 100 character Biofield. If you select ”Public”, it will be visible to everyone. There, you can add a simple one or two-line statement about yourself.
Keep in mind that information like your name, profile, and cover pictures, username, gender will remain public by default so it’s easy for someone to find you.
On the other hand, anything like where you live, or how many friends you have or your pictures will remain private, or public, depending upon your preference.
If you truly value your privacy, you can set up your profile so it doesn’t show up in the general search. That way, only your friends can see your profile, and only you can add new people.
What are the Technical Requirements for a Facebook Profile Video?
Now that you know all the basics, tips, and processes, it’s also important to be familiar with some technical aspects to ease out the process. We already established that to upload a Facebook Profile Video you need to either have an iOS or Android phone.
There aren’t many technical requirements for a Facebook profile video; but, there are a few you should keep in mind like the file format, size, editing options, timing, sound, and thumbnails.
You don’t need to worry about cropping the video, as Facebook has a built-in crop tool that lets you adjust around the required dimensions.
Here are a few technical details that you should consider:
- Timing – Your Facebook profile video should be up to 7 seconds long. If you upload a longer video, it’s going to use only the first 7 seconds by default. You’ll need to adjust around to fit what 7 seconds of the video you want to feature.
- Cover Thumbnail – You can use the slider and adjust it according to your video thumbnail.
- Sound – You can turn the sound on or off, as you want.
The size of the video should appear as the standard Facebook profile size. This means you would need to crop the video to a 1:1 aspect ratio – that’s pretty much the only size ratio you can use.
Lastly, for the video file format, Facebook supports various formats such as MOV or MP4, but, you can only upload a GIF. Here’s a more detailed outlook on what formats Facebook supports.
In Conclusion
Creating a Facebook profile video will certainly help you catch people’s attention. It’ll give you a chance to enhance your creativity by leveraging video ideas in dynamic ways.
However, the key is to not overuse the feature. Try to use it when it’s relevant and if you have a Facebook profile video that resonates with your profile.
If you want to design any visuals for your Facebook profile video, you can always make use of Pixelied.
