Content is everywhere.

In fact, it’s so ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget where it comes from. Content isn’t born, nor does it just occur. Whether you’re scrolling through Instagram, watching TikTok, diving into a LinkedIn feed, or reading a blog, the visual content was likely carefully considered and captured.

Content shoots are a vital part of the marketing process, facilitating the creation of unique photography and video content that helps to create stand-out, unique campaigns that develop your brand in a powerful way, support your positioning as market leaders, and help you to stand out from your competitors.

Shoots play a vital role in the social media marketing strategies we create for clients.

Planning Content Shoots

The planning of content shoots begins well before the day itself, with a session where we identify which part(s) of the marketing strategy we are creating content for.

Once we understand this, the next step is to create a content brief, noting all the elements required.
Without a content brief, you could end up capturing random content that doesn’t quite fit together, doesn’t align with your strategic goals, and perhaps isn’t usable at all.

If you’re looking for a planning approach/process, ask yourself the following questions:

What part of the marketing strategy is the content shoot supporting?

• New product launch
• A promotion
• Brand building
• Internal comms
• Training materials
• Event marketing
• Behind the scenes

How should the content look?

• Corporate
• Technical
• Lighthearted and fun
• Professional and highly polished
• Authentic and of the moment

What platforms are you creating content for?

• Short form content for Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts or TikTok
• Longer videos for LinkedIn and YouTube
• Photos to be used on social media
• Images to feature on blogs
• Press and PR images

Your shoot should result in capturing a variety of content that can be used on a wide range of platforms (shooting in both portrait and landscape as required), in a high enough resolution that enables your content to be used for both print and large digital applications, and website, blogs and social media.

Shooting products for Great Bean Bags

To support Great Bean Bags’ summer campaign, we scheduled a content shoot to capture product and lifestyle photography and video footage of their outdoor bean bags, which we would use across their website, social media and PR.

For this, we had to plan which bean bags to feature, hire models, secure a location, create a shot list and hope the weather held out!

Great Bean Bags needed to have a fresh, energetic feel to their interiors marketing content to feature their products in the best light. We spent a whole day with them shooting content and came away with enough footage to keep their marketing strategy moving for a good few months.

Don’t Forget the Details

Once you have your content shoot planned, create a basic shot list. Think about what you want to capture and how it should look. This might include product shots, team photos, workspace clips, packaging, happy customers, or anything else that aligns with the key touchpoints of your strategy.

If you’re shooting a structured feature video, you’ll need a script. If your video is more of a talking head interview style, then some prompts or questions will be needed to keep everyone on topic.

Don’t forget the details – locations, props, clothing, lighting. You may even need permits to film in certain locations (we’ve handled that situation before). It doesn’t have to be high-budget to be high-impact, but it does need to be intentional.

For some photoshoots, you’ll need to consider using models, which comes with the added complication of ensuring that they have clear contracts and model release forms, and that these are completed before the shoot takes place.

One thing you can’t control is the weather! But you need to be prepared with a plan B in case your outdoor content shoot is hit by rain or worse.

Shoot Lots of B-Roll

B-Roll is the content between the content. It’s the cutaways and background images that help tell your whole story. B-Roll shots could be of the sky, one of your team opening a door, an out-of-focus shot of one of your products or a car driving past your office.

Without this footage, your finished content won’t flow right and look awkward.

Why Content Shoots Matter More Than Ever

Social media moves fast. Your audience is bombarded with hundreds of posts every day, and most of them get ignored. To stand out, you need more than a decent caption or a half-decent phone snap.

Content creation days help your business to create standout visuals that reflect your brand identity and grab attention. Instead of relying on stock photos or reusing the same tired images, these shoots give you a custom bank of assets tailored to your business and strategic goals.

Staff Interviews for Sharp Consultancy

Sharp Consultancy is a finance recruitment agency, so their main strength is their staff. As part of their marketing strategy, we needed to show a lighter side to their team while getting across their expertise as financial recruiters.

As Sharp’s videos are posted across LinkedIn, and we want to avoid making the kind of standard talking head video associated with the platform, we begin planning their content shoots by outlining a list of subjects they want to discuss, before proposing unique video concepts to vary their social output, and the content captured shoot to shoot.

For example, in a recent shoot, we gave each member of the team a red or green flag and asked them to react to our questions.

We’ve now amassed a bank of videos which we can chop and change around, giving us plenty of content to keep their social media feed going for a long time.

 

The Role of Branding in Your Content

One of the biggest benefits of effective content shoots is the ability to make your branding shine. Every image should feel like it belongs to you, even without a logo.

Think about your colours, tone and general aesthetic. Is your brand playful or serious? Minimalist or bold? Calm or energetic? These things should guide how you style your content.

Using the same filters, editing styles and colour schemes helps to keep everything consistent and recognisable. Your goal is to create a visual language that your audience starts to associate with you.

Behind the Scenes: What Happens on the Day

Content shoots don’t have to be overcomplicated. Whether you’re working with a pro photographer or filming on your phone, the key is to stay flexible and creative.

Things rarely go perfectly to plan, and that’s fine. Some of the best content happens in the unexpected moments – a spontaneous laugh, a genuine interaction, a product being used in real life.

Some of the content we’ve created just “for the sake of it” has been used to create some well-performing posts. So, don’t throw anything away.

If you effectively brief your team and follow your shot list, you’ll stay focused without being rigid. Capture more than you think you’ll need. Trust us.

Getting the Most from Your Content

Once your shoot is done, the real magic begins. That single content day can turn into weeks (or even months) of content – if you plan it right.

Here’s how to make it stretch:

• Chop longer videos into bite-sized clips for reels and stories
• Use stills from video footage as image posts
• Add branded graphics, quotes or animations
• Share behind-the-scenes moments to show the human side of your brand

This kind of content fuels campaigns, boosts engagement and keeps your feed fresh. Plus, it gives you more space to be strategic with your marketing rather than reactive.

Keep track of what performs well, and use those insights to shape your next shoot. Over time, your content will only get better.

Final Thoughts

Content shoots might sound like hard work, but they’re one of the best ways to build a strong social media presence. They save time by giving you a bank of photos and videos you can use over a long period, strengthen your branding and help you create content that connects with your audience.

Whether you’re launching a new product, building a campaign or just keeping your feed consistent, a regular content creation day helps to keep your marketing fresh and interesting.

Ready to Plan Your Next Content Shoot?

Let us help you bring your brand to life.

We can create your whole content strategy for you, plan the shoot and create all your social media content, just like we are for Great Bean Bags and Sharp Consultancy.

Contact us today and let’s get your next shoot sorted.