Playbook · YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn and Medium
How to make finance tip clips for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
Short answer
Give the viewer one actionable finance tip they can apply this week. Deliver 9:16 on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok and 1:1 on LinkedIn and Medium. Burn captions in on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok; the others take plain text.
Start from: screen share, talking head and whiteboard.
The steps
- Pick the tip: One tip per clip. Quantify the outcome.
- Define + apply: Two-beat structure.
- Record + screen-share: Use clear numbers on-screen. (Workflow)
- Caption numbers: Bold numbers, plain narration. (Burn-in)
What to produce: 60s finance tip (9:16, 60 s); Threaded breakdown (no fixed ratio); Tip + steps carousel (1:1).
Platform by platform
| Platform | Aspect | Length | Captions | Reframe from 16:9 | Safe zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Shorts | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| Instagram Reels | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| TikTok | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| 1:1 | up to 60 s | Plain text | No | Not required | |
| Medium | 1:1 | up to 60 s | Plain text | No | Not required |
Finance tip clips on YouTube Shorts
- Hook
- First 3 seconds decide Shorts retention - open on the strongest beat.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions; Shorts allow heavier caption styling.
- Deliver
- 60s finance tip (9:16); Threaded breakdown (no fixed ratio); Tip + steps carousel (1:1)
Extra steps for YouTube Shorts
- Reframe for YouTube Shorts: 16:9 to 9:16 reframe; subject tracking. (Reframe)
- Apply platform safe-zone overlay: Use the YouTube Shorts safe-zone overlay so subjects stay visible. (Safe-zone)
YouTube Shorts export preset · YouTube Shorts safe-zone overlay
Finance tip clips on Instagram Reels
- Hook
- Lead with motion; Reels favours strong visual hooks.
- Captions
- Burned-in lower-thirds; Reels tolerates heavy captions.
- Deliver
- 60s finance tip (9:16); Threaded breakdown (no fixed ratio); Tip + steps carousel (1:1)
Extra steps for Instagram Reels
- Reframe for Instagram Reels: 16:9 to 9:16 reframe; subject tracking. (Reframe)
- Apply platform safe-zone overlay: Use the Instagram Reels safe-zone overlay so subjects stay visible. (Safe-zone)
Instagram Reels export preset · Instagram Reels safe-zone overlay
Finance tip clips on TikTok
- Hook
- Lead with the surprising beat; TikTok rewards pattern interrupts.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions; place inside the platform safe-zone.
- Deliver
- 60s finance tip (9:16); Threaded breakdown (no fixed ratio); Tip + steps carousel (1:1)
Extra steps for TikTok
Finance tip clips on LinkedIn
- Hook
- Lead with the contrarian or non-obvious point; LinkedIn rewards dialogue.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions are essential; LinkedIn feeds are predominantly muted.
- Deliver
- Threaded breakdown (no fixed ratio); Tip + steps carousel (1:1)
Finance tip clips on Medium
- Hook
- Lead with the dollar impact, not the topic.
- Captions
- Number-led captions work well for finance (e.g. 'Save $1,200/year').
- Deliver
- Threaded breakdown (no fixed ratio); Tip + steps carousel (1:1)
Pitfalls to avoid
- Promising specific returns (compliance risk)
- Talking head with no proof
Turn one source into the clips
Koldflux turns one long video into ready-to-post vertical clips with captions.
Questions people ask
What aspect ratio should finance tip clips use?
9:16 on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok and 1:1 on LinkedIn and Medium.
How long should finance tip clips be?
YouTube Shorts: up to 60 s, Instagram Reels: up to 60 s, TikTok: up to 60 s, LinkedIn: up to 60 s and Medium: up to 60 s.
Do finance tip clips need burned-in captions?
YouTube Shorts: burned-in recommended, Instagram Reels: burned-in recommended, TikTok: burned-in recommended, LinkedIn: plain text is enough and Medium: plain text is enough.
Related playbooks and guides
Sources
- LinkedIn B2B Institute, verified September 18, 2026.
- HubSpot content types overview, verified September 18, 2026.