Playbook · YouTube Shorts, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Threads and Medium
How to make news segment clips for Shorts, TikTok and LinkedIn
Short answer
Recap one news item with primary sources cited on-screen. Deliver 9:16 on YouTube Shorts and TikTok and 1:1 on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Threads and Medium. Burn captions in on YouTube Shorts and TikTok; the others take plain text.
Start from: article clip, press release and stocks / charts.
The steps
- Pick the story: One story per clip.
- Cite the source on-screen: Show the publication name and date. (Burn-in)
- Add commentary: Three sentences max.
What to produce: 90s news recap (9:16, 90 s); Threaded recap (no fixed ratio).
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 |
| TikTok | 9:16 | up to 60 s | Burned in | Yes | Apply before upload |
| 1:1 | up to 90 s | Plain text | No | Not required | |
| X (Twitter) | 1:1 | up to 90 s | Plain text | No | Not required |
| Threads | 1:1 | up to 90 s | Plain text | No | Not required |
| Medium | 1:1 | up to 90 s | Plain text | No | Not required |
News segment 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
- 90s news recap (9:16); Threaded recap (no fixed ratio)
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
News segment clips on TikTok
- Hook
- Lead with the surprising beat; TikTok rewards pattern interrupts.
- Captions
- Burned-in captions; place inside the platform safe-zone.
- Deliver
- 90s news recap (9:16); Threaded recap (no fixed ratio)
Extra steps for TikTok
News segment 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 recap (no fixed ratio)
News segment clips on X (Twitter)
- Hook
- Lead with the take, not the topic; text-first voice.
- Captions
- Plain text or single-line captions; no banner overlays.
- Deliver
- Threaded recap (no fixed ratio)
News segment clips on Threads
- Hook
- Lead with the take, not the topic; text-first voice.
- Captions
- Plain text or single-line captions; no banner overlays.
- Deliver
- Threaded recap (no fixed ratio)
News segment clips on Medium
- Hook
- Lead with the single fact the viewer should know.
- Captions
- Lower-third source caption + timestamp.
- Deliver
- Threaded recap (no fixed ratio)
Pitfalls to avoid
- Speculation framed as news
- Missing source caption
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 news segment clips use?
9:16 on YouTube Shorts and TikTok and 1:1 on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Threads and Medium.
How long should news segment clips be?
YouTube Shorts: up to 60 s, TikTok: up to 60 s, LinkedIn: up to 90 s, X (Twitter): up to 90 s, Threads: up to 90 s and Medium: up to 90 s.
Do news segment clips need burned-in captions?
YouTube Shorts: burned-in recommended, TikTok: burned-in recommended, LinkedIn: plain text is enough, X (Twitter): plain text is enough, Threads: plain text is enough and Medium: plain text is enough.
Related playbooks and guides
Sources
- HubSpot content types overview, verified September 18, 2026.