# Behind the scenes content: posts that build trust

[Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/behind-the-scenes-content)

People trust what they can see being made. A glimpse of the kitchen, the workbench or the messy first draft often does more for a brand than its most polished advert.

## The short version

- Behind the scenes content shows how your product or service is made, who makes it and what care goes into it.
- It builds trust because it is evidence: people can see the process rather than being told about it.
- Raw footage works best inside a consistent branded frame, with an opening title card and a short caption that explains what is happening.
- Good behind the scenes posts have one point each, such as a step in the process, a person, a mistake or a decision.
- Never show customer details, private documents or anything a colleague hasn't agreed to share.

**Behind the scenes content** shows the work your customers don't usually see: dough being shaped at 5am, a dress pattern pinned to the wall, three logo sketches that didn't make it, a van being loaded. It builds trust because it is evidence. Anyone can say they care about quality; showing the twenty minutes spent hand finishing a seam proves it. The trick is to keep the footage honest and slightly raw, and to put the brand in the frame around it.

## Why behind the scenes posts work

Polished posts tell people what you sell. Behind the scenes posts tell them who you are. They answer the quiet questions a buyer has before they commit: is this a real business, do these people know what they're doing, will they look after my order? A process clip answers all three without a single claim.

They are also cheap to make. The work is happening anyway. You only need to film it, choose the moment that matters and explain it in a line.

## Behind the scenes content ideas by business

| Business | Show this | Caption starter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bakery or café | First bake of the day, the sourdough starter | "5.12am. The first tray goes in." |
| Maker or Etsy shop | Hands at work, packing an order | "Every order is wrapped by the person who made it." |
| Salon or barber | Prep, cleaning tools, training | "What happens before you sit down." |
| Agency or freelancer | Sketches, rejected options, the moodboard | "Round one. None of these made it." |
| Restaurant | Prep list, a supplier delivery | "Tomatoes from the farm, 7am." |
| Software team | A whiteboard, a bug being fixed, a release | "Shipping the fix you asked for." |
| Trades | Setting up, measuring twice, the clean up | "The part nobody sees: dust sheets." |

Pick the step in your process that shows the most care, then film just that.

## How to film a process clip

1. **Choose one moment** Not the whole day. One step: the glaze going on, the first cut, the final check. Short clips with one subject get watched to the end.
2. **Shoot vertical** Film in 9:16 portrait, which posts at 1080×1920 for Reels, TikTok, Shorts and stories. Prop the phone up rather than holding it, so the frame stays still.
3. **Get close** Hands, tools and materials are more interesting at arm's length than a wide shot of a room.
4. **Use the light you have** A window beside the work is better than an overhead strip light. Turn off mixed lights so colours stay true.
5. **Record the real sound** The scrape of a palette knife or the hiss of a steamer often beats background music. Add music after, quietly, if at all.
6. **Add a title card and captions** A one second opening card says what we're watching; on screen captions carry it for people watching without sound.

You don't need a separate app. With Pro, Gradiently's video editing records from your camera, a screen, a tab or a window, lets you review each clip before adding it, and adds a timeline, captions and music, so the footage sits inside your branded frame. [Screen recording tips](https://gradiently.design/guide/screen-recording-tips) and [video captions design](https://gradiently.design/guide/video-captions-design) go further.

## Frame raw footage on brand

Behind the scenes footage should look real, not graded into an advert. The brand comes from what surrounds it: a consistent title card, the same caption style, and the same background on still posts in the series. That way the content stays honest while the feed stays recognisably yours.

A vertical title card reading 5.12am First tray in, introducing a behind the scenes bakery video

An opening card for a Reel: time, place and what we're about to see, in the brand's look.

A portrait carousel cover titled Round one None made it, introducing a design process story

A still carousel cover for a process story, opening on an honest admission.

Keep words off busy footage where possible. If they must sit over video, keep them in the middle band of the frame, short, and in a weight heavy enough to read on moving backgrounds. [Text on busy backgrounds](https://gradiently.design/guide/type-on-busy-backgrounds) covers the techniques.

## Captions that explain, not sell

A behind the scenes caption is a small piece of storytelling. Say what is happening, why it matters, and one detail only an insider would know. Leave the sales pitch out; the trust you build is the pitch.

### Avoid

- "Hard at work as always. Shop now."
- "Another day in the office."
- Footage so polished it looks like an advert
- A customer's name or address visible on a label

### Do

- "We proof every loaf for 18 hours. This is hour 17."
- "This is the third version of the lid. Here's why."
- Real light, real sound, real mess
- Labels turned away or blurred before you post

## What to keep behind the scenes

- Customer names, addresses, order numbers and screens with private messages.
- Colleagues who haven't agreed to be filmed. Ask every time, and respect a no.
- Unreleased work you've promised a client you'll keep private.
- Anything that breaks hygiene or safety rules, even for a second.
- Supplier prices, contracts or anything shown on a desk you didn't mean to share.

Watch every clip back before posting, specifically looking at the edges of the frame. Most accidental overshares are a laptop screen or a label in the corner.

## Sizes for behind the scenes posts

- Reel or story 1080×1920: 1080 × 1920
- Instagram post 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350
- LinkedIn post 1200×1200: 1200 × 1200
- YouTube thumbnail 1280×720: 1280 × 720

Vertical video for Reels, TikTok and Shorts; portrait stills for carousels; square for LinkedIn; a landscape thumbnail for longer YouTube process videos.

A good rhythm is one behind the scenes post for every few product posts. It fits naturally as one of your [content pillars](https://gradiently.design/guide/content-pillars), and pairs well with [coming soon posts](https://gradiently.design/guide/coming-soon-post) when the process leads up to a launch.

## FAQ

### What is behind the scenes content?

Posts and videos that show how your product or service is made, who makes it and what care goes into it, rather than only the finished result.

### What are good behind the scenes content ideas?

The first job of the day, hands at work on one step, packing an order, rejected drafts, a supplier delivery or how you clean and prepare tools.

### How long should a behind the scenes video be?

Short enough to show one moment clearly. Pick a single step rather than filming the whole process.

### Should behind the scenes videos be edited?

Lightly. Trim, add a title card and captions, but keep real light and sound so it still feels honest.

### What should I not show in behind the scenes content?

Customer details, private screens, colleagues who haven't agreed to be filmed, unreleased client work and anything unsafe.