Simple B-Roll and Strong Hooks for Low-Effort, High-Impact Instagram Content

Sometimes creating new, original content just isn’t in the cards. It’s been a busy, chaotic week here, so I’m sharing my go-to for creating content when life gets too busy to plan, edit, and create something new. I’m sharing how I use intentional B-roll days, compelling hooks, and the magic of repurposing to consistently show up on social media without burning out. We’ll discuss practical tips for capturing your own engaging B-roll, along with tons of examples using my favorite hooks that will help you feel inspired, no fancy editing or crazy carousel posts required.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• Tips for creating easy, low-effort Instagram and TikTok content using simple B-roll footage.
• How to plan and schedule B-roll days for consistent, stress-free social media posts when you don’t have the time.
• Repurposing old captions and footage to save time and consistently post “new” content.
• Viral B-roll content ideas for business owners with limited time for social media.
• Using relatable, human moments and industry-specific B roll to boost engagement.
• Effective examples of hooks and captions that connect with viewers and continue to drive followers into your funnel.

Featured content in this episode:

• Onebodycoaching: Full disrespect…
• Wildzanksy: You want to stop being a miserable mom?
• Jonwilliamsfitness: Protein bowls I eat on repeat…
• Flashesofstyle: It’s ok diva fall is coming
• Shannonmckinstrie: Batch record B-roll with me

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 041: Let’s Make Content Creation the Easiest Thing on Your To Do List
• Episode 042: Your Simple B-Roll Can Become Easy Reels That Actually Convert
• Episode 055: We Love B-Roll Because Simple, Shareable Content Never Goes Out of Style
• Episode 057: Repurpose Your Content for More Impact with Less Effort
• Episode 075: Here’s What I Would Post for You on Instagram This Week

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Transcript

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:00]:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good Content. Hey, I'm in Nashville for the weekend. Ran out of time to record the podcast this week because it was so crazy with just the kids and, you know, Chloe's still in preschool. It's just been a lot, right? So when life gets that way, I always say, like I'm, I'm still able to show up on Instagram and TikTok and LinkedIn because a lot of the stuff I do is repurpose, number one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:43]:
Number two, it's stuff that kind of just comes to mind or like is a conversation that just happened, etc, right? So I love to always encourage you guys, like, the more you record on the spot, like something happens. You have this moment where you're like, oh my gosh, throw it on threads or throw it in notes. And then you got your content and you can just throw it with some B roll and some simple text, right? I just shared a reel the other day I of how I shoot. I do a B roll day once a month and I literally schedule it in like a meeting with myself and I will go to a local coffee shop, but I will literally. Cause I know, right? Life is crazy. Especially in the summer. Especially if you've got, you know, or let's say you're at a 9 to 5 and Instagram's your side hustle again, you're not necessarily. A lot of you listening might be content creators, but I think the majority of you are business owners.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:25]:
So you don't make all your money off content. You run a business that makes you money and Instagram helps funnel people to that business. For people like that, we don't have time to edit a reel that takes an hour. I see so many Instagram experts being like, here's a really cool way to do a story that doesn't look like it took you that long. Stories shouldn't. I'm like, right away, I'm like, red flag stories shouldn't take that long. You get on stories, you yap, you say something that happened, you share a picture of what you're working on, you put a link, you put a screenshot from a dm, whatever, right? So that's what I want to say to you today. If you're like me and you're kind of in the, you're just feel like you're not drowning.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:01]:
I wouldn't get that dramatic. But last week was crazy and I still got content up every single day. But I did a carousel on Monday. After Monday, the whole week went to crap. Right? Carousels take me more time. That's why I only shared reels the rest of the week. They were quick talk to camera reels that took me five minutes to record. Right.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:20]:
I planned my hook and then I just yap. Took me maybe about 20 minutes to edit and then it was done. I would repurpose a caption from an old post. Done right. The next one, I think I did another talk to camera again. Quick off the cuff type of. Type of reel was in my car. And then yesterday I used B roll with text and I repurposed an old caption.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:40]:
I probably spent five minutes on that reel. So when I do those B roll days, I make sure they are very intentional. And this is your sign to schedule the same. You B roll is not out. I always hear there's a lot of Instagram experts out there. Like, B roll's dead. These reels are dead. Nothing's dead.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:56]:
Good content, if it's good text, if it's a good story, if it's whatever we're going to watch, right? So when people say B roll is dead, I'm like, yeah, maybe B roll that has boring text on it is dead because you got to rattle people. And we're going to talk about what text to use in just a second because I really want to talk about like those low lift days, those low effort days where you just want to take a piece of B roll and slap some text on it and get some numbers and get some followers. That's what we're talking about today, so. Cause that's what I would rely on a lot. And I'll be relying on it today. Cause again, I'm in Nashville. I don't want to talk to the camera and do some editing and all that stuff. Right? I'm going to help you guys come up with text ideas to put on boring as f B roll with a trending audio and it will go crazy.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:37]:
Promise you. Promise you. This is one of my favorite things to help people do because I know as business owners, we don't have time to do the vlogs. We don't have time to do the fancy carousels every day. Sometimes we just need to get something out there and get some sales, get some people in our funnel, get some new followers, period. Okay? So on that B roll day, I will sometimes record in 0.5, which captures more that way I have plenty of space over my head to put text for reels. If I want to do like a listicle type reel, which means like a hook with a list underneath. One of my favorites to share is like 10 subliminal hooks that are super subtle but proven to increase engagement.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:09]:
Something like that. Right? And again, let that be a hint to you. If I just put subliminal hooks as my hook, no one cares. I made sure my hook said, why should they care? Because they're super subtle and they increase views. And then I list my 10 things under it. Stuff like that. Like, this is the type of content you don't need a video that necessarily reflects what the text is about. So that's what I shoot on my B roll days.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:30]:
The days that it's like I'm literally gonna put it's B roll of me sitting there typing, I'll take some B roll of me typing. I'll say I'll take B roll of my setup. I'll take B roll of me driving. One of my favorites. And you, like at a stoplight if you want, or like as you're driving. But don't look at the camera obviously. And then when you stop, maybe give it a little. And one of my favorite things to do.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:48]:
This is such a fun little hack. These are. This is so silly and cringy. But I'll literally just look at the camera and almost do like a little shrug sometimes I'll save, I'll do B roll where I'm looking at the camera with a wink. Because again, content is emotion. It's feelings, right? And that's why I came up with the four H's. So when you want to do a random B roll reel to go viral and crazy, you could take that B roll of you winking or shrugging or looking disgusted, whatever that is. And then the text on top says, why you're having this emotional feeling.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:18]:
Right? We'll get there in a second. So one day a month, just shoot a bunch of B roll. Could be anything. I prefer you in it. If you're a team, you could do, let's say, okay, let's say you're a realtor. Let's say you're an interior designer. B roll of just a gorgeous fricking house. That works too.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:32]:
Let's say you work in a library. B roll of the library. Just left to right really slowly. Move your camera slowly for these B rolls. Or just set the B roll up on a tripod and let it record for one minute. You've got Tons of content. Let people walk by. I mean, make sure they know the camera's gone.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:45]:
B roll is secondary first footage. It's a term that's been used in TV film since the beginning. When I worked at cnn, almost all the footage we took in all day was B roll. It's not the A roll. It's not the shot that is the main character talking to the camera. I always like to say it like this. B roll. When you're watching a news segment, right? Maybe a new development open in your area while the reporter's talking and doing the voiceover, it's those little shots that just kind of set the scene.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:10]:
No one's actually talking to the camera. No one's waving. It's just those little shots. Another fun B roll. I like to say if you're watching Friends or Seinfeld, when they segue from one scene to the next, and there's that do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do. And there's just a shot of like a New York City building or people walk, That's B roll. So once a month, I do that. I've got so much B roll, I.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:30]:
You can use that throughout the month. I use the same B roll all the time. I'm literally using B roll from October still. And I just smack some text on top and it does well. So here's the type of hooks to use with B roll that anyone can do. Or again, let's say you have a bakery. B roll of the exterior, B roll of inside. So once a month, schedule that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:47]:
Another fun way that my husband and I do is we will literally schedule a B roll brunch. So for days that I want more B roll, like more exciting stuff, not just me sitting at a computer or driving or sipping coffee, we'll go pick somewhere cool and aesthetic in Raleigh or Durham or Cary and take a bunch me walking. I can make that in slow mo, put some inspiring message on top, right? Things like that. And we take it for his real estate business. And then we use that B roll. Okay, here we go. Let me find. I made a reel about it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:13]:
So I'm gonna break down some of my favorites. All right, so for one. Cause this one always does well, it's crazy. Let's say you heard a really cool quote. You were scrolling TikTok and someone said an inspiring message. Or you saw a quote, or you read something in a book or heard something in a podcast that really relates to your industry. Maybe your people are.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:29]:
Your followers are working moms. Maybe your people are aspiring doctors. Maybe they're in the trenches of whatever it is. Right? This is what you do. You can say, someone recently told me, or you could say, I saw a quote recently that said. And then say it. Say what the person told you or the quote said. So once again, I recently saw a quote that said, or someone recently told me, blank.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:51]:
What is that thing? And it made me realize, blank. The other way. You can end that. And I've never felt more seen or it shook me to my core. What was your reaction? These reels go crazy. I don't know. Well, I know the psychology behind it. But like, I.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:06]:
I'm always shocked at the engagement. That one will get more engagement than the actual quote itself. Because once again, what does it do? It humanizes you. It makes it feel like you're hearing it from an actual person and you're getting the reaction they got and then you're hearing how they reacted so that you can then relate to them. Brilliant. It's all about connection. Okay, so that's one. Another one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:30]:
There's a dentist on here, he has so much B roll, him sitting on his steps sipping coffee, him making food. Sometimes are of him flossing, which another great, right? You and your element. And he'll just put random stats up about, you know, pov, you thought blah, blah, blah would cure your whatevers. But then you find out, da, da, da, da, da, da da. And that's it. And he's done. Okay, so I have another one that I love, which is. Call me crazy, but.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:53]:
And you can put a hot take, you can put your opinion. That's another fun. I have this theory. Maybe we should start. Da, da, da da. It's another great one. Okay, the other great way to use B roll is what I like to use for trial reels, which is like what I like to call, like basically your advertising. Your account.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:10]:
You're saying what your account is about, what the vibe is, what the energy is, who you help. Pov, you want to blank, but you're worried about blank. Then you find my page. Easy peasy. And again, big tip here. You want to keep the video as long as it takes to read it because the B roll is not interesting enough. We're talking again. There's thousands of ways to create a reel.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:31]:
This reel today we're talking about boring AF B roll that you can use as a backd. Really good copy. So you want to keep it about three that. Something like that. Three seconds, five seconds. Literally read your hook out loud, your on screen, text out loud and count how long it takes you to read it. That's how long your reel should be. That's not always the case.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:48]:
Let me preface that. But for these types of reels, B roll with simple text and trending audio this. And again, when I say like, you know, if. If there was a really powerful text, but it's like a recipe and it's like 20 seconds because they're showing each step, that works too. But again, I'm talking really boring B roll. That's not going to keep them engaged. That's what I rely on, so I would just make sure my text is really strong. So those are a few options for you.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:11]:
And again, like, let's say you're a home organizer. You could say pov, you want to have a, you know, feel less stress at your house. Remember, go off the feelings. Not you want to declutter. No one wants to declutter. They want the feeling that comes after decluttering. So you could say pov, you want your house to feel like a warm hug, but you're worried about tossing things that mean something to you and you find my account. Boom.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:32]:
Another one that's great for this is patiently waiting for all the blank. So corporate girlies, men in real estate, whatever it is, right? People in Wisconsin who be descriptive there, what is it they are desiring? What do they look to find my page right now. Another fun one that I that does really well is this one. The solution to all my problems may not be blank, but I should probably go check now. Something like that. You want to be sure the B roll matches the text. Do you see what I mean? That if you're saying margaritas and. Or chips and margaritas on a cruise ship or you know, going to Italy for whatever.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:06]:
Like let's say you're a brewery. Like a bike ride and a da da da will cure all my problems, you know, might not solve all my problems. We should probably check the video should show those things. So that's a different one. But I just love that hook. So those are a few that have helped my students go viral that have that I see going crazy on Instagram. And then one more that I'll leave you with is friend to friend.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:25]:
Or you could say between me and you, right away it feels like a personal reel. I mean, Chili's could do this. They could say, between me and you, you deserve a $5 margarita and blah, blah, blah. And the video could be that. But if it's me and I'm sitting in a coffee shop, I could say between me and you, the hooks you were Given a year ago, don't work anymore. And you need the ones below in my caption. That could be my reel. And it's just me sitting at a computer.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:49]:
And the caption has all the goods. Okay, let me find one more. I'm going to scroll so I can give you examples in the show notes. Perfect one. She's lifting. So again, it's her and her element. You right away know that this account is something about fitness, right? But her reel has nothing to do with her lifting this weight. It says full disrespect.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:09]:
That's a great hook. Great hook. Take this and run with it. But if you're losing fat without managing kid meltdown, school drop offs, and bedtime routines, I don't want your tips. Now note, this is a perfect reel to study. And it went completely viral. Notice she didn't just say if you're not raising kids. Da, da, da.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:24]:
She went in. Managing kid meltdowns. She didn't just say raising kids, managing kid meltdowns. That is good copy. School drop offs. She didn't just say school schedules. She said drop offs. As I'm reading this, I'm picturing me doing a school drop off.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:40]:
As I'm reading this, I'm picturing the moments that Chloe has a meltdown. As I'm reading this, I'm picturing me exhausted at the end of the day doing a bedtime routine. This is what your copy needs to say on a boring B roll video. Viral baby. Okay, and we'll do one more, which is another boring B roll. It's just a woman standing by her pool with a cup of coffee. And it says, this is brilliant. You want to stop being a miserable mom? Do this first.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:05]:
And in the caption is all the goods. And it's just B roll of her standing there fixing her hair. She eventually looks at the camera for a split second. So again, she didn't just say she. The word miserable is so strong there. It literally makes you feel that feeling. Right? And then one last one. This guy is making food, so it's him in his element, right? So think again.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:26]:
If your account is about food and wellness, get a bunch of B roll of you in the kitchen or eating out at a restaurant. If your stuff is about or if it's about tourism, make sure everywhere you get video of the plane, video of your luggage, video of you, all that stuff. That's all B roll. Okay? This guy said, this is brilliant. Five more protein bowls. I eat on repeat. When it's time to drop body fat at 52.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:45]:
Boom, baby. I mean, this is what I mean. That is a boring video. It's just him squirting, maybe sriracha on a bowl. And it's absolutely brilliant because not only did he say five protein bowls, he said five more. Meaning that signals to my brain that his account has more of this goodness for me, right? I eat on repeat. Great use of the word. Instead of just I eat boring.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:05]:
I eat on repeat. And it's like, oh, I want in when it's time to drop body fat at 52. So if you're in your 50s, you're gonna stop and I'll leave you with one more that's fun and humorous. Cause you know, that's one of my favorite categories where it's literally B roll of a girl holding her fall, her pumpkin mug. And it just says, it's okay, diva. It's okay, diva. Fall is coming. That's heard and humor rolled into one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:26]:
57,000 likes. So there you go. You do not have to rely on heavy carousels, crazy edits. I don't do any of it. All right, that was a longer episode than normal, but I just want to drive that home. You do not have to have your content always look like it's from a content creator. You need to think like a content creator. You need to think like a marketer.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:46]:
But simple B roll will take you so far. I don't want you doing it every reel. I want you to do a mix of everything else I'm teaching. But this is a great. That is my go to on crazy, crazy days where my brain is just not braining and I need something low effort. And I'm going to share another one just like it today. I love you, friend.