Set a 30-second brief
Our illustrative video answers one question: how do I choose between two export sizes? It has a spoken explanation, an on-screen comparison and a next step. At an assumed 150 words per minute, 30 seconds with 3 seconds reserved for pauses gives a budget of floor((30 − 3) × 150 / 60) = 67 spoken words. This is a planning estimate, not a measured delivery speed.
Write the script, spell out numbers as you intend to say them, and rehearse it aloud. Put the rehearsal’s speaking pace into the timer. If the script runs long, shorten the explanation before changing the target duration.
Frame the actual demonstration
For a 1080 × 1920 portrait canvas, inspect the source media with the aspect-ratio calculator. Compare cropping and fitting, then make the real edit in your video editor. Check that captions, faces and interface labels remain legible on a phone. The calculator models centered geometry; it does not crop or export your file.
Prepare captions and watch them in sync
If your editor or destination needs SRT or WebVTT, convert the owned subtitle file and inspect the first, middle and last cues against the video. A uniform timing shift can fix a constant offset; it cannot fix captions that progressively drift. Re-export or retime those cues in your editor.
The free converter prepares a caption file. It does not burn captions into a video, and this guide does not claim that Reeling uploads sidecar caption files to every platform. Render captions in your editor or use the destination’s supported caption workflow.
Set an export budget, then inspect the file
A 30-second video at 8 Mbps video plus 0.128 Mbps audio has an estimated payload of (8 + 0.128) × 30 ÷ 8 = 30.48 MB, using decimal megabytes. Container overhead and variable bitrate can change the actual file size. Use the calculator to explore a budget, then inspect the exported file and the destination’s current limit.
Watch the export once from beginning to end. A file-size calculation cannot tell you whether a cut is clear, audio is intelligible or a platform will accept the codec.
Connect, schedule and verify the result
Open a Reeling project, connect the intended account, attach the finished media and confirm the caption, destination, visibility and timezone. Review the current network requirements first. Schedule one controlled post and record the result for each destination. For TikTok inbox delivery, finish the post in TikTok before marking it published.
With API automation, read the channel options before sending a write request. Save the returned post ID and inspect its status before retrying a timeout. A documented API example is not proof that a live post was published.
Keep a reusable record
Download the checklist and record the brief, rehearsal, frame, caption check, actual export size, scheduled time and destination result. Leave a field blank until you have checked it. The checklist is original preparation material, not a case study or a claim of increased reach.
If the post contains a campaign link, use consistent UTM names and compare downstream visits with your own activation or sales data. Views and scheduling success do not prove revenue.