Why it matters for a roofing company
A crew tearing off an old roof in one smooth push, a nail gun running down a course, a valley coming together, a TPO seam being welded with a hot-air gun: most homeowners never see how a roof goes on. A short clip shows what a photo can't. It shows that your crew is real, organized and careful, and that you clean up after yourselves. Facebook and Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts are built for exactly this kind of short vertical video.
No one can promise a video will get views or bring in work. What you control is making clear, safe, short clips on a regular schedule. That's the work this page covers.
What you need
- A phone with the lens wiped
- A small tripod or a clamp mount that can grip a ladder rail or truck rack (never loose on the roof deck)
- Free editing: the editor built into Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, or a simple app like CapCut
- One crew member who likes doing it, and a few minutes per job
- The homeowner's OK to film on their property
Safety first, every clip.
- Fall protection on camera, always. Anyone on the roof in a video should be tied in or protected the way your safety plan and OSHA rules require. A clip of a crew without it is a bad look for your company and can show a real hazard.
- Nobody films while working. The person holding the phone is not also running a nail gun or carrying a bundle. Mount the phone, or film from the ground.
- Stay off the edge. No stepping backward to frame a shot. Walk into position, set, then film.
- Drones: flying one for business needs an FAA Part 107 certificate, and you must follow the airspace rules where you fly.
Step-by-step: filming a clip
- Plan the shot before you press start. One idea per video: the tear-off, a detail going on, or the finished roof.
- Shoot vertical (9:16). Hold or mount the phone upright. All three platforms are built around vertical video.
- Pick a safe angle. From the ground looking up at the crew; from a ladder that's tied off at the eave; from the peak by someone already tied in; or from the driveway for the "before and after" pan.
- Hold it steady. Use a mount or brace your arms. Lock focus by pressing and holding on the roof on your screen.
- Watch the sun. Keep the sun behind or beside you. Filming into the sky turns the roof into a dark shape.
- Get sound right. Nail guns and compressors are loud. Record, then turn it down in editing or mix it under music. If you talk, do it on the ground, away from the noise.
- Record more than you need. 30 seconds to a couple of minutes, then trim to the best part.
- End on the finish. The last shot is the finished roof from the street, or the clean driveway.
Shots that work well
Time-lapse of the whole day
Set the phone's Time-lapse mode on a tripod across the street, plugged into a battery pack, and let it run from tear-off to last ridge cap. A full day in 20 seconds shows your crew's pace and your cleanup. Ask the neighbor if you set it on their side.
The reveal
- Re-roof: the old roof in one shot, the finished roof from the same spot in the next
- Repair: pulling back the old flashing to show the rot, then the new flashing sealed in
- Flat roof: the dull, patched old membrane, then clean white TPO
- Cleanup: the magnet sweeper pulling nails out of the grass
Length and format
| Platform | Format | Practical length |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram / Facebook Reels | Vertical 9:16 | Aim for 10–30 seconds for job clips |
| TikTok | Vertical 9:16 | Aim for 10–30 seconds; longer is fine if the whole clip earns it |
| YouTube Shorts | Vertical 9:16 | Aim for under a minute |
Each platform sets its own maximum length and changes it from time to time, so check the current limit in the app. Shorter clips are faster to make and easier to keep up.
Captions and on-screen text
- Add text in the first second saying what's happening, since many people watch with the sound off: "Tear-off to finished in one day."
- Keep text in the middle of the screen. Buttons and captions cover the edges and bottom.
- Turn on auto-captions if you talk, and fix wrong words ("drip edge," not "trip edge").
- Write the same details as your photo posts: the job, material, color, the area in general, how to book.
Caption templates
On-screen text: [What's happening, 3 to 6 words]
Caption: Full tear-off and re-roof in [area]. [Squares] squares of [shingle / metal] in [color], new drip edge and ice & water shield. Wondering about your roof? Book an inspection: [link]
On-screen text: What's under old shingles?
Caption: Here's what we found on a roof in [area]: [soft decking / no underlayment in the valley / rusted flashing]. We replaced [what] before the new roof went on. [link]
On-screen text: One day in 20 seconds
Caption: Time-lapse of our crew on a [home / church / small office] in [area]. Tear-off, decking, underlayment, [shingles / metal / TPO], cleanup. Book an inspection: [link]
20 video ideas
- Full-day time-lapse from across the street
- Before and after from the same spot
- What rotted decking looks like, and why you replace it
- Ice & water shield going into a valley
- Installing drip edge, and what it does
- Step flashing along a wall, piece by piece
- Replacing a cracked pipe boot
- Ridge vent going on, and how attic air moves
- Magnet sweep of the yard at the end of the day
- How to spot hail damage on a shingle (on a sample, on the ground)
- Welding a TPO seam with a hot-air gun
- A coating going on a flat commercial roof
- Standing-seam metal panels clicking into place
- Loading the truck at 6 a.m.: tarps, safety gear, materials
- The owner answering a common question on the ground ("How long does a roof last?")
- Emergency tarp on a leaking roof after a storm
- What an annual inspection covers, in 30 seconds
- Gutter cleanout and why it protects the roof edge
- Dumpster placed on plywood to protect the driveway
- A thank-you from the crew at the end of a job (with the homeowner's OK)
Weekly routine (about 30 minutes plus filming)
| When | What |
|---|---|
| On jobs | Film 1 or 2 clips. Drop them in the shared "To Post" folder. |
| Once a week, 20 min | Trim the best clip, add on-screen text and a caption. Post to Reels, TikTok and Shorts, or schedule them. |
| Once a week, 10 min | Answer comments and questions. Note questions that could be next week's video. |
| Monthly | Look at which clips people watched longest and film more like those. |
Checklist
- Clip is vertical, steady and short
- Everyone on the roof shown with proper fall protection
- Nobody filmed while doing dangerous work with the phone in hand
- Homeowner OK'd filming; no house number, plates or faces without permission
- On-screen text in the first second
- Caption names the job, material and area, and how to book
- Drone clips only by a Part 107 certificate holder
- Posted to Reels, TikTok and Shorts; comments answered
Mistakes to avoid
- Any clip without fall protection. Don't post it. Reshoot it.
- Showing the house number or street sign without the homeowner's OK.
- Flying a drone for the business without a Part 107 certificate.
- Using a shingle maker's logo, music, or a "certified" badge you don't hold. Only show certifications you actually have, get permission for any logo or seal, and use music the app licenses for you.
- Storm videos that scare or promise. No "your roof is probably ruined," no "we'll get it paid for," and never anything about covering a deductible; in many states that's illegal.
- Filming the homeowner or neighbors without asking.
- Long, shaky clips with no text. Trim hard and say what's happening.
Want Annie's to do this for you? We can edit your crew's raw clips into short, captioned videos and post them to Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts on a schedule.