Student Content Creators - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get paid?

You'll be paid for each piece of content you create, starting at £50 for a standard short-form video. If a brief needs more from you, like extra filming time, a longer edit, or multiple locations, we'll agree a higher fee with you before you start. You'll always see the fee in writing before you commit to the task.

Payments are made via bank transfer and are processed weekly, with funds landing in your account on a Thursday.

How will my content be used?

You’ll likely see your video(s) pop up on our Instagram, TikTok and YouTube pages, occasionally with some editing to fit our house style (eg. adding our logo and captions).

We’ll always aim to credit you as the creator when we post, either in the caption or by tagging you as a collaborator (if you’d like).

We might repurpose clips from your content in future videos and campaigns too.

What kind of videos will I be making?

We will get in touch with call-outs for specific video content we're looking for, but you can also suggest content that you would like to make. Here’s some ideas from UHI for video topics (with linked examples):

A day in the life: [your course] student edition (example 1 / example 2 / example 3)
Showing something that you’re currently working on (a painting, a piece of music, a performance etc)
Uni bag tour – what’s in your bag? Stop-motion style works well for these! (example)
‘5 reasons to study [your course] with UHI’
A montage of your clips with music (example 1 / example 2)

We’re also looking to celebrate your local campus areas, and would love to see:

Road trips around your local area (example 1)
Your favourite coffee spot/food places/bars/hotspots in your town (example)
A local event (example 1 / example 2)

Do I have to be on camera?

Not necessarily! A lot of great content can be filmed from behind the camera – like tours, event highlights, or showcasing your course work. If you’re more comfortable staying off-screen, you can still get involved.

That said, videos with faces, voices, or a personal touch often perform best on social media. Even something as simple as a short intro to camera or a voiceover makes your content more engaging and relatable.

So while it’s not mandatory to be on camera, we encourage you to give it a try – and we’ll support you with tips and guidance if you’d like to build your confidence.

I’d love to make videos but I’m not sure how. What should I do?

You’re welcome to use editor templates to put your video clips together such as Capcut or Canva – but please make sure there are no watermarks.

There’s lots of great resources and tutorials online on how to make videos for TikTok and Instagram Reels. Here’s some of our favourites:

Is there anything you DON’T want to see in videos?

Apart from the obvious (swearing, violence, alcohol/drugs, not safe for work (NSFW), and other inappropriate content), there are a few other things we ask our content creators to avoid:

No TikTok/CapCut/other editor watermarks
If you’re using CapCut to edit, please remember to take off the default ending!
Please don’t write your @username on the video - we are happy to credit you in the post text/add you as collaborator if you’d like
Avoid fancy fonts where possible – stick with default fonts (they’re boring, we know, but we want our content to be as accessible as possible). We may ask you to change or remove the text so that we can add it ourselves for accessibility too.
Try to avoid using still images in your videos, unless still images are integral to the editing style (eg you’re recreating a TikTok/reels trend)

What if I have another content idea that isn’t video-based?

At the moment, we’re looking for short-form video content, but if you’re interested in writing a blog for us, have a proposal for a social media takeover, or have any other creative ideas for sharing your student life content with us, we’d love to hear your ideas - please drop us an email at marketing.nwh@uhi.ac.uk.

How often do I need to make content?

It’s completely flexible. There’s no set number of hours – you can take part whenever you have time. Sometimes we’ll send out call-outs for specific content, and other times you might want to pitch your own idea. You choose what works for you.

Can I ask for my content to be removed?

Yes. If you'd like something taken down, just email us at marketing.nwh@uhi.ac.uk and we'll remove it wherever we can. Do bear in mind that content may already have been shared, downloaded, or used in other videos and campaigns by the time you ask, so we can't guarantee we can undo every use, but we'll always do what we can. For more on how we handle your information, see our privacy notice.

Sounds great! How do I get started?

As part of signing up, we'd like you to send us a short video introducing yourself. This helps us get to know you and gives us an idea of how comfortable and natural you are communicating on camera.

What should I include?

Keep your video to around 30–60 seconds and tell us a little about yourself. You could include:

Your name
What you're studying
Where you study
Your hobbies and interests
Something about your personality or what you're interested in
Anything else you think we'd like to know about you

There's no script to follow, and you don't need to make it highly produced or edited. A simple video recorded on your phone is absolutely fine. We're much more interested in seeing your personality than your filming or editing skills.

What happens when I submit it?

Your video will be reviewed alongside the information you provide in the sign-up form. We're reviewing intro videos over the October break and aim to get back to everyone by the week of 26 October.

If we'd like to work with you, we'll add you to our Student Content Creator pool and contact you when relevant paid content opportunities come up.

Submitting a video doesn't mean you're committing to create content. If you're offered an opportunity, you'll be able to decide whether you'd like to take part before any work is agreed.

Sign up