Why I Created Short Videos in Canva

Updated Jan 2026: Why did I create 31 days of short videos in Canva? One day, while chatting with the incomparable Kelly Bonner from the Black Girl Burnout podcast, she mentioned how difficult it can be for some of us to show up and be visible consistently. She said she was going to show up on daily Instagram Stories.

Her comment sparked an idea for me to do something similar on my Totally Content channels, using Canva to save time and effort. Here’s a look at how the challenge went.

The Challenge

Every day in May, I took a walk with my portable CD player, picked a different CD from my collection, and gave a clue about what I was listening to.

The idea was simple: keep it fun, stay consistent, and show up authentically. I’d then share a 30-second video on both YouTube and Instagram with a clue and a reveal.

It was a daily music trivia game meets with a step challenge.

One personal touch: I wore a different baseball hat almost every day (I have about 65 in total, after all!).

The Power of Canva in Streamlining My Process

Creating consistent daily content can be tough, especially when juggling multiple tasks. This is where Canva really helped me streamline the process. I knew I needed an easy-to-use template to get these videos done quickly and efficiently. So, I created a super simple one in Canva that I could reuse throughout the month.

Creating My Canva Template for the Month

Page 1 – The Cover
I began with an Instagram Reel template in Canva, added my logo, and included my daily selfie with the CD player.

Page 2 – The Video Page
Next, I duplicated the page and inserted a video template (8-12 seconds). I kept the sound off as I used music tracks.

Page 3 – Countdown
Then, I duplicated the page again and added a countdown clock with text to build anticipation.

Page 4 – The Reveal
I added the artist’s name, the album cover, and the record’s title. I sometimes used Canva’s upscale feature to improve the clarity of album covers.

Page 5 – The CTA
For engagement, I added a call to action: “Did you get it right?” and encouraged comments. While no one commented, the CTA was always there to spark engagement.

Page 6 – Logo Animation
Finally, I added my logo, animated it with the “Rotation” effect, and finished with a fade to black. Each video ranged from 30-35 seconds.

Check out the screenshot of my Canva template below.

My Canva Templates Saved Time

The biggest task was creating the first template. Then it was simply a case of swapping out the images, clues, and videos each day, which took about 15 minutes daily.

Since I couldn’t batch-create this sort of content due to my walking and photo-taking, a template really helped save time.

For anyone doing something similar and repetitive, this type of setup is ideal for batch creating content ahead of time.

The Music for My Videos

I used a song from Uppbeat, that I have used for years, across all 31 videos for consistency.

While you can also use Canva’s music library (especially if you’re on Pro), I tend to avoid well-known tracks due to potential copyright issues. (Syncing your account to Youtube can reduce that eventuality).

YouTube Results: Poor But Progress

One of my goals was to build watch time on YouTube, with the long-term hope of monetising the Totally Content channel. But, barring a miracle, that won’t happen any time soon. The growth was all over the place. I uploaded at various times each day, but the views fluctuated drastically – from a handful to over 1200. There didn’t seem to be any pattern to it.

I’ll be transparent here: I didn’t use great titles. I know that. They all followed the same format:

What CD am I listening to today? DATE | Pop Quiz | Thea Newcomb @ Totally Content #popquiz

Now that the 31 days are finished, I plan to revisit them and make the titles more SEO-friendly. This was more about getting visible, staying consistent, and having fun, rather than hitting it big on YouTube.

For tags, I tried using them occasionally, but after reading mixed opinions online, I’m not sure they had much impact. Again, this challenge was about practice, not perfection. Youtubers, do you use Tags?

Check out the YouTube analytics screenshot below.

Sharing Across Platforms: YouTube vs. Instagram

I also posted each video on Instagram to compare results. YouTube had better views, but engagement was low on both platforms. I received very few comments or likes, though I think I did get one dislike on YouTube (oh well!). Like YouTube there were random spikes in views but mostly low numbers with the odd one hitting over 100. I gained 7 followers. Whoohoo. Ha ha.

See the Instagram screenshot below.

My Trademark – Baseball Hats

A fun part of the challenge was showcasing my collection of baseball hats. I wore a different one almost every day, and I rarely used the same hat more than once. I’ve been wearing and collecting hats for years and now have about 65 baseball hats, along with another 20 or so of other varieties (ski, beret, wool, etc.).

Step it Up!

Another goal was to increase my 10,000 steps a day. I hit that target and went above it, averaging 11,587 steps daily. By the end of May, I had walked 359,333 steps. Impressive, right? But for June, I might just leave the Fitbit off for a bit—I’m a little tired of being a slave to tech.

The Conclusion: Worth It, Even with the Low Growth

While I didn’t hit viral success or massive growth, the challenge was still worthwhile. I became more visible online, developed consistency, and learned a lot about what works (and what doesn’t). Plus, I had fun discovering new albums and revisiting old ones.

The biggest takeaway? Consistency is key. Whether you’re using Canva to streamline your content creation or committing to a daily challenge, showing up every day matters. Even with the low growth, this challenge was a win in embracing transparency and refining my approach to social media.

PS: f you love music and nostalgia, here’s the Totally Content’s What CD Playlist on YouTube and here’s Totally Content Instagram. And if you love music trivia, I have a few copies of my 1998 book ‘Essential 80s Pop Quiz’ still going. Ask me for details.

Swing by my Links page before you skeedaddle…

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I’m Thea Newcomb – Scotland’s first Canva Trainer and Verified Expert. I help businesses design confidently, save time, and stay on-brand with Canva workshops, webinars, and 1:1s worldwide. Whether you’re flying solo or leading a team, I’ve got you.

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