Short-form video has become a staple across platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. More than a passing fad or complementary content, video is a must-have medium that reshapes how people engage with content – both in entertainment and brand storytelling.
There are significant opportunities in short-form videos, especially with shrinking attention spans and fierce online competition for attention, but there are also hurdles to overcome.
Understanding the Appeal of Short-Form Video
Short-form video usually spans from 15 seconds to 3 minutes, though most videos come in at under a minute. While long-form video is designed to dive deep into topics, bite-sized clips are ideal for on-the-go viewing on mobile devices like smartphones.
In addition, platforms like TikTok made short-form video more popular. Unlike other social media giants, the platform’s algorithm favors content quality and engagement instead of brand names, follower counts, or paid promotion.
Challenges with Short-Form Video
Short-form video offers a lot of opportunities as part of a well-rounded content marketing strategy, but it’s not without its hurdles:
Adapting to Trends
Trends develop quickly with short-form content – but they’re overtaken by other trends just as quickly. If you wait until the height of a trend to capitalize on it, you’re missing out. Users have already gotten wrapped up in the next hot thing.
When video production was more involved and time-consuming, trends could stick around for weeks or months. Now, they’re only around for days. Video content is more raw and much faster to produce, so it doesn’t take long before someone else comes up with the next viral idea.
Individual platforms have their own unique trends and styles as well. Your content may be extremely popular on TikTok but sharing it on YouTube or Instagram may receive crickets. It’s not enough to follow trends – you have to track trending on content on individual platforms and adjust your strategy to accommodate it.
Fortunately, tracking trends isn’t as difficult as it seems. Tools like TrendTok and Exploding topics can help you spot the next trend early enough to get in on the action. You should also optimize your processes to respond quickly – without sacrificing quality – and engage with trends when they’re in their infancy.
Your workflows should support quick production and publishing, but another important factor is empowering your team to pay attention to social media trends, experiment, and create videos when they see a trend emerging. Going through a long approval process for content will leave you behind.
Staying Authentic
Keeping up with trending content is important with short-form video, but you can’t lose who your brand is in the process. Don’t jump on trends for the sake of it. That will only harm your credibility with your audience.
For example, it wouldn’t make sense for a financial services brand to take part in a baking challenge inspired by pop culture. A better choice would be hopping on a trend like #BookTok, except with a focus on wealth, budgeting, or capital markets.
When you discover a new trend, reinterpret it in a way that works for your brand and make it unique. It may mean missing out on the latest viral content, but it will be better for building trust among your audience.
Managing Algorithms
Algorithms are crucial to visibility. However, platforms are not transparent about the nuances of the algorithm – and they change all the time. You can only guess why some content is seen by millions while other content falls flat.
When algorithms change, what worked in the past may not work any longer. It’s best to diversify your channels and repurpose your content accordingly. Track your analytics to understand what’s connecting with your audiences, as a whole and on individual platforms, and test new formats and ideas to keep up with changing algorithms.
Opportunities with Short-Form Videos
Though there are challenges, short-form video offers unrivaled opportunities for growth and engagement.
Expanding Reach and Visibility
One of the biggest benefits of short-form video is that smaller brands can achieve viral success without a massive following or big-brand recognition. Algorithms favor engagement and quality more than fame, which you can use to your advantage.
The first few seconds are the most important part. You need a “hook” that teases the content and keeps the viewer around, such as a provocative question or text overlay that shares the main point of your video and what they’ll gain from it.
Once your video is posted, keep the engagement going. Respond to comments, answer any questions, and encourage your audience to share their thoughts on your content. You may even get ideas for future videos.
Experimenting with Low Risk
Video used to be a big investment of time and money. Now, it’s fairly inexpensive and quick to produce videos, giving you a little leeway for experimentation and testing new ideas to see what the audience responds to.
For example, you can try tutorials, Q&A sessions, reaction videos, sequential videos, or behind-the-scenes content and track your results. Along with metrics, pay attention to your audience’s comments and questions to fuel future ideas.
Establishing Thought Leadership
Though short-form video is delivering content in a snappier format, it still needs to be high quality and offer value. A shallow video that doesn’t offer much of a message won’t resonate with your audience.
You do need to focus your content ideas on topics that can be delivered in under a minute. For example, a quick fact, mini tutorial, one question and answer, or an industry hack can work well for a bite-sized video on social media.
Nurturing Brand Communities
Short-form video builds connection with audiences based around a common interest, such as #BookTok, #ArtTok, or #CottageCore. These communities are already thriving on social across multiple niches, including dance styles, cooking, DIY projects, unique aesthetics, and more, giving you possible exposure to a large, existing audience.
Once you find your community, get involved with comment threads to get to know the audience. You can share duets, stitches, or reaction videos that make sense for the community, your audience, and your brand. Depending on the community, how-to series and tutorials are often popular.
New Trends for Short-Form Video
AI Video Production
Keeping up with the speed of trends can be challenging. AI tools streamline and expedite video production with tools for voiceovers, auto-cuts, closed captioning, editing, and video scripts. While these tools can’t replace the video production process, they can make it much easier to adapt to trends on the fly.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
TikTok and other social media audiences are seeking authentic content, especially from brands. The rise of UGC is a reflection of this, essentially acting as a trusted peer recommendation to build trust and authenticity. You can encourage UGC by launching engaging contents with unique hashtags, incentivizing users with rewards or discounts, and featuring UGC on your account.
Microlearning
Microlearning is an educational strategy that uses bite-sized information to teach a single concept. Lasting just a few minutes, microlearning is popular because it delivers concise information that fits into a busy schedule. Short-form video and microlearning go hand-in-hand, giving you an opportunity to share value-driven content.
Leverage Short-Form Video for Your Brand
Building or scaling a short-form video strategy can take some work, but the benefits far outweigh the challenges. Authentic storytelling and adaptability can help you capture attention, build a brand community, and stand out in a crowded digital environment.
