Short form social videos are videos uploaded to different social sites that range from around 10 seconds to a few minutes. These videos can usually be posted in a specific area of an app, if they have a section for stories or short videos.
The short videos are utilized to draw in views and viewers to your social media pages, and bring more engagement to your content, whereas those who are loyal to a content creator may stick around for longer videos, such as 30 minutes to an hour.
Many marketers struggle trying to come up with short video ideas. After all, some platforms have 15-second video options – so how do you convey anything in that short amount of time?
Why Snippets Are Now Soaring in Popularity
One main reason snippet videos are popular is because they cater to the lifestyle of the viewers. Small attention spans are prevalent now. As people spend more and more of their time on social media, multitasking, and working towards their own career goals and dreams, their attention spans are only decreasing over time.
There are too many things to focus on at once, so most people don’t want to sit down and watch one video for twenty minutes. With short form social videos, viewers can spend thirty seconds on each video, watching new and engaging content with each swipe.
Everyone is busy. In a world where work and family take up so much time, many adults are finding themselves with less time to spend on their phones. The appeal of shorter videos creates an illusion that you will spend less time on social media while taking in more content.
In reality, the shorter videos can pull you in and keep you busy for hours. There’s a running joke (or meme) about how people will turn down a two-hour movie, but have no problem binge-watching a series on Netflix in one sitting, where they end up spending ten hours seeing the entire show.
Snippets allow you to create and consume a wide variety of content. If you are someone who enjoys fashion, cooking, crafting, and even gaming, these short videos will have it all.
Since it takes less time to watch a minute-long video on a quick cooking tip than a full twenty-minute tutorial, you’ll have more time to move on to a different topic. This type of media intake allows viewers to broaden their horizons.
Short form video is also wonderful for creators. You’re more likely to gain views. Since shorter videos allow for viewers to take in a wide variety of content, that increases the chances of a creator’s video being watched.
If you are the type of creator to post frequently, even multiple times a day, you are more likely to succeed and see an increase in views. It’s also easier to create content. Instead of spending hours editing a thirty-minute video, you can shoot a simple thirty-second clip and have it optimized and published in minutes.
Some videos may require more time and effort, but the more basic videos (especially ones where you are just talking) can be filmed and posted quickly. The upload will not take as long, and the editing process will be shortened.
It’s easier to catch someone’s attention. With YouTube videos, you usually want to have an exciting intro, and then something that will consistently keep the viewer’s attention for ten plus minutes.
With short snippets, you can draw them immediately, talk about it for a moment, and then let them move on to the next video. This makes it much easier for people to enjoy your videos, since there doesn’t have to be as much thought put forth.
Popular Places To Share & Post Social Snippets
Knowing where to post your short videos is important when it comes to bringing in the most engagement. There are many popular places to post smaller snippets and video clips.
TikTok’s success and explosive growth is well documented and now, you can create videos from just a few seconds up to ten minutes long. There is a customized For You page that uses an algorithm tailored to a viewer’s tastes and interests.
Every time a user engages with a like or comment, that information is kept and used to further customize their For You video selection. It is important to get users to follow you because there is a second tab titled “Following” that shows videos only from creators that the user follows.
Instagram stories can be no longer than fifteen seconds. However, if you are uploading a longer video, Instagram will chop up the video into fifteen second segments and post it in order as separate stories.
But to keep people focused and interested in your content, it is advised that you stick to fifteen-second videos. If a user sees an Instagram story that has multiple segments at the top, they may skip past yours.
With TikTok’s continuous growth, Instagram added their own version to the social media site. Instagram Reels works the same way as TikTok, with a limited amount of video time, filters, and a “for you” page for all users.
Snapchat stories can be made public, you can create your own public profile, and there is now a whole section dedicated to short videos around that world. It’s called Snapchat Spotlight, and can be utilized to push your content and business out to Snapchat users.
With different hashtags and a trending page, Snapchat is working to do what both TikTok and Instagram Reels have accomplished. Of course, you want to make sure your target audience is using this app.
Instead of posting a full ten minutes to an hour YouTube video, YouTube Shorts allows you to create shorter videos for your subscribers and new viewers. If people enjoy your longer content, they’ll be likely to watch and rewatch the shorter concepts you can come up with.
Once you are able to make the most out of each social media site, you can create similar videos to share across all of them, in the event that those types of videos do well on each site.
Successful Filming Techniques for Short Videos
Filming a short video might be different from what you’ve traditionally done. With longer videos, you can use slide presentations or just be on camera non-stop. You can do the same with shorter videos, but there are trends and styles that are popular among creators.
Picture or video montages are a good idea. Including a picture or video montage of your products, a destination, or a product haul will always draw viewers in. Most will stick around for the full video if it’s fast-paced and informative.
Make sure to take your time when putting this type of video together, because the video must be visually pleasing and creative in order for people to enjoy it fully. Look at other montages to see what catches your eye.
Although Instagram is the only site that uses Boomerang, it is still a popular feature that most viewers enjoy. It’s short and simple, and you can get creative with the fact that the short clip plays back in reverse with this feature.
Since Boomerang is so popular on Instagram Stories, you’ll be able to draw in more views, as it is almost always trending. Focus on aesthetics, too. When you only take up a few moments of someone’s time, you want to make the most of it and leave a good impression.
Finding a certain aesthetic for your short videos will lead you to a target demographic. The right audience will find you. If you are a survival niche marketer, then the aesthetic might be more gritty and nature-based, while a cooking niche might have a warm and cozy theme.
Use fun lighting! To capture your audience, even if it is only for a minute, you need to add spice to your videos. When TikTok first started to trend as a social media app, a lot of content creators bought LED light strips that they placed around the walls of their rooms.
This enabled them to switch colors frequently for different moods and concepts, expanding the concept of creativity with shorter videos. You can use lighting to your advantage to create a certain aura or mood.
Trending music is a good thing to pay attention to. Even though you won’t be playing a full song in the background, using a small clip of a trending song is a great way to draw viewers in.
If it’s well-known enough, or a certain niche crowd enjoys the song, you will be applauded for your music taste, and viewers will stick around to hear the song and watch your video.
Trending audio clips come and go. Sometimes, content creators will create remixes or specific audio clips (known as “Sounds” on TikTok) that become a trend to use. They may be funny, informative, or used to get a point across.
Using these clips will bring your videos onto the home pages of viewers that enjoy watching videos with that specific audio clip. So even if you’re showing people how to set up a survival camp, you can have the trending music or sound in the background.
Easy-to-read text is important. Although you want viewers to stick around and watch your video as many times as possible, you don’t want to push viewers away by making your video too much of a challenge for them to understand.
If you give your text a certain color that blends in with the video, viewers will move onto the next video, so that taking in content is less of a challenge. Try to use bold colors and fonts that are simple and easy to see.
The way that you display your text will have a large impact on the way that people pay attention to your content. With all of these techniques, it’s important to remember to keep the video as short as possible.
Adding text and lights and aesthetics are always great for views, but people don’t want to watch a five-minute video on the same concept anymore. Consumers use these types of videos to enjoy some short and light entertainment.
Content Ideas for Your Short Form Videos
Having solid content for your videos is important. When your content is planned and creative, people will be able to enjoy your hard work and know that you put thought into the videos that you create.
There are many content ideas you can try for those video snippets. Quick tutorials and tips are on. Give a step-by-step tutorial of a craft you made or a task you did. Make sure to give them all the information they desire on what tools they need and how to do the job.
These tutorials will bring a level of appreciation and trust to your platform, so that others know that they can go to you for help and useful advice. Being a trusted content creator (even in short videos) is an important step in succeeding with your brand or business because one loyal customer will always bring more loyal customers and followers with them.
Show a product in use. Whether you are an affiliate marketer or showcasing your own product, taking videos to show the effects and unique features of your product is a great way to win over your followers.
A simple photo doesn’t always do the trick. A few short videos can show off the product’s best features and draw interest. Show off your personality, too! Whether you are making a funny joke or talking about a personal experience, personalizing your brand is one of the best ways to gain trust with your followers.
In just a sixty-second video, you can tell a quick, fun story about your day, which gives viewers the opportunity to learn a small fact about the person they are deciding whether to support.
Use the one question, one answer method. People always have questions. If you tend to get a solid amount of views on your videos, you will likely notice the large portion of your comment section that is full of questions about your niche.
You can make a video series where you answer one question in each video from a follower. This will bring more engagement and show that you are interested in what other people have to say.
And as you answer more questions, you will be able to refer back to your series for any newcomers that have the same ones. Funny skits work well, too. Viewers go on social media to be entertained.
One of the best ways to entertain anyone is to make them laugh or smile. Come up with funny skits that involve your brand and your sense of humor. This is another way to personalize your business on social media, and it will bring positive attention to your page.
In order to generate the most views, try making a video that has humor based on other popular audio clips or trends on the social site you are choosing to post on. Sometimes, it’s simply using a split screen and showing your facial expression as the other video plays.
How to Make Sure You Get Repeat Views on Short Videos
Getting your followers to repeatedly view your videos can make your video stand out to them. It can also help you generate more revenue through different creator funds that some social media sites have.
And with more views comes more engagement, which will always help you out in the long run. In order to get offers to work with other businesses and promote other brands as well, you need as many views as you can get.
There are many tips for gaining repeat views. An abundance of text works. Putting text on the video can be helpful and informative, especially if it’s essential in order to understand the context of the video.
The key is to have enough text so that viewers have to rewatch the video in order to read everything, yet not an extreme amount so that viewers get overwhelmed and skip your video. Finding a balance is key.
An interesting concept is key. If you are teaching people about a new idea or concept that many don’t quite understand right away, you’ll be able to get viewers who watch your video a few times in order to completely understand what you are telling them.
Try to keep the tone exciting and mysterious so that your followers stay intrigued and want to be a part of the group of people who understand what you are talking about. Confuse your audience, too (in the right way).
Weird and unique videos do surprisingly well. Viewers like chaos and watching short videos where they don’t quite understand what is happening. If you are a creative person with random thoughts and ideas, it may be fun to try to create randomly weird videos that may not make much sense.
People love to guess how things are connected and why you say the things you say, so present them with a mixture of mystery and confusion. Some viewers just like the random type of humor.
They will view your videos over and over to try and find a meaning to your video, even if it is just nonsense. Short video clip compilations work well. If you are showing off beautiful views or all of the products you make, sometimes it’s helpful to only show very short clips of each item, as long as it’s enough time to pique a viewer’s interest.
This will make them rewatch the video again so that they can focus on the product that interests them the most. Quickly listing steps in a tutorial is a smart idea. If you are posting a cooking tutorial of a DIY or how-to concept, you’ll have plenty of steps to record.
Try giving some of the steps less recording time so that viewers will have to go back and watch the video again and again to make sure they have the process completely correct.
Talking fast enough to keep the positive, happy tone will also help with this tip. A complex joke can work. Some people won’t get a joke the first time around. If you tend to be a typically funny person, try to come up with creative jokes that go along with current trends or events on a certain social media site.
The more in depth your joke is, the more people will feel special for figuring it out. Some viewers may have to watch the video several times just to get the joke you are making. And there will be lots of engagement in the comments section from those confused and others explaining it to them.
No matter what, generating as many views as you can will always be a good thing for your social media and brand. Views help you in the algorithm because the sites and apps will begin pushing your content when it’s seen as an account that has high views.
