Everything you need to know about short-form videos

Short-form content is short-form videos, usually 60 to 90 seconds maximum, in which a lot of information is condensed quickly and immediately.

The first platform to introduce short-form videos was Vine in 2013. Shortly afterwards, Musical.ly emerged and was later acquired by TikTok, which experienced extraordinary success in 2020. This success also prompted other social media to launch into short videos: Instagram with its Reels and YouTube with Shorts.

The main social where you can find them today are:

• Tik Tok: on the platform you can create short videos, using many editing tools, special effects, music and filters. If you want some tips, read our article on how to use it in your marketing strategies;
• Instagram: allows you to create videos, exploiting existing music tracks, adding stickers and filters. In this article we discuss how reels work and how they came about;
• YouTube: in order to compete with other social networks, it created 60-second shorts, offering editing tools, music and effects. They are often used as ‘trailers’ for longer videos.

Short videos are popular because they allow no distractions, they capture you and keep you focused on the screen, prompting you to watch more on a loop!
They can be shared quickly and start conversations, thus offering a low-budget solution to expand audiences and stimulate word of mouth. Moreover, the algorithm also favours short content by increasing its visibility and potential virality.

Here we have collected some tips that can help you in the realisation of your first short!

#1 Define your objective and your audience: it is essential to start with a clear idea, ask yourself what you want to achieve and who your content is aimed at;

#2 Topic: structure the main points of your video, the scenes to include and organise the storyboard;

#3 Engage in a few seconds: create a strong initial hook that helps attract attention immediately; for example you can use a striking question;

#4 Create only quality content: what you post reflects your brand image, so keep the quality high, avoid poorly shot, out of focus, or effects that disturb the viewer;

#5 Optimise videos: make sure they are playable even in silent mode, use subtitles or graphics to help understanding even without audio;

#6 Create a loop: structure your videos so that they can be played over and over again, the beginning and end should be similar giving the impression that the video is never finished;

#7 Make your content dynamic: make quick cuts for a tight and fast pace, but don’t forget to pursue a consistent line without overdoing the speed;

#8 Maintain a fun tone: be spontaneous and light-hearted, shorts are seen at any time of day, mainly as a ‘break’, so users expect light-heartedness;

#9 Insert a Call To Action: direct your audience to action by telling them what to do; for example you could invite them to buy the product shown;

#10 Do cross-posting: promote together on multiple platforms and exploit the content by revisiting it according to the chosen social.

Micro learning
It is a fast growing trend, explaining a brand-related topic in a few minutes. It presents an initial problem and then offers the solution through quick, engaging and informative clips that are devoured in no time.

Product teaser
The teaser video presents your product or service without revealing too many details, providing only partial information to raise users’ curiosity. These videos are useful for getting to know your audience better and defining your niche, an example being unboxings.

User generated content
User Generated Content is essential for building trust in your brand, precisely because it comes directly from your customers. They stimulate your audience to produce content about your products and your company, such as reviews or DIY tutorials to show how they use your items.

Content behind the scenes
Show what goes on inside the brand, show the backstage, in this way you create a strong sense of connection with users, introduce the world behind what you offer, share the commitment, passion and personality behind your hard work.

Challenges
Challenges often go viral and are trends you can ride; they are challenges you can launch on social that users accept and do. Start with simple things that everyone can do and that are in line with the brand, use hashtags to highlight the key message and re-post the content that is created, don’t forget to give prizes to the winners.