Today, short-form videos are the leading form of video content across social media platforms. From TikTok and Instagram to YouTube and Snapchat, these digital recordings are captivating audiences and have become a key component of content for entrepreneurs and influencers.
“You saw the boom of short-form videos during the pandemic because people were in their houses and saw it as an opportunity to potentially become famous if they did a great job,” says Bryant Assistant Director of Social Media Marketing Paige Zuber-Weishaus, who teaches Bryant’s “Strategic Content Planning and Creation” course. “You also saw a boom of entrepreneurs and influencers going for it at that time.”
Below, Zuber-Weishaus explains how entrepreneurs can master the creation of short-form video content so they can structure compelling messages for users:
1. Lead with a compelling hook
The average attention span is two to five seconds, which means you need to grab a viewer’s attention in that time frame.
“With the short-form videos, you're learning to do these quick hooks, almost clickbait-y things that are attracting users to then watch your 30- to 60-second video,” Zuber-Weishaus says.
To create an effective hook, you should strive to be relatable or funny. One easy way to create a good hook too is to start with a blooper or the "finished product" as a sneak peek if the user keeps watching. Some of Zuber-Weishaus's personal favorites include the Empire State Building account, which leans heavily into TikTok trends and Gen Z marketing, meaning they're very unserious as well as Judy's Family Cafe, which focuses on unhinged marketing where the videos are incredibly unpredictable and chaotic.
“The average social media user is not on social media to look at hard information. Yes, they might want to learn something, but they almost want to be tricked into learning it,” Zuber-Weishaus says. “If your hook is dry or negative, someone's going to swipe through it.”
2. Take advantage of hashtags, trends, and sounds
Zuber-Weishaus notes that hashtags work heavily with search engine optimization. For instance, TikTok — which has one of the highest performing social media search engines — enables users to search for specific keywords, which prompts the platform to retrieve videos that have those keywords in the video, caption, or hashtags. She emphasizes that individuals should think strategically about the hashtags they use and make sure they are not picking random ones or ones that do not relate to their business.
The same mentality can be applied to trends and sounds.
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“The biggest thing to look at is: Are you trying to make it happen for yourself by jumping on the trend, or does it actually fit with your brand voice, your brand values, and your mission?” Zuber-Weishaus says.
3. Invest in the proper equipment
If you're filming solely with your phone, you might consider a phone tripod that can turn in multiple angles as well as a clip mount light that attaches to your phone and enhances your scene lighting. Investing in high-quality mini microphones is also a must.
Zuber-Weishaus notes that, while most in-app editing platforms work well, they can be tricky to use — especially if you want to save the video and move it elsewhere; you may be restricted with what sounds are available, and you sometimes can’t take those sounds with you. If you’re looking for alternative tools, she recommends doing some research on Edits (Instagram’s version of an editing platform), CapCut, and Canva.
4. Don’t be afraid of boast
“When you're trying to market a business, we get nervous talking about ourselves. We think it’s a time to be humble, but it's not,” Zuber-Weishaus says.
Whether you’re in front of the camera or providing voice-overs for videos, remember to be animated and proud. Also, be willing to showcase who you are as a business owner because people trust authenticity.
“If you start doing a ‘this is my day in my life as a business owner’ or ‘watch me make this product from start to finish’ and you do a sped-up version of you doing something, people are going to love that a lot more than you just talking at a screen and saying, ‘this is my business, you can find me here, head to the link in my bio,’” Zuber-Weishaus says.
5. Keep metrics at top of mind
Zuber-Weishaus explains that as long as your social media accounts are set up as business or creator accounts, the analytics will be available to the user.
Entrepreneurs should focus on impressions because, even though they'll be higher than your engagement, that means the posts are getting in front of people. Another big metric to pay attention to is engagements, which include likes, comments, and shares.
While short-form videos are popular, don’t stray away from making photo and text posts.
“Those are going to be just as important to you,” Zuber-Weishaus says.
6. Be aware of the algorithm gods
When it comes to determining the length for a short-form video, it’s all about algorithm science.
“Anything over five seconds gets pushed out,” Zuber-Weishaus says. “If it's shorter than that, the algorithm almost works against it because it wants users to stay on the platform.”
Algorithms also reward continuous posting, but Zuber-Weishaus says to make sure you’re focusing on quality over quantity and to not compete with yourself; if you're putting out multiple videos or posts every day, you could be burying older posts that might have done well if you hadn’t sandwiched content.
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Lastly, when algorithms see content being shared, they’re more likely to push it out to others.
“An easy way to get your content shared is to ask your friends and family to engage with a video you posted for your business,” she says.