The Ultimate Guide to Short Form Video (Trends, Tips, and More!)

Short form videos are all the rage these days. Not convinced? The numbers don’t lie.

• ~1.5 billion people use TikTok each month
• 2 billion users engage with YouTube shorts each month
• On average, Instagram reels reach nearly 68,000 users 

This isn’t to say people aren’t also engaging with longer videos. They certainly are. But, short-form video is an increasingly popular approach to video. 

If you’re interested in locking down long-term success with this short-form content, you’ve come to the right place. 

Before we explore the “why” behind short-form, let’s take a look at what exactly short-form videos are. Then, we’ll get into the why, and how you can capitalize on this bite-size video content.

Jump to a specific section:

• What is a Short-Form Video?
• What Makes Short-Form Videos so Appealing?
• 6 Popular Short-Form Video Trends to Follow in 2024 and Beyond
• 5 Best Practices to Win with Short-Form Video

[#TOC1]What Exactly is a Short-Form Video?[#TOC1]

There are no hard and fast rules for short-form video. But, typically short-form video is considered to be any video under 10 minutes.

On top of this, short-form videos are often filmed vertically, but this isn’t a requirement. When in doubt, think of a short-form video as something you can easily and comfortably watch on your mobile device while taking a break.

[#TOC2]What Makes Short-Form Videos so Appealing?[#TOC2]

We’ve established short-form videos are, well, short. And, they’re popular. But, why are they so appealing now, of all times? We’ve found that it boils down to the following 4 reasons.

1. Short-Form Videos Match Our Attention Spans

There’s an oft-quoted stat that claims humans have the same attention span as a goldfish. This is somewhat up for debate, likely because nobody wants to be compared to a goldfish.

What is apparent is that attention spans are shrinking. In fact, one expert-led study found screen-based work attention shifted from 75 seconds in 2012, to 47 seconds in the past several years.

Capturing this attention is one thing. Retaining it is another. When your videos are feature-length, you’re unlikely to capture an audience all the way through. But with a video that’s a few minutes long, and has interesting content, the odds improve.

2. Short-Form Videos are More Cost-Effective

Simply put: short-form videos often require less resources to produce than longer videos.

Traditionally, the longer a video, the more time and resources it eats up. This means longer videos can quickly bloat in cost.

When you’re making a short-form video, you can invest more in quality over quantity. This allows a smaller budget to go farther, and a budget of virtually nothing to do a whole lot.

3. Short-Form Video Delivers Stellar ROI

As the old saying goes, “You’ve gotta spend money to make money.” Fortunately, short-form video has the highest ROI of all traditional marketing methods.

For marketers, ROI is typically one of the biggest deciding factors behind whether to move forward with a tactic. The great ROI of short-form video makes it an easy pitch.

4. Short-Form Videos are Ideal for Smartphone Consumption

Most people have a smartphone in their pocket or purse at this point. In fact, there are 4.4 billion smartphone users worldwide.

One survey found 69% of people prefer to watch videos on their smartphone, rather than any other device. 

Your goal is to meet your audience where they’re at. When it comes to their preferred way to consume video, it’s likely on their smartphone.

Along with meeting your audience where they’re at, short-form video is traditionally in a format that makes sense for your audience. Again, short-form video is often vertical (think: Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts), so naturally it fits right on a smartphone.

[#TOC3]6 Popular Short-Form Video Trends to Follow in 2024 — 2026[#TOC3]

Like most media types, short-form videos are frequently influenced by a number of trends. While you of course want to stick to best practices (more on those later), these are some of the top trends to look out for over the next couple of years.

1. Shoppertainment

Shoppertainment is a type of video content that blurs the line between entertainment and e-commerce. These short-form videos aim to drive sales through engaging content that offers product and sales information, or even via life shopping events.

Unlike many types of e-commerce content, shoppertainment content is usually very grounded and lower budget. Think, less flash and more sincerity.

Sephora, major cosmetic retailer, crushes shoppertainment. They have a YouTube channel that’s rich with product tutorials that also include product mentions. On top of this, they also host live online events where they promote products, give away freebies, and more.

2. Vertical Split-Screen Collaborations

A vertical split-screen collaboration video is a single video that features two different creators on the same piece, each one on a different side. 

Vertical split-screen collaborations are common on social platforms, like TikTok, where brands will partner up and “react” to content or even challenge each other in real-time.

Making matters better, TikTok even offers a “duet” feature that allows brands to easily create a split-screen collaboration between their own content, and someone else’s.

3. Micro-Stories with AI Narratives 

Micro-stories with AI narratives are short videos generated or enhanced by AI. These videos offer a quick, personalized story or adventure that’s tailored to a viewer’s preference.

These are definitely one of the lesser-known trends and formats on this list. While not as simple to pull off as a quick TikTok stitch, these video types can stand out as a result of their uniqueness.

Toys“R”Us, the toy retailer that’s returned from the dead, used AI to help expedite their own video creation process. The end result is a trailer that looks impressive, but only took them a handful of weeks, instead of months.

4. Edutainment with Infographics

Both edutainment and infographics aren’t new. But, videos that combine the two are an emerging trend.

Edutainment videos with infographics combine the two, using video and visuals to break down dense topics and educate viewers in only a few minutes. These types of videos can be great for explaining technical products, while also getting more eyes on your brand.

The Financial Times are a great example, as they frequently use edutainment and infographics in their videos to explain technical, financial topics.

5. Branded Videos Featuring Everyday Content Creators

Thanks to social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, it’s never been easier for content creators to pump out videos featuring their favorite brands. And, it’s never been easier for brands to collaborate with these creators.

With branded videos featuring everyday content creators, you can easily stitch or duet user-made content that also includes your brand. This allows you to get more eyes on other creators, while also enabling you to promote your brand in a very natural, real way.

Chipotle dominates the TikTok sphere with their authentic approach to collaborative content. Chipotle frequently stitches or duets videos other users have made, allowing them to promote new menu items via other user videos without seeming salesy.

6. Videos Optimized for Soundless Viewing

We’ve established that short-form videos are great for mobile, on-the-go watching. And oftentimes, people are scrolling without sound. This makes videos optimized for soundless viewing a natural fit.

Videos optimized for soundless viewing will typically feature sound and music, but also have on-screen captions and/or visuals that ensure the experience isn’t hindered if your sound is off. This allows people to fully enjoy the video while scrolling without sound, while still getting your point across.

As a bonus, this approach makes your videos more accessible to those with hearing impairments. And with AI tools, like those offered by VEED, you can easily transcribe videos and offer real-time captions.

Taste of Home's content is a great example of videos optimized for soundless viewing, especially where their YouTube shorts are concerned. Their videos are quick and to the point, and feature large on-screen text that keeps the viewer in the loop — even when the sound is off.

[#TOC4]5 Best Practices to Conquer Short-Form Video Content[#TOC4]

There’s no one “right” way to create effective short-form videos. However, there are certain best practices which, in most cases, can guarantee an awesome output.

1. Include an Attention-Worthy Hook

First and foremost, a short-form video has to have a great hook. While hooks are important in any video, you have less time to capture a viewer’s attention with a short video.

A strong hook should intrigue your viewer right off the bat. This could mean asking a thought-provoking question, or immediately promising some kind of useful information right out of the gate.

Embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtlvqQdn8qE

For example, DuoLingo frequently hooks viewers with titles and ideas that are intriguing or downright ridiculous. On top of this, their videos are typically more entertaining in nature and not salesy, making people more likely to engage with their content time and time again.

You should also consider using the hook sandwich theory. The idea behind this theory is that you immediately hook people, then deliver some goods, then hook them again, and so on and so forth. Lastly, you deliver a final, huge pay-off.

2. Create and Maintain an Engaging Pace

Engagement is everything with any kind of marketing material. While short-form videos benefit from having less of an engagement marathon, as opposed to a long-form video, you still need to treat them like a sprint and keep things moving.

Start off with and maintain an engaging pace. Immediately hook the viewer, and then keep the video moving. Make sure you’re not going too fast, since you don’t want to overwhelm the viewer.

To make this pace happen, use cutaways to mix things up, include a variety of visuals, and incorporate b-roll when it makes sense. All of this will make the video more varied, engaging, and keep things moving.

3. Optimize for Mute-Viewing

While soundless viewing is a rising video trend, it’s also a general best practice. Make sure your videos contain captions, text overlays, and visuals that convey your message.

This is a great best practice to keep in place, and it’ll ensure people can enjoy your videos whether the sound is on or off, or whether they have any hearing impairment. (Also, general video accessibility is huge and should be a top priority, always.)

4. Repurpose Your Long-Form Content

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Your existing long-form content is a goldmine that you can tap when you need short-form content.

Look at your existing library of video content, webinar recordings, podcasts, and so on. Then, see if any of it is topical. 

• Do you have an upcoming product launch that a video could add context to?
• Long-form videos that explain concepts or technology behind your products?
• Longer brand story videos?

Once you’ve identified a long-form video that feels topical, slice it up! With some clever editing and a little polishing, you can cut down a long-form piece and make it into a great short-form video.

The best part? You don’t have to do it manually.

With VEED Clips, you can automatically turn your long videos into shorter clips. This AI-powered tool identifies the most interesting parts of your video, then turns them into ready-to-share reels.

On average, you can expect one clip for every three minutes of your transcript.

The tool will also clean your videos up by auto-centering speakers, adding subtitles, and making them ready for social media showtime.

5. Design for Mobile-First Consumption

Lastly, ensure your video is formatted for vertical viewing and looks great on mobile screens, where the majority of short-form videos are watched.

With long-form content, you typically want your videos to be in landscape view. But, with short-form, vertical is the way to go. If you’re editing older long-form content into short-form, keep this in mind as you adjust the dimensions.

Short-Form Videos, Long-Term Success

Short-form videos are increasingly popular. But, don’t misinterpret this as a fad. They’re not going away anytime soon, and will likely have a place in your video toolbox for many years to come.

While you’re unlikely to nail short-form videos right out of the gate, with the aforementioned tips and inspiration, you can quickly start creating content that wows your audience. Take note of which videos perform the best and have the highest engagement, and replicate that success.

Over time, you’ll come up with your own branded recipe for long-term, short-form success.