Short-form video is a great way to connect with your customers. It’s quick, easy to follow trends and track engagement.

It’s also very cost-effective. Repurpose a log of long videos to create shorts, reels and attention grabbing content for TikTok, Instagram or Facebook. Make sure to get consent from anyone you film (especially kids!).

Getting Started

As the popularity of short video content rises - TikTok is now the most engaging social platform, with 55% of users buying something after watching a brand’s video on the app and Instagram Reels are the highest performing content type on the platform - getting your team comfortable with creating this style of content is a necessity. Short form videos can help you reach new and unfamiliar audiences, increase engagement and drive traffic to your brand in ways that other types of media simply cannot.

Whether you’re producing a product video, a quick and engaging customer testimonial or a behind the scenes look at your company’s production process, the key to success with this type of video is authenticity. Users want to see transparency from the brands they follow, and this often means embracing lo-fi authenticity with footage that’s not as crisp and immaculate as you might expect. It can also mean tying your content to current trends and events, jumping on or even starting trending challenges and memes.

With the average human attention span ever-shrinking, creating and posting short videos that are focused on a single point or feature can help you overcome this challenge and make your brand more memorable to viewers. It can also be a great way to boost engagement, with stacked views on platforms like TikTok resulting in more reach than you might have expected (see the infographic below from Wyzowl). Using a video editing tool like CapCut, instead of relying on the limited tools included by social media apps, will allow you to create more polished and compelling content that’s ready for any platform.

Creating a Storyboard

Storyboards allow you to convert your vision for the video from intangible concepts to tangible images. They help you figure out the shots you want to take, what order they should go in and what props or people you will need. They can even save you time on the set by eliminating unnecessary scenes and shots, ensuring that your marketing video is as effective as possible.

Storyboarding also helps you to spot potential problems with your video before you start shooting. This may reveal that some of the information in your script doesn’t flow as smoothly as you thought or that your visuals aren’t tied together as cohesively as you’d like. Identifying these issues before you shoot can prevent them from becoming a major problem during production and saving you money on costly post-production fixes.

You can create a traditional storyboard using pencil and paper, or there are many online storyboard tools that let you draw or upload photos to create a series of thumbnail images that represent each shot in your video. Some of these tools even let you add text, speech bubbles and block to convey the necessary information for each scene.

Make sure each thumbnail includes the principal characters in your video, as well as any important props and locations. You can also include any extra notes for each scene, such as a description of what is happening in each shot, the desired lighting and camera angle, and any direction for people who will be working on the video (for example, when you would like cuts). Then, number the thumbnails so that they are easy to reference in your discussion with others.

Editing

Short form video is a form of video that captures the viewer's attention quickly and concisely. Apps like TikTok, that are limited to 15-60 seconds in length, epitomise this style of video content.

While there are many benefits to creating short videos, the key is to be clear and concise with your messaging. Often, social media viewers will only give you seconds to grab their interest before they scroll past your video and find something else more interesting to watch.

As with any type of content creation, you need to know your audience and your brand. This will help guide the type of content you create and how long your video is. It's also important to stay up-to-date with industry trends and utilise any current events or holidays in your video marketing, as these types of content perform the best on social media.

Using social media analytics tools, like Sprout, can help you measure the performance of your videos, so you can learn what works and what doesn't. By following these tips and using the right tools, you can successfully leverage short form video to grow your business, increase engagement, and amplify your content.

Adding Effects

Adding effects like zoom ins and outs, tracking, and visual overlays can all make a short form video more engaging. Similarly, using audio techniques like dropping in on words with hard consonant sounds or in-step with music can create a sense of rhythm to keep viewers engaged. Lastly, using sound design elements like voice overs and acoustic effects can help convey the emotion of your message.

Short form videos are incredibly popular on social media, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram offering easy-to-use tools for creating and sharing them. With shorter running times, they’re an ideal format for communicating a brief message in a snappy, easily digestible way. They’re also perfect for busy audiences, or those who prefer to watch video content on-the-go and from any device.

With such a short running time, you’ll need to grab attention within the first few seconds in order to keep viewers engaged. Starting your video with a big desire, a bold statement, or some social proof is an effective strategy to increase the likelihood of a viewer watching all the way through. Adding in a trending sound byte can also bring in a new audience and increase your chances of going viral.

Many viewers watch videos without sound so it’s important to include captions to communicate your message. Ensure that your captions are clear, concise and synchronised with the visual content in your short form video to deliver maximum impact.

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