People spend more than half of their time on social platforms watching videos. And brands are prioritizing short-form social videos within their strategy.

Why? Short-form videos on social are engaging and entertaining, showing your brand personality, educating your audience, and creating personal connections with consumers. Bringing in high ROI, brands are doubling down, with video now accounting for over half of all US social network ad revenues. Through video, brands can build strong, authentic connections — person by person —  within social spaces that are still growing.

In a world of endless scrolling, shrinking attention spans, and instant gratification, short-form videos have emerged as the ultimate tool for brand storytelling. Whether it’s a 15-second TikTok, a 30-second Instagram Reel, or a quick YouTube Short, these bite-sized pieces of content are revolutionizing the way brands connect with their audiences. And if your brand isn’t already on board, here’s why it’s time to catch up. 

Here’s what to know about short-form social videos, including creative best practices, how to plan your media, and which platforms consumers are flocking to next.

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Grab attention within the first few seconds

To succeed in short-form video, brands must grab attention instantly. The rule of thumb cited by Meta is three seconds, but in reality, it’s even shorter—there needs to be something compelling enough in those first moments to get someone to stop scrolling and give you their attention.  

Whether it’s a bold visual, intriguing question, or unexpected moment, the hook must spark curiosity or provoke an emotional response. Once you’ve managed to stop them, the next step is to keep them engaged for those crucial few seconds. 

Tailoring your approach to each platform is essential: use bold visuals on TikTok, sleek and polished designs on Instagram Reels, and searchable intros on YouTube Shorts. Each platform has its own rhythm, and understanding what catches users’ attention within the first fraction of a second can make all the difference in driving engagement. 

Key Takeaway: Brands need to capture attention within the first few three seconds of a video. 

Action Item: Start with strong visuals and clear value propositions tailored to each platform to ensure viewers don’t scroll past. 

Use storytelling to connect, not just sell 

Video is an ideal way to foster the connections that people are actively seeking out on social media, especially when short-form content prioritizes storytelling and engagement over sales. The mantra “less sales, more story” is often echoed by creators for a reason. 

This applies across all content—organic and paid. When you tie the value of your products or services to the needs and interests of your audience, you strengthen their loyalty and engagement, seamlessly integrating your short video ads into the content they’re already consuming. 

But your video content needs to go beyond communicating your top selling points. Video—and social media in general—gives brands the opportunity to make their target consumer feel seen, understood, and truly resonated with.  

When you demonstrate a deep understanding of who your audience is, what motivates them, and how they communicate, that authenticity builds trust. And that trust, paired with the value your brand offers, sells the product naturally. 

Key Takeaway: Short-form videos should tell a compelling story that builds connections and community, not just sell a product.  

For B2B brands, this means moving beyond corporate speak to stories that reflect real challenges, use relatable language, and show genuine understanding of the audience. 

 Storytelling should build trust and make your brand feel human. 

Action Item: Create videos that engage viewers emotionally by using storytelling and blending seamlessly with platform content.  

For B2B brands, this means showing real customer challenges, relatable workflows, and everyday wins—similar to how tools like Asana or Sprout Social bring their solutions to life. Make your audience feel understood, not just marketed to.

Use your audience insights to prioritize the channels where your best consumers are already spending time

Prioritize the most consumed platforms in your media planning and buying. Nationally, adults have been shifting With audiences spending significant time on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, brands must create short-form content to reach a wider and more engaged demographic.  

Leverage audience insights to gain a more holistic picture of where your audience is spending their time, and where they’re being influenced. Additionally, explore content format, tone, and messaging to understand what resonates most with your target segments. Short-form videos play a crucial role in the customer journey, building brand trust, demonstrating value, and driving direct action. Cross-promoting these videos across channels further amplifies their reach. 

Key Takeaway: Short-form video is essential for reaching audiences already engaging with platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. 

Action Item: Cross-promote videos through other channels to maximize visibility and engagement. 

Optimize your content for vertical and mobile-first viewing

Given that most short-form videos are watched on mobile devices, design them to suit the quick-scrolling habits of users. Videos optimized for mobile, with large copy and bold visuals, tend to perform better—especially when subtitles are included for sound-off viewing. 

Key Takeaway: Elements like vertical video formats, subtitles, bold visuals, and large copy can maximize your impact. 
 
Action Item: Focus on ideas that resonate with your audience rather than high-budget production, and experiment with posting multiple times a week. 

Design your videos to work even without sound 

It’s common for people to watch short-form videos without audio. Consider how you can make your videos impactful even with the sound off. Incorporating clear, concise closed captioning is essential, and editable captions can be useful in multi-language campaigns. 

Key Takeaway: Create videos that deliver impact without needing sound to engage your audience. 

Action Item: Focus on visuals and text-based storytelling to capture attention, even with the sound off. 

Humanize your brand with employee interviews and social takeovers

Short-form videos provide an opportunity for brands to connect with their audience through authentic, human-centered content. Featuring real voices from employees or brand partners can foster deeper connections and enhance credibility. This is especially important on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where users are actively seeking out authentic opinions and voices. 

Key Takeaway: Short-form videos give brands a chance to show their human side, building deeper connections with their audience. 
 
Action Item: Feature real voices from inside the company—employees, partners, or clients—to strengthen authenticity and credibility. 

Let your audience speak for you with user generated content 

User generated content (UGC) helps viewers feel and build an authentic connection with brands. Integrating UGC into your strategy is a powerful way to connect with your audience. You can do this by replicating top-performing content from each platform, collaborating with trusted influencers, and repurposing content shared by your loyal customers. 

Key Takeaway: UGC creates authenticity and fosters trust with your audience. 

Action Item: Encourage and incorporate UGC into your short form strategy to build trust and deepen your connection with your community. 

Collaborate with creators who align with your brand goals 

As the line between brand and creator content becomes increasingly blurred, it’s important to have a strategic approach to collaborations. A results-driven program that aligns with both your organic and paid efforts ensures that content creators produce videos that meet your business objectives. 

Key Takeaway: Influencer and creator partnerships should be aligned with your business goals for maximum impact. 

Action Item: Choose influencers and creators who understand your brand and can produce content that complements both your paid and organic strategies. 

Create content that feels native to each platform 

To strengthen connections with your best customers, design short videos that feel natural in their social environment.

Create content that aligns with the platform’s format, style, and audience behavior. For example, TikTok thrives on casual, spontaneous videos with trending sounds and quick edits, while YouTube Shorts leans more toward content that feels like a more polished, mini educational video.  

Tailor your content to the specific platform and audience, ensuring it aligns with their expectations and preferences. 

Key Takeaway: Make your videos feel native to each platform to strengthen your brand’s connection with customers. 

Action Item: Ensure your video content fits seamlessly into the social experience, while still showcasing your brand’s unique value. 

Tell quick stories that keep viewers coming back

Short-form videos are ideal for delivering bite-sized narratives that build over time, fostering engagement through micro-storytelling. A recurring series can drive high engagement by maintaining consistency and making it easy for followers to return for more. Platforms reward this kind of storytelling, making serial formats especially effective. 

Key Takeaway: Short-form content works best when you deliver compelling, bite-sized narratives over time. 

Action Item: Create a series of micro-tips or stories that build on each other, encouraging return engagement from viewers. 

Jump on trends to increase your reach—where they make sense for your brand 

The viral potential of short-form videos lies in their quick, shareable nature, especially when they tap into trends and platform-specific challenges. Striking the right balance between creativity and brand consistency increases the likelihood of virality. Staying updated with trending sounds, formats, and challenges is key to creating content that resonates. 

Key Takeaway: Short-form videos are highly shareable and have great viral potential when aligned with trends. 
 
Action Item: Use native features like on-screen text, trending audio, and interactive CTAs like “Tag a friend” or “Save for later” to boost engagement. 

Produce content quickly without sacrificing impact 

Short-form content is a cost-effective way to create frequent content that feels authentic and real. Brands can engage with audiences with minimal production, focusing on quality ideas rather than polished execution. Use tools like templates, stock footage, or user-generated content to streamline the process while still delivering value.  

Regularly posting and testing of different styles—such as casual behind-the-scenes clips, quick tips, or raw, unfiltered content—helps maintain visibility. 

Key Takeaway: Short-form content can be produced quickly and cost-effectively without sacrificing authenticity. 
 
Action Item: Focus on ideas that resonate with your audience rather than high-budget production—experiment with posting multiple times a week. 

Smarter short-form video strategy starts with better audience understanding 

As brands continue to spend more time watching short-form videos on their favorite platforms, brands need to be prioritize short-form and vertical video content. But before you start to create these videos, it’s critical to understand your consumer’s pain points, and how they intersect with your key selling points. By connecting your online and offline data, you can build a clearer picture of your key consumer’s behaviors and preferences.  

With that in mind, ask yourself: is your video strategy going to pair and resonate with these insights?  

The smartest approach to social content is one that’s rooted in ongoing learning—testing different styles, measuring engagement, and evolving your strategy to stay in turn with what your audience connects with. 

A results-led B2B and B2C and strategy includes creating and maximizing engaging, actionable creative and content for the right social platforms. 

Ultimately, is your brand reaching, interacting, and activating the people who could become loyalists? If your brand doesn’t know who to reach out to, how to connect with them, and how they consume their favorite media, you’re not realizing the full potential of your marketing performance. One-on-one connections that create your best customers are rooted in holistic audience science, developing and building a community of the perfect people for your products. 

Smarter social campaigns are only part of a data-centric, performance-driven strategy, giving you the power to know and do more. Dig deeper into how to improve your cross-channel cohesion, or let’s talk about how to achieve more for your marketing — and your business.