Short-Form Video Content: What Works Now

Short-form video content has taken the marketing world by storm, and it’s not going away anytime soon. From TikTok to Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, these bite-sized videos are where your audience is spending their time. But what makes short-form content successful, and how can you make it work for your business?

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• The evolution of short-form video content and why it dominates.
• How to craft engaging, impactful videos that grab attention.
• The platforms you should prioritize in 2025.
• Common mistakes to avoid.
• Practical tips for creating short-form content—even if you’re camera shy!

If you’ve been hesitant about diving into short-form videos or need a fresh perspective, this episode will give you actionable insights to create videos that work for your business.

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Open until 11 March 2025.

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Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
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Transcript

Welcome back to the new School of Marketing podcast. I am so grateful to you for tuning in. Before we dive in, I would love to pay respect and acknowledgement to the Palawa people of Lutruwita, who are the traditional owners of the land on which my business operates.

And I pay my respects to the elders, past and present.

All right, welcome back.

I want to talk about video video marketing.

And I know it's a super hot topic, video marketing. It's not necessarily one of my favorite topics, but I know that, you know, sometimes in marketing we kind of just have to go, okay, well for the sake of, you know, moving ahead, let's, let's talk about it.

And you've probably seen it everywhere. Like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts, short form videos have become a key way for businesses to connect with their audience. For them to tell a story, to drive sales really.

But let's be real, creating videos can be overwhelming, which is why it's not one of my favorite topics.

You know, what do you say in 15 seconds, how do you stand out in a sea of content and what is actually working right now? Well, I'm going to break it down for you and let's talk about everything you need to know about short form video content and how to make it work for your business.

So let's start with why short form video is so effective. Well, first, attention spans are shrinking. We just live in a fast paced world where people scroll quickly and short videos grab attention fast.

And if done well, they deliver value and they leave viewers wanting more.

Second, the algorithms love it.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram actually prioritize at the moment short form content because it keeps users engaged for longer periods. If your video performs well in the first few seconds, it actually has a higher chance of being pushed to more viewers.

And finally, it's incredibly versatile. So whether you're educating, entertaining or inspiring, short form videos can fit in any niche or industry.

So what actually works?

I'm going to share some key ingredients for success.

Number one is grab attention immediately.

The first three seconds are critical.

So start with a bold statement, a question, or a really eye catching visual.

So for example, if you're a fitness coach, you might start with this one exercise you're doing wrong. Here's how to fix it. Like just, you know, attention. Bold statement.

Number two is keep it simple.

Focus on one idea, one message.

Short form videos are not the place for long explanations. It doesn't mean that you can't do long form video as well, but you want to like mix it up. So for example, a florist might create a quick video on how to arrange a bouquet with three simple tips.

Number three is to add value.

So you need to teach, entertain or inspire one of these three teach, entertain or inspire. And your audience should feel like watching your video was worth their time because we all know that we never get that time back.

So make them feel like it was actually worth their time and they can do something with it.

Number four is include a call to action. So a cta, a call to action. Whether it is follow for more tips or visit our website or tag a friend who needs to see this.

Always guide your audience on what they need to do next.

Now where should you focus your efforts?

And like between us marketers there's a bit of a division, but I'm just going to leave it up to you. So TikTok, TikTok is the king of short form video and they reward creativity and authenticity.

So you need to actually think about where does your audience spend time and is it worth for you to spend time there to try and convert your audience on that platform.

So Instagram reels is perfect for reaching a broader audience, especially if you already have a presence on Instagram. So if you're already doing Instagram, I would say start there with reels and like short form content.

YouTube Shorts, which is really great for repurposing content and tapping into a more search driven audience. So YouTube is in a way a ginormous search engine like Google but for videos.

So using some of the content, like if you're already on YouTube and you're already doing videos, use reuse some of your content like repurpose some of your content to make it a YouTube shorts and then from there on get people to watch more of your longer stuff and Facebook reels.

So if you're targeting an older demographic, definitely don't overlook Facebook. And you know what, Facebook and Instagram are in a way very much connected and linked. So if you're already on Instagram, you might as well push your content to Facebook as well and get that extra reach.

Now I know it's super overwhelming to create content, so here are some tips for creating Short form videos, number one is batch content creation.

So record multiple videos in one session to save time. And I'm not saying that you always need to create videos where you speak to the camera. It can be what they call B roll content.

So you just pop your camera somewhere and you film yourself doing something and then you can overlay with copy like content and then, you know, expand things in the caption so you don't always need to be speaking to a camera.

Number two is use trending audio.

And look, if this is one of those things that you're like, oh, that's you, you would get, you know, into a rabbit hole and spend too much time on that, then honestly, don't worry too much about it.

But you might want to pay attention to trending songs or sounds on the platform, so, aka Instagram TikTok and incorporate them when relevant.

They do. So the platforms do pay attention to trending audios and try to push that out a bit more.

But like I said, if that feels too overwhelming, just go with the music that either the platform suggests or that you like. It doesn't really matter.

Number three is be authentic.

Don't stress about looking perfect.

People connect with authenticity more than polished perfection.

We all make mistakes. We are not perfect. Nobody is like 100% glammed up every day.

So don't worry about it. If that's the one thing standing between you and creating content, just let it go and just, you know, get on it. And if it does stand between you and creating content, then go for B roll footage.

Like, you know, put your camera somewhere and just film yourself walking away or film yourself, you know, picking some flowers from the garden or film yourself doing something in the kitchen.

It doesn't always have to be, you know, full face kind of video.

Number four is leverage captions. So many people watch videos without sound.

So if you are speaking and it could be like a B roll video with you like narrating or like you know, having spoken voice over the top. It could be like that.

But always make sure that your videos include captions or on screen text because a lot of people will not turn their sound on.

And number five is experiment and analyze. So test different formats, test different topics, test different styles. I mean, heck, I've, you know, filmed my chickens and done something with that.

Just test it all out. Test your, sorry, check your analytics, like your numbers to see what actually resonates and double down on that. Now when I'm saying check your analytics, we tend to only look at how many views something got so if there is at all a way for you to track what actions someone has taken and whether that is, you know, getting on your email list or something like that, those would be my preferred metrics because, you know, I could have like, you know, 50,000 people watching the video, but if only two people got onto my email list and that was like the ultimate goal, then I don't think it was a very successful video.

So just be aware of that.

Here's some things to avoid.

Number one is overcomplicating your message. Remember, you only have a few seconds, so stick to one idea per video.

And if you struggle with this, get, you know, some AI to help you with some, like, super short, quick scripts that you could do in like 15 seconds.

Those first three seconds are critical, like, they're the most important. So don't overcomplicate your message.

Number two is ignoring trends. I know some of us want to go against trends, the rebel in me does. But staying current with platform trends can actually help you reach more people.

So in this instance, being a rebel might not be the right thing to do. Another thing to avoid is not posting consistently. The more you post, the more likely you are to find what works your audience, and then you can create more of that.

And then another thing is not putting a CTA call to action. So don't let your viewers scroll past without taking an action. And I know a lot of people will not, but you need to give them that next step.

You need to have. You need to tell them, otherwise they will just simply scroll past.

So short form video content is here to stay, and it really is one of the most powerful tools you can use to connect with your audience.

And I want you to start small because like I said, it can be super overwhelming. So start small. Try creating just one video this week and focus on grabbing attention, delivering value, and then guiding your audience on what to do next.

That's your homework. You know, one video. Go and do it.

All right. Thank you so, so much for listening. If you found it helpful, please share it with someone who could use a little short form video inspiration.

And don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss next week's episode.

Until then, keep creating, keep experimenting, keep building a business that connects with your audience. See you next time.