Let me tell you the most difficult part of my job. I often delete Tikkok and Instagram from my phone because I can’t help but waste the time to search these apps and see dozens of short form videos in a session. And I’m not the only one.
According to Drift Kings Medias report by Drift Kings Media 2025 Marketing Trends report, visual storytelling is the new standard. Short form video content is leading. 29.18% of the marketers identify them as the most frequently used format and 21.02% that deliver the highest ROI.
Why are short form videos so popular? It turns out that there are some reasons that have a little psychology. Let’s go into it!
Table of contents
What are short form videos?
Short form videos are videos that take less than 60 seconds. However, some marketers and content manufacturers agree that short form videos can be up to 3 minutes. But if you want my opinion, I would stick to the 60-second rule.
I take this attitude because the attention span will be shorter, but we will get involved later.
In any case, short form videos provide information in a digestible, bite -sized format, so that the spectators can quickly view the content and provide a bookmark when they are on the go or look at it several times.
And if you do your content for more than 60 seconds, try to load all important things into the video early to ensure that more people see what is most important.
Would you like to learn what else you need to make a successful video? Grab our free video marketing playbook here.
Why are short form videos so popular?
There are some reasons why short form videos are more popular among consumers and marketers than ever before, and I will visit them right away. At the moment I want to go into psychology from everything – that’s why we are here, right? Go with me.
The attention span of consumers shrink.
Science tells us that one of the crucial reasons why we love short form videos is that our attention span is getting shorter and shorter.
Dr. Gloria Mark, a psychologist, recently wrote a book with the title Attention span: a groundbreaking way to restore balance, happiness and productivityAnd she says, her research results show that people’s attention span has shrank in the past 20 years.
Dr. Mark divided its results Speaking of psychologyA podcast by the American Psychological Association.
Her results came from a decades of experiment, in which she took part, which was carried out for the first time by the shadows of the participants and the persecution of their activities via stop coverings.
“We would record the start time and the stop time,” she explains.
“So you are on a screen on which they are documented in a word. As soon as you get to this screen, we click on the start time. As soon as you turned away and checked the e -mail, we clicked on a stop time to get the Word document and the start time for the e -mail, ”adds Mark.
Over time, the protocol techniques became more demanding as an advanced technology and only made the pattern of the shrinking attention tensioner.
“As early as 2004, we found the average attention span on each screen on average two and a half minutes,” recalls Dr. Mark during the interview. “It got shorter over the years. Around 2012 we found it 75 seconds. “
Dr. Mark says that the number has decreased over the years.
“And then we have found an average of about 47 seconds in the last five or six years – and others have repeated this result within a few seconds. So it seems pretty robust, ”she says.
And this trend of the dwindling attention span has an effect in the way we consume content. And I’m not only talking about social media videos – according to Dr. Mark short.
“You started much longer. They are now a shot length for four seconds, ”she says. “If you look at MTV music videos, you are much shorter. They are only a few seconds. That is why we have got used to seeing very quick shots when we watch TV and film. “
Dr. During the interview, Mark explains that it is not sure what came first or what influences the other.
However, it remains the fact that we have got used to shorter content, and it bleeds into the type of content that we consume and what is created.
Studies showed that most consumers will only see an entire video if it is less than 60 seconds long. You then handed apps such as TikTok, YouTube shorts and Instagram rolls, which hand over short form videos to users in an infinite frame format.
Short form content can consume perfectly on the way.
Most of us make most of our online scrolls and purchases on our cell phones.
Long videos on tiny screens are usually not what we want.
But short videos are easy to see if you have a few minutes, whether you pass on the couch at night or have a few minutes while waiting for your children to leave school or your activities.
I was often found in the pick-up line of swimming practice, which my favorite creators catch up on how Among the desk messages And The daily showAnd everything else brings me the algorithm.
In my experience, observing as part of walking with apps such as Tikkok and Instagram is even easier, which are designed especially for mobile experiences.
Short form videos appeal to emotions and curiosity.
Short form videos are great to attract attention quickly. More on this in #5 below. In short, if you strive for a cold audience that does not have much awareness of your brand or products, grasp them and move in.
If you make people curious or feel any way, stay with it and ask (scrolling) more.
Sometimes it is humor like this Steve Carell clip from the Daily Show:
In other cases, it is something that pulls more on the heart.
Short form videos are simply socially to be shared.
How many times have you seen a role on Facebook or Instagram and immediately shared them to Messenger with your friends?
Here is one That made the rounds in my circles.
I raise my hand. I send many of them out. My husband and I exchange recipes and things that make us laugh. This idea for Korean beef meals has saved me.
One of my friends and I send each other a mixture of jokes, work ideas and things that tell us: “Holy cow, remember when we did it 25 years ago?”
My point is that – whether something funny, a helpful tip or a motivating moment – if videos can easily pass on to friends, it is more likely that your content will become viral.
Speaking of viral – one of the best ways to become viral is to jump on a trend. Take a look at these short form trends to watch them.
Why brands should use short form video content
I saw first-hand how short form video content can change the ability of a brand to connect with its audience. Anecdotically, I fell in love with a few new brands and discovered some really great products due to Tikkok and Instagram.
I do need This new couch, perhaps also not-after seeing short forms of several brands with beautiful new sections on every platform, I just want to be comfortable.
The data support my anecdotal perspective.
According to Drift Kings Media Research, 75% of the marketers plan to maintain or increase their investments in short form videos this year. In addition, 90.35%plan to do with all of the video investment. This is because these content -related pieces of contents become a staple in modern marketing.
Regardless of whether you present a product, share a quick tip or humanize your brand with moments behind the scenes, you can use this format to create content that find resonance on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube shorts.
Brief form videos became 15% more important for marketers last year. This is a large signal that companies cannot afford to ignore this format. By arousing people’s interest, they can make them interact with more content, regardless of whether other short form videos, long -formal videos or even other types of content.
If you are curious, here are a few more reasons why many of us love short -form videos.
1. They are inexpensive and easier to create than long -form videos.
With long -shaped videos, marketers and creators have to work particularly hard to hire their audience. This means strengthening the content with dynamic recordings, mood music and a long but convincing script.
All of this takes more time, effort and (above all) money.
Free tools like lifting spots Clip Creator Use the AI to create tailor -made, high -quality videos for your company in a fraction of the time. Short form videos are more on the point and often require less frills to be effective.
For example, the TIKTOK account of Language learning platform Duolingo has over 10.8 million followers and is one of the best known accounts in the app due to its short, funny and slightly unbound videos.
The most popular video has 57.7 million views and is super easy with regard to the execution.
It shows that the Duo Lingo Owl is thrown down the stairs in the company’s office, sits outside on a rainy day and is soaked in the shower.
The title of the video is: “If you ignore my notifications.”
The video was clearly turned on the smartphone of someone without fancy angles or lighting. The music comes from a viral song that is already available through its sound archives. So simple, so cheap and yet so effective.
2. You can provide valuable information in a short time.
According to a current Adobe Survey2 out of 5 Americans use TikKOK as a search engine, and almost 1 of 10 gene -zers rely on Tikkok more often as a Google as a search engine.
I am even to Tikkok to follow up recipes or find out how to style a denim Maxi skirt (the trick is to experiment with different layers and silhouettes).
In fact, I follow Mom generations For simple hairstyles ideas for my daughter, and we watch them together to choose the hair of the day (if we don’t rush out of the door).
Between work, family, hobbies and resting, time valuable, and short-term videos enable us to record the information we need in less than one minute. Who doesn’t love that?
3. You can see them almost anytime and anywhere.
Bored on the train in the city center? Scroll through Tiktok. Do you have to kill some time between classes or appointments? Pull YouTube shorts or Instagram roll on your phone.
Would you like to use your 5-minute break between the meetings to find out why everyone is talking about the latest JLO documentary? We circle back to Tiktok.
Short form videos can be seen almost everywhere and at any time from our smartphones.
This is not only suitable for consumers, but also helps marketers, as this means that we can use our content on different platforms and know that someone will see it from somewhere.
4. Each piece of content stands for itself.
I got Debbie Moran from Recurpostwho agreed: with all my heart:
“Short form video does not require long-term investment, so it feels effortless and stress-free. It is not necessary to pursue an action or to remember where you left off. Instead, the audience can click, observe and continue at will. In the end, the content is more accessible and the experience experience is easier and liberal. “
Regardless of whether I am looking for recipes, short hairstyle videos, tips and tricks for farmsteads or something completely different, every video can stand for yourself.
In addition, you can divide larger ideas into smaller independent pieces of contents with many points:
5. You can meet your audience where you are.
I know DraftHas a different perspective with which I fully agree.
“I believe that consumers’ attention spans only shrink when it comes to the content of the audience who are not actively looking for. Long -shaped content still thrives when it is in line with the specific interests or needs of a user.
However, if you compete for attention in an overcrowded room, the short form video has become indispensable. It’s not just about brevity; It is about meeting the audience where they are – whether they entertain, formed or both. “
I can refer to it. How many times have I asked an entire TIKTOK series of updates to get the whole story? Or how many one -hour woodworking videos did I listen to my husband? (Spoiler alarm – The answer is a lot!
As a consumer, we are ready to invest time in what we are interested in and actively search. But here the short form video marketing can be so brilliant.
Kudumula further explains this phenomenon: “The key is to understand the moment. When the audience scrolls, they often look for a quick laugh, a convincing idea or a visual that sticks. Short form video is characterized here, brands offer a quick and inexpensive way to leave an impression while they are promoted and relevant. “
6. Human companies are becoming increasingly important.
Ai is already changing the way we seek content and create, which means that people are looking for content that is obviously created by other people. When it speaks for myself, it just feels more authentic and trustworthy.
Ivan VenbergHead of the content at Yango Ads, agrees:
“What real people are important (the world of the content of ai-generated content seems to be very tight). Both product and market blinds will probably do short videos with real people. “
This means that AI can also be used to help them accelerate things:
Ready to immerse yourself in the world of short form content?
There are various reasons to love short form videos.
Some reasons are a little more than others (seriously, why are our attention so short?), But regardless of the reason, the fact remains the same – the short form does not disappear so quickly.
Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in April 2024 and updated for completeness.