Ask Buffer: What is Short-Form Video, and How Can You Use It?

This article explores the popularity of the short-form video format and some tips for making the most of it for your social media.Question: Why have short-form videos become so popular in the past few years, and how can I use them for my social media?Move over software — there’s a new world eater in town. Short-form video snuck up on us, becoming the most consumed online content in a few years.It’s your best bet if the consensus is anything to go by — 85 percent of marketers say short-form video is the most effective format on social media. This is backed up by attributed to having the highest ROI of top marketing trendsThis article explores the rise in popularity of the format and some tips for making the most of short-form videos for your social media.What is short-form video content?Short-form video is a content format, usually filmed vertically and no longer 60 seconds (although this is up for debate).The standard length is a more contentious topic, as no one can agree on how long short-form videos should be. Google defines it as any video over 10 minutes, while HubSpot found that the optimal length is 31 to 60 seconds.However, going by the allotted times on popular short video platforms, the average length probably falls between 30 seconds to 3 minutes.These videos can be shared on any social media platform, but there are specific ones that offer a range of creative capabilities (and the accompanying algorithmic boost):TikTokInstagram Reels & StoriesYouTube ShortsSnapchat Spotlight & stories🗒️Fun fact: You can schedule your short-form videos on half of these platforms on Buffer. Try it out →Short-form video as a concept isn’t new — Vine saw immense popularity from 2013 to 2016 with its 6-second or less looping videos. In the past few years, however, we’ve