Short-form Content

The rise of short-form content isn’t without a cause. It suits best with the lowering degree of attention span of human beings on average now. The statistics have revealed that the span is now just around eight seconds. This means that modern human beings can’t tolerate content longer than that. Let’s dig deeper into the topic in the paragraphs that follow.

What is meant by short-form content?

Short-form content refers to information that is quick and concise, usually less than 1,000 words or below 10 seconds. The materials include videos, infographics, short blog posts, social media updates, and brief email newsletters. The coming format adjusts to the overflowing number of online content every second.

Creators have to make short-form content so they can grab people’s attention right away while ensuring that they’ll stay until the end. They have to create strategies; thus, their social media platforms stand out amidst the sea of tight rivalry. Generally, brands will make post titles that use “superlative” or “engaging” words that directly invite the users to click or even interact.

“Superlative” titles contain words like “best”, “most”, and “highly”. The “engaging” titles include words that address the audiences; hence, they will feel like they are part of the posts.  The instances of this are “Tips to save money that you have to try” and “Why you don’t want to skip drinking coffee while working”.

The positive impacts of short-form content

Short-form content has shaped the way people consume digital information. Audiences find such a content category easy to digest. They can make decisions more quickly. Their browsing time is more efficient because they can simply focus on social media accounts or websites that provide unique values according to their queries.

Short and interactive videos, for example, allow them to study various subjects in a shorter amount of time. Popular clips about DIYs engage them in useful activities during their spare time. From the creator's side, brief content consumption has been equally beneficial. Hence, short-form content is good for getting high traffic quickly.

However, this will only bring the desired result if influencers or digital marketing staff can create effective digital output that increases brand awareness and sales conversion. Overall, the tight competition has pushed them to eventually arrive at distinctive and valuable posts or videos. This alone makes the marketing and sales field not only focus on earning profit but also on listening to what the public needs.

The negative sides of short-form content

Short-form content paints “darker” pictures for both parties. For audiences, choosing posts or videos for the sake of their brevity only may lead to misinformation. They won’t get the full picture of the whole idea. This happens when the content makers only insert parts of the videos that will quickly get the public's attention.

Another disadvantage is worsening the attention span. As users get more used to digesting short-form content, they will likely find themselves unable to focus longer and better. On the side of the brand, such information gives less value to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), which prefers long articles or videos with deeper materials.

The second one relates to landing a lasting impression as the key to having loyal customers. Labels don’t have enough space for crafting materials to convey their messages or values. These are actually the key to shaping the minds of potential buyers, making them long-term followers in the future.

Types of short-form content

As hinted above, short-form content condenses information in less than 10 seconds for one video or below 1,000 words for an article or a post. This actually demands a higher level of creativity for any creator, both for visual and verbal materials. Crafting an effective post requires a complete grasp of the product or service and target audiences.

For short-term content, small details matter so much. In video editing, for example, eye-level shots are more popular because they give a natural and neutral impression. The viewers will feel as if the video narrator talks to them directly. Meanwhile, below is the list of the samples that you can try.

Written content

You can make short blog posts, social media posts, emails, and infographics that bring forward the topics that most users love to read. Examples of these are quick guides, tips, or fun facts. For infographics, combine texts and graphics to craft useful insights in attractive visuals. Don’t forget to wrap the infographics with brief and related captions.

Video content

Short-form content is now the most famous one among digital audiences. Make videos on topics like DIYs, product reviews, or tips which still relate to your brand. Another alternative is making memes or funny content that revolve around your niche to add to the shareability of your videos. For example, when your business works in the beauty sector, make memes about common mistakes when using mascara.

Audio content

Traditional podcast is more than one hour, but you can try “shortcasts”. This mixes “short” and “podcast”, which enables you to make one audio piece that is only three minutes long. In the content, put the summary of the longer version. This suits best for younger listeners. Upload the content in TikTok and Instagram Reels to reach wider audiences.