What Is Short Form Content & Why Should You Use It?

Let’s say it’s a rainy Saturday, and you’re trying to figure out what to watch. You’d never choose to sit through a 10-hour movie (though you’d be hard-pressed to find one). But you’d happily spend the day binge-watching an entire season of Severance. You’d spend the same amount of time watching, but the latter sounds way more appealing, right?

Why is that?

The answer has a lot to do with two things:

• Our current content consumption habits
• Our brains’ desire for digestible, bite-sized storylines

Short-form content wins the battle for attention spans across nearly all platforms, especially video. That doesn’t mean you should completely abandon the written word when developing your strategy, but it might inspire you to focus on tight, 1,000-word (or less) blog posts, news articles, and infographics to help get your point across. 

Not convinced? Let’s look at the numbers: 

• Videos under 90 seconds retain half of all viewers.
• 72 percent prefer video content for learning about products or services. 
• 75 percent of users prefer video to text when learning about products or services.

Those are jaw-dropping statistics, especially when you factor in that video content is estimated to make up 82 percent of global internet traffic this year. 

Short-form video is an increasingly powerful tool to drive engagement and value. A lot of value. In fact, ad revenue from short-form video is projected to top $10 billion in 2025. You don’t want to miss out.

Let’s dig into what short-form content is, why people love it, and how you can leverage it to better position your brand in 2025 and beyond. 

Key Takeaways

• Short-form content includes videos under 60 seconds, blog posts under 1,000 words, and quick-hit podcasts. This is perfect for fast-paced audiences.
• People love short-form because it delivers dopamine-fueled hits of value, entertainment, and social connection in seconds.
• For marketers, short-form content drives reach, engagement, and ROI. It’s easy to repurpose across platforms.
• Not every short-form video will perform, and creative burnout is real. To make short-form work, you need a strategy. Define your goals, post consistently, track performance, and stay authentic.

Table of Contents

• Key Takeaways
• What Is Short-Form Content?
• Why Do People Love Short-Form Content?
• Why Should Marketers Love Short-Form Content?
  • Use Short-Form Content to Promote Other Assets
• Short-Form Video Best Practices
• What to Look Out for with Short-Form Video
• Integrating Short-Form Content into Your Strategy
• FAQs
• Conclusion

What Is Short-Form Content?

Short-form content is any digital content that delivers value to the reader/viewer quickly. It’s the marketing equivalent of a snack: small, satisfying, and easy to consume. That’s different from long-form content, which often takes the form of written pieces exceeding 1,000 words, videos over 10 minutes, and podcasts that exceed 50 minutes.

For videos, short-form content is typically a clip under 60 seconds, but some can be a little longer. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts dominate this medium. They’re all platforms built for bite-sized attention spans. Written content that’s shorter than 1,000 words counts, too, as do bite-size podcasts that last 10 to 15 minutes.

Short-form content matters because the statistics back it up: Audiences increasingly favor short-form over long-form in almost every context, especially younger users who crave fast, entertaining, and useful material. 

More than half (57 percent) of Gen Zers prefer short videos for product research, and 90 percent of all consumers watch short-form videos during their free time. The average person spends roughly 1.25 hours each day watching short-form videos. That’s an excellent opportunity to make an impression, but you have to act fast.

Take, for example, this Instagram post by Warby Parker. The Reel is no more than five seconds, but it was published at a time when everyone was talking about the new season of Severance. As a result, it got over 45,000 views, 600 likes, and 300 shares. All this from five seconds of filming! 

View this post on Instagram

Short-form video allowed Warby Parker to quickly hop on a trend and gain major exposure for its brand.

Why Do People Love Short-Form Content?

People don’t love short-form content just because they’re busy and don’t have time for anything else. If that were the case, screen time stats would look a lot different. It’s a running joke on social media that saying you’re going to bed really means sharing a dozen TikTok videos or Instagram Reels with your partner, roommate, or friends before actually turning in.

People like short-form content because it’s a constant stream of novelty. It satisfies the brain’s desire for instant gratification and a hit of dopamine. For those with shorter attention spans—which, according to psychologists like Gloria Mark, Ph.D., is just about everyone these days—it provides constant stimulation.

But that’s not the only reason for the prevalence of short-form content. There’s a social connection aspect, too. People love sharing short videos and posts with friends, family, and coworkers. 

Even if the short-form content is just a screenshot of a post from X, it can feel universal and say more about the human condition than a long-form essay ever could. 

OK, maybe not. 

But that feeling of connection and commonality with another human being is an extremely powerful motivational force. It compels the most introverted among us to share the video that made us giggle uncontrollably while sitting on the couch (or, perhaps more helpfully, a delicious-looking slow cooker recipe that’s aesthetically pleasing).

Why Should Marketers Love Short-Form Content?

We know why consumers love short-form content, but online marketers need to take a long look at this bite-sized output and think about why it makes sense for their efforts.

A post shared by Netflix US (@netflix)

Focusing on short-form content (or at least dedicating time to it) has the following benefits:

• Short-form content is easy to make. It takes less time to create short-form videos and blog posts; it is relatively easier than other forms of content. That allows you to get it out the door faster and cheaper.
• It brings your audience together. People who love your content can connect in the comments and share with their friends and family. 
• It increases brand authority and awareness. Punchy, shareable content gets shared often. That makes more people aware of your brand.
• Short content boosts reach and engagement. Short-form videos can be 2.5 times more engaging than long videos.
• Users can watch short-form content anywhere. Tailor-made for mobile devices, users can access it almost anywhere.
• Meet your audience where they’re at with short-form content. You can post on the platforms where your users spend their time.
• It’s easy to repurpose across various marketing channels. One 30-second clip can become a Reel, YouTube Short, TikTok, Facebook post, or rich media inside an email. 

Not to mention, short-form videos tend to have some of the highest ROI of all the content formats. 

Source

Use Short-Form Content to Promote Other Assets

Short-form content is a fantastic standalone asset, but it’s also a great way to amplify existing long-form content.

Let’s say you’ve published a great blog post. Instead of sharing the link and calling it a day, you could pull out a key quote or statistic and turn it into a short LinkedIn post or Instagram Reel. Give your audience a taste of the value and drop the link to the full asset so they can dive deeper. 

The same strategy works with video. After creating a YouTube video, use an editing app to create 30-second clips with a compelling hook and post that content to TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook (wherever your audience is).

Dropout TV and its Game Changer show do a phenomenal job of clipping shorts from each episode:

A post shared by Game Changer (@gamechangershow)

Remixing and repurposing spark interest and lead people to deeper content, such as full episodes, blog posts, webinars, and eBooks. It creates a content ecosystem for people to explore. Think of short-form assets like gateway content that compels them to explore. And that can drive clicks, build awareness, and fill your funnel.

Short-Form Video Best Practices

To get real traction, you need to be smart about using short-form video content. Here’s how to make your videos hit harder and go further:

• Hook viewers in the first five seconds. Attention spans are short. A Meta study found that 65 percent of people who watch the first three seconds of a video will watch for at least 10 seconds. Keep your intros punchy and lead with questions or surprises to hook them fast.
• Don’t just promote something. Entertain. If your video feels like an ad, people will scroll. Aim to entertain, educate, and inspire. Be bold. Make people laugh.
• Keep it fresh and unexpected. Using the same content week after week is a way to bleed followers. Instead, try new formats, topics, or styles. Weave in user-generated content (UGC) to build loyalty and social proof. 
• Play with brand consistency. Sometimes breaking your tone can grab attention, but make sure that you don’t abandon brand tone entirely.
• Make it share-worthy. Tap into relatable moments, how-to tips, or hot takes, and add a call to action (CTA) that encourages comments, duets, or reactions.
• Stay authentic. Audiences are drawn to brands with personality (like, say, Duolingo). Be bold and weird, if that’s your brand. Don’t copy-paste what everyone else is doing.
• Expand your reach. Trendjacking can work, but you need to be selective. Use trending audio or visuals to ride momentum, but only if it fits your brand. Social listening tools can help you know if a trend is peaking or played out.
• Optimize videos like a professional. Research keywords and hashtags that people are already searching for on your platform, and write captions that use natural language with a touch of SEO. Format your videos correctly, too: Use vertical (9:16) orientation with text overlays and an accessibility-first mindset.
• Post regularly. Short-form video moves fast, and so should you. Aim to post weekly, but ideally more. The algorithm loves momentum.

Check out this video from Hever Castle in England. It’s short, funny, and has almost 12 million views. The video uses brand inconsistency to catch your attention. But it remains true enough to the Hever brand not to feel forced or completely out of left field. 

A post shared by Hever Castle (@hever_castle)

It hooks you in the first five seconds, which is exactly why it went viral and has seen so much success. 

What to Look Out for with Short-Form Video

Short-form content is great, but it’s not without challenges. Going all-in on short-form content means being aware of what can trip you up:

1. Not every video will perform. Even with a strong hook and compelling message, some videos will flop. Algorithms are unpredictable, after all. It happens to everyone. Stay consistent, keep testing, and learn from what does perform.
2. Creative fatigue is real. Short-form content thrives on volume, but pumping out videos weekly can be exhausting and burn you out fast. If you dread content creation, take a step back and evaluate your workflow.
3. Inconsistency hurts growth. Posting without a plan won’t cut it. Inconsistent uploads confuse the algorithm and your audience. Build momentum by posting regularly. That means planning ahead for content creation.

The good news is that you don’t need to do everything manually. AI tools like ChatGPT and other content generators can help with scriptwriting, captioning, and repurposing longer content. You can also schedule posts in batches, ensuring you don’t have to scramble to post each day. 

Finally, great resources like AnswerThePublic can help you generate content ideas based on real search queries—a real goldmine for understanding what your audience cares about.

Integrating Short-Form Content into Your Strategy

Short-form content doesn’t work well as a one-off tactic. To really see results, you’ll want to bake it into your broader content strategy, preferably through the process below:

1. Define your goal. What’s the point? Clarify upfront whether you want to build brand awareness, drive traffic, or boost engagement. Your goal dictates your platform choice and content style.
2. Know your audience. Understand who you’re talking to and what content they consume. Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Ubersuggest to learn what your audience is searching for and talking about.
3. Pick the right platforms. Each platform has a unique vibe; for example, TikTok thrives on trends, humor, and authenticity, while Instagram Reels leans into aesthetics and lifestyle.
4. Set a cadence you can maintain. Consistency beats frequency. Don’t commit to daily posts if you’re going to burn out in two weeks. Settle on a cadence that works for you.
5. Develop content themes. Focus on creating “lanes” to stay organized; examples include tips and tricks, product demos, and behind-the-scenes looks. This will help make batch content creation easier.
6. Create, then optimize. You don’t need a full video crew. Tools like CapCut, Canva, and InShot make creating short-form videos simple. You can also use UGC to build trust and take some of the production responsibility off your plate.
7. Measure what matters. Track key engagement metrics like views, shares, saves, and comments, but keep an eye on watch time and completion rate. These tell you if people are actually sticking around.
8. Repurpose like a pro. You can post your videos on multiple platforms to help increase your audience. Stretch every piece of content across channels to get the most from your efforts.

FAQs

What is short-form content?

Short-form content is any piece of content designed to be consumed quickly. Videos are usually clips under 60 seconds. Written short-form content includes posts under 1,000 words. In some cases, you can create short sub-10-minute podcast episodes. The key is to deliver value quickly and grab attention to spark interest in longer content.

Does short-form video content convert users?

Absolutely. Short-form content is a powerful conversion tool when you use it strategically. It can even have the highest ROI of any social media format. Use it at the top or middle of your funnel to grab attention and build trust. Clear CTAs, like linking in your bio and pointing viewers toward a landing page, can help drive conversions. From there, retargeting engaged viewers with ads is another opportunity to boost conversion potential.

Conclusion

Short-form content isn’t a fad. It’s a core part of modern marketing. Creating short-form assets can help you grab attention and drive engagement on several platforms.

Success with short-term content comes down to two things: consistency and authenticity. Let data guide you on what to post next. That way, you’re always in lockstep with what resonates.

Even better, short-form content allows you to leverage your existing long-form creations without overwhelming your team or audience. 

Our team at NP Digital can help you create and promote your short-form video content to the right audience.