Long-Form vs. Short-Form Video

Business today requires the right tools and strategy for the right product and the right audience, and video is a great way to reach a wide audience. Consumers don’t like to read through superficial details or search around for hours on end. Instead, they prefer to watch video content for the purposes of being informed, connecting with brands they use, and engaging with fun and unique content. Your business should be utilizing video for marketing and promotional purposes, but you’ll quickly run into the central question of video use: how long should your videos be? There are both long-form and short-form videos, and the greatest strategies involve mixing the two together.

What Makes Video Long-Form or Short-Form?

Short-form videos are any videos under ten minutes. Short-form videos are often more pervasive, engaging, and persuasive than long-form videos, which are over ten minutes and often more informative or educational.

Some industry experts have even defined even shorter videos as “snackable videos.” These videos are most frequently found on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and are meant to be consumed in large quantities, one after the other.

Long-form videos can also take the shape of webinars, question and answer sessions, conferences, or commercials and infomercials.

Both long-form and short-form videos serve highly valuable, but uniquely specific purposes for your audience.

Long-Form Videos

Today, many businesses are experimenting heavily with both long and short-form videos. Many companies have found that long-form videos are great for selling concepts or products which are complicated, or for sales pitches for other businesses which might already be interested in the offer.

For example, long-form videos can be used as a form of video SEO, which will drive users to your website from all corners of the web. Long-form videos, while not as “bingeable” or engaging as short-form videos, can be highly focused on one particular subject and go into a great deal of depth about that subject.

If your company is launching a new line of products and you need a format to explain the many advantages or benefits of those products, long-form video is the way to go. Long-form videos are also preferable for training new employees on the ins and outs of your company, as they can cover the necessary detail and questions employees may have.

Short-Form Videos

The value of short-form videos lies in their ability to entice users and engage with different types of audiences. Generally, short-form videos are most common on social media sites and highly trafficked sites like The Onion or Reddit.

Short-form videos can be scanned or skimmed through for most detail and many people today comb through and watch dozens of short-form videos at a time when browsing around the web. They’re more creative on average than long-form videos because they have more competition to hold viewers’ attention.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter appeal to many younger demographics who are looking to be entertained.. Businesses use short-form videos to engage with their customer base and relate to users in order to grow their brands and expand their reputation.

Getting started with short-form video? Start here.

The Strategic Key

The key to using video in the most effective way is to mix and match short and long-form video formats depending on your goals and audience. For example, when focusing on social media and audience interaction and participation, your company will probably want to create shorter, snappier videos, using exciting and flowing editing. Long-form videos can be put on your site to explain a concept in-depth and attract users who are searching for a solution to a problem.

Your company can also make a long-form video and cut it down into short snippets, or use a large number of short-form videos to create a larger, interesting compilation for a number of purposes. Any way you slice them up, both short-form and long-form videos are important to build an interested, engaged customer base.