Why Short Form Content is Not Going Anywhere
When I was initially introduced to Snapchat, I thought it was the dumbest idea out there.
Why the heck would people be interested in such tiny videos?
To make matters worse, the videos disappeared.
How silly.
Around 3 years into Snapchat’s inception, there was a person who kept telling me to get a Snapchat.
At first, I said no.
Later, I lost a bet and was weaseled into it.
I didn’t know what to make of Snapchat at first.
It was mainly used for lurking and Snapchatting the person who forced me to get it.
But eventually, Snapchat turned into something more.
Am I a Funny Guy?
Around the time, I was interning at an Aerospace company.
I would work 9-5 on the weekdays.
Every now and then, I’d log in hours on the weekends.
When I was working on the weekends, it was empty.
I was the only person in the office.
I was bored out of my mind.
One day, I went for a walk after an uneventful day.
As I walked around the campus, I had an idea.
How about I documented my life working there while telling some jokes?
So, I turned on my Snapchat, and showed the empty parking lot.
I was joking about how everyone was using the weekend for what it was meant to be used for….goofing off.
While I was being a tityboy at the office.
I joked about the campus’s paint.
The campus’s architecture.
And I made silly faces on camera.
These were very crude videos.
Each clip lasted 7-8 seconds.
Soon, I was getting Snapchat responses from my friends:
‘Lmao! Keep doing these.’
‘Keep doing these?’ I thought.
Maybe I will…
Expressing Ourselves Differently
Next week, I went to Busch Gardens.
This is a park with a bunch of rollercoasters and animals.
I was roasting the heck out of the animals!
Poor zebras.
Once again, I was flooded by:
- ‘LMAO’
- ‘You’re SOOO stupid haha’
- ‘Poor animals’
Some feedback was great.
Others were annoyed by my antics and unfriended me on Snapchat.
During my Snapchat posts, I was being introduced to a new side of me.
When I was forced to compress a message, I saw myself expressing myself differently.
It’s as if short form brought out a new side of me.
Addiction Levels
The main reason short form content is not going anywhere is due to concentration levels.
I have a law:
- The more content out there, the lower the general concentration levels.
I’m sure when traditional media reigned supreme, concentration levels were far superior than when new media reigned supreme.
Due to plummeting concentration levels, our content is getting shorter and shorter.
In addition to short content satisfying the general concentration levels, there is also an addiction aspect to it.
It’s not only the consumer who gets addicted to short form content, but the creator too.
I don’t know how to put it into words…
But I was discovering a new side of myself when I was being FORCED to record tiny clips.
I was using my voice differently, finding inspiration in mundane objects, and leveraging humor.
I doubt I would have acted like that if I was filming a long form video.
If I was initially filming a long form video, I’m pretty sure I would have felt more self-conscious.
Because it’d feel like all of me was being watched.
But when I was filming a short form video, it was only a partial version of me being watched.
Since I was only slightly being watched, I felt bold enough to take more risks.
Short form content like reels, Tik Toks, and shorts are addicting to watch.
It’s also addicting to create.
Are Long Form and Short Form Enemies?
Short form gets a lot of hate.
The public says:
‘Short form content is the reason for poor concentration.’
While I think:
‘Poor concentration is the reason for short form content.’
The market doesn’t lie.
Due to people being unable to concentrate for long, they desire shorter and shorter content.
Do not be fooled though.
Short form and long form are not enemies.
They are Yin & Yang.
Smart creators use short form to build interest for long form.
They clip up the most engaging parts of their long from content and spread it to the public.
The audience reacts to the clips.
After consuming a couple of clips, the audience says:
‘You know what? Let me just check out the entire interview.’
The short form are like flyers while the long form is like the store.
The flyers promote the store and the value of the store makes people happy to get the flyers.
Leverage both.
Using Shorts to Unlock New Sides to Your Brand
Nowadays, I don’t use short form like I used to.
Before, I would make small clips specifically for Snapchat.
Nowadays, I will record long talks and get them clipped up with an AI tool like GetMunch.
So, I’m only doing the long form and letting AI do the short form.
Once GetMunch spits out a few short form clips from a long talk…
I watch them back.
Some of the short form content teaches me lessons that the long form didn’t.
It’s like extracting tiny tweets from a big blog.
However, one of the tiny tweets is a profound idea in itself.
That tiny tweet can be expanded into a future blog.
Short form content is not the enemy.
It’s not a trend that is dying out soon.
Short form content is here because humans’ concentration (or lack thereof) gave birth to it.
Rather than focus on the negatives, focus on the positives.
It’s intriguing when you see what’s being done.
Tiny clips are proving to have profound educational and entertainment value.
If you are not using any short form content for your brand, then I encourage you to experiment.
I was once a disbeliever.
Nowadays, I’m a believer.
