From TikTok to YouTube Shorts: Navigating the Short-form Vertical Landscape
Short-form vertical video (SFV) is gaining significant momentum, largely driven by the rapid rise of TikTok and advertisers chasing GenZs and their $360 billion worth of disposable income. At VaynerMedia, we’re seeing great success for our clients who are successfully using SFV to build brand awareness and relevance with GenZs, Millennials, and perhaps surprisingly to some, the many Boomers on TikTok.
Here are some tips on how to maximise the rise of SFV:
TEST & LEARN – Whilst we are certainly getting clients to prioritise SFV and the creation of relevant assets, i.e. no TVC cut downs and matching luggage here, we are also pushing all brands to create for, or at least test, all major SFV platforms and formats. These include TikTok and Meta Reels across Facebook and Instagram.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT (LONGER) YOUTUBE SHORTS – YouTube Shorts has received less attention than other SFV formats, partly due to the lack of granular reporting on its performance, but it cannot be forgotten that it is the only SFV asset with a clickable website link in-comments, and the ability to pin comments within the thread. An analysis by Paddy Gallowway (include link here to Paddy’s post in Comments section) also concluded that algorithms appear to favour longer YouTube Shorts, with those between 50 to 60 seconds holding users’ attention better than shorter ones.
ATTENTION IS KEY – Stay obsessed with platforms and culture. Winning your viewers’ attention within the first second so they stop swiping is pivotal, so it’s not just about creating longer SFVs but more crucially, understanding what holds consumers’ attention and then creating content that hooks and resonates with them. In fact, this has become such a crucial metric that it has led to the emergence of a “Viewers vs Swiped Away (VVSA)” ratio across Meta, which may just be the first indicator of how important this metric is to your content / ad quality scores.
In just the last few weeks, we are seeing distinct nuances in each platform with the likes of Facebook Reels garnering CPMs 20% lower than their counterparts (including Instagram) –– across all audience groups. Those who know me know how much I detest CPMs in silo, but given the attention arbitrage opportunity here, it’s a no-brainer to develop further content to drive against the more meaningful metrics.
Are you utilising short-form critical videos and what success are YOU seeing?
Share any other tips with us in the comments.