🎞 Short-Form Videos: Generative AI, Creator Funds, Content-Format Fit
In this Trends.vc Report, we talk about how to make short-form videos fast, monetization with exclusive videos, online shopping, paid subscriptions and more.
💎 Why It Matters
Short-form videos are easier to consume and share.
🔍 Problem
We have short attention spans.
💡 Solution
Short-form videos let you explore many independent interests in the time it takes to watch one long video.
🏁 Players
Short-Form Video Examples
- How to Win on Social Media • Gary Vaynerchuk shares how to make engaging content
- Lessons on Money • Ryan Holiday shares 3 lessons on money from the Stoics
- The Power of Packaging • Alex Hormozi shares how people perceive information
- Gardening Hacks • Sabrina & Andrew Pougnet share how to grow a sunflower fence
- Making a Corset Maxi Dress • MissJophiel shares how to make a corset dress
- Cheese Sandwich • Bayashi TV shares how to cook a cheese sandwich
- Number Your List • Miss Excel shares how to automatically number Excel lists
- Little Girl Room Decor • Sophia Lee shares how to design a room for a little girl
🔮 Predictions
- Short-form video platforms will embed storefronts into videos to improve the shopping experience.
- YouTube Shopping lets creators tag products in their Shorts.
- TikTok Shopping lets creators add product tags and checkouts to TikTok videos.
- Instagram Shopping lets creators add product tags, waitlists and checkouts to Reels.
- Snapchat's Public Profile Stores let creators add product tags and checkouts to Spotlights.
- Fans will buy paid subscriptions to access exclusive videos.
- TikTok's LIVE lets viewers watch exclusive videos.
- Instagram Subscriptions let viewers get access to exclusive Reels.
- YouTube's Channel Memberships let viewers get members-only videos.
- New short-form video platforms will launch creator funds to lure creators into using them. This will help them solve the chicken-and-egg problem.
- Snapchat paid creators $1,000,000 per day for making Spotlight videos.
- YouTube had a $100,000,000 Shorts fund paying creators $100-$10,000 per day.
- Instagram had a Reels Play program that paid creators up to $35,000 for Reel performance.
- TikTok had a $200,000,000 creator fund which turned into a Creativity Program Beta with cash rewards.
☁️ Opportunities
- Use generative AI to make lots of short-form videos fast.
- Kristian Fagerlie shares how to automate short-form video creation.
- Max Jones shares how to make 100 TikTok videos in 1 hour with AI.
- Think Media shares how to make 30 YouTube Shorts in 1 hour using AI.
- Ryan shares how to make 100 short-form videos with AI and bulk uploading.
- Brandon Washington shares how to make 30 Reels in 24 hours with ChatGPT.
- Turn your podcast into short-form videos to pique interest.
- Rich Roll posts clips from Rich Roll Podcast.
- Tim Ferriss posts clips from The Tim Ferriss Show.
- Ali Abdaal posts clips from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal.
- Start a faceless YouTube channel. You can build an audience without worrying about how you look, speak and act on camera.
- Kimigami shares origami tutorials.
- Simple Man's Life shares food recipes.
- Chinese Driver shares street photography videos.
- Monetize traffic with affiliate marketing. Help your fans find the best products.
- Rahul Rai has an affiliate link to TurboTax.
- Rachel Meaders has affiliate links to products on Amazon.
- Devan Anderson has shop collections of rings, watches and more.
- Gabby Morrison has a promo code ‘gabbymorr10’ for Roadway Moving.
- Bonnie Rodríguez Krzywicki has affiliate links to beauty products and clothes.
🏔️ Risks
- Content-Format Fit • Short-form videos have limited context. This makes it hard to convey complex concepts. Can you teach backend development in 1 minute?
- Platform Risk • You’re subject to YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat policies.
- Creative Burnout • Short-form videos can quickly become outdated. You may need to produce timely content fast. This can lead to creative burnout.
🔑 Key Lessons
- Short-form videos can drive growth for your long-form videos. Using a combination of both formats can boost your reach. Joshua Weissman shares quick cooking tips and food recipes.
- Short-form videos are mobile-centric. If you take them from your long-form videos, ensure that the content is optimized for mobile screens.
- Short-form videos are great for sharing quick, focused solutions. Learn how to use chopsticks fast.
🔥 Hot Takes
- Short-form videos are best for casual content. Longer-form videos are best for serious subjects.
- Using clickbait captions will boost retention. “Wait until the end” or “That’s what happens if…” are popular ways to lower the chances of skipping your video.
- Captivating short-form videos are hard to make. You need to adapt to new trends and formats to keep your content engaging. People get used to the same narrative fast.
😠 Haters
“It's harder to tell compelling stories in shorter formats.”
Focus on a single idea, use catchy visuals and add smooth transitions. If this doesn’t work, it can be wise to use long-form videos to tell your stories.
“Saturation makes it harder to stand out.”
Use your personality to stand out. Your character and experiences are unique.
“Attention span is a myth. People may spend more time watching short-form videos than long-form videos.”
You’re talking about watching videos as a process. We’re talking about watching individual videos.
“Short-form videos lack depth. They focus on entertainment instead of meaningful content.”
What is meaningful content? Here’s how to safely walk dogs. Here’s how to help a choking baby. Here’s how to strengthen your wrists.
🔗 Links
- How Charli D’Amelio Got Hundreds of Thousands of Followers Per Day • The thread for this report.
- Keyword Insights on TikTok • Trending script keywords from voice-overs, captions and ads.
- The Best TikTok SEO Strategy • How to optimize TikTok videos for search.
- Building a Report on How Create and Monetize Short-Form Videos • The Tweet behind this report.
📁 Related Reports
- Micro-Education Businesses • Learn new skills fast
- Faceless YouTube Channels • Become a YouTuber without worrying about your looks
- Virtual Influencers • Choose how they look, what they do and where they are
- Influencer Marketing • Find customers by breaking through the noise
- Voice Cloning • Create audio at scale
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