Tips for Short-Form Video Content Creation

I've generated 1B+ views from short-form videos.. And I've noticed a pattern: The videos that explode share two specific metrics that stand out from the rest. It's not likes, or comments, or follower count. The two numbers that actually predict virality are: The first metric that matters most for a viral video is Average View Duration (AVD). This measures how long the average person watches your video before swiping. So it's not about your total watch time. But it’s about holding viewers’ attention right from the first few seconds. When AVD is high, the algorithm recognizes your content is engaging viewers. And it rewards you with more distribution. I've seen this with podcast clips. When viewers stick around for the full clip, that video almost always outperforms others. The second crucial metric is the number of shares. When someone shares your video, they're essentially saying "this was so good, so interesting that I had to send it to someone else." That's valuable for the algorithms. Shares signal to platforms that your content is compelling enough to be recommended to others. This creates a powerful feedback loop: More shares → more views → more algorithm favor → even more distribution. When analyzing video performance, I look closely at where viewers drop off. And I can pinpoint exact moments when people lose interest. For example… If viewers abandon a video at a specific point, I'll check what happened there, often it's something confusing or unclear. This data gives me a chance to learn and improve. I've literally re-edited videos, fixed the problem spots, reposted them, and seen dramatically better results. It's an iterative process that gets better with each attempt. The key takeaway for any creator… Your hook (first 3 seconds) must clearly frame what viewers will get from spending time with your content. If they're confused about the premise, you've already lost them, and your AVD will suffer accordingly. If you're creating short-form content, focus on these two metrics: - Average View Duration (AVD) - Number of shares These are the real indicators that your content is resonating and that the algorithm will reward you. Likes are nice, but retention and sharing drive real growth.

It's never a "quick" edit. Let's break down my process for creating a 2-minute video as an amateur: 1. Planning This involves meeting with everyone involved in the project (stakeholders, product teams, designers, etc.) to flush out the goals and purpose of the content. 2. Concepting Ideating and researching ways to bring the video to life. Depending on the platform, there are various nuances to consider beyond just the format. Sometimes, I spend hours just scrolling through different channels for inspiration. 3. Scripting This one is pretty straightforward but needs to be emphasized. Writing a script helps flush out the message so you're hitting all the points. Start with freewriting before making edits. Let the words fall out. 4. Storyboarding Before recording, I like to visualize the video's flow and structure. I've found that when I storyboard, especially when working with others, it's a lot easier to see if it makes sense for the overall project. You can do this using tools like Miro or even just a piece of paper to map out when things happen. 5. Recording Setting up the camera, lighting, and mics is just the beginning. Multiple takes are definitely required to capture the best footage. 6. Editing This is the most time consuming part. It involves more than just cutting and trimming footage. You need to spend time selecting the best takes, adding transitions, applying color correction (especially since iPhone cameras can be ugly af), and integrating audio (music, voiceovers, etc.). Every frame is carefully scrutinized to make sure the video flows smoothly, fits within 'safe zones,' and aligns with the overall goal and messaging. Then there are captions and graphics to consider. 7. Review This is the second most time consuming part because the more people involved in the approval stage, the tougher it becomes. Subjectivity plays a big role here—what one person likes might not align with someone else's preferences. This feedback loop can be tricky because there can be several rounds of feedback and adjustments, requiring you to jump back and forth between steps 6 and 7. 8. Export Finally, after all is approved, you need to go back and format and do a quality check, making sure everything fits correctly. Post-production tasks include exporting SRT files, creating thumbnails, and determining where the content will live after it's finalized. 📌 Just because a piece of content is lofi doesn't mean it's low effort. My tip for keeping the process smooth—and something I learned a little too late in the game—is that having a really clear brief at the beginning is the single most important aspect of any video project.

🎬 10 𝙀𝒅𝙞𝒕𝙞𝒏𝙜 𝙏𝒓𝙞𝒄𝙠𝒔 𝑰 𝑾𝙞𝒔𝙝 𝙎𝒐𝙢𝒆𝙤𝒏𝙚 𝙃𝒂𝙙 𝙏𝒐𝙡𝒅 𝑴𝙚 𝙀𝒂𝙧𝒍𝙞𝒆𝙧 (𝑬𝙨𝒑𝙚𝒄𝙞𝒂𝙡𝒍𝙮 𝙛𝒐𝙧 𝙍𝒆𝙚𝒍𝙨 + 𝙈𝒊𝙘𝒓𝙤 𝘿𝒓𝙖𝒎𝙖𝒔) After 400M+ views and 50+ brand edits later! Here are 10 editing gems that turned my rough cuts into scroll-stoppers. Save this for your next deadline. 1. Cut on motion Let movement guide the cut. Static transitions kill energy. 2. Make the music follow the story You’re not syncing to the track — you’re bending it to the beat of emotion. 3. Dialogue pacing is emotional pacing Milliseconds between lines = tension, chemistry, conflict. 4. J-cuts over hard cuts Introduce audio before the scene flip. It creates seamless flow. 5. Your first 3 seconds decide everything Zooms, flashes, bold cuts — this is your battlefield. Don’t waste it. 6. Cut the acting, keep the reaction What happens between the lines is where real emotion lives. 7. Desaturate tension In serious scenes, drop saturation slightly. It subconsciously tightens the mood. 8. Layer sound like a sculptor Footsteps, cloth rustles, door creaks — subtle sound = cinematic realism. 9. Transitions should serve the story Zooms, swipes, and glitches? Cool. But only if they earn their place. 10. If something feels off, it is Trust your gut. Timeline perfection doesn’t always mean story perfection. These aren’t just editing tricks. They’re battle-tested instincts sharpened in post rooms, 14 hours deep. 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕? 𝑫𝒓𝒐𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐-𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒘, 𝒍𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒑 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔. #microdrama #shortformcontent #framefry #postproduction

I’ve generated ~40M social impressions in 2024. Here are 5 rules every single one of my videos follow. 1️⃣ Avoid Retention Editing Too many creators look at Mr Beast for inspiration, but fail to realize his audience is mostly children. Viewers want a more raw authentic experience with you. Ditch the sound effects and motion graphics. Just drop the value. 2️⃣ “But Therefore” Rule Any great story has peaks and valleys. Insert contrasting phrases like “but, however, except, therefore, or unfortunately" right after you deliver value to keep the audience continuously engaged.   3️⃣ Hooks that actually hook The hook is arguably the most important part of your video. Be menacle. Be intentional. Your hook should create a curiosity loop that can only be closed if the viewer watches the video all the way through. You’ll need a verbal hook (what you say), visual hook (what you show), and text hook (what the words on the screen say).  4️⃣ Write, write, and rewrite. I used to never write scripts. And that’s f*cking crazy. If you have an idea, start writing. It may not flow or make any sense. But just write. Jerry Seinfeld once said "the best way to write better jokes was to write a lot of jokes, and the only way to write a lot of jokes was to write every day." 5️⃣ There are never enough angles. Too many creators make the mistake of letting a clip breathe too long. Specifically on short form content. If you’re filming yourself doing work at your desk, don’t just film that clip for 10 seconds. Get 5 two second clips from different angles. This adds another element of depth to your video. This is by no means an all encompassing list. Nor do I believe this is the ONLY way to create video content. There are creators like Sam Sulek who just lets his camera rip for 45min straight. No edits. And it works (some how) These are just the 5 rules I currently like to follow. But what else would you add to this list?

6 Things I learned after creating 350+ Videos. This will save you months of effort. 1. Create Like an Athlete Approach content creation with the discipline of an athlete training for the Olympics. Set a daily writing schedule, shoot content every day, and constantly seek feedback to improve, much like an athlete reviews gameplay footage to perfect their skills. 2. Anything Can Be Made Interesting Even the most mundane topics can be made interesting if presented with a twist. For instance, a video about the physics of a bouncing ball can become fascinating by relating it to how cricket bowlers use spin to their advantage. 3. Simple Content Is Key to Success Avoid jargon and long sentences. When people are searching for a cooking video, they want a channel that can give step-by-step instructions in simple words. Ask yourself, "Can a 7-year-old understand my script?" If not, make it simpler. 4. Don't Run After Money Seven out of ten opportunities I get, I say NO because my audience and trust cannot be bought. Instead of chasing money, chase value. Create content for the love of creation. I did not make a single penny for the first four months of content creation despite having 400k followers because not all brand deals aligned with my values. 5. Pay Attention to Numbers Use analytics to know if your content is working or not. Every month, I analyze the five of my top-performing and least-performing reels. Churn out more content that is working. 6. Creation Is a Team Effort I did not reach the 1 million milestone alone. I have a team of five people running my page. Content creation is not just a full-time job; it is a five-person job. You need a writer, video presenter, graphic designer, social media manager, and video editor to grow. One person can't do everything. Are you a new content creator? Share your work and I would love to learn from your journey.

Most marketers get short-form storytelling completely wrong. They treat 15 seconds like a shorter 60. Surprise! It’s not. It’s a whole different beast. 🙃 You can’t just cut down a longer video and expect it to land. 🥹 Short-form has to be designed that way- strategised, scripted and shot with intention. Here’s what actually works: -Lead with emotion, not information -Say one thing well—don’t cram five messages in -Use visual shortcuts (memes, metaphors, familiar cues) -Design for sound-off, but reward sound-on -Break the scroll with pattern disruption Short-form that sticks isn’t a condensed ad. It’s a "micro-experience". Stop shrinking content. Start thinking format-first. That’s how you build stories that stop the scroll- and stay remembered. 🤠 We discussed this and so much more at the recent Intrigue MAdverse panel on "Short and Sweet: Mastering the Art of 15 Sec Storytelling". I also talked about how the best stories hero the audience, not the brand. But that's a post for another day 😅 #contentmarketing #entertainmentmarketing #mediaandentertainment #womeninmarketing #womenintech

The best creators rely on their "content system". Or how I like to call it, a content flywheel. Having a system allows you to: ↳ Meaningfully repurpose your best pieces. ↳ Create many posts from one central idea. ↳ Find new angles from existing content. Here's how to build one: Step 1️⃣ - Establish your content pillars. Your content pillars are your underlying central themes. For example, my content pillars are: - Outbound Prospecting - RevOps Automations - Marketing Systems - GTM Playbooks - AI GTM Tools - Lead Data Choose 5-7 pillars. Step 2️⃣ - Formulate your central idea. One well-research idea shouldn't just turn into one post. It should turn into many. Do your research to flesh the idea out: - Find FAQs from your sales calls. Tools: Attention, Circleback, tl;dv - AI Meeting Assistant, Fathom - AI Meeting Assistant - See what people are saying on discussion boards. Spaces: Reddit, X, LinkedIn Groups, Slack Groups - Research the topic with AI. Tools: Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Substack (for AI context) - Find content that is already trending. Tools: Viewstats, Kleo, X Pro, Relevance AI (content research agent) Now, capture this info in a long-form format. This will be your central piece to work backwards from. Step 3️⃣ - Write out your content formats. This is so you can find matches in Step 4. Inspiration: ↳ Long-Form Video: YouTube or Online Events Formats: Podcast, VSL, Webinar, YT for Discovery, YT Search, Tutorial ↳ Short-Form Video: YT Shorts, TikTok, LinkedIn, IG reels Formats: Clips, FAQ Answers, News Update, Explainer, Ad, Interview Answer ↳ Visuals: LinkedIn, X, Instagram Formats: Carousel, Infographic, Comparison, Mind Map, Data Visualisation, Meme ↳ Long-Form Written: LinkedIn, Blog, Newsletter, X Formats: Article, Deep Dive, Guide, Listicle, Research Summary, Case Study ↳ Short-Form Written: LinkedIn, X, Reddit, Website Formats: Story, Quick Tip, Giveaway, Industry News, Opinion, FAQ Answer Step 4️⃣ - Create content with idea<>format combos. Here are tools to help with each format: ↳ Long-Form Video Editing: Adobe Premiere AI YT Analysis: TheYouTubeTool Script Writing: Subscribr AI Video Gen: Sora, Runway, Kling AI ↳ Short-Form Video Editing: CapCut AI Clipping: OpusClip AI Ads: Arcads AI AI Avatar: HeyGen, Synthesia, Creatify AI ↳ Visuals Image Creation: Figma AI Diagrams: Napkin AI Mind Maps: Miro AI Images: Midjourney, Ideogram, Playground ↳ Long-Form Written LinkedIn: EasyGen X: Hypefury Blog: Byword AI Content Creation: Relevance AI, Jasper, Copy.ai ↳ Short-Form Written: LinkedIn, X, Reddit LinkedIn: AuthoredUp X: Tweet Hunter Website: AirOps Generative AI: ChatGPT, Claude, Grok Step 5️⃣ - Repurpose your content. Take your best performing formats and you can: - Post them cross-platform. - Find new ideas from them. - Recreate the post with a new visual/caption. This is how you never run out of content. Comment "content system" if you want to receive the full-res graphic.

One of the biggest accelerators in my year career was discovering the power of sharing thought leadership with video. Knowing that this is a critical area for others too, and now in my “give back” chapter of my career, I decided to do something about this… So, before Thanksgiving, we brought my good friend J. Ryan Williams to True Ventures to teach our founders and operators something that has been pivotal to my journey. J. Ryan, the CEO of ANTEATER MEDIA, has pivoted from his own sales leadership and advisory work (having helped 3 startups go from $0-$100M ARR) now helps founders tell their stories and build revenue pipelines with short-form video. Here’s a quick breakdown if you’re thinking about getting started with video. And it doesn’t start with buying fancy gear. 1 - Figure out WHAT to say. Reflect on your experiences, the topics you care about, and your unique perspective. Use ChatGPT to analyze transcripts of your emails, conversations, or articles. It can uncover recurring themes and help you identify your content pillars. Don’t forget your “why” because it gives your message meaning. 2 - Think about HOW to say it. Start by sending video texts to friends or family to get comfortable on camera. For a natural next step, try a podcast-style interview. Have a friend ask questions about a topic you care about, record the conversation, and edit short clips to share. 3 - Decide WHERE to post. Consider where your audience is and what will resonate with them. Think about the platforms they use and how they engage with content in your industry. Tailor your video to fit those preferences. 4 - Overcome imposter syndrome. This is the biggest blocker for most people. Expect it to happen, and don’t go it alone. Partner with a friend for your first videos to make the process easier and more enjoyable. You got this. And a big thank you Ryan, for lighting a fire with our operators at True and beyond. ps-  If you’re thinking its time to talk video, I’ve personally done production sessions with J. Ryan and the ANTEATER team, highly recommend reaching out.

⏰ Short on time but need cool content ideas? Yesterday, my team and I did a quick exercise and came up with 20+ short-form video ideas in 5 minutes. And you can steal it if you want. Yesterday, I walked my team through an exercise to generate short-form video ideas. It's an idea anyone looking to create more content can use, and I can guarantee that within 10 minutes, you can have more ideas than you need, which can then be executed relatively quickly as well. Here are a few things you need to know: 1) With platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or even here on LinkedIn you have to keep in mind your audience and goals. For the former platforms, you may find that there needs to be more entertainment built into the messages, which may or may not get you there. 2) Next, someone still has to translate the concepts developed into recorded content. The good news is those platforms seem to favor authentic and off-the-cuff over high polish (e.g., you can use your phone and a few best practices to be successful. 3) Finally, with any platform - you have to think about what your customers, users, followers, and viewers need and want. Ultimately, for me, there is a strong desire to be helpful and to create content that helps my audience grow in their abilities and be more successful. So here's what we did: I asked each person in the meeting to pick an article for our blog. I didn't care if two people picked the same one. I didn't care if it focused on #camtasia or #snagit. Then, I gave them 5 minutes to do the following: A) Read the blog (or some of it) B) Write down ideas that are useful that could be turned into short-form content. C) At the end of the 5 minutes, everyone shared some ideas and recorded them on a project board. D) I asked everyone to take one of the ideas and go and make it by our next meeting. We didn't do all of the work needed to get to done. Some ideas still need a few bullet points so they can be talked about cohesively. Other ideas were still a bit broad or could be broken into multiple videos. We also didn't take the time to record right then and there. But in 5 minutes, 9 people easily generated 20+ ideas. Obviously, we're focusing on specific platforms, but I imagine you could do this to focus on solving customer problems, for #onboarding ideas, academy or community content, reducing support cases that are really #training and so much more. That's it. 5-minutes to generate a ton of ideas to solve problems, help customers (internal or external), and fill up the idea coffers.

95% of my videos are scripted So when someone tells me: "I can't read scripts" "They take too long to write" "Scripts make me sound unnatural" It's almost always one of these 4 mistakes: 1. Writing scripts instead of speaking them Most people write very differently than they speak. This is why it can be so hard to read your script out loud after writing it. To fix this, speak your ideas out first, then write down what you said. P.S. Using a speech→text tool makes this a lot faster. 2. Starting from scratch every time A blank page is probably the number one creativity killer. Make it easy for yourself by using templates and frameworks to provide structure, and examples to inspire you. Don’t have that? Start collecting them from the content you see every day. 3. Constantly trying to reinvent the wheel If something worked for you once, repeat it. I sometimes just copy/paste in phrases or structures that have brought good results the past. This is similar to having templates or frameworks, but using your own past content, instead of other people’s. 4. Not rehearsing your script before recording it I usually do 1-2 reps through my scripts before recording. This is where 90% of my script edits happen. These edits are mostly just changing words or phrases that aren’t flowing. This final step makes my video scripts sound and feel so much more natural when I record. Have a specific challenge with short form video scripting? Share it in the comments and I'll share a solution 👇