June 8, 2022
Jessica Goldfarb
Social Media Account Manager
Microcontent. Small effort, big results. That’s what everyone likes to hear, right? Let’s talk about how you can maximize your views and reach with these bite-sized videos that honestly if you’re not making, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
Who remembers Vine? The app that pioneered the microcontent video as we know it today. 6 and a half seconds was all people needed to make us laugh, cry, and ultimately follow them for more.
Today, an evolved form of this video style lives on through its successors; TikTok and Instagram reels. 10-30 second micro-style videos have taken the social media world by storm, and are showing no signs of slowing down. These videos drive the current algorithms, and should not be ignored!
So now you know what microcontent is, how do you make it? One of the best things about microcontent is that in a lot of cases, other people have already done the work for you!
Instagram reels and TikTok are filled with content from other users that can be turned into templates. The music is already timed, the transitions are already there, and all you have to do is upload your own media.
You can also easily hop on an existing trend with your own funny take that is relevant to yourself or your brand. Just add your own spin to make it yours! Keep an eye out for similar themes, audio, text, etc. in other users’ videos to identify what is trending.
So what’s the catch? When something is this easy to create, it can become tired very quickly. That means that trends move fast. This is especially true on TikTok, where most trends last only a week or so before becoming stale.
When using templates, you can avoid having to rush by keeping a large media library with existing content. That way, when you spot a template that fits content you already have, you don’t have to waste any time putting it together and posting.
When following trends, you just gotta stay on top of your game. Whenever you see trending content that you could mimic, you have to be ready to go, go, go!
Adding text is also a great way to get your message through to those who have their sound off. Let’s face it, people are consuming content EVERYWHERE, including places they probably shouldn’t (office warriors, we salute you).
Even if there is no voice-over, text will add context to your videos when needed and enhance your CTA.
For some short-form inspo, check out some of our latest trending reels here.