Future of Short Form Content

Is Short Form Content Dead?

Simply put: no. It’s not dead.

But there are reasons to consider investing more time in long-form.

What The Stats Say

In 2024, we saw the following stats on content consumption:

• 8-second attention spans, on average

• 73% of consumers use short-form videos when searching for new products or services

• Short-form content got 2.5x more engagement than long-form

We also know that:

• Short-form content is often cheaper to produce.

• You can share it on more platforms.

• You can often produce a higher frequency of short-form content than long-form (potential for more brand integrations?).

But does this mean you should put all your eggs into the short-form basket? Not necessarily.

Influence Versus Followers

In our recent podcast episode with Alex Hormozi, he shared a profound perspective on the battle between short- and long-form:

Building Tremendous Influence

Hormozi says there are 4 elements of real influence:

1. Likeness: Does this person look/act like me? Do we share characteristics?

2. Credibility: Does this person have evidence that what they say is true?

3. Power: Has following their advice yielded positive results in the past?

4. Status: Do they control access to something scarce or valuable?

Here’s Alex’s math: 10 hours of long-form content (20-30 minute videos) equals the influence of 1,800 short-form clips (at 20 seconds each).

To build tremendous influence, you’d need to post quite a few short-form videos.

When we look at what it takes to build real influence, it might be easier to demonstrate the 4 elements above in a long-form video as opposed to short-form.

The Benefit of Tremendous Influence

Hormozi said the lack of influence is why most short-form creators are unable to convert their viewers to long-form content.

The more influence you have, the more:

• Engagement you’ll have.

• Conversions you’ll generate.

• Brand deals you can land.

• Products you’ll sell.

Basically, more real influence (in many cases) means greater income potential.

Should You Ditch Short-Form?

No. Just remember that it might not be what generates tremendous influence.

Even Hormozi himself said this isn’t a black and white thing.

In one instance, a short-form video from Andrew Huberman gained influence over him:

• Huberman shared a hiccup-stopping technique in a short video.

• Alex remembered it and tried it a month later when he had hiccups.

• It worked, creating a "power" relationship: Huberman's advice created a positive outcome.

• This made Alex more likely to follow Huberman's future recommendations.

That said, consider the influence you want to have. Depending on your answer there, investing in long-form might make sense.

At a Glance

Here are the benefits and downsides of both short- and long-form content.

How to Get Invited to Festivals and Events

Festival season is big business for creators. If seeing all the Coachella content has you drowning in FOMO, here’s your playbook for getting invited next year (told by the amazing Justine):

Step 1: Look Into Brands That Make Sense for Festival Season

Coachella is in the desert. It’s hot. LaCroix (Justine’s brand partner) makes a lot of sense as a potential sponsor.

Step 2: Start Engaging Organically or Making Content

Justine says it’s important to engage with the brand’s account to get in front of them. Or, you can create content featuring the product.

This doesn’t have to be major pieces like full Reels.

For example, Justine featured LaCroix in a quick photo or story post, tagging the brand to make sure they saw it.

Step 3: Send a Pitch with a Compelling Concept Idea

For LaCroix, Justine suggested making content showing Coachella outfits designed to match different LaCroix cans.

Step 4: Ask for an Exchange

If they like your pitch, ask for what Justine calls the Holy Trinity:

• Tickets

• Hotel

• Transportation

Quick Links

💰 Snapchat launches new way to monetize.

📸 Your guide to the new IG Edits app.

👀 SAG-AFRTA’s new influencer committee.

This Week in Creator Studio

This week in Creator Studio (our free Discord community) we’re bringing in Eric Pan (@ericnomics) to chat all things creator business, including:

• How to go from corporate 9-5 to full-time creator

• Increasing your average brand deal size

• Strategies for turning content into your full-time job

Join us live this Thursday, May 8th at 1 PM PST (4 PM EST). ⤵️

See ya next week,

Karat