As voters increasingly spend time on short-form video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, campaigns are being pushed into a format that looks and behaves very differently than traditional digital video. Winning here isn’t about polish. It’s about understanding how people actually consume content in fast, swipe-driven feeds.
Below are evidence- and data-backed tips for creating short-form social video that holds attention and performs.
Stop the Scroll
Short-form video lives or dies in the first 2–3 seconds. Your opening has to immediately tell viewers what the video is about and why it’s worth their time. Another video is always one swipe away.
Lead with the point. Ask an intriguing question. Show the outcome before the explanation. What doesn’t work are filler phrases, greetings, or logos that burn precious seconds before anything happens.
Keep It Short
Length still matters. TikTok’s own data consistently points to 21–34 seconds as a performance sweet spot for views and engagement.
That window is long enough to deliver a clear idea, but short enough to keep completion rates high. If your video can’t land the message in that timeframe, it’s probably trying to do too much.
Add Captions
A significant share of users watch video on mute, especially in public. At the same time, audiences have grown accustomed to animated captions thanks to creator trends and, yes, “brain rot” content.
Burned-in captions are no longer optional. Use tools like CapCut, Opus, or Kapwing to auto-generate animated captions, and make sure the video still makes sense with the sound off.
Record Vertically
Short-form social video is designed to be full-screen. That means shooting vertical from the start.
Cropping horizontal footage almost always looks wrong. You either end up with black bars or you cut off key visuals. Native vertical video fills the screen and immediately feels like it belongs in the feed.
Edit Natively
Platform-native editing tools matter more than many campaigns realize. Text overlays, built-in captions, voiceover, and green screen features help videos match the visual language users expect.
Audiences can spot a cross-posted TikTok instantly, especially on Reels or Shorts. Content that looks native blends in. Content that looks recycled gets skipped.
Conclusion
Short-form video now sits at the center of how voters experience social media, but it demands a different creative muscle than campaigns are used to flexing. The teams that win won’t chase perfection. They’ll design for the feed, respect attention, and build videos that feel native from the very first frame.