Should your videos be longer?

Are creators’ concerns about this TikTok shift something to worry about?

It’s no secret by now that TikTok has started its push for longer form videos. That’s right: the platform that trained billions of users to watch short-form — and in a world where the average attention span between 8 and 10 seconds — is thinking longer.

That change has many creators thinking… Wait, what the heck?! In this article from CNN, creators detail some of their concerns about the “vibe shift” to longer videos.

And while their concerns are certainly valid, most of the potential problems arise for those who solely want to monetize their videos. If you’re someone who uses social media to convert clients or build rapport, you have much more creative freedom. Because the principles of what make a great video don’t change — just the speed at which you do them.

What does this mean for you? It’ll be interesting to see how people adapt to watching longer form content. But what we do know is that 80% of the time people are on their phones, they’re watching short-form videos. If you focus on building quality content, you’ll find the length doesn’t matter as much. Make your video as long as you need to but as short as you can to keep attention.

🎥 What's Trending

With 20% engagement, this video has folks talking (for better or for worse!). And it goes to show the importance of doubling down on your skills, your POV, and the story of how you can transform your clients’ lives.

In the opening image, we know immediately this video is going to give us a transformation. There’s just a barren stretch of dirt, some bulldozers, and the words, “Give me a backyard like no one has ever seen before.” This is about to be epic.

Well… maybe. Maybe not.

There’s incredibly high engagement in the comments, but many of them actually aren’t favorable to the creator. (The backyard looks like the Minecraft video game, they say.) Still, those people all engaged with the content — and this creator probably got plenty of others who did like their design to check out their other videos and transformations.

It’s like hearing a commotion in the back of the room and turning your head to see what’s going on. Maybe there’s something really cool back there.

Your takeaway: Whatever your POV… lean into it. Let the internet disagree with you! That engagement, at the end of the day, will just help the right people find you.