Marketers, what is one trend that you predict will rule short-form videos in 2024? Here is what 18 thought leaders have to say.

• Brand Challenges Foster Engagement
• Micro-Storytelling Dominates
• Influencer Marketing Integration
• AI Assists Video Scripting
• Short Videos for Product Showcases
• Interactive and Shoppable Videos
• Challenges Drive User Engagement
• Ultra-Short Videos Gain Popularity
• Interactive Content Takes Center Stage
• Micro-Learning Through Short Videos
• First Seconds Must Captivate
• AI Enhances Indie Video Quality
• Original Content Boosts Engagement
• Portrait Aspect Ratio Prevails
• Hyperlapse Techniques Trend
• Authenticity and Verification Focus
• Vertical Split-Screen Storytelling

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1. Brand Challenges Foster Engagement

As the owner of a short-form video editing and marketing agency, I believe that brand challenges will dominate short-form videos in 2024. We’ve been gathering and studying some data, and it’s clear that social media is a gold mine for brands. Online users love challenges—they engage, they share, and they remember. For them, it’s not just about showing off a product; it’s about creating an experience that sticks. That’s why I expect more brands to leverage the power of challenges to foster engagement, build communities, and generate user-generated content.

Daniel Willmott
Founder, Shortformvideo.co

2. Micro-Storytelling Dominates

In 2024, the trend of micro-storytelling will dominate the short-form video landscape. This approach involves crafting concise, compelling narratives that capture the viewer’s attention in seconds. The key lies in delivering a powerful message or story that resonates emotionally, all within a brief timeframe.

This trend is driven by the ever-shortening attention spans of audiences and the need for content that is both engaging and quickly digestible. As a result, marketers will need to become competent at this art, condensing complex ideas into impactful, bite-sized stories that leave a lasting impression on the audience.

Kate Wojewoda-Celinska
Marketing Manager, Spacelift

3. Influencer Marketing Integration

I’m really excited about the merging of influencer marketing with short-form video marketing! As a marketer, I think this trend offers a unique opportunity to leverage the authenticity and reach of influencers in a format that’s increasingly preferred by audiences. Short-form videos are quick, engaging, and shareable, making them an ideal medium for influencers to showcase brands in a way that resonates with their followers.

Influencer marketing itself is already a potent tool. Partnering with influencers across various platforms allows brands to tap into their credibility and audience base. When influencers, who are trusted and admired by their followers, endorse your brand, it opens the door for increased interest and potential new customers. However, it’s crucial to partner with influencers whose values and audience align with your brand. For example, a vegan product promoter wouldn’t mesh well with a barbecue chain, and a sober influencer wouldn’t be the right fit for a wine brand. Choosing the right influencers can effectively direct their followers, who are likely to share similar interests, straight to your brand.

Precious Abacan
Marketing Director, Softlist

4. AI Assists Video Scripting

I think that many marketers in 2024 will use artificial intelligence to write scripts, generate ideas, and create text for short videos. With the help of AI, it will be possible to address many routine issues and conserve energy for creative and non-standard ideas. The trend of using AI has already gained momentum in 2023. Marina Mogilko, on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@SiliconValleyGirl), has repeatedly mentioned that she uses AI to generate new ideas and portions of scripts for her videos. I believe that there will be no major changes in short videos, but the quantity and quality of such videos will increase rapidly.

Iana Varshavska
Digital Marketer and Yoga Therapist, Yanva

5. Short Videos for Product Showcases

I believe big brands will start using short-form videos for product teasers and showcases more in 2024, as research shows that audiences are more likely to watch short videos in their entirety as compared to longer ones. Leveraging this trend, brands will move towards leaner product videos showcasing features, benefits, and USPs. Rather than relying on voiceovers and text, these short video showcases will use slick animation and graphics to highlight product features in a matter of seconds.

Sam Roberts
Digital Marketing Manager, Connect Vending

6. Interactive and Shoppable Videos

I predict that in 2024, short-form videos will heavily incorporate interactive and shoppable elements. Viewers will be able to interact with the content in real-time, such as clicking on products to buy directly from the video or choosing different paths in a story.

This trend will revolutionize e-commerce and viewer engagement, offering a seamless blend of entertainment and shopping. Content creators should explore ways to integrate these interactive elements creatively and effectively.

Brooke Webber,
Head of Marketing, Ninja Patches

7. Challenges Drive User Engagement

This year, challenges are going to be a big thing in short-form videos. Everyone knows that the internet just loves a good challenge. They’re behind some of the most viral videos out there. For companies, these challenges are a golden opportunity to get user-generated content from their audience and get people talking about what they’re selling. We’re going to see a lot more social media challenges in 2023, complete with their own branded hashtags.

Take Nissan Australia, for example. They launched their new JUKE sports car with the #ImprovisewithJUKE challenge on TikTok. They created a new sound and visual for TikTok users to make a Duet with. They asked their followers to come up with a voiceover for a new car ad, and the best one got to be in their actual TV commercial. The original TikTok video got over 100 million views, and the whole campaign boosted Nissan’s brand awareness by over 90%.

Patrick Beltran
Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital

8. Ultra-Short Videos Gain Popularity

Ultra-short-form video—think 8 to 10 seconds max—will definitively enter the mainstream next year. Platforms like ByteDance’s new PiPiX are pushing the boundaries into ‘micro’ video for extremely diminished attention spans. This bite-sized content allows creators to experiment with quicker cuts, condensed storytelling, and serial formats.

Michael Chen
Head of Growth, Notta

9. Interactive Content Takes Center Stage

In the dynamic landscape of short-form videos, I foresee interactive content taking center stage in 2024. Videos that invite viewer participation through polls, quizzes, or choices are poised to gain popularity. This trend resonates with the increasing preference for audience engagement and customized experiences. Content creators are likely to leverage these interactive features to make their videos more captivating and personally relevant to viewers. My experience in content creation and trend analysis suggests that this move towards interactive short-form videos will offer a potent way for creators and marketers to foster deeper connections with their audience, enhancing the viewing experience by making it more immersive and enjoyable.

Shawn Manaher
Founder, The Content Authority

10. Micro-Learning Through Short Videos

I predict that in 2024, the trend of using short-form videos for micro-learning and educational content will become increasingly popular. As people continue to seek quick and easily digestible ways to learn new skills and concepts, creators will use short videos to deliver educational content in engaging, bite-sized pieces.

This trend will not only appeal to casual learners but also to professionals looking for quick skill upgrades. Content creators should focus on concise, clear, and visually engaging educational content to tap into this growing market.

Ryan Hammill
Executive Director, Ancient Language Institute

11. First Seconds Must Captivate

I predict the first 5 seconds of the video will need to be the most critical. There will need to be some kind of dopamine hit early on, an “aha” moment actualized, or an innovative trend or idea that makes an appearance in the early portion of the video to captivate the audience in a mere few seconds tops. Say goodbye to intro slides or even people introducing themselves, unless the context enhances the quality or validity of the message. Also, videos will need to be under 30 seconds. Audio and video quality will need to be top-notch. In short, the quality of the idea that drives the content will need to take center stage and be packaged up beautifully, to truly engage, entertain, and/or inform the masses effectively and efficiently. That’s the new way of consuming video content.

Jacqueline Dichiara
Content Strategist

12. AI Enhances Indie Video Quality

Short-form videos, in general, and especially those made by smaller creators, will greatly benefit in 2024 from enhanced video and audio quality, thanks to AI. We are already seeing a trend where AI is being used to generate text-to-video and to sync up audio (dialogue and music) to that video. This technology will only improve over the coming year, and we will see increasingly professional-looking short-form content quality from independent creators. Please let me know if you need any more information! Thanks, Neil.

Neil Chase
Writer and Filmmaker, Neil Chase Film

13. Original Content Boosts Engagement

Make sure that not all of your videos are just clips from your full YouTube videos or podcasts. I think a lot of people who just repurpose their podcasts or long-form YouTube videos on TikTok and Reels are starting to understand that they need to also create original content for the platforms to drive more engagement. One thing I would recommend would be to post two weekly short-form videos that are repurposed on TikTok and Instagram, and then two to three weekly original videos for TT or IG. The original videos can be impromptu, like doing a green screen talk to the camera, or a short five-second behind-the-scenes clip with text on the video. So in total, you will be posting about four to five weekly short videos that will drive traffic to your videos or podcast and increase engagement.

Amanda Melissa
Content Strategist,

14. Portrait Aspect Ratio Prevails

2024 will be the year that the 9:16 (or portrait) aspect ratio becomes the primary deliverable in video campaigns. Budgets are getting smaller, yet the demand for more and more assets is growing. Brands are chasing an ‘always-on’ approach on social media, and therefore need more content all the time. With TikTok and Instagram Stories becoming the main platforms for raw, authentic, and user-generated content, campaigns are starting to be built here first (rather than on YouTube or Facebook), and so the 9:16 will become the core requirement.

Ryan Stone
Founder and Creative Director, Lambda Films & Animation

15. Hyperlapse Techniques Trend

I foresee the increasing use of hyperlapse and time-lapse techniques in short-form videos in 2024. These techniques, which offer a fast-paced and visually captivating way to showcase changes over time, will be particularly popular for travel, cooking, and DIY content. Creators should experiment with these techniques to add dynamism and a sense of progression to their videos, making them more engaging and shareable.

Mark Varnas
Principal SQL Server DBA and Consultant, Red9

16. Authenticity and Verification Focus

I anticipate that a significant trend for short-form video content in 2024 will be a heightened focus on authenticity and content verification. With the rise of deepfake technology and concerns about misinformation, ensuring genuine and unaltered videos will be paramount. Marketers should explore methods like blockchain technology or other verification processes to build viewer confidence in content authenticity. Trust and security in short-form videos will likely become a top priority for marketers in the coming years.

Eugene Klimaszewski
President, Mammoth Security

17. Vertical Split-Screen Storytelling

In my experience, I’ve observed a significant trend emerging: vertical split-screen storytelling. This approach is revolutionizing how we present CPR techniques. Recently, we created a video showcasing a side-by-side comparison: on one side, a real-time CPR demonstration, and on the other, detailed close-ups of hand placements and compressions. This format enhances viewer engagement and simplifies complex procedures, making learning more intuitive. It’s a trend that, I believe, will dominate the short-form video landscape in 2024, especially in educational and instructional content.

Haya Subhan
General Manager, CPR Training