A recent study in the journal “Computers in Human Behavior” discusses the enormous increase in short-video viewing by college students. The study essentially says that short-videos on YouTube and TikTok are becoming the norm among social media users. Gone are the days of the minutes long tutorial videos, now being replaced by 15-second “short bursts.” Gone are elements of continuous engagement with users jumping around from app to app, grazing on short messages.
In short (no pun intended), the shorter the video and message, it can be assumed the more it will be observed by users. On the other hand, with seemingly diminished attention spans because of these short-bursts, how much will the message be retained? The study goes on to say that these short bursts of information can be addicting, satisfying needs and moving on to the next 15-second story. So, as communicators, how do we compete in this seemingly new busy environment?
Taking a step back and a short breath (but not too long!), we must realize, as effective communicators, we know our story needs to be told in a thorough way. But gone are lengthy tomes of intro, body, conclusion articles and ten-minute videos. The current generation and up-and-coming generations are used to fast moving video games, videos and multi-tasking. While it may take a while for us to adapt to these sped up communications, here are four things you can consider now, when it comes to writing and video.
Write shorter. I’m not saying “Friends, Romans, countrymen” should be replaced with “You guys!” What I am saying if you can condense messaging, and still get your point across, it’s worth a shot.
Late rocker Tom Petty, when asked why his songs were so catchy and memorable, remarked “We adhere to: ‘Don’t bore us. Get to the chorus.” In other words, skip to the chase.
That being said, can you get from 1000 words to 500, without much pain? Try it!
Use subheads. When writing your copy, subheads should be able to define the paragraph and, if needed, stand on its own. And remember, many of your users are using smart phones, so keep the hyper scrolling to a minimum.
Edit your videos. The ten-minute informational video just won’t cut it anymore, whether it’s online or shown in a public setting. Is two minutes too long? Is 90 seconds too long? You may need to experiment and edit a few more times than normal to see if you can get your message condensed down.
Learn from AI: With the recent explosion of AI in digital communications, there may be some opportunities to learn from this new phenomenon. AI may be able to help lay out a video storyboard or article outline that we, as humans, can build out from. Time will tell, as I believe we are only seeing the beginning of AI in the workplace.
Okay, I’m approaching 500 words, so I’ll stop. Now, let’s go out there and do something good!
How I See A New Media World 