Video

The Growth and Potential of Youtube Shorts

Tired of scrolling through Instagram Reels and TikTok? Well, now it’s time to add Youtube Shorts to your list of social accounts! Since the Launch of TikTok, everyone’s been playing catchup to the Chinese-based app. YouTube Shorts is Google’s answer to TikTok, which disrupted the video-sharing industry during the pandemic. Today, more than 1.5 billion monthly users engage on the platform through Shorts content. When you think about it, nearly 75% of the entire user base.

While you may be thinking, ‘great, another video app’, YouTube Shorts is actually making big waves for brands. For example, PokerStars, the largest poker channel worldwide, uploads several videos a week. When YouTube Shorts were integrated, the brand immediately capitalized on this. The YouTube Shorts showcase well-known “hands” of the world’s greatest poker players. After several weeks of testing, the YouTube Shorts proved to work better in many cases than the regular short videos on the channel. The Shorts generated some 600% more subscribers, compared to similar short clips on the YouTube channel. In the process, the Shorts generated so many views that they automatically made it into the top 3 best performing videos on the channel. Therefore, Shorts are now included in the poker brand’s YouTube strategy. 

Glossier sold products through Shorts in June 2022 by creating a challenge for users to try. Glossier gave a hundred influencers a new pencil eyeliner and encouraged them to create Shorts videos with the hashtag #WrittenInGlossier in the caption. People who tapped the hashtag were brought to the Glossier website. There, they could buy the eyeliner and were asked to recreate a look as part of the challenge. Any Shorts video that included the hashtag was shoppable.

Whether it is trending audio, royalty-free music or noises you made with your mouth, music and sounds featured on your videos, Reels, and Tik Toks can significantly influence your content’s performance. Music informs what we see and affects our moods. 

Think about it. There are award categories dedicated specifically to sound design, best original song, and overall soundtrack. So why would we not also put the same thought behind the content we create? The amount of consideration and thought that went into creating a Reel or video should also go into the music selection or soundscape behind a video. If you only think about what the Reel looks like, you only see half of the picture.

Here at Recreation, we love to use trending audios behind our Reels when possible. We have noticed that trending audios can double the amount of engagement you see on a post. We have seen accounts with less than a hundred followers earn 200 likes on a Reel and also boost their engagement/ followers.

Now we know every brand cannot use trending audios, but that does not mean half step and choosing a royalty-free song that does not fit your message or Reel. There are many great options regarding what is available for royalty-free music, meaning we should not settle for the first audio we see. Take a second and really listen to the music behind your Reels or ads and ask yourself, “does this song help serve my end goal?” 

Nike’s Use of Audio

Nike is an excellent example of a brand capitalizing on the importance of music in its ads. I’ve always subscribed to the fact that some Nike ads make you feel like anything is possible. Like you can run through a brick wall. If you strip away the background music from videos, you are taking away an added layer of complexity.

Music defines the tone of your video and sets the pace. Here are three examples of music paces:

• Slow Paced builds suspense and creates drama. You will find slower pace music in videos that are a bit longer form. (Jaws)
• Neutral Paced music is used more for narrations or interviews. It is there as background filler. Imagine for a second a journalist is conducting an interview, and the whole time the interview is happening, ‘Crazy Train’ by Ozzy Osbourn is playing in the background. That could get very distracting very quickly.
• Fast Paced music, in the same way, that slow-paced music builds suspense and drama, creates tension and excitement. Fast-paced music goes best with videos requiring quick cuts or a faster tempo. (Chase scenes)

All this is to say that music is a powerful marketing tool and should be treated as such. Do not half-step. Choose audios that add to your content instead of subtracting.

Tip: To be inclusive and expand the audience you are reaching, including subtitles on a video is a great route to go. Just as I’ve laid out the importance of background music, a whole demographic of people don’t listen to videos or are unable to. Subtitles may seem small for some, but for others, it is vital.

Difference Between ‘Hi-Fi’ and ‘Lo-Fi’ Video Content

With the rise of video content, social media has drastically changed in the past couple of years. The pressure to make video content has never been higher, and some content creators feel the heat. But, a little spark can lead to a great fire, and the gasoline is ‘hi-fi’ and ‘lo-fi’ content. Let us explain:

At Recreation, we think of video content as either ‘hi-fi’ or ‘lo-fi.’ When you think of ‘hi-fi,’ you believe high-quality, best of the best; that’s what ‘hi-fi’ videos are. While hi-fi content is visually beautiful and tells excellent in-depth stories, there is something special about the shareability of the everyday phone video.

With the boom of video content in the past several years (thanks to TikTok & Instagram Reels) and enhancements of phone cameras, video content is never easier to create. One of the most significant parts of ‘lo-fi’ content is the simplicity and relatability. ‘Lo-fi’ videos intend to connect with those casually browsing social and their preference to consume content; no one likes a blatant ad.

When creating content, it’s essential to consider a couple of different varieties; platform (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok), format (hi-fi vs. lo-fi), and how you plan to tell your story. Consider what you’re trying to communicate, your potential audience, your already loyal following, and what type of content is already performing well on your channels. Knowing the difference between ‘hi-fi’ and ‘lo-fi’ content and your audience will be the key to your success when crafting actual Reels.