There’s no getting around it: Vertical video is here to stay (for now, at least). TikTok alone has 1.5 billion monthly active users, and that number is expected to reach 2.2 billion users by 2027. How active are these users? Individuals are spending an average of 23.3 hours per month on the app. That’s almost an entire day each month!

Instagram is seeing similar success with Reels. Its 2 billion monthly active users are spending an average of 33 minutes on the app each day, and Reels have a higher reach rate than any other post type in the app (carousels/albums, single-image post, etc.).

As more and more platforms have adopted and prioritized vertical video, each platform has also developed its own vibe, video length restrictions, video editing tools, audiences, aesthetic and more.

Consider these tips the next time you create vertical video:

Film vertically: Goes without sayin’.

The shorter, the better: 7-34 seconds is the sweet spot, but don’t sacrifice content for time when it matters.

…but “shorter is better” might not last forever: Some experts are predicting a shift from hyper-short-form video to longer videos taking center stage in the coming year(s). Will we say goodbye to short, viral trends and say hello to the “Facetime Era” of TikTok?

Center on people: One thing TikTok and Reel videos have in common is people. Try to feature people within the CSU community in videos as often as possible. This can look a lot of different ways. For us, we have a team of dedicated student co-creators who brainstorm, create and star in vertical video content for CSU’s social media accounts.

Hook viewers in the first 6 seconds: Unless it’s super necessary, skip any type of intro. Just jump right into the content! People will figure it out as they watch, and you can use the post text to provide more context, if needed. Similarly, skip any kind of end card or fade out at the end of your video. You want viewers to watch your video on a loop. Unnecessary intros and outros will likely cause the viewer to keep scrolling on to the next video.

Use the features inside the app: Use the sounds/music provided in the app, add captions, use the app’s fonts, set the location as CSU, etc. TikTok and Instagram categorize content based on user interests, and utilizing their features will help the apps better place your content in front of the right audience.

Edit the video outside the app: If you’ve ever edited a video in Instagram Reels, you know how frustrating it can be. While you want to use features the app provides, do the bulk of your editing using apps and software with a friendlier interface. Plus, editing your vertical video using CapCut or Premiere will allow you to post the video to multiple platforms without having to edit the same video multiple times.

All aboard! Hop on the trend bandwagon: As it stands now, trending content has to be part of your content strategy (love it or hate it). And knowing what trends a brand should join in on is an art. When in doubt, ask around! Then, figure out how to make that trend fit for the brand. If you hop on an (appropriate) trend early enough, the algorithm will reward you.

But focus on creating your own creative content: Trends are great ways to make the algorithm happy, but come up with your own creative ideas, too. People enjoy seeing something they’ve never seen before just as much as they enjoy trends. After all, trends have to start somewhere, right? Not to mention, your brand is far more than just TikTok trends. Put time into focusing on how to tell your brand’s story while fitting in with the TikTok and Reels atmosphere.

Sometimes, simple is best: Don’t put pressure on yourself to come up with never-before-seen, exciting video ideas every day. We love when that happens, but if creative brilliance was that easy, everyone would be doing it. Instead, invest those creative juices when it matters most. Sometimes, all a video needs to be super popular is to have a person hold an iPhone and speak directly into the camera for 30 seconds. Or, maybe simply putting photos to a trending sound will become your most-liked Instagram post of all time.

Balance your fruits and vegetables: TikTok is, at its core, an entertainment platform. While much of the content should be entertaining, it’s still important to share content that ties back to the university’s strategy. Think: research, events, information, etc. This is something we’re exploring more of this year.

Ensure your vegetables fit the app’s style: Rich content, like science/research, don’t have to be boring. Think of ways to make that content entertaining and fit the style of other content. My tip? Find brands that are already doing a good job at this for inspiration. Here’s a list of the 21 Best Science TikTok Accounts of 2024 to get you started. (Notice anything they have in common? They mostly all feature a person/personality.)

Keep it accessible:

• Add closed captioning: Not only does closed captioning help those with hearing impairments and people watching the video with the sound off, it’s also a great SEO tool that will help TikTok/Instagram better place your video on the appropriate audience’s FYP and feed. Two great reasons to take the extra step and add closed-captioning.
  • When adding any text on screen, be aware of the “safe zone” of adding text on Reels and TikTok videos.
• Add video descriptions: Adding written video descriptions to the post text helps viewers with visual impairments understand what is being shown on screen.
• Ensure the text on your video is readable: Use large, clear fonts with backgrounds or outlines when necessary.
• CamelCase hashtags: Screen readers have a difficult time reading hashtags that are all lowercase. Uppercase the first letter of each word in a hashtag to ensure screen readers can read them: #ColoradoState #ColoradoStateUniversity #GoRams
• Limit emoji use: Try to stick to one or two emojis, and stick them at the end of the post text.

Post during high-traffic times: This varies from account to account. Our analytics help us determine what days and times our content will shine the most.

Be authentic: Beautifully filmed and edited videos still have a place on the world wide web, but not on TikTok. Videos filmed on an iPhone are TikTok gold. Beyond the look of the video, the content of the video should be as authentic as possible (within brand guidelines), too. Instagram is a different story. You’ll like see both gritty iPhone videos and high-quality videos as you scroll through Reels.

Post frequently: HOW frequently? It’s different for all accounts. Start by posting three times a week, and strive for one video a day. Test out posting frequency, what day you post on, and what time you post at. Consistency is key and TikTok wants you to post videos (plural) daily. But remember: quality over quantity. We currently post 3-4 times a week, with goals to bump that to daily.

Going viral isn’t the goal: Sure, it’s great when your content goes viral, and it definitely helps you reach new audiences. But, reaching your target audience with content that resonates with them and fosters brand loyalty is far more important than trying to only create content that will go viral.

Experiment with content and strategy: Especially on TikTok. What works for one account might not work for yours.

TikToks, Reels and Shorts content shouldn’t be the same: If you’ve spent time on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, you know each app has a pretty different style when it comes to vertical video. Sure, there’s a lot of crossover and popular TikTok trends eventually make their way to Instagram and YouTube. But the different platforms are not the same and should have their own content plan and strategy. There are times your videos will work in both places, but for the most part, strive to create videos specifically for each platform to fit the style of each. Here are some very basic differences to keep in mind:

• Video length: A two-minute video might work on TikTok, but you have to keep in mind video restraints on other platforms.
  • TikToks: Up to 10 minutes long (remember: even though you can make videos this long, should you?)
  • Facebook Reels: Up to 90 seconds
  • Instagram Reels: Up to 90 seconds (unless you upload the video as a regular post)
  • YouTube Shorts: Up to 60 seconds
• Audience: Every brand’s audience is unique to them. Maybe you have similar audiences across platforms (though, unlikely). CSU’s audiences vary greatly depending on the platform, so we aren’t going to post a video made for TikTok on Facebook. Here’s a basic look at CSU’s audience breakdown:
  • TikTok audience: Prospective students, current students
  • Facebook audience: Alumni, parents, families
  • Instagram: Prospective students, current students, young alumni, alumni
• ✨Vibe✨
  • TikTok: raw, authentic, weird, entertaining/educational, trend starters
  • Instagram: aesthetic, entertaining/educational, grid-worthy, TikTok trend followers
  • YouTube: tool to get new/existing followers to channel, entertaining/educational, TikTok trend followers

What’s most important when considering all these tips, however, is that vertical video isn’t an exact science. These tips are meant to guide you, but don’t live and die by them. Your audience could prefer a 2-minute video. Maybe they enjoy the highly produced content more than the gritty iPhone quality videos. Experiment, experiment, experiment.

The next most important factor when considering all these tips is that as soon as I hit publish, these tips will already be out of date. User behavior and content creators drive best practices — not the other way around. Always strive to be on the side of driving the trends, rather than just riding along. That’s when you’ll see real success.