The social media landscape continues to evolve into 2025. Video storytelling remains at the forefront of this frontier. Many trends in previous years are holding strong, while surprising changes continue to emerge.
Short-form vertical video continues to dominate. Simultaneously, new formats and long-form video is making a comeback. Audiences are tapping back into engaging with in-depth content.
Let’s dive into five of some of the top social media video trends for 2025. We will reinforce what’s working for short-form video, while shedding light on new trends.
1. Short-form video dominance
Short-form videos have solidified their position as the most engaging content across social media platforms. This will continue for the foreseeable future, especially as the average attention span continues to shrink. Right now, the average attention span is around 8.25 seconds. Let’s give a round of applause for team goldfish. 
With this in mind, audiences prefer concise and captivating content. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are the front runners of this trend, offering users quick, digestible videos that entertain and inform.
Continue to pursue this format. Prioritize consistency with the type of instant gratification you supply in your short-form videos. This could include a sense of humor catered to your followers or ASMR, sensory-stimulating content. Concise and consistent short-form video is your bread and butter.
2. AI-enhanced video editing and content creation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing video content creation and editing. AI is no longer that awkward newcomer nobody knows about. It has officially become a core part of video creation and making its way into various industries.
From AI-generated voiceovers to automated video editing, AI is changing and streamlining how content is produced. AI capabilities can help creators plan, produce and edit videos more efficiently. Features like automated captioning, b-roll generation, and even AI-generated footage are becoming commonplace. We explored these capabilities in Adobe Premiere Pro in a recent vlog. Research how AI can facilitate your specific workflow.
3. Video podcasting on the rise
In recent years, podcasting has found its way to be a media mainstay. Its long-form format and in-depth exploration of topics has grabbed the attention of many in recent years.
Now, video podcasting (vodcasting) is revolutionizing traditional podcasting by adding a visual element. Visual engagement paired with the alluring, immersive dialogue of podcasting creates a powerful combination. Audiences can feel even closer to creators in this intimate format. 
Platforms like Spotify and YouTube are investing heavily in video podcast content. Vodcasting is now considered a lucrative opportunity, opening new avenues for monetization and content diversification. For example, video podcasters can reach more audiences on visual platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Audiences who do not typically listen to audio-only podcasts can discover their content there.
Secondly, adding visuals to audio makes the format more accessible to various demographics. This expanded reach leads to higher ad impressions, increased engagement, and more sponsorship deals. Take a look at our vodcasting episodes for The Next 150 podcast with CSU President Amy Parsons as a great reference.
4. Long-form and in-depth video resurgence
A fatigue toward quick dopamine hits is creeping in for some audiences on social media. Many are craving more meaningful and comprehensive content. Platforms are also broadening their scope to widen their video ecosystems. For example, TikTok has extended its maximum video length, allowing creators to produce longer content. The platform is pushing longer content to compete with YouTube, with early adopters seeing huge engagement spikes. Check out this Vietnamese BBQ video on TikTok, a video that exceeds ten minutes. 
Despite this resurgence, long-form video still needs an extra touch to compete with short-form videos, which still reign supreme. For example, the previously shared BBQ video has an eye-catching, bold phrase or title beneath the video. Something about this catches the eye and adds a social flair. Observe what’s working with other brands. Consider these added touches or visual cues to make longer, horizontal videos feel more social and less out of place.
5. More BTS and POV
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: younger generations love authenticity and raw moments with people they identify with. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that one of the most mentioned video trends involves Behind-the-Scenes (BTS) and POV (First-Person Perspective) content. Students and prospective students are wary of polished marketing videos. They want to see the raw, humanizing personalities behind the institution.
In our university world, this means showing a “Day-In-The-Life” of students, faculty, or staff. Prospective students love seeing first-person experiences of university life. This can help them make decisions on coming to CSU or choosing a major.
Take a look at CSU’s Reel Life Ram series as a POV example.
Secondly, who doesn’t love BTS Content? Showing what happens behind closed doors or how something is made provides a bit of escapism for audiences. Breaking the script of everyday life provides relief by exploring a different part of someone’s universe.
Let’s head into 2025
Staying dialed into these trends will be helpful for teams and creators to maintain relevance in the dynamic social media environment of 2025.
As we’ve seen, you can never stay too complacent in one approach or format. Many trends are holding steady. Yet, social media video trends are evolving beyond short, viral clips.
Finally, it has yet to be seen the full potential of AI. AI has found firm footing in industries nationwide, already redefining the video production workflow. Stay abreast of developments here, as this is the talk of the town when it comes to the future.
We hope you’ve found this blog helpful in your social media endeavors for 2025. Cheers to another year of who-knows-what’s-next!