Short-form views. Long-form trust.

Hey, Paige here!

Before we get into today’s best marketing research… 

In today’s release: 

• The biggest misconception about the long vs short form content battle

• Striking the balance for 22% increased engagement and higher search ranking

• Real-world brand wins from content balancing-act champs

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DEEP DIVE

Old news: Short-form video have redefined content consumption. 

But does the continuous rise of this content mean an end for long-form content? No way. 🙅

Pair that with the instability of many social platforms today, your long and short-form content must be balanced and strategic… and we’re not just talking video.

Let’s break down how to strike that balance (considering the shifty context of TikTok, X, and Facebook atm). 

A few key stats, short-form style: 

• TikTok has 1.6 monthly active users spending about an hour on the app daily (if not an argument for the platform, this is content validation for short-form interest-based content)

• YouTube Shorts receive 70 billion daily views

• Instagram Reels generate 22% more engagement than standard posts

Platforms have even leaned into short-form for brand storytelling:

• Netflix uses TikTok to tease new shows (this one’s got me more than once). 

• Duolingo exploded its following on TikTok, outranking massive accounts like Disney, and driving a boatload of new downloads. 

Key Lesson: Short-form works wonders for brand awareness, relatability, and virality. It’s your hook to capture attention in crowded spaces.

Long-Form Content — The trust-builder key stats:

While short-form reigns in engagement, long-form content builds credibility and converts audiences. They. Work. Together.

• YouTube reported that videos over 10 minutes drive more watch time, which directly impacts discoverability.

• Blogs between 1,400-2,400 words consistently rank highest in Google search results.

Real-world brand wins:

• HubSpot uses long-form blog posts and eBooks to establish authority on marketing trends — willing to bet you’ve read their content. They then repurpose into short videos and social posts. 

• Neil Patel, a content marketing expert, uses long-form videos on YouTube to teach SEO concepts, then posts key takeaways as short videos. This approach not only drives lead generation but reinforces his expertise across formats.

Key Lesson: Long-form is essential for nurturing leads, educating your audience, and SEO dominance.

Long-form 🤝  Short-form 

Here’s how to strategically blend both formats for maximum impact:

Each platform has its strengths. But now might not be the best time to marry your brand to a single platform (looking at you, TikTok and FB 👀). 

Blending long and short-form content and creating beautiful content loops will help you grow and stay relevant despite the shifty digital environment of 2025.

Key Takeaway: Short-form video isn’t cannibalizing long-form content—it’s amplifying it. By using short-form for awareness and engagement and long-form for education and conversion, you can create a seamless content journey that meets your audience at every stage of the funnel.