Nothing stays still for long in the world of social media. After all, content is king but the type of content that reigns supreme is always evolving. Recently, a notable shift has been observed: the increasing length of videos on various social media platforms. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok, known for their short, snappy videos, are now experimenting with longer formats. This change marks a new era in content creation and consumption, offering both opportunities and challenges for marketers.
The Shift to Longer Videos
Traditionally, social media platforms have favored short-form videos. These quick, engaging clips are perfect for capturing the attention of users who are often scrolling through their feeds at lightning speed. However, recent updates suggest a significant change. Instagram Reels can now be as long as 15 minutes, and TikTok is reportedly testing videos of the same length according to this Hootsuite report recently published about the 16 most important social media trends for 2024.
This shift towards longer videos reflects changing user behaviors. People are now spending more time on social media not just to scroll passively but to engage deeply with content that interests them. This is partly driven by the increasing use of social media as a source of information and entertainment, akin to traditional media like TV and YouTube.
Why Do Customers now enjoy longer videos?
1. Deeper Engagement
Longer videos allow creators to dive deeper into topics. This can lead to more meaningful engagement as viewers spend more time with the content. For marketers, this means a greater opportunity to convey their message and connect with their audience on a deeper level.
2. Versatile Content
With more time, creators can be more versatile in their content. Tutorials, detailed product reviews, behind-the-scenes looks, and storytelling become more feasible. This variety can keep the audience engaged and coming back for more.
3. Meeting User Expectations
As users turn to social media for comprehensive information and entertainment, longer videos meet their expectations for in-depth content. This trend is evident in how social media users are increasingly searching for detailed answers and engaging stories.
Implications for Affiliates
1. Content Strategy Adjustments
Marketers need to adjust their content strategies to accommodate longer videos. This means planning more comprehensive content that can hold the viewer’s attention for an extended period. It’s not just about length but also about maintaining quality and engagement throughout.
2. Investment in Production
Longer videos often require more investment in production. From scripting and filming to editing and post-production, creating high-quality long-form content can be resource-intensive. However, the potential for higher engagement and deeper connections with the audience can justify the investment.
3. New Metrics of Success
With the shift to longer videos, traditional metrics of success like view counts may not be sufficient. Engagement metrics such as watch time, viewer retention, and interaction rates will become more important. These metrics provide a clearer picture of how the content resonates with the audience.
Tips for Creating Engaging Longer Videos
1. Start Strong
Grab the viewer’s attention in the first few seconds. This is crucial for retaining their interest throughout the video. A compelling hook or an intriguing question can work wonders to spark interest and keep customers engaged with your affiliate story.
2. Keep It Interesting
Maintain a steady pace and keep the content engaging. Use visuals, animations, and different camera angles to keep the video dynamic. Break down information into digestible segments to avoid overwhelming the viewer.
3. Add Value
Ensure that the content provides value to the viewer. Whether it’s educational, entertaining, or inspirational, the video should meet the audience’s needs and expectations.
4. Encourage Interaction
Invite viewers to interact by asking questions, prompting comments, or suggesting viewers share their thoughts. This not only boosts engagement but also fosters a sense of community.
The trend towards longer videos on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok marks a significant shift in how content is created and consumed. For marketers, this change presents an opportunity to engage more deeply with their audience, provided they can adapt their strategies and produce high-quality, engaging content. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, staying ahead of these trends will be key to maintaining a strong and effective online presence.
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Since June, 27-year-old Li Na has spent at least two hours a day on her new side job: TikTok. She posts up to three makeup videos on her account daily — they share tips and showcase dramatic before-and-after transformations. ButLi doesn’t create any of the videos. Instead, she finds viral clips on Chinese social media platforms like Douyin, Bilibili, and Xiaohongshu, and after a round of light edits, reposts them to TikTok. Li and many others like her post these videos in the hope that they too will go viral on TikTok, earning them an income through the app’s Creator Fund or from affiliate marketing.
The practice is known as banyun in Chinese, which translates to “moving” or “smuggling.” It has attracted a lot of attention in the country over the past year, with “gurus” and influencers selling guides and training sessions on making money through banyun. Once trained, they promise, anyone can gather a massive TikTok following and make money by promoting products for a few hours of work per day.
TikTok
But the so-called gurus are selling a dream that’s outdated and misleading, George Gu, founder of NewMe, a social e-commerce firm specializing in TikTok, told Rest of World. TikTok’s platform policy does not allow posting any content that infringes on someone else’s intellectual property rights. If reported, these accounts risk being removed, suspended, or terminated permanently.
“This [banyun] is not allowed on TikTok and we remove content and ban accounts that engage in this behavior as soon as we detect it,” wrote Jamie Favazza, a TikTok spokesperson, in an email to Rest of World.
Mindy Liu, 22, decided to try banyun after reading a post on the lifestyle social media app Xiaohongshu about a woman who claimed to have started an e-commerce business on TikTok from home. Liu contacted Xindi Consulting, the account that had made the post, and was quickly connected to a “mentor” on WeChat. The mentor made the process sound effortless, and told Liu she could quickly generate $1,000 a week in income from TikTok’s Creator Fund and affiliate marketing. Liu’s mentor also quoted her a fee of $550 for training, which amounted to more than half her savings. She eventually ended up paying it.
In exchange, Liu received a hefty document over 100 pages in length, detailing the steps she needed to take. She chose home products as her niche, and scoured Chinese social media for popular videos featuring organization tips and product hacks. TikTok is blocked in China, so Liu needed a reliable virtual private network (VPN); she bought one from her mentor for an additional $70 a year. She used the app CapCut to edit the video, also cropping and flipping it from left to right to avoid copyright infringement.
Li, who runs the makeup-focused account, also removes one frame every 2–3 seconds of a video before she reposts it to TikTok. The resulting difference in video quality is almost impossible for humans to notice, but she was promised that it would be enough to fool TikTok.
Despite her efforts, the rewards never followed. After two months, Li’s makeup account had just 84 followers. Although the videos she reposted were wildly popular on Douyin, they garnered just over a few hundred views on TikTok. Most have fewer than 10 likes.
TikTok
Liu tried to reach out to her mentor on WeChat, only to find that they had vanished: Their account had been deleted. “I am in deep emotional and financial distress now,” Liu told Rest of World. “I started working on TikTok banyun because I didn’t have much money. Now I am in debt because of the training fee.”
Even banyun posters who’ve found a degree of success have struggled to maintain it. Xiaoting Wang paid a banyun mentor around $700 to start her business. With a background in video editing, she found tweaking and reposting videos easy, and started a few pet accounts in October last year. By the following February, one of her accounts had grown big enough to qualify for TikTok’s Creator Fund — the supposed final step to riches in the banyun playbook. But Wang’s income has since remained between $1–$3, far below the $100 a day her mentor had promised. When she reached out to the mentor for further advice, they disappeared.
“It has become draining,” Wang told Rest of World. “I started to think it’s not worth three hours of my time every day.” In May, she sold all her accounts to a livestreaming agency for 2,000 yuan ($278).
Despite their struggles, Li and Liu aren’t quitting TikTok yet. Li plans to create her own makeup videos, hoping it will be more successful than stealing content from elsewhere. Liu, meanwhile, has turned her attention to the promise of TikTok Shop, ByteDance’s new e-commerce marketplace. She has joined a WeChat group called “TikTok Players,” filled with other content farmers and product sellers. They are all looking for the right way to monetize their accounts, to make the most of what they feel is TikTok e-commerce’s inevitable rise around the world.
“Chinese people are used to buying products on Douyin,” said Liu. “It’s just a matter of time that foreigners catch up to it.”
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