Entertain Me
When you stop and think about it, the answer to what content you should put on social media, specifically Instagram and TikTok, is quite simple. Just ask yourself why do you spend time on these platforms? What kind of content do you seek out? Odds are, most of the rest of us are looking for the same things and spending our time on these apps in the same way. We are searching for information / to be educated on a topic or we want to be entertained. And what’s more entertaining or easier to consume than video?
Think about it - how many silly videos, dance challenges, pet videos, tarot readings, etc. do you watch in a day?
While there are no hard stats from Instagram about the time people spend on reels versus other parts of the platform like stories or the feed - it is definitely the feature that Instagram is pushing. You now see suggested reels in your feed. TikTok is a little different since you are obviously there to watch videos.
Short-form video is where everything is headed. TikTok, Reels, YouTube shorts. Our attention span is so small, that you have to show or say what needs to be said and FAST! In 2020, 73% of videos clocked in at two minutes or less and if you look at what is trending as of late, it’s videos at 7 seconds! Seven seconds! What on earth can you get across in that short of time? Actually - a lot and we will talk about that next week.
So let’s get back to what kind of videos should you be making. While this reel is a fun play off of ‘Inventing Anna’ the hit series on Netflix - it boils down to what people are looking for in two words. ENTERTAIN ME!
People want to watch videos that are entertaining or teach them something they did not know. Educate and Entertain. If your video doesn’t accomplish one of those two things - it probably won’t resonate with your target audience.
If you can educate and entertain your audience, well that is just gold. That is why so many cooking and DIY videos do so well.
Now by entertaining, we don’t mean you have to do the ring light challenge or the latest provocative dance. You can show a behind-the-scenes. If you have a product you can make a fun stop motion video to a trending song. The possibilities are endless.
The golden rule here - if you make a video, watch it. Does it educate or do you find it entertaining? If the answer is no, then ask yourself how can I change it.
Of course, we realize some videos are not going to meet this requirement every time, and that’s ok. But if you can give it a little thought and figure out how to educate and entertain - you have found the sweet spot.