With more than half of the world active on social media platforms known for short-form content, integrating these bite-sized formats into your website can be a powerful way to engage visitors and potential customers. Short-form content is part of a broader content strategy that allows you to create a dynamic experience that draws visitors in and encourages them to explore your brand further.

Read on to discover how to use short-form content to deliver the best customer experience and convert interested viewers into engaged customers.

Short-form vs. long-form content: Key differences

The obvious difference between short-form and long-form content is length. On average, short-form articles are less than 1,000 words, and short videos are under three minutes long.

You can use short-form content in your marketing strategy to quickly answer viewers’ questions, explain product developments, or build hype for an upcoming launch. And since filming and writing short pieces is faster, brands can share new information quicker. Engaging with customers throughout the development process encourages them to share feedback, which companies can use to improve their products.

In contrast, long-form content is usually the cornerstone of your content offering. Readers interested in additional information will go into a long-form article or video knowing they need to invest more time in your post. So you can be more detailed by using examples, citing sources, and adding context that enhances your point.

For example, compare the following LinkedIn articles about content marketing statistics:

• 28 content marketing statistics — This short-form article example is less than 500 words long. Most of the article is in a simple bullet-point list format that provides specific statistics about content marketing, which is supported by three paragraphs that add some basic context. Overall, the content’s brevity makes it easier to scan, meaning it’s more likely to provide a quick answer for readers looking for a specific data point.
• Digital marketing statistics — This much longer LinkedIn article provides similar statistics about content marketing but uses headings, visuals, and more copy to add context to the data it conveys. While the article is well-organized, readers need a longer attention span to sort through it to find what they’re looking for. Visitors looking for fast answers may bounce out of the article, but those interested in a more in-depth analysis of digital marketing stats will enjoy the article’s level of detail.

The rise of short-form content

Marketing teams industrywide have started focusing on short posts because they have a high conversion rate. According to a 2024 study from Adobe, nearly one in four people said TikTok short-form videos had influenced them to buy something as quickly as within three minutes of first seeing it.

But short videos aren’t the only type of short-form content gaining traction — shorter blog articles and social media posts are also increasingly popular formats for marketing. 77% of viewers say short-form videos on social media have convinced them to make a purchase. In 2022, TikTok ads generated over $4 billion in revenue worldwide, and researchers expect this number to quadruple by 2026.

Advantages and disadvantages of short-form vs. long-form content

Marketers who use a content-first strategy can use short- and long-form posts — there’s no need to rely on just one form. But you’ve got to know when to keep content short and when to let it go longer. Here are several pros and cons to consider when making these decisions.

Short-form content

Pros

• Less resource-intensive. The shorter your videos and articles are, the less time you need to spend writing, filming, and editing. This allows you to produce content at a high volume, giving you more opportunities to connect with readers and viewers.
• Easy to consume. People can quickly find the information they want, leading to less skimming, fewer bounces, and no scrubbing through longer videos.
• Typically mobile-friendly. Short posts are easier to review on the go because they don’t require the time and attention of longer ones.
• Easily shareable. When your content is condensed, people are more likely to share it because it quickly captures their attention and addresses a specific need or interest.

Cons

• Prone to repetition without planning. It’s harder to maintain a large library of small articles because of the sheer volume you’ll need to track. And unless you scale your content strategy methodically, it’s easy to accidentally repeat topics.
• Limited space for authority building. Establishing credibility requires consistently providing accurate, relevant information. And that’s easier to do in a lengthy article or video where you have more space to make claims, back them up, and cite your sources.
• May oversimplify topics. Cutting down your word count or video length may remove valuable context from your points, leading to posts that lack nuance and detail.

Long-form content

Pros

• Longer-lasting relevance. Longer videos and articles give you the space to add historical context to your content so it’s relevant for longer than posts that focus solely on current events.
• Better keyword rankings. A higher word count means more opportunities to weave SEO-focused keywords into your content. This helps search engines understand your content and show it to relevant audiences, potentially raising your search engine results page (SERP) ranking.
• More backlinking opportunities. When other content writers need to reference an authoritative source, they might be more likely to choose your longer content if it establishes more credibility and valuable context than short-form articles.

Cons

• May overwhelm some users. Longer articles or posts often contain in-depth information that people may find overwhelming, especially when they’re pressed for time and looking for quick answers.
• Lower engagement. Users may miss your call to action (CTA) within longer content if they skip over that section or quickly skim in search of specific details.
• Increased time and resources. Longer content tends to be more comprehensive, meaning it takes longer to research, fact-check, write, and proofread.

4 best practices for creating short-form content

To get the most out of your short-form content, follow these best practices.

1. Be concise and captivating

As the name suggests, short-form content relies on brevity. When working with shorter posts, you have limited time to connect with audiences, so consider the following tips:

• Open your content with bold, attention-grabbing headlines and intros, and then dive right into the topic.
• Use visuals when they can communicate something more efficiently than words.
• When you need to rely on words, keep headings, copy, and CTAs short and action-oriented.

2. Align with your brand and audience

Establish a consistent brand voice and then stick to it. When your audience recognizes your brand, writing style, or actors, they immediately know what to expect, so they don’t need an explanation of your product at the start of every video or article. Over time, you’ll be able to cut introductory content because your audience is already familiar with your brand.

For example, the sponge company Scrub Daddy has a huge social media presence with over 240 million views on YouTube alone. The narrator is consistent across posts and often yells about product features or new launches. He uses the sponges unexpectedly, such as putting them into a sandwich. This unusual style results in ads that don’t really feel like advertising — instead, they come across as humorous posts people want to share with friends.

3. Prioritize authenticity, relevance, and value

To ensure your short-form content resonates with its audience, you need to swiftly establish credibility and trustworthiness.

Here’s how:

• Authenticity refers to using honesty to make content relatable and trustworthy. Include specific details like side-by-side comparisons with other brands or customer reviews so viewers will have fewer reservations about believing what you say.
• Relevance means attaching your content to current events, a specific use case, or popular trends to directly address people’s interests or concerns. For example, using viral sounds or focusing on sustainability can help you connect with your desired audience.
• Value means providing practical, actionable information that the audience can immediately use, such as a meal-delivery service posting recipes on their blog.

4. Entertain, educate, or inform

Before you turn on the camera or put pen to paper, decide precisely which of these three goals this particular piece of short-form content strives toward. Long-form content allows you to mix these three, but short-form content needs a singular focus so it can deliver a concise message.

Here are examples for each of these three goals:

• Entertaining posts tend to contain interesting or funny content, such as people doing weekly reviews of Crumbl Cookies.
• Educational articles and videos provide guidance on performing actions like troubleshooting an error, adjusting software settings, or using task-management software.
• Informational content tends to issue timely updates or announce breaking news, keeping audiences invested in continued information.

Elevate your marketing content with Webflow

An optimized content marketing strategy will likely include a healthy mix of short- and long-form content, and consistency is essential to delivering both well.

With Webflow, you have access to a robust CMS that lets you quickly update and launch new content — with or without relying on developers. Our visual web development platform ensures your site looks great on any device. And with social media integrations, you can quickly share posts across platforms.

Get started with Webflow to reach a broader audience.