Short videos grow on Youtube, but TikTok continues to dominate format

An analysis of 3.5 million videos by TopicTree revealed that 21.2% of Youtube videos ranked in the main search results in the last six months have less than 30 seconds.The data reflects a trend of greater demand from users for short productions on the platform, after the creation of Youtube Shorts. Despite this, the social network still maintains strong representation in videos with long duration (over 15 minutes); in contrast, medium-length content, between two and eight minutes, has suffered a significant decline.

Although Youtube has grown, TikTok continues to dominate the industry. The same survey shows that more than 55% of the platform videos classified in search results in the last six months are less than 30 seconds long, almost triple the Youtube. According to Fabio Goncalves, director of international talent at Viral Nation and expert in the influencer marketing market for more than ten years, the growth of short videos, on all platforms, is a direct response to changes in digital consumer behavior.

“People are increasingly having accelerated routines, browsing through multiple platforms and seeking to consume content that is fast, objective and that delivers value instantly. Shorts, in this sense, came as a YouTube strategy not only to retain the attention of users, but also to attract a younger audience, accustomed to the dynamics of TikTok. It is an efficient way to increase the discovery of creators, content and even strengthen trends within the” platform, he explains.

Fabio also points out that it is important to understand that Youtube still carries an essence very linked to long, more in-depth and often educational content. For this reason, the platform will hardly surpass TikTok in this type of content: This is because TikTok, in turn, was born and consolidated with a proposal completely focused on fast consumption and immediate entertainment. The TikTok algorithm was thought from the beginning to deliver an extremely personalized curation, with a much more fluid consumption dynamics, which makes the user spend hours rolling the timeline. This explains why, even with the advancement of the Shorts, YouTube is still unable to compete directly on the subject in the same domain.

Despite being an old trend, in the opinion of the professional, the consumption of short videos continues to expand, mainly because consumer behavior continues to be increasingly focused on immediacy. According to Goncalves, agencies that work with influencers need to be prepared not only to think content, but also to think formats, that is, guide talents on how to adapt their narratives, scripts, and communication strategies for this type of language.

“Na Viral Nation, for example, we have been positioning ourselves for some years as a global agency that not only works campaigns, but develops careers of creators, and this necessarily involves understanding multiplatform consumption. Today, we have a robust team of data, technology and market intelligence that helps us to map trends, analyze what performs best in each format and support our talents in this process of constant adaptation.In addition, we invest a lot in the training of creators, offering creative support, training and content insights. We even have our own artificial intelligence products and proprietary tools that help us anticipate market movements and build strategies that make sense to both to finalize brands.

METHODOLOGY

The research conducted by TopicTree analyzed a universe of 3.5 million videos published on TikTok and YouTube. The database used gathers videos that appeared among the first 20 search results for popular keywords on platforms over the last two years. The analysis focused on mapping performance patterns, such as variations in video duration, user engagement behavior and the main differences in search dynamics and content delivery on each platform https://www.topictree.com/blog/youtube-vs-tiktok-learnings.