Expert Opinion: 5 video content trends to watch out for in 2023

Managing Director of video production agency Studio 91 Media, Ben Horrigan shares his top trends to watch out for in 2023 when considering video content for your business.

In January 2023, a huge milestone was reached when Meta announced that “50% of all people’s time on our platforms is now spent consuming video.” So it feels like now is a good time to take stock of where video content is at, and where it’s going over the next 12 months. The team and I put our heads together and came up with this list of key video content trends.

1. Long-form = long term

Don’t get me wrong, short-form video isn’t going anywhere. We all still have tiny attention spans, and we’re all still addicted to scrolling. But don’t fall into the trap of concentrating all your energy on tiny videos that don’t really speak to people in any meaningful way. A longer duration means more depth, more nuance, more chance to get your story or message across.

Even on TikTok, while the most popular videos tend to be around 9–15 seconds long, many creators are now posting lengthy vlogs in multiple parts.

Think of short-form video as a way to increase reach. Think of long-form video as the key to long-term loyalty and engagement. And don’t forget it’s fine to use both, even within the same campaign – like a 10-second Instagram ad that leads to a landing page with more in-depth video content.

2. Can I BeReal a second?

Let’s face it, social media can be pretty fake sometimes. So we’re relieved to be able to list authenticity as one of our video content trends for 2023. The rise of BeReal has been a welcome rebellion against the airbrushed fakery Instagram is infamous for.

We shot this raw, honest interview for St Ann’s Hospice’s new building appeal. They chose Lee Boardman and Jennifer James as the ambassadors for the campaign, because they’re recognisable people with real-life experience of the hospice.

Another way to be real is to post videos from members of staff, sharing their concerns, passions or interests. Personal stories with an emotional hook often perform really well on LinkedIn – and video is the ideal format to tell them.

3. The revolution will be vertical

The big reason vertical video has taken off so much is that more and more video is watched on mobile. Most of us hold our phones vertically by default, and we’re a little bit too lazy to turn our phones ninety degrees. That’s how we arrived where we are now, with everyone doubling down on portrait video, even though landscape is much more natural. Because as you may have noticed, our eyes are next to, rather than on top of, each other.

We shouldn’t abandon horizontal video, though – it still has massive merits. Let’s say you’re a B2B company. Is it more likely that your customers are seeing your content on a phone, or on a work computer? Or imagine you’re producing an explainer video for your website: portrait will look great on mobile but (usually) terrible on desktop. Landscape, on the other hand, will look good on both. This kind of thing needs to be considered early on in the production process, so you know how you’re filming and why.

4. Virtual communities and virtuous video

Tubular Labs listed ‘Virtual communities for good’ as one of the things brands need to thrive in 2023. A virtual community is any group of people, connected via the internet, that has shared values or interests. Tubular’s report used the example of Indeed.com’s Pride campaign, which highlighted the workplace experiences of LGBTQ+ professionals.

Now more than ever, people want to support brands and organisations that align with their passions and interests. We produced this film for ecology consultants Tyler Grange, about their long-standing partnership with the charity Farms for City Children.

5. User-generated content(ment)

We’re occasionally guilty of dropping confusing media jargon and three-letter acronyms, one of which is UGC, our fifth and final video content trend. UGC, or user-generated content, is any media that is created by your audience and repurposed by you. It can include influencer content – which is still a big deal. Usually, though, UGC refers to crowdsourced submissions from real customers or users.

There are three big advantages to user-generated content:

• UGC can be gathered remotely
• UGC is cheap
• UGC is authentic

What comes next?

Consider all of these elements, and how they might fit into your video content strategy. Think about things like aspect ratio (landscape vs portrait) alongside duration, audience and platform.

Maybe you have a more polished landscape video produced every quarter, which sits on your YouTube and website. Every week your CEO posts a short vlog to LinkedIn – under a minute, in portrait mode. Your in-house marketing team posts short UGC clips every day on Instagram Stories, highlighting specific products or services.

Keep asking yourself what you’re doing with video, and why. Don’t just blindly jump on the latest shiny video trends. Be aware of them, and then figure out whether you can apply them to your strategy.

Read the full article on the Studio 91 Media website.