Over the past few years, TikTok‘s enthusiasm for long-form videos has become clear. The app has steadily increased the maximum length of its uploads to the point that hour-long TikToks are now in the testing phase. To incentivize the creation of those extended, horizontal clips, the Creator Rewards Program (initially launched as the Creativity Program) has delivered substantial payouts to TikTokers who choose to go long.
Creators who have embraced the Rewards Program are already seeing faster growth than those don’t, according to TikTok. At an event in Los Angeles, the app’s execs provided tips for creators who want to keep seeing strong returns. The TikTok Creativity Summit, as the gathering was titled, offered a mix of presentations, keynotes, and meet-ups catered to long-form creators on the app.
One of the most intriguing presentations came from TikTok Creator Manager Norissa Samuels. As reported by Business Insider, Samuels used her platform at the invite-only event to share ten tips for creators who want to make highly-engaging long-form videos. Here are the best practices she shared:
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- Have a clear beginning, middle, and end. This concept is why comedy — with its setups, turns, and punchlines — is such a massive category for short-form videos, and a similar concept applies to long-form as well.
- Keep your audience engaged. YouTube creators like Jesser get strong retention in long-form videos by making sure a new reveal is just around the corner at all times.
- Grab viewer attention. The first five seconds of a long-form video are a critical period for retention. Producers of movie trailers have known this for a while.
- Create a strong hook. This goes hand-in-hand with #3. If you tease a memorable moment right from the jump, viewers have more reasons to stick around.
- Change your location or apply effects. TikTok doesn’t want its long-form videos to look or feel static. And if you happen to dig into the app’s vast effects library along the way, TikTok won’t complain.
- Go into detail. Samuels said that long-form videos should help viewers learn something new. This is why educational videos constantly rank among the most-watched sponsored clips on YouTube.
- Solve a problem. If you can debunk a common myth or test a theory, viewers will be interested in seeing the result (even if you’re just trying to cook a chicken by slapping it).
- Prioritize production value. TikTok wants creators to reinvest those Rewards earnings into their videos, in order to ensure a professional-looking product.
- Prepare your technical elements before shooting. Samuels wants creators to “think like a director.” And no, that doesn’t just apply to Martin Scorsese.
- Be intentional. Choose an aesthetic and stick to it. Viewers don’t have a great reputation when it comes to accepting change, so this tip rings true across the landscape of creator content.
At the end of the day, a successful long-form creator on TikTok will produce videos that look similar to long-form uploads on platforms like YouTube. That might not sound like an earth-shattering revelation, but TikTok’s long-form community was still happy to get some advice directly from the app. The attendee response to the Creativity Summit can be seen in (short-form) videos posted on the app.
