Short-form content going viral on social media
Going viral on social media may seem somewhat random, and pretty tough, at first sight. But “random” could be the wrong word to use when social media is actually ruled by algorithms. Let’s talk about short-form content and how easy or hard it can be to go viral in all its available platforms, as well as some similarities and differences between them.
To quote from Izea’s article: “Audiences gravitate toward quick video clips that entertain or educate. A handful of social channels offer short-form video features.” (Izea, 2023) Some examples of the social channels they talk about are TikTok, Instagram and Youtube Shorts.
Some similarities between them include the fact that they have a 9:16 vertical/phone aspect ratio, they allow users to add music, filters, and text, they are open for likes, shares, and follows, and the algorithm recommends videos based on the person’s interactions with other videos.
However, some differences include video length, shopping links, monetization options, engagement rates, audience demographics, and popularity for brands. Though, one thing is certain either way, short-form content has flooded social media as a whole.
To briefly talk about its origins, Musical.ly and Vine came first, around 2013-2014. Then, in 2017 a Chinese company bought Musical.ly and turned it into the TikTok we know today. Since then, short-form content went from fun or informative little clips to a brain-rotting plague, in my opinion. Instagram, FaceBook, and Youtube have already implemented this system because of TikTok’s success.
So, now, everyone keeps trying to “go viral” so they can earn money and make a living out of content creation. Some people have analyzed what makes a video perform well on social media, and the answer usually involves something called a “hook”. Despite all of them offering the same short-form content format, their algorithms work differently and their predominant target audience varies as well, so the same thing may not necessarily apply to every platform.
What is a hook in social media and how does it work? Well, to quote an article from Backstage: “A hook is the opening moment of a piece of content designed to grab attention immediately and compel the viewer to keep watching. On social media, this usually happens within the first one to five seconds of a video or the first line of a caption or post.” (Rex Provost, 2026)
The way a hook works is that it gives out the video’s value proposal in the very beginning of a video, inciting viewers to stay and watch the whole thing all the way to the end to actually get some of that value that was proposed in the beginning, or something along those lines.
So now, what are some types of hooks? There’s hooks that appeal to most senses. For example, visual, auditory, and “tactile” (or interactive). Other specific examples include the curiosity gap: leaving an unresolved question, the “wait for it”: which implies a visual hook with something interesting or appealing, the bold claim: something strong or controversial, the story hook, and the rapid-fire value hook: starting out with everything the video includes to get it over with quicker.
In conclusion, which hook you use on which social media will usually end up depending on what kind of content you make or what you’re aiming for in the first place. The human mind is incredibly complex and interesting, yet there are some patterns that end up being hilariously predictable. Like what calls our attention quicker.
References
Shore, V. (2026, 3 junio). Evolution of short form video marketing. Storyblocks. https://www.storyblocks.com/resources/blog/evolution-of-short-form-video-marketing
Provost, R. P. (2026, 24 marzo). Viral Social Media Hooks: How to Stop the Scroll and Get Your Content Seen. Backstage. Recuperado 7 de julio de 2026, de https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/social-media-hook-examples-80055/
Arifin, Y. A. (2023, 22 abril). The Rise of TikTok: From Musical.ly to Global Phenomenon. Medium. Recuperado 7 de julio de 2026, de https://medium.com/@yeasinarifin/the-rise-of-tiktok-from-musical-ly-to-global-phenomenon-e20abdb83199
Izea, & Izea. (2023, 30 mayo). How do Reels, Shorts, and TikToks Differ? IZEA Worldwide, Inc. https://izea.com/resources/how-do-reels-shorts-and-tiktoks-differ/