Short form videos have become the leading form of content across social platforms. Following the success and high engagement on TikTok, we have seen the introduction of Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and many more platform-specific video tools.

What are short form videos?

Short form videos are generally portrait-mode videos lasting under a few minutes, although TikTok videos can now extend up to ten minutes.

Are short form videos important in 2025?

Marketers in 2025 are investing more time in short forms videos than ever. Over 93% of social media managers report that short form videos are an important asset in their marketing strategy as they provide a strong return on investment. These short, fun, engaging videos are fun for audiences to watch and much easier for brands to produce. That winning combination alone makes them worth your time.

In addition to the engagement and growing reach of short videos, these pieces of content are increasingly important search results across leading search engines and social networks. Recent studies have shown that Gen Z is preferring to search on TikTok and Instagram over Google. Short form videos are also being promoted alongside YouTube videos on many search engine result pages. These videos are powerful lead generation and engagement tools for any brand or product, and can have long lifespans thanks to continued appearances in search results.

Finally, one of the most attractive things about short form videos to many content creators is the potential to go viral. These easily shared clips and trends can quickly make their way across the web. For many brands or products, like Duolingo or Ryanair, these videos present an opportunity to show a more fun and relatable brand personality.

At IFTTT, we have been making our own videos and testing the types of content that resonate with our audience.

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How to automate short form videos

You can save time and make your life easier using automation. Automating your short form videos can make it possible to increase the quality and consistency of your content. Additionally, streamlining your workflows will increase your productivity so you can invest that extra time in other areas of your life or business that are important to you.

Content planning

AI can be a powerful companion in the content planning process. For example, if you are a creator who makes updates following a certain sports team, you could set up an Applet that monitors news about the team, asks AI to craft a draft script, and then upload your script into a file of your choice.

You can also use your Google Drive or Dropbox account as a way to send content right to platforms like YouTube or TikTok.

Cross post your short form videos

Views and impressions are the most important ways to expand the reach of your content and promote engagement. Sharing your videos across multiple platforms is a great way to get more eyes on the video and build your audience.

Cross posting automations for TikTok

Here are some ready-to-go Applets that will share your TikTok content to different platforms and tools as soon as you post.

Cross posting automations for YouTube

Share your YouTube Shorts across the web with these Applets!

Monitoring competitors and inspirational accounts

Watching content from similar brands in your industry as well as top creators can be a great way to get inspired and stay up to date. Automate how you consume content from your most-viewed channels by receiving notifications or sending their videos to a task management service so you can watch them all at once. This can be a good way to know what’s going on with other companies, stay on top of trends, and be ready to participate in conversations that are happening in your niche. Engaging on other creators’ content is always a positive way to build rapport and create online connections.

Automate your social marketing strategy with IFTTT

IFTTT has over 1000 services used by 30M users worldwide. Marketing automation is one of the popular ways IFTTTers grow their following. Short form video automation is really only the beginning. Explore our top social media automations or check out the Applets others have already created for popular apps below.

Best of all, it’s free to get started on IFTTT and setting up your first automation takes less than two minutes. Try it today and start automating your social media!