Glossary · Publishing
Short-form video
Short-form video is brief, usually vertical video made to be watched on a phone, in feeds such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
Why it matters
These feeds are where many people come across new stories. A documentary that fits the format can reach viewers who would never have searched for its topic.
Short-form feeds play one video after another, so each video competes for attention from its first second. The frame is tall (9:16) and seen on a small screen, and some people watch with the sound off, which favors close shots, large text and one clear idea.
Length limits and features differ by platform and change over time, so it's worth checking each platform's own guidance before you plan a video's length. The craft stays the same: a strong opening, a story told without detours, and an ending that pays off.
Short documentaries face a particular test: telling a true story accurately in very little time. That means choosing one angle, cutting everything that doesn't serve it, and never trading accuracy for speed.
Instead of covering a founder's whole life, a 55-second short tells one story: the week his company nearly ran out of cash, and the single phone call that saved it.
How we use it
Our videos run about a minute or less, and each also gives one shorter cut of its strongest moment.
Last reviewed 15 October 2026.