How to make scroll-stopping TikToks & Instagram reels

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are powerful tools for connecting with your audience, building brand awareness, and even driving sales. To truly harness their potential, mastering the art of creating compelling short-form video content is essential.

Understand your audience

To create truly impactful short-form video content, understanding your audience is crucial. Dive into platform-specific analytics to uncover who’s watching your content, and develop customer personas to better tailor your message. Remember, user behaviour can differ significantly between TikTok and Instagram, what resonates on one platform might not on the other.

Keep it short, snappy, and engaging

Grab attention in the first 3 seconds

Your opening is everything! Craft compelling hooks and use eye-catching visuals to immediately capture attention. These initial moments are crucial for stopping the scroll and piquing curiosity. Choosing the right audio, sounds, or trending clip, can set the tone, enhance emotions, and even make your content more discoverable within the platform’s algorithms.

“Every second counts in short-form video. From the hook to the CTA, precision is crucial for impact.” – Lara Harding, Senior Organic Social Media Executive

Tips for grabbing attention in the first 3 seconds include:

• Start with a hook: Immediately pose a question, present a surprising fact, or show a captivating visual to grab attention.
• Show, don’t just tell: Use strong visuals and action to convey your message quickly.
• Create curiosity: Hint at what’s coming next or present a dilemma that makes viewers want to stay and find out.
• Incorporate fast pacing: Use quick cuts and transitions to keep the energy high and prevent viewers from scrolling away.
• Leverage text overlays: Add concise, engaging text on screen to reinforce your message or add a humorous element.

Edit for impact

Once you have your footage, edit for maximum impact. Use tools and apps that enhance production quality, and pay close attention to pacing, transitions, and cuts. These elements are crucial for maintaining viewer engagement and telling a concise story.

Make it platform-specific

It’s crucial to understand that not all platforms are created equal. While it might be tempting to create one video and share it across every channel, a more tailored approach for each channel is likely to get significantly better results.

TikTok: This platform thrives on authenticity, trends, and user participation. To make an impact, lean into native TikTok challenges, embrace trending sounds, and encourage direct engagement.

Instagram Reels: Instagram favours high-quality, aesthetically pleasing visuals. While trends can still play a role, consider how your content can be visually captivating and aspirational. Incorporating clear CTAs driving traffic or engagement directly from the video.

While cross-posting the same video across multiple platforms can save time, it can pose a risk. Without adapting your content to each platform’s unique audience and features, you risk diluting your engagement and missing out on opportunities to connect more deeply with viewers.

Use captions, hashtags & CTAs wisely

To maximise the impact and reach of your TikToks and reels, it’s essential to go beyond just compelling visuals. Strategically leveraging captions, hashtags, and CTAs can significantly boost visibility, nurture deeper engagement, and ultimately drive desired outcomes.

• Hashtags: Hashtags are a vital component of social SEO. When used effectively, optimised, relevant hashtags act as powerful discovery tools, categorising your content and making it discoverable to a wider, more targeted audience actively searching for topics related to your content.
• Captions: While videos are a visual medium, well-crafted captions play a crucial role in extending your content’s reach and reinforcing your core message.
• CTAs: A TikTok or reel isn’t just about entertainment; it’s an opportunity to guide your audience towards a specific next step. Strong CTAs are essential for encouraging user interaction and driving tangible outcomes, whether that’s increasing engagement, generating leads, or boosting sales.

Strategically integrating these elements ensures a brand’s social media videos will not only capture attention but also effectively guide your audience through their journey with your brand.

Post consistently and analyse performance

Consistency is key to building algorithmic trust and nurturing audience loyalty. Regularly posting content helps keep your brand front of mind. Always monitor key metrics using tools like TikTok Analytics and Meta Insights. The insights gained from this data are invaluable, allowing you to continually refine your strategy and significantly improve the performance of your short-form video content.

PrecisionBiotics

PrecisionBiotics partnered with Click Consult to transition from a paid TikTok strategy to an organic content approach that would build genuine audience connections while reflecting their brand ethos. The goal was to increase brand awareness and engagement with both wellness‑focused audiences and those seeking gut health solutions, using only organic content.

Key Results

In under five months, Click Consult achieved the following:

• 579 000 total video views
• Over 11% engagement rate on top-performing videos
• Successfully realigned TikTok algorithm from paid to organic content

Conclusion

To truly succeed on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, you need a strategic approach that blends creativity with data-driven insights. Applying the above to your social media strategies will give you the tools you need to create TikTok videos, and Instagram Reels that not only capture attention but also drive meaningful results for your brand.