Today we talk about how we in the reptile community can work with the recent focus on short-form video across our social media outreach.

This is Bill Strand and I am the host of this Reptile Entrepreneur Podcast. These episodes and social media outreach is designed to help you build a solid and profitable business in the niche community of your choice.

History of Short Form video

Short Form video has become social media’s newest golden child. Short form video as an addictive art form was pioneered by TikTok and thrust that platform into the stratosphere to sit at the table with the likes of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. TikTok even crept into our language and we talked about making a “TikTok”. This sudden rise freaked out our old timers of over ten years old. For those counting, Instagram started in 2010, Facebook 2004, and Youtube 2005. So, with a release in 2016, TikTok is just a babe. But TikTok quickly grew and by 2020 the established companies were copying TikTok. Instagram introduced Reels, which were videos 60 seconds or less and YouTube introduced YouTube shorts of the same length. And to put it into perspective, Instagram did this in August 2020 and YouTube followed in September 2020. This was half a year into our Covid lockdowns. So this isn’t history, the oven is still warm on this shift! Which also means it isn’t done yet. TikTok started with 15 second maximum videos, but, somewhere around 2020 extended it to 60 seconds and in 2021 extended it to 3 minutes.

So, I just threw a bunch of dates at you like we were in history class. The value of me sharing these dates is not for you to memorize them, but to realize how quickly things are changing. Much of this upheaval has been done in the last two years and is just heating up. So we are, literally, on the cusp of the short form video wave. I know this wave has surprised many of you. Obviously, there are a huge number of people that love TikTok and are all on top of lip syncing and transitions and have turned it all into an impressive art form. That is how it got to be so popular! I am speaking more to the people who adjusted to single image Instagram or long form YouTube and have now had this new form crammed down their throats. And, I am not exaggerating with that feeling. If you grew your Instagram to 10s of thousands of followers based on your still image posting then you find that Instagram suddenly gives short form video reach priority over still images you might feel like things are changing. Now, why would an established platform like Instagram force a change in its core identity like this?

The answer is, simply, that the success and value of a social media platform is measured in number of active users. Obviously, it is more detailed than that, but the high level is that the more active users you have the better you are as a social media platform.

Now, I, personally, have a huge problem like this. Note, that I am not God and no one on Wall Street or in any executive suite knows who I am, much less cares what I think, but this is my podcast and, in this dark corner of the pub, what I say goes! So, the problem I have with this sudden addiction to short form video is that it tends to be mindless. What I mean is that it is so popular and, yes, addicting, that we turn off our brains and just scroll, scroll, scroll, until we notice it is 2AM and maybe we better get some sleep. So the time on the app is high, but the quality is low. I understand that that doesn’t matter to the ad revenue. Time viewed is what drives ad prices. So me lamenting loss of quality will go absolutely nowhere. But I bring this up not to just complain, but to acknowledge the core of a problem. How do we in our reptile, or other niche, community make content that will thrive and take off in this new world of short form video? And this is not just a question that we can bat around without coming to an answer.  How we use short form video to educate is, at this exact moment, being defined. And we need to be part of that innovation.

Going on TikTok and Instagram you can already find scientists that have embraced the new media forms. Yes, they tend to be younger. Granted, many of us believe we have this handicap of being older, but keep in mind that everyone doing this had to learn how to do it. If you are not yet ready to retire then you better voraciously adopt everything new coming down the line because that is where the world is going. Whether you adapt or not is whether you will be left behind or not.

But the beauty of social media is that it is all about your individuality. That 60 second canvas is empty and ready for whatever you want to put on it. Do not look at what other people are doing and think you just couldn’t do that. Well, you are very likely right. You may not be coordinated, have a sense of rhythm, able to be funny, or have a cat that looks grumpy all the time. But what can you do? What can you bring to this medium?

I will tell you this. The trends you see on TikTok are on their way out. Do you know how I can be brazen enough to tell the future? It is because as soon as the experts decide to put trends into a template and teach them template to the whole world that wants to be successful that companies start making ads using the trends and a whole lot of people start using the trend. And what is the hallmark of something that goes viral? It is amusing, surprising, exciting, emotional in new ways. Because we get desensitized to humor and emotional effects. This is why a joke is hilarious the first time and annoying the second time it is told. So, by time the experts are able to reduce it to a template for others to follow you know you are in the end times for that trend. Because it is usually something the majority of people are not doing that becomes the new trend. So there will be a constant turn over of trends. The one trend we are at the beginnings of is the educational short form video. This is in the process of being explored and I am encouraging all of you to try it out. Here are some examples.

Richard Stewart of the Tarantula Collective is now making 60 second long species profiles. These are of very high quality videography in a documentary style so that is actually something that makes his entry unique for a 60 second video.

I have been experimenting and my style is firmly as a podcaster so you end up with video presentations like a podcaster would do. Is this because I measured the market and decided there was a need for my podcaster approach? No, not at all. That is just what I have to give and if it takes off then I am gold. If it doesn’t take off…well, I guess I will have to develop a new video approach that people like. But since it is a genuine and sincere expression of who I am I am almost sure it will succeed. Because people love seeing who we are. It is comfortable to see someone in their craft and it is uncomfortable seeing someone who is obviously trying to be something they are not.

Now, when we bring a personal approach to something like Tiktoks, Reels, or YouTube shorts we have to commit to doing it for four to six months before we allow the judgement of how well it is doing. Because, in social media, things take a little while to catch on. It takes a little while for the people who like that approach to find you, coalesce around you,  get comfortable with your style, and then develop an affection for your delivery. And you have to give it that time. It is easy if you are doing things that people expect. No break in period needed. You go straight to how you deliver the content. But if you are trying something new out, you have to start from the beginning and give it time to find fertile ground. This is by far the best investment of time so don’t get frustrated by the process. That process is what keeps people less motivated from finding their own style. So, it is naturally a filtering effect. Power through.

Case in point, I am now doing a daily show on my Reptile entrepreneur Instagram account. Every morning I am posting an educational Reel that goes over one aspect of being successful on Instagram. It is me sitting behind a microphone and explaining a useful concept for up to 60 second. Having a 60 second newscast is not what standard Reels viewers expect. But the ones that have found what I am doing have benefitted greatly and they come back every day to watch the new 60 second episode. And I plan these out carefully so there is great value. But I expected adoption to start slowly. I know it is being effective because of the direct messages I receive. But it will take time for the people who appreciate this form of communication to find it and begin developing habits around expecting it from me. Then the increase in engagement will be noticed by the Instagram algorithm and then shown to more people and then onwards and upwards. I have committed to keep this up for 30 days. So, you can go on the Reptile Entrepreneur Instagram account and get these daily mini tutorials. I just finished a week on Reels and this next week will be on optimizing your Instagram bio. I like it. I think it is a very cool approach. I am going to extend it to my other outreach, the Chameleon Academy. But I have committed to doing it for 30 days publicly and 60 days privately to myself, by the way,  to test out not only how it will be received, but also to give me time to develop my skills and approach. The more I do it, the more I will grow in this art form. That all takes time. And this is what I am encouraging you to do in this new world of short form video. First, figure out your style. Is it lip synching and dancing? Is it high level videography? Is it podcast presentation? Over the shoulder presentation?…it is probably something uniquely yours that you will bring out. The trick is to be okay doing something that hasn’t been done before. Be okay with failing. Really, there is nothing that will hurt you if whatever you do isn’t a raging success. Second, when you find a style you think you like, commit to it for 30-60 days depending on frequency. But you have to do it either daily, every other day, or weekly. Weekly works on YouTube, while multiple times a week to every day works the best on Instagram. Give your idea time to breathe and give yourself time to hone your craft.

Do you want ideas? Just fire up that TikTok or Instagram and search for scientists. My favorite lately has been geology. How in the world can you make rocks entertaining? Check out the Cate Larsen at Groovygeologist. Check out her Instagram account and she has a Highlight of favorite TikToks. And you are exposed to more geologists making more of these crazy TikToks than you would believe! Okay, shall we find someone a little older? How about FootdocDana, a podiatrist who does, among other things, reaction videos. Would you believe you can find paleontologists TikToking away? So, when looking for inspiration as to what you might do, search for your favorite science field and see what they are doing. Does any of that match your personality? #mathtricks has 1.2Billion views on TikTok. There isn’t much dancing there..well, okay, there was the lady forming the shape of the functions about the x and y axis with her arms to the beat of Flashdance, but that was an exception. And, gosh frickin darn it I can’t believe how long I spent watching that!! Thanks for that, @pinkpencilmath. But did you think that a 15 second video explaining a trick to figuring out multiplying percentages could have 19Million views? So, yes, there is a place for you and your frogs!

The other side

Now…this pause and take a step back.

Yes, short form video is the latest thing. But let’s keep perspective. Instagram and youTube will push reels and shorts, but the other forms still work. All you need is to be aware of what is going on and make conscious decisions. In the end, you do what you are best at. If still images or long form video or audio podcasting is what you are best at then that is what you do.

All of these things, including reels, are simply tools for your outreach. You pick and choose what tools you want to use and then use them as effectively as possible. We each have our unique skills so don’t worry if you are not able to do what someone else appears to be so good in doing. The beauty of social media is that we can all do what we are good at and the people who enjoy that will congregate around us and our outreach.

Another thing I want to caution you on is getting caught up in the Reels craze and getting addicted to increasing follower count. Do you wake up in the morning and check your follows? Yeah, it is easy to reduce your outreach to that number ticking up. There is nothing wrong with making more and more reels trying for that viral reel r to bring more and more people to your account. The problem only comes in when you start adjusting your reels content to what gets responses from the general populace when that takes you away from your purpose. For my chameleon account I could have a great chance of going viral if I let my chameleon ride on the back of my adorable shiba inu dog. With some Western drama music I would be set for the riches that come with a viral video! But I will have totally sold out what my account is about – the proper husbandry of chameleons – chasing an increase in followers. Would it be worth it? No…absolutely not. But if we allow ourselves to be swept up in follower mania it is easy to flirt next to the gray zone. Having a dedicated focus to your purpose keeps you on the right path.

Conclusion

In the end, the most important thing for you to do is to not be distracted from your core purpose. The question on the table is how short form video can be used to support that purpose. The recent focus on short form video means that will get you greater reach, but that greater reach does you no good if you are having to make something that is not consistent with the rest of your account. So be careful not to get draw away by the desire to increase follower count. Obsess about engagement. How many of your followers are active with your account.

Let’s get real here. If you have 1000 followers check how many followers your post went to. You can check this with analytics on, ironically, anything but a Reel. You’ll find that you probably aren’t even close to being shown to all your followers. I suggest to you that a great amount of energy should be directed towards caring for the followers you have. Concentrate on making sure they are happy and engaged and the follower count will creep up while you aren’t looking.

Stepping back and looking at the big picture, short form video is here to stay as a legitimate social media art form. But the obsession with it is a trend. Social media can’t be built on constant hits of dopamine. Eventually we get desensitized to it and need something more substantial. This is why TikTok is now allowing three minute video. Is there a push to snag YouTube’s market share? TikTok is starting to develop their stories feature which gives still images a chance to be used. Sound like Instagram? I don’t think it is a stretch to see the major players integrating short form video, long form video, and still imagery into platforms that look unsurprisingly similar.

So, what does that mean for us. It actually is good news. Yes, we are all going to have to be flexible and allow ourselves to evolve our skill set as our social media platforms race to become the one unifying platform. But, in the end, we are going to be left with choices. The three major players are Meta with Instagram and Facebook, Google with YouTube, and the Chinese backed TikTok. They are all three coming at the end goal from different directions, but when they meet in the middle on some mountain to duke it out, there will be support for still images, short form video, long form video, a detailed profile, a robust direct messaging system, an ecommerce capability, and a solid monetization method for creators.

With all this taken into account, Instagram is the clear leader. And that is why we are starting our 2022 ecommerce project with Instagram.

TikTok and Instagram are the most aggressive in fighting for the lead. YouTube seems to be content to watch from the box seats. Not sure why Google is holding steady. The reason why what these companies do is particularly significant for us in the reptile community is Meta’s (meaning Facebbok’s) crazy response to the sales of animals. It is against the rules to have any animal sales. Period. No captive breeding. No rescue rehoming. Nothing. And they have allowed activists to drive their enforcement. So any animal centric page can disappear in the middle of the night if they are accused of selling animals. The activists can go back to five years ago and find a post where someone said they wanted to sell their chameleon and the group is gone. There is no warning. There is no explanation. You are just cut off. Doesn’t matter how many members you have. So, this is the main reason why we don’t even bother considering Facebook worth developing. When a member post can slide by all your warning systems and then result in the loss of the entire group or page it is just too volatile. Yes, it is a huge audience, but we have groups disappear that have strict no sales policies. No warning, no explanation, no recourse. Facebook has a lot of potential viewers and followers, but is a poor long term investment for anyone in the reptile community. Sure, be on the platform, but do not invest too much into it.

Now, the astute listener will point out that Instagram is owned by the same company as Facebook. This is true and definitely on the forefront of our minds. For whatever reason, the activist elements in Facebook are not exerting the same draconian approach within Instagram. The two platforms have some internal separation. And, at this point in time, Instagram is the best platform to develop an account. That is why I am focusing on having you use Instagram to start our 2022 ecommerce business. But, I believe…and here is my looking into the future, that TikTok will eventually be the safer place for us to go. It does not have the profile, media support, and ecommerce that we need just yet, but they are working in that direction. Most importantly, the PETA activism will have a much harder time infiltrating TikTok. So, Although I am focusing on growing Instagram for our project right now, I will be laying the groundwork for creating a foothold on TikTok. My goal is that, by the end of 2022, your Instagram will be chugging along and bringing you some income and that you will be getting familiar with TikTok. Because that is part of what we need to be to be successful a quarter of the way through the 21^st century.

Thank you for joining me here today. Your action items for this week are 1-get on the Reptile Entrepreneur Instagram account and keep up with the educational reels there. They are under 60 seconds and give you a small but important thing to think about each day as we build out our social media platform. The second action item is to experiment with what you can do in 60 seconds. Post some reels. It doesn’t matter if they are horrible. There is something powerful about just doing it and getting better on the job. I mean, that is what I am doing. So, I want you to find your own 1 to 60 second style video. And I don’t care if the first 9 tries don’t fly. Just throw it up there.  The pay out is when you find your unique style and then it takes off. So don’t worry about how many tries it takes or what followers you lose on your way to finding that unique style of yours. That is your holy grail and, at this stage, should be your primary focus.

So, follow the daily tutorials on Instagram and experiment until you find your unique style.

This is Bill Strand signing off. Take care of yourself, take care of our reptile community, and let’s see what we can build.