Staying ahead of social media trends is vital for creators and brands alike. Tubular Labs’ latest report on social media video trends offers key insights into the shifting landscape across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

With a database of over 11 billion videos, Tubular provides a detailed look at how content consumption is evolving. Here’s a quick overview of the most important trends from their H2 report.

Longer short-form videos are growing

One notable trend is the rise of longer short-form videos. On YouTube, uploads over 30 seconds increased by 39% in the first half of the year, signaling that creators are finding success with more in-depth storytelling.

Similarly, TikTok is seeing more engagement with videos between one and two minutes long, although super short clips still dominate the platform. For brands, this shift suggests a growing appetite for slightly longer, engaging content.

Business and finance content on TikTok

Surprisingly, “Business and Finance” is a rapidly growing niche on TikTok. Trending topics include:

• Homeownership at a young age
• Viral finance tips
• Financial services for entrepreneurs

If you’re in the business or finance space, TikTok is emerging as a valuable platform for reaching a new audience.

Instagram’s AI-driven engagement surge

Instagram’s engagement is on the rise, fueled by Meta’s push for AI-powered content recommendations. Today, 50% of the content seen by users comes from AI rather than accounts they follow. If you’re not optimizing for this yet, now is the time to start.

Facebook’s video comeback

After a decline in personal posts, Facebook is seeing a resurgence in video uploads, largely thanks to the rise of Reels. This opens up opportunities for cross-posting content from TikTok or Instagram to Facebook, where video engagement is growing.

Takeaways for your strategy

To stay ahead, consider:

• Creating slightly longer short-form videos.
• Exploring TikTok’s growing business and finance niches.
• Optimizing Instagram content for AI recommendations.
• Cross-posting videos on Facebook to take advantage of its renewed activity.

There’s plenty more in Tubular Labs’ full report. If you want deeper insights, it’s worth checking out.