The Easiest Way to Shorten a Video for Social Media

Image of a video being cut short by scissors.

Table of contents

Content creators are plentiful in today’s digital landscape. How will you stand out?

Social media content creation is a fast-paced, dynamic process that requires expertise to maintain audience attention. At this point, it’s an art form! The digital landscape is full of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. They require high-quality, attention-grabbing videos.

Sure, you could spend a ton of time in a complicated video editor, but we’re going to show you a better way. 

Image of Audiate and Camtasia working together to edit the video in Audiate.

Why are short videos good for social media?

The data tells it all.

Diminishing attention spans: Focus on short-form content. Cater to the shrinking attention span of today’s audience by focusing on short-form, easily digestible content. 

According to StudioCanal, the average watch time per video view was 3.33s on TikTok. The average watch time per person was 5.26! That limits the amount of content your audience is willing to watch!

Platform algorithms: It’s what the apps want! Algorithms often prioritize short videos, which loop quickly, making them more likely to appear on more user’s feeds. With short-form videos, you can reach a wider audience simply because your content will play more frequently.

Audience preferences: No one has the time anymore. Users would rather consume content quickly and on the go. A blog post by Socialinsider states that after exceeding the 15-second length limit, TikTok videos get a 16.55% decrease in the average view rate. Your audience is more than willing to skip past long videos.

What social media platforms are best?

A few social media platforms thrive off short videos. TikTok carved the path to short-form video. They were one of the first popular platforms to limit content to 15-second videos. Although these guidelines have since changed, the platform continues to lean on short-form content for its viral trends and challenges.

Instagram Reels came out as a way for individuals to reach a broader audience. They did so by posting through their already-existing Instagram accounts. This platform is similar to TikTok in its tendency to favor short-form content and trending audio. 

Lastly, YouTube Shorts entered the community by emphasizing shorter-length videos as well. However, they accompany the long videos we all know and love. 

Now it may seem pretty straightforward, but making short videos can be time-consuming and tricky. You only have a few seconds to create the content you want to publish after all.

A great way to save time is by repurposing old content. Instead of creating new content for every social media post, you might want to cut down some of the longer videos you’ve made. Save time by reusing content you already have. That makes it simpler.

Or, maybe you created a video that is just a little bit too long for your social media platforms. No worries, simply upload it to Audiate, edit the transcribed text, and sync your edits to your video.

Time is a precious commodity for us all, and Audiate recognizes that. By streamlining the editing process, Audiate allows you to repurpose your content quickly and efficiently. 

So, do you need to learn How to remix a YouTube video into a short? Or learn how to edit a video for social media? Either way, we’ll show you how.

Easily Create Social Media Videos with Audiate!

Maximize your content’s potential today

Download Free Trial Today
audiate icon

Create short videos for social media in three easy steps

Audiate can help you edit your videos faster so you can spend even more time creating. Audiate is set to be your go-to solution for creating short-form content that captivates your audience. Just use its automatic transcription to precise text editing and seamless audio synchronization.

Turning your long videos into short videos might seem like an editing-heavy task. Luckily, Audiate makes it super easy to accomplish. It’s done in three steps, and you won’t even need to trim any video content yourself.

Automatic transcription

The first step is uploading your Camtasia video to Audiate. There, the software will work its magic by transcribing the spoken content for you. Not only does this save time, but it also lays out the groundwork for your editing process. 

You will have the ability to read the transcription and listen to your audio simultaneously. Doing so ensures a seamless editing process. Have we mentioned how easy this makes video editing?

Image of a script being automatically transcribed by Audiate.

Editing text

Now, delete, edit, and refine the transcription of your video. The text you delete from the transcription will be cut out of your video. So you can focus only on what’s important. You can quickly identify and modify the text to match your video vision. 

The Audiate system empowers content creators to cut through the clutter and focus on what matters most—your message. Remove unnecessary ”ums,” “ahs,” and “likes”, repetitions, and tangents to make the most of your content. 

Image of the transcript being edited in Audiate.

Automatic sync

Your text is edited down to only what you want to say. The software will now seamlessly sync the edited text to the audio and video. This will ensure that the natural flow of speech is maintained while cutting out unnecessary content. Your short-form video now looks professionally edited without the need for painstaking manual editing. 

It’s so easy, we don’t know how we ever edited without it!

Image of an Audiate transcript being exported and linked to Camtasia.

Audiate is truly a powerful ally for content creators looking to master the art of short-form videos. In an instant, you will be able to remix YouTube videos into a short. That means you can also create easily consumed content for all of your other social media platforms. 

Boost Your Social Media Content with Audiate!

Save time and edit with Audiate instead

Download Free Trial
audiate icon

It’s time to say goodbye to endless editing and hello to Audiate. Embrace it, save time, and let your creativity shine on social media. It’s a place where every second counts, and your voice deserves to be heard.