Short-form video formats that work

The numbers

1,108 top short-form videos from 18 creators on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, with more than 2.4 billion views combined. Updated October 2026.

of top short-form videos are POV skits

41%

Used by all 18 creators; ran at their normal

views for social experiments

+16%

4% of top short-form videos

views for street interviews

-23%

6% of top short-form videos

are pranks

8%

They ran -4% against the creator’s normal

are challenges or stunts

6%

They ran at their normal

combined views in the study

2.4B+

1,108 top short-form videos from 18 creators

The formats behind top short-form videos

POV skits carry 41% of top short-form videos. No other format reaches one in ten.

Which formats ran furthest

Social experiments ran +16% against the creator’s typical top video. Street interviews trailed at -23%. Most formats landed close to their creator’s normal: the format sets the stage, the opening and the pace do the rest.

Each format, explained

What each one is, with an example idea we wrote to show the shape.

POV skit41% · at their normal

A short scripted bit, often shot from the viewer’s point of view or with the creator playing a character.

Example: POV: you said you were “five minutes away” and you have not left the house.

Prank8% · -4%

A harmless setup played on a friend or stranger, with the reaction as the payoff.

Example: Swapping a friend’s gym playlist for an audiobook halfway through their set.

Challenge or stunt6% · at their normal

The creator commits to something hard, odd or long and the viewer watches to see if it works.

Example: Eating only food from one gas station for 24 hours.

Street interview6% · -23%

Questions put to people in public, cut down to the best answers.

Example: Asking strangers to rate their own parking job out of 10.

Social experiment4% · +16%

A setup in public that tests how people react, counted or compared.

Example: Holding a “free compliments” sign on a busy corner and counting who stops.

Montage or recap3% · -11%

Many quick clips cut into one fast story or summary.

Example: One clip a day of the same habit, a whole year in 30 seconds.

Reaction2% · +3%

The creator watches something and the reaction is the content.

Example: Watching your own first ever video, frame by frame.

How to pick a format for your next video

1. 1Start from the idea, then pick the formatMost formats ran close to their creator’s normal. A strong idea in a common format beats a weak idea in a rare one.
2. 2Put people in itSocial experiments ran +16%: real reactions from real people are hard to fake and easy to share.
3. 3Cut street interviews to the one great answerThey trailed at -23%. One answer that makes people send the video beats five that are fine.
4. 4Spend your effort on the openingWhatever the format, the first seconds decide who stays. Our hook and first frame studies cover what top videos do there.

Put it to work

How we counted

• 1,108 top-performing short-form videos from 18 creators we work with or study, more than 2.4 billion views combined, on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Each one was read from the video itself by an AI model, as part of our team’s research on these creators, then sorted into one format by script.
• Views are compared with the same creator’s typical top video, so a big account does not outweigh a small one. All of these were already top videos; the comparison shows which formats ran furthest among them.
• A format shows a view comparison only with at least 10 videos from at least 3 creators, and no creator over half the group. Formats used mostly by one creator are counted under everything else.
• The creators lean toward comedy and entertainment, so the mix of formats reflects that. Example ideas are our own, never taken from a video in the study. No creator, video or brand is named.

Questions people ask