How can short-form videos help grow your brand?

How Short-Form Video Can Supercharge Your Brand’s Growth (With One Twist)

Can a 34-second video really move the needle for your brand? Turns out, yes — if it’s packed with the right hook, a bit of personality, and just the right amount of surprise. In this post, we break down how 18-year-old creator Jenny Hoya racked up 600M+ views on YouTube Shorts in a year — and what her methods can teach marketers, content creators, and business teams about winning attention in the scroll-all-day era.

Start With the Hook — Or Risk the Swipe

Short-form video is a battlefield, and the hook is your only weapon in the first 3 seconds. Jenny Hoya doesn’t just lead with a clever idea — she draws it out, literally. Her hooks start as visual sketches designed to catch the eye, even with the sound off.

Her rule? Make it simple enough for a five-year-old to understand. And that’s not dumbing it down — that’s smart clarity. Think title and thumbnail-level thinking, compressed into the very first frame.

Stories Sell — Especially the Weird Ones

What keeps people watching isn’t just the hook — it’s the unexpected twist. Jenny’s go-to formula: take something ordinary (like cooking), add irony (like doing it in a broken kitchen), and make it personal (raising money for a good cause). This blend of story and personality makes content feel human — and in a landscape full of faceless brands, that stands out.

Her secret weapon? “Foreshadowing.” Within three seconds, she gives you a glimpse of how the video might end. That anticipation keeps viewers locked in — and often watching again.

Think Cross-Platform — But Don’t Copy-Paste

Not all platforms speak the same video language. YouTube Shorts leans into storytelling and slightly slower pacing. TikTok rewards high-speed chaos. Reels? A visual feast with subtitles mandatory.

Jenny tailors each post to fit the algorithm’s mood. Brands should too. Repurpose strategically — same story, different wrappers.

Optimize for Retention (But Don’t Obsess Over It)

Jenny averages a jaw-dropping 95.5% retention rate, often with over 100% on under-30-second clips. That’s partly because her content is rewatchable — short enough to binge, twisty enough to want to see again.

But she’s also realistic. Shareability and emotional payoff might matter just as much. “Feel-good factor” isn’t an official YouTube metric, but if people send it to friends, that’s the algorithm’s dream.

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Short-form video isn’t just about being short — it’s about being strategic. Whether you’re a SaaS marketer or a solo creator, Jenny Hoya’s process offers a roadmap: lead with a bold visual hook, layer in a story, and always — always — deliver something worth remembering.

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