In a world where attention is scarce, content must adapt to the particular interests of audiences. Although some audiences are interested in long-form content, the trend toward shorter formats is growing. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as an ally for conveying concise messages.

The current digital ecosystem is so vast and complex that content creators face many challenges in capturing users' attention. Amidst numerous distractions and information overload, brief and concise valuable content has become key to conveying messages effectively.

While long formats continue to engage specific audiences, the trend toward shorter content is growing rapidly. This is partly due to the rise of platforms like TikTok, whose innovative algorithm promotes buzzworthy short content based on users' specific interests.

Given this landscape, AI tools such as Dumme, Roll.ai, Wanda.so or RunwayML are emerging as invaluable allies for content creators to adapt long-format pieces into shorter formats without losing informational depth.

The Rise of Short Content

In the current digital era, the popularity of short content has experienced exponential growth on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. These social networks have revolutionized content consumption, and short-format content has become the undisputed king. But what makes this content so effective and popular?

Brevity is one of the main attractions. According to Hubspot data, short videos have an 81% retention rate, indicating that viewers are more willing to watch them until the end than longer videos. Short content fits perfectly into today's lifestyle, characterized by a lack of time and the need for quick and concise information.

In addition, this type of content can capture the viewer's attention within seconds. TikTok and Instagram creators have mastered the art of storytelling and conveying engaging messages in a short amount of time. This ability to communicate quickly has increased audience participation and content virality.

However, content creators face many challenges adapting long-format content to short formats. The main obstacle lies in condensing all the information and maintaining narrative coherence within a limited time. The key is to carefully select the most important elements of the original content to preserve its essence and central message in the short format.

The need arises to rely on tools that streamline the process of adapting long-format content to short ones to address this challenge. This is where AI optimizes content creation and adaptation processes, allowing creators and content professionals to quickly reconfigure extensive materials into more concise versions suitable for different platforms and audiences.

How AI is Transforming Content Generation

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing content creation by automating tasks that once required much time and human effort. This technology can "read" and "understand" extensive content through natural language processing and identify key concepts, highlighted phrases, insights, relevant statistics, and more.

In addition to streamlining content writing and editing, AI is transforming other phases of the creative process. In graphic design, for example, it enables the generation of images, visual content editing, and the creation of novel compositions. In audiovisual production, AI can automate video editing, audio transcription, language translation, and script generation tasks.

Below, we describe some short-format contents that can be extracted from long ones, the steps involved, and the AI-powered tools that can help content creators achieve this goal:

A. Editorial Format (Articles, Blog Posts, Ebooks, White Papers):

Various types of short formats can arise from editorial formats. Among them are "carousel posts," which present highlighted snippets in an attractive and visual sequence; "graphic quotes," where impactful phrases are highlighted in eye-catching images; "tweets," which summarize key points in short fragments for sharing on social networks; and "mini infographics," which present relevant information and statistics in a visually appealing and concise manner.

Suggested Steps and AI Tools:

1. Identification of Relevant Content:

Use natural language processing (NLP) tools like ChatGPT, Hugging Face Transformers, or spaCy to identify the most relevant snippets, impactful quotes, or key statistics from the long content.

2. Summary and Adaptation:

Summarize the key points or selected snippets to adapt them to the desired short format. For tweets, ensure that the content fits the length of a tweet; for carousels, divide the snippets into appropriate parts for each slide; for infographics, select concise and relevant information.

3. Visual Design:

Use AI-powered design tools like Canva, Adobe Spark, or Artbreeder to create attractive images and graphics to accompany the short content.

B. Audiovisual Format (Videos, Webinars, Interviews): 

Audiovisual formats also offer various short formats. These include "highlight clips and videos," which showcase key and engaging moments from the long content; "podcast episodes," which are transcribed and, if necessary, narrated to create independent content; "Instagram/Facebook stories," which adapt clips to vertical and ephemeral formats for sharing on social networks; and "previews or teasers," which present exciting and intriguing previews of the full content.

Suggested Steps and AI Tools:

1. Identification of Key Moments:

Use AI tools such as IBM Watson Video Scene Detection or voice analysis to identify the most highlighted and relevant moments from the audiovisual content.

2. Editing and Trimming:

Use AI-powered video editing tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, Dumme, or AI-based audio editing tools to trim and adjust the selected clips according to the desired duration and format.

3. Additional Content Generation:

Use voice generators like Amazon Polly, Murf.ai or ClipChamp to add narrations to the videos or music generators to add suitable soundtracks.

4. Adaptation for Platforms:

Adjust the trimmed videos or clips to fit specific social media formats such as Instagram Stories, TikTok, or Facebook Reels.

C. Auditory Format (Podcasts, Conferences, Reports):

From auditory formats, various short formats can be shared, including "highlight clips/mini podcast episodes," which are relevant sections of the auditory content adapted as independent episodes; "audio excerpts," which present key moments in short clips for sharing; and "audiograms," which combine visual images with sound waves and text to represent the highlights of the auditory content.

Suggested Steps and AI Tools:

1. Transcription and Selection:

Use voice-to-text transcription tools like Google Cloud Speech-to-Text to transcribe the auditory content and select key sections.

2. Editing and Assembly:

Use AI-powered audio editing tools like Adobe Audition or Descript to trim and join the selected clips, creating mini podcast episodes or audio excerpts with smooth transitions.

3. Audiogram Generation:

Use AI-based audiogram generation tools like Headliner or Wavve to create images with sound waves and overlay text representing key auditory content moments.

4. Adaptation for Platforms:

Consider each platform's time and format limitations to optimize the user experience.

The conversion of long-format content into various short forms using AI tools aligns perfectly with Castleberry's "content at scale" methodology. This methodology involves conducting interviews and meetings with industry experts to capture essential knowledge. From the pillar piece, different types of content, such as audiovisual, auditory, textual, and infographics, are extracted and adapted into long, medium, and short formats, ready for distribution on various channels like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, LinkedIn, Medium, Blog, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

The Magic of AI to Reinvent Content: Its Benefits

The benefits that artificial intelligence provides to content creators are numerous. Below, we will highlight some of the most significant advantages:

1. Production Efficiency: AI allows the automation of repetitive tasks such as transcriptions, editing, and content generation, freeing up time for creators to focus on strategy and creativity.
2. Greater Visibility and Brand Positioning: By leveraging AI to adapt content to various formats and platforms, creators can significantly increase their exposure in the digital world. The ability to reach different audiences through different channels boosts brand recognition and positioning in the market.
3. Enhanced Organic Reach on New Social Networks: With the help of AI, creators can identify opportunities on new social networks and tailor content to leverage organic reach on those emerging platforms. This enables them to reach a more diverse audience and expand their follower base.
4. Increased Audience Engagement and Retention: Shorter and more appealing content formats generated by AI are more likely to capture the audience's attention and increase engagement with the brand or message. This leads to higher audience retention and stronger relationships with followers.

Conclusions

AI has transformed how content creators produce, edit, and optimize their work. AI-powered tools enable faster production, efficient editing, and an improvement in the visual quality of the content. As a result, brands can achieve greater visibility, exposure, reach, and engagement with their audience.

The diversity of tools available in the market offers many opportunities to enhance workflow and create more appealing and effective content. However, it is essential to remember that combining human and artificial intelligence can take content creation to a higher level.

Sources

Business Insider (2023). 12 AI tools that could transform the economy of creators and influencer marketing, according to industry experts. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.es/12-herramientas-inteligencia-artificial-creadores-contenido-1183986

Hubspot (2022). 2023 Video Marketing Report from HubSpot's blog [data from over 500 video marketers]. Retrieved from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-report

Influencer Marketing Hub (2023). The Ultimate Guide to Short-Form Video Content. Retrieved from https://influencermarketinghub.com/short-form-video-content/

Search Engine Land (2023). What is short-form content? Your guide on when and how to use it. Retrieved from https://searchengineland.com/short-form-content-393191

The Lap (2023). 7 Short-Form Video Trends to Watch in 2023 (+Best Practices). Retrieved from https://www.theleap.co/blog/short-form-video/#:~:text=Still%20need%20convincing%20about%20the,watch%20rate%20of%20over%2081%25.

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