One Year of 60-Second HistoryWhat We’ve Learned About Video Content for Museums
By Cameron Katz, Community Engagement Manager
In August 2022, Made By Us launched a short-form video series called 60-Second History. For the next 12 months, Made By Us published 61 short-form videos (90 seconds or less) on Instagram Reels and TikTok. Each video featured a host in a professional but casual environment talking about a different topic, sometimes joined by guest speakers.
As the Made by Us Community Engagement Manager and lead on our social media, I had some video experience, but not much formal training. Most of the skills required for this series (whether appearing on camera, script-writing, editing videos, etc.) has been self-taught. I say this to show our museum friends who may be inexperienced in creating video content that you do not have to be an expert videographer to create video content that performs well.
60-Second History has become a key content pillar in our social media strategy, and this series is responsible for much of our growth and increased engagement over the past year. In the last few years, the importance of video content has grown. 91% of Instagram users report that they watch videos on a weekly basis. And 20% of all Instagram activity took place on Reels last year. Among young people, video content is even more important: 50% of Gen Z said they “don’t know how they’d get through life” without video content in their daily lives. For museums and history institutions to stay relevant, video content is essential.
However, video content is demanding. Many museums simply do not have the capacity to create video content – or they believe they don’t. However, with our learnings from 60-Second History, we hope to provide a shortcut to creating high-quality, engaging, and mission-driven content that can help your museum connect with more young people across the country.
Now you can learn from our work with our report One Year of 60-Second History: What We’ve Learned. Explore the full report and share it with others to discover:
The power of informal but educational short video content
Stats and findings on audience engagement
Methods and tips, including recommended equipment and tools
Download the full report!
Thank you to the staff at our partner organizations who were part of this project!
Missouri History Museum
North Carolina Museum of History
St. John’s Church Foundation
National Archives Foundation
Westport Museum of History and Culture
York History Center
Heinz History Center
New-York Historical Society
Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Revolutionary Spaces
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Atlanta History Center
Jewish Women’s Archive
National Women’s History Museum
Ruth Mott Foundation
National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House
National WWI Museum & Memorial
Robert Russa Moton Museum
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
Conner Prairie
Pizza to the Polls
Wyoming State Museum
Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Visit Galveston
California State Railroad Museum
Chicago History Museum
HistoryMiami
Challah Back Girls
Liberty Hall Historic Site
Looking for resources? We’re gauging interest in regional 250th Incubator Workshops that would bring together host institutions and Gen Z to design together. Sign up here.
