My 2020 Video Template Trend Predictions
Video templates are one of those asset types that has a few consistent categories and demands. There will always be demand for logo animations and broadcast packages (among other things).
If you’re looking to create something new and different this year or exploring new audiences, here are some of my predictions for what will trend in 2020.
Vertical Video Templates
Stories across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are all vertical. Increasingly, brands and businesses will be looking for templates to engage with their audience.
One observation I’ve made is that a lot of the existing story templates out there are very ‘influencer’ oriented but not really brand or corporate-friendly. I expect that this feedback will start to make its way to asset creators this year and be reflected in a growing variety of templates available.
If you are already creating video templates in a standard 16:9 format, introducing 9:16 is a way to extend your existing workflows into new audiences.
Just remember, not everyone is a young gen-z influencer trying to show off their latest travel photos. ;-)
Social Media Animations
I’ve seen this starting to really take off across Instagram in the last little while and I expect that demand will continue to grow as the push for more reach and engagement drives innovation.
Someone whose posts you should check out are those by Apostolos Roussos. He’s been adding animations to his posts over the last few weeks and they are amazing. Seriously great.
Social media users are looking for ways to integrate subtle animations into backgrounds as well as foreground elements for some added flair. Asset creators who can find a way to provide ‘broadcast packages’ for social will find a strong appetite amongst customers I think.
Social Media Posts
Along with animations comes the increase in video-based posts across all social media. Templates designed for the various standard post sizes will grow in popularity as video engagement continues to rise.
I predict that video templates designed to support the needs of customers and brands creating for social specifically will also grow in demand.
It comes from the way that social platforms like Instagram and Facebook are shaping reach and engagement. They’re driving more traffic to posts that have higher engagement and often, that means video. Brand, in turn, are seeing this shift and producing more video content.
This is a great segway into my final two predictions.
IGTV and TikTok
IGTV is growing fast and the long-form video content that is showing up there is creating demand for higher quality animations and templates.
I believe this is led by the proliferation of podcasting and podcast filming that has been looking for a place to live outside of YouTube. IGTV is a natural fit for this type of content and helps to grow audiences across both platforms simultaneously making influencers with large audiences more attractive to prospective advertisers.
TikTok is relatively new but is exploding in growth. Its algorithm is designed in such a way that content can accumulate tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of views very rapidly. This is creating a new class of influencers and new opportunities for brands to grow their reach.
This year will see a massive explosion in templates designed to support the needs of TikTok users. Though not materially different, tailoring content and metadata for a TikTok customer will likely lead to some earnings growth.
Final Thoughts
The big thing I think to pull out of all these trends is the relationship between brands, social media, and content. Asset creators who monitor this well and follow the changes to algorithms and the desires of social media platforms will find a lot of opportunities to create content.
Brands/Influencers are constantly looking to expand reach and improve engagement. Video, it appears, is the way to go in 2020. Have fun!
