89% of marketers use video in their strategies, and 79% of US consumers prefer watching video content on their smartphones. If you want to stay ahead of the competition and reach your audience, you need to be creating vertical video content that’s optimized for mobile viewing.
Horizontal videos, for televisions or computer screens, won’t perform well on vertical mobile platforms, like Instagram or Facebook Reels.
Forge Apollo is a Philadelphia video production agency with expertise in vertical videos. Our guide will show you exactly how to capture attention and maximize engagement with mobile-first video.
Why Vertical Video is Vital for Engagement
Short-form video marketing delivers the highest ROI of any content on social media. Vertical video is key to that performance. Users spend 50% of their time on Instagram watching Reels, solidifying the importance of short-form, vertical content.
Wibbitz found that vertical videos received four times the engagement of square videos on Facebook, as well as 13.8% more reach. Why?
- Better User Experience – People spend more time on mobile devices than on desktops. In fact, 62.54% of website traffic came from mobile devices in 2025, nearly double the amount from ten years ago. Vertical videos provide a better user experience on mobile devices.
- Attention-Grabbing – Vertical videos fill a mobile screen, immersing the viewer and grabbing more attention.
- Algorithms – Social media algorithms tend to prefer vertical videos because they receive more engagement. As Wibbitz saw on Facebook, vertical videos tend to get more reach.
5 Tips for Creating Vertical Video
How can brands create mobile-first, vertical videos that drive engagement? Follow these five tips.
1. Hook the Viewer Immediately
Common marketing advice suggests that you have about three seconds to hook your viewer before they scroll to the next video.
Some ways to capture the viewer’s attention include:
- Fast, unexpected movement
- Ask a question
- Make a bold or shocking claim
- Use an enticing caption or heading
- Jump right into the action
- Use trending formats
- Say something relatable to your audience
2. Design for Sound Off
Users watch 74% of videos on Facebook without sound. When creating vertical videos, include elements that allow them to make sense without sound, such as captions and text overlays.
For example, this Instagram Reel includes captions towards the middle of the video so the viewer doesn’t need to have sound turned on to understand it.
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3. Visual Framing
Many short-form video marketing platforms, like Instagram and Facebook, add overlays to the sides or bottom of the content with profile and engagement options. When creating your content, keep key visual elements in the center third of the frame.
Check out our guide on Meta safe zones to learn more.
4. Pacing and Editing
Viewers prefer short-form content due to its fast pace and bite-sized format. Use cuts and transitions throughout your content to maintain momentum.
For example, this Reel brings the energy with short, action-packed cuts.
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5. Clear Call to Action
To make vertical videos more effective, include a clear call to action at the end. What should the viewer do next? Make it clear and easy to execute, like commenting or following a link.
Repurposing Video Content for Vertical Aspect Ratios
Successful horizontal content, like YouTube videos, is a goldmine for vertical video clips. Here are some tips on repurposing video content.
- Identify “Micro-Moments”: Find the short segments that contain valuable information, a key quote, or a surprising statistic.
- Crop and Reframe: Choose clips with wide framing so you can effectively crop out a vertical segment without getting too close or losing the main focus.
- Don’t Just Clip & Crop: Make sure your vertical videos still follow our tips, which may require adding new elements like on-screen text or multiple cuts.
- Build the Habit: Make creating vertical video clips part of your long-form content workflow. For example, Forge Apollo creates short-form videos from long-form podcast episodes of Prevention Pioneers.
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Mobile-First Video Marketing Strategy
Incorporating mobile-first, vertical videos is no longer optional in your video marketing strategy. It’s a requirement. If you need help producing short-form videos or repurposing long-form content into short-form content, Forge Apollo is here to help. Reach out to talk to our award-winning Philadelphia video production team.
