The TikTok Experiments, Vol. 5: Posting Only 15 Second Videos for a Week

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I’m on a roll conducting TikTok experiments and recently completed my fifth. I’m hoping to learn a few tips and tricks for what the algorithm prioritizes so that I can share my knowledge with others. Is a higher posting frequency truly necessary? Do shorter videos perform better than longer videos? Those are just a few of the questions I’ve been trying to answer. In my latest experiment, I posted videos that were only 15 seconds or less to see what would happen.

Why 15 second videos?

After receiving mixed results on my 60 second video experiment, I decided to go even shorter and share 15 second videos. The completion rate should be even higher if the video is that short, right? I suspected that these shorter videos would be more shareable, too, another metric the TikTok algorithm supposedly prioritizes. 

What kinds of 15 second videos did you post?

If you’ve read the other posts in this series, you’ll notice the types of content I share remain relatively consistent. During this experiment, I shared 14 videos across the following categories:

  • Trends – I used the Pedro Pascal eating a sandwich Capcut trend with a photo of my dog.

  • Recommendations – Book recommendations paired with a common BookTok audio.

  • Clips with voiceover and/or text – A trip to the local vegan butcher, showing off my Squishmallows, and dog videos. 

  • Talking to camera – Recapping the Trans Rights Readathon, announcing this experiment, and a mini Five Below Haul.

Which 15 second videos did the best?

Unfortunately, this experiment was also a bit of a flop. I’ll be taking a break after this one. Most videos were in the 200-300 views range. Only one video exceeded 1,000 views and that seemed like a fluke. A simple “here’s my coffee and here’s what I’m currently reading” video received 1,063 views and five saves. The second-best performing post was the Pedro Pascal Capcut trend with my dog, which received 630 views and one save. 

Should I post more 15 second videos?

Nah, only if you want to. These shorter videos did not increase my followers, views, or engagement. I gained 12 followers during the experiment, far lower than usual. Here are some additional stats:

  • Video views down 25%

  • Profile views down 83%

  • Likes down 41%

  • Comments down 55%

  • Shares down 21%

Like last time, it’s worth noting that it’s difficult to isolate the variable you’re testing. The TikTok hearing was just a few days before this experiment started, and clips, memes, and hot takes circulated for days afterwards. Then the Nashville shooting happened. These current events are incredibly important and should be talked about widely. It may have made my content less engaging given all that was going on, though. 

Again, I’m noticing that shorter videos are not my jam. Ultimately, an important lesson is that you should make the content you want to make. I often want to rave (or rant) about books I love or discuss a complex topic with more nuance than you see on Twitter or Instagram. And that’s not possible in 15 seconds. So I won’t be incorporating 15 seconds into my content mix more often. For me, they’re fun occasionally when I’m tired or low on ideas, but they’re not my favorite. If you love making short videos, you do you! TikTok’s algorithm remains a black box, so it really boils down to personal preference and what resonates with you and your audience. 

I’ll be pausing these experiments for awhile, but I'm still contemplating future ideas. I might investigate three minute videos or trending audios. Let me know if you’re curious about either of those topics!

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