How Bloomberg researches TicToc to see what readers want

Karen Johnson, head of design research at Bloomberg Media, writes about how it researched Bloomberg TicToc to determine how readers consume news.

Johnson writes, “Data shows us that, beyond good content, shorter videos of a minute or less generally tend to outperform longer pieces on Twitter. We’ve seen this demonstrated in countless in-person studies: People fidget, they yawn and get the itch to keep scrolling around the 30-second mark. Their verbal queues are even more clear:

“‘Where’s this video going? This feels too long for my phone. I’m tempted to just skip through this.’

“Users want small bites of content and a sense of the big picture conversation around the news.They aren’t looking to watch lengthy documentaries on social. But less time spent shouldn’t come at the sacrifice of the story. Shorter content — done well — can still deliver a perspective or an insight that gets to the essence of a story, quickly.

“How we’ve responded: The Key Frame is TicToc’s short, often 30-second or less story on a single topic or event. (Imagine: A wide-angle shot of Parisians celebrating France’s World Cup victory in the moments following their last goal.) At its heart, Key Frames encapsulate an entire story in a brief, nutrient-rich window and bring you into the most important moment of that news story. And because we know it’s vital to capture our audience’s attention in the initial few seconds of a post, Key Frames intentionally incorporate essential pieces of a story in the first 10 seconds of a video.”

Read more here.