It’s been amazing to see creators innovate with Shorts, experimenting with editing, filters, popular audio samples, music and more. Since launching Shorts, channels uploading both Shorts and long-form are seeing better overall watch time and subscriber growth compared to those only uploading long-form.
In particular, Jon is rewriting the rulebook for video creativity with his multiple formats. In our discussion, he shared his latest obsession which he coined the “First Frame Rule.”
“I try to shoot and edit my content such that the first frame — literally the first thing viewers see — sets up as much tension in the story as possible,” he said. “For example, in that Creators vs. Celebrities video, there were many many failed attempts of that intro until I got to a successful ‘first frame’ that took off. Finally, I literally printed and held up a physical photo comparing them and asked the shortest question possible: ‘Who are these two people?’ Right then and there, in the first frame, the story was set up.”