Sound Off, Vertical, Captioned: The 2026 Short-Video Checklist

Most short videos are judged in the first second, often on a phone with the sound off, by someone scrolling past. The good news: the things that make a short video work are simple and repeatable. Here is the checklist we run every Reel, TikTok and Short through before it goes out.

Before you film

• One message. If you need “and” to describe the video, it is two videos.
• Know the next step. Message us, book, buy, visit: decide it before filming, not in the caption.
• Film vertical, 9:16. Keep the subject in the middle so the same clip can be cropped to 4:5 or 1:1 for feeds.

The first second

• Start with the result, the problem or a face. Not a logo, not an intro, not a slow pan.
• Put the hook on screen as text, because many people will not hear it.
• Cut early and often. A new shot every one to three seconds keeps attention without feeling frantic.

Built for sound off

• Captions on every spoken word, burned in or added in the app, large and high-contrast.
• The story must make sense muted. Watch it once without sound before posting; if it does not, fix the visuals, not the voice-over.
• Sound as a bonus: music and voice should add to the video, not carry it alone.

Safe zones and details

• Keep text away from the edges. The app’s buttons, captions and profile name cover the bottom and the right side; leave them empty.
• Readable on a small screen: short lines, big type, no thin fonts over busy backgrounds.
• A cover image that works in the grid of your profile, with a few words of title.

Length and ending

• As short as the message allows. Cut everything that does not serve the one message.
• End on the next step, said and shown: “Write to us on WhatsApp”, with the number or the button visible.
• Loop-friendly endings that flow back into the start help replays.

After you post

• Look at retention, not just views. Where do people drop? That is where the next edit starts.
• Make variations of what works: new hook, same body. This is where a system for AI video pays off.
• Label AI-generated realistic content as required since August 2026; see our guide to labelling.

We apply this checklist to every video in our social media management and video production work. Want a second pair of eyes on your short videos? Send us a few.