Attention spans are shrinking, so your content must be quick and snappy
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The people who make videos of themselves eating and post them on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are onto something. They eat good food, make money from their videos, and then buy more good food to keep eating and making money. Sometimes, I think, “Nick, you need to rethink your life plan.”
But there’s a method to their madness. They’ve mastered snackable content—short, relevant, engaging material that’s easy to digest, just like the food they eat.
Social media has changed how people consume content. Gone are the days of long-winded blog posts and hour-long videos. Today, brevity wins. Microsoft research shows the average attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to eight seconds—shorter than a goldfish’s. That means people have only a few seconds to grab attention before someone scrolls past. The key to social media success is creating content that stops the scroll.
Long or seemingly complicated content often results in disinterest. It’s the equivalent of standing in front of a buffet with too many options—you hesitate, feel overwhelmed, and move on. Social media works the same way. Users scroll subconsciously, hunting for something that grabs their attention, sparks curiosity or provides a quick dopamine hit. When they find content that resonates, they perk up. And if it’s compelling enough, they may even take action—click, follow, share or buy.
 Nobody has time for long-winded content. Get to the point. |
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Think of it like a Costco sample. Imagine walking down the aisle, hungry and overwhelmed by options. Then, you spot a sample station—General Tso Meatballs, served fresh. You stop, take a bite, and before you know it, you’re reaching for a package to take home. That’s exactly how snackable content works. It catches attention, delivers instant value, and directs people to the full content, product or service.
If you want to stand out in a crowded digital space, your content must be short, compelling and simple. No one has time for a 2,500-word essay on fair trade coffee or a 23-minute video on pruning fruit trees—at least not on social media. Instead, content needs to get to the point, much like a movie trailer that provides just enough to hook an audience and make them want more.
Determining what is short depends on the medium. Written content should be 100 words or fewer, videos should be 60 seconds max, and captions should be 10 to 15 words at most. Infographics should focus on key stats, and audio clips should range from 30 seconds to one minute. The goal is always the same: get attention quickly and direct the audience to something more substantial.
Taste matters, too. Just like a snack, content should trigger an emotional response. The audience should feel drawn in and want to know more. A long-form blog post explaining how the ketogenic diet works is unlikely to hold attention, but a short statement like “Keto burns fat, boosts focus and curbs hunger. Try it and see the difference!” alongside a strong image or short video can be effective.
Social media users are skilled at identifying content that’s fluff-filled nonsense versus something worth engaging with. They instinctively scroll past boring, overly promotional or irrelevant content. That’s why effective snackable content needs to be clear and direct—it should either entertain, educate or inspire.
Simplicity is key. The most shareable content distills big ideas into bite-sized takeaways. Instead of a lengthy article on the benefits of the keto diet, a post could list five clear reasons: Keto burns fat by reducing carbs, increases mental clarity, curbs hunger to support weight loss, reduces inflammation, and improves cholesterol by raising HDL levels. Each of these points could be paired with an image, infographic or short video to reinforce the message.
Imagine these statements paired with a compelling visual. For example, a post about reduced inflammation could feature a senior sharing how their arthritis pain improved after switching to a keto diet. A post about fat loss could include a before-and-after transformation picture. The right visuals paired with strong messaging make content instantly more engaging.
Snackable content must also be focused. Each post should convey one clear message rather than overwhelming the audience with too much information. That’s why, in the keto example, the benefits are broken into separate statements rather than presented as a single long paragraph. Breaking content into digestible sections keeps it readable, scannable and shareable.
People often ask how they can stand out when everyone is competing for attention. The answer is simple: master the art of snackable content. If a post doesn’t grab attention fast, it’s getting lost in the scroll. Before hitting publish, it’s worth asking, “Is this a Costco sample, or am I making people work too hard?” Because in today’s digital world, bite-sized, high-impact content isn’t just a trend—it’s essential.
Nick Kossovan is the Customer Service Professionals Network’s Social Media Director (Executive Board Member).
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