We’ve all sat down during Christmas and accidentally turned on a Hallmark movie. And, five hours later, we’re sucked into our third movie that we just can’t bear to turn off. You probably didn’t have time to sit down and follow those plots, but you couldn’t turn them off. What if there was a way to get the same stories, the same dopamine, but quicker? Enter ReelShort and other mini series apps sweeping the Western tech world. We’ll be covering this new mini series craze and how you can make your content just as watchable.
What Are Mini Series? 🎞️
Mini series are shows broken into very short episodes, typically around 1 to 3 minutes long. They’re designed to capture viewers’ attention quickly and are perfect for platforms like Clapper, TikTok, and YouTube, where users consume content in short bursts. These series are usually scripted and feature short, engaging narratives, comedy sketches, or other forms of entertainment. Viewers like mini series because they offer bite-sized entertainment that fit their busy schedules.
There’s two kinds of mini series we want to talk about today. Our main focus will be company-produced mini series. Apps like ReelShort, FlexTV, and GoodShort create and produce a variety of mini series ready to be binge-watched. The other is creator-produced mini series, which is where one creator makes a mini series and shares it on their own social pages.
Company-Produced Mini Series 🎥
These series are often made by a production company, meaning they get the full TV treatment. They have a variety of departments all working on the project before they’re eventually shared. Usually, they’re posted on a specific platform, like ReelShort, and follow storylines you’re familiar with.
“Think: Lifetime movie cut up into TikTok videos. Think: soap opera, but for the short attention span of the internet age,” Claire Moses wrote in a recent New York Times article. Most of us have seen these plots before and know (roughly) how they’ll play out. But now it’s broken into easy-to-digest content: you can watch an entire episode while waiting for your coffee order. And that first episode is designed to do the work of a one-hour pilot. It drops you into the action, introduces you to the main character, sets the stakes high, and ends on a cliffhanger.
Even a five-minute search will show you the target audience: women. Or anyone at the risk of getting sucked into a Lifetime movie marathon. Mini series combine the high-stakes plots and swoon-worthy romances of bestselling novels and binge-able TV. Viewers have to know what happens to the young heiress whose family just disowned her. Will she and the brooding billionaire fall in love, or is their relationship doomed too? Some mini series introduce fantasy elements, allowing watchers to get swept up in the story and escape from reality.
Monetization 💰
Users also pay for these series. Instead of Netflix, which charges a monthly subscription, viewers can watch the first few episodes in a series for free on an app that’s free to download. If they want more of the story (usually they do) then they pay to unlock the rest of the series. These can be up to $20 for dozens of episodes, and platforms will often have dozens of series like this. Crazy, right?
Not so much. Rest of World reported it was already a billion-dollar industry in April of 2023. It broke into the larger Western (mostly American) market in late 2023, and ReelShort has already made over $20 million in revenue according to Indie Wire.
Creator-Produced Mini Series 📱
The most common iteration of this mini series is a single creator writing, acting in, editing, and sharing the series. Social media has given us some additional variation within this category: they’ll either be produced by this creator with a variety of sets, characters, and costumes, or they’ll be hosting a one-person show with a greenscreen and some wigs! These can be split into two categories: plot-focused and character-focused.
Plot-Focused 📈
These are the most similar to the company-produced mini series. You’re following a story, and that’s ultimately what keeps you coming back. Yes, you probably like the characters, but it’s the action in the story that grabs your attention. The installments or episodes will also follow a clear arc, with characters developing over time.
Character-Focused 🕵️♀️
While each individual video will have a story or plot to follow, watchers are mostly invested in the characters. They enjoy the creator’s storytelling, obviously, but they connect with individual characters and how they interact or handle the episode’s events. Each episode will stand on its own, and viewers can jump in at any point and understand the story.
Monetization 💸
Since this content is easy to jump into (and there’s a lot of it) it has a greater chance to go viral. Plus a well-crafted story will hook even the most casual of viewers.
Most creators will post their series for free. Sharing behind a paywall is a relatively new aspect for some mini series creators. New features like TikTok’s Series were created to help users monetize a series, and many creators have used it to share exclusive content. But the fun thing about this Series feature is that it can include more than stories.
A lot of creators are starting to share tutorials, behind-the-scenes snippets, or more in-depth content at a low fee. While this isn’t a series, it’s a smart way to utilize the feature and monetize.
Applying This to Your Content 🎨
You may not have access to a full production company or a cast of actors, but there are things you can take from mini series and apply to your own content. For now, we’ll be focusing on the company-produced mini series. There’s nothing wrong with creator-produced ones, but the company-produced series have obviously cracked the code! And, based on our research, it doesn’t look like it’s a code you need a full production company to use.
1. Know Your Audience 🤓
ReelShorts has been wildly successful. It hit the top of the App Store’s Entertainment charts for three consecutive days in November 2023 and has lingered in the top 15 since. As of writing this, it’s number 9, charting above Peacock and Disney+. And that success begins with knowing your audience and what they want. According to Claire Moses, the founder was specifically targeting women who enjoy soap operas but don’t always have the time to sit down and watch one. They aren’t competing with streaming giants: they serve a different purpose.
So when you start creating your series (or even starting your content creation journey) think about your audience. Who are you targeting? Why or how is your content specifically for them? How are they different, and how can you tailor your content to fit their needs or interests? You’ll have an easier time finding them, and planning or creating your content will be so much easier.
2. Grab Our Attention 👀
Not only do mini series start with a good hook, but they keep it at every turn. Dialogue is easy to follow and understand, the acting and drama are often heightened, and episodes always end on a well-constructed cliffhanger. Start your videos off with some kind of hook, like sliding into the frame, asking an interesting question, or showing a clip from the middle of your story. If you have to end your video on a cliffhanger, make sure it’s a satisfying one. Your viewer should feel like they went through a full arc, but still want to learn what happens next.
As an example, take a DIYer assembling a dollhouse from scratch. Rather than cutting off the project randomly, they’ll work on it in pieces. “Today, we’ll be putting the living room together. Come back next time when we start on the dining room!” Find the golden ratio of leaving your watchers satisfied and intrigued.
3. Cut to the Chase 🔥
Mini series don’t have a lot of time to get into the story and grab the viewer’s attention. The timer starts clicking the moment a watcher opens the first episode. The story begins right away, with only a little context to help people understand what’s happening. If we learn anything, it’s as the story progresses.
This is another easy piece of advice to apply and one that content creators hear a lot. Don’t start your video with a story about why you’re there or with context about what’s going to happen. Jump right in and drag us along with you. This could look like: “I’m throwing out half my books. These two are for sure going! I have to get rid of my books because…” Drop us into the action, then give us context or backstory as we need it!
4. Editing Really is Important ✂️
Visual elements of the mini series are the most important, which is true for short-video. There’s not much time to tell the story, so you have to show it in quick bursts. When working on your content, make sure the video is as compelling as the story you’re trying to tell. You can either focus on getting the best shots and pictures possible, or storyboard in advance to ensure you capture a captivating story.
Or spend a little extra time editing! Trim down those long pauses and cut any unnecessary detail. Time is of the essence, and editing will be your BFF.
5. Unique Isn’t the End-All-Be-All 🏆
So what if something’s been done before? That doesn’t mean you can’t do it, too! ReelShorts and other mini series apps aren’t trying to create totally unique, never been done before series. They’re putting their own spin on classics that audiences love. And people are eating them up! Indie Wire reported that ReelShorts surpassed TikTok in the App Store back in November 2023. Of their series, Bryan Welk said: “They’re predictable, familiar-yet-bonkers stories designed to hook you with titles like ‘The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband’ and vampire story ‘Love Me, Bite Me.'”
Maybe you want to create in a saturated niche, or you’re worried the next video you post won’t be unique. In the end, it doesn’t matter! If it’s good, if you’re proud of it, people will like it too. Not every idea has to be groundbreaking – sometimes, the most successful aren’t.
Clapper’s Take on Mini Series 🎬
Whether you’re new to (and maybe a bit skeptical of) the mini series craze, or you’re on your fifth series about werewolves, there’s a lot to learn from mini series. Not only are they perfecting a new kind of storytelling and putting creative spins of beloved stories, but show us how the streaming industry is shifting. And how video-based social media platforms might be shifting, too.
We say it all the time: social media is ever-evolving. This longer form of short-form content is on the rise and might be the next big thing. At Clapper, we keep an eye on trends. We, and other apps like us, will have to be able to adapt to new trends and changes. Especially those that can help our community. As we get further into 2024, you may find that some of your favorite apps have made the connection and want to help their creators jump on this burgeoning trend.
You’ll just have to keep your eyes peeled…
Bibliography 📚
“Forget Quibi. Chinese Streamers are Hooking Americans with Werewolf Love Triangles” published by Rest of World.
“Minute-Long Soap Operas Are Here. Is America Ready?” published by The New York Times.
“ReelShort Isn’t Quibi — It’s Candy Crush for 60-Second Vampire Soap Operas” published by Indie Wire.
“China’s Bite-Sized Soap Operas are Peddling Cheap Plots for Big Profits” published by Rest of World.