Can looping video increase viewers on TikTok and Instagram?

Apr 14, 2023

The majority of people cannot get onto -- or off of TikTok in generalwithout falling into an endless rabbit hole of entertainment. Videos that loop, AKA short video clips on autoplay, make it simple to view endlessly.

That's great news for marketers who want to increase engagement. However, knowing when to post video loops on TikTok or Instagram can be a challenge. What do you determine what content is suitable for video loops? Does it affect video views or participation?

In this article

  1.    What is a looping video?
  2.    Can looping videos increase views?
  3.    Three reasons to think about looping your videos
  4.    A lot of frequently asked questions on looping videos
  5.    The whole thing

What is a looping?

A looping video is a video that repeats itself automatically. It could be short like an gif with a humorous message or like a step-by-step recipe tutorial. Videos autoplay and play for a long time, until the user engages in new content (or is on an infinity loop).

Videos can be looped to repeat in full or in a smaller amount, based on the platform's requirements and your goals for content. You can, for instance, opt to just loop the relevant portion of the video, or repeat a video to maximize your reach.

Does looping a video increase viewers?

Short-form video usually have higher watch rates over longer ones. Videos that loop play into this desire for shorter content by automatically repeating the same file repeatedly and over.

Each time a video loops, it counts as a new view. The views will continue to multiply and increase your views count. If a video repeats itself three times in the same user, it counts as three separate views.

Derick Rhodes, VP of industry and influencer relations at , explains that , in the eyes of the TikTok algorithm viewing count is higher than any other metric when it comes to deciding what is shown.

"Looping videos" may seem like a fad however "completing your loop" is now the metric that is the number one measure of the success of TikTok at this point -in addition to comments and views that have traditionally been the focus."   Derick Rhodes, from Industry and Influencer Relations

3 reasons to consider looping your videos

Loops have the potential to boost the number of views you can get from your videos. But it aren't the only factor that drives you to use loops in your videos.

Get the attention of the user

The average person watches seventeen hours of video online each week. That may sound like a lotof time, but many users just go through an endless amount of content without truly engaging. TikTok as well as other social media platforms such as Instagram have a rapid pace of activity. It is imperative to get an individual's attention immediately or you may risk losing them to the infinite scroll.

Looped videos have continuous motion that may catch an user's eye as they scroll through their feeds, making the video stand out from normal videos and static photos.

Videos that loop can also spark the interest of viewers. In the event that a video loops, viewers may be intrigued to revisit it in order to find out what they missed or to understand the context more clearly.

A lot of social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram offer an autoplay function which allows videos to play while users browse through feeds. Videos that loop benefit from this feature as they automatically resume and continue playing, boosting the chance of being noticed by a person.

Tell an interesting an interesting story

A looped video can aid in telling a story in a brief and engaging method. If you can repeat an important sequence or event, it could reinforce the narrative and make it more memorable to viewers.

If you're sharing humorous content the looping effect can help enhance the comedy of your content through repetition of a humorous action or gesture, making your video more enjoyable to viewers.

Looping is also a great option for music-related content like looping songs, dance routines or lip-syncing music. Since 93% of TikTokers use the platform using sound, and 88% claim that the sound feature is "essential" for the platform, sound loops also help in grabbing the attention of viewers and entice users to watch again before scrolling further.

Tutorials are also great for a loop format. If the viewer fails to complete the first step they can keep rewatching the looped video until they see the complete version.

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Make sure you adhere to specific content requirements of the platform.

If you want to share an image that is less than the max playtime on a specific social media platform you could loop it to fill up the duration and exposure of your video. As an example, Instagram has a maximum duration of 15 seconds for Stories , and 60 seconds for feeds. If your video was only 7 seconds long You could play it over and over again to fulfill the 15 second limit on the duration of a Story.

"A lot people fall into the trap of making one star asset only to create cutdowns for different platforms/formats however, as the nature of content is changing is imperative for content creators to make special content that is appropriate for each platform first."

The author adds that creating native to platforms content is a great way to improve the engagement. "Calm, the meditation app is a great example of creating these Instagram-specific loops to allow viewers to take a few moments and take a breath, instead of trying to modify a traditional :30 ad to work with the same app."

A lot of frequently asked questions on looping videos

 1) What exactly are benefits of looping videos?

Social media looping videos provide a variety of benefits for marketers, including:

  • More time to view. Looping videos can draw viewers to view longer since they are played automatically, without the need for viewers to play the video. It can lead to higher view counts and watch times which sends good signals to algorithmic systems that there's greater interest in the material.
  • Save your time. Looping videos are usually shorter which can make it simpler for viewers to meet social media restrictions regarding file size and length.
  • Stronger message delivery. Videos that loop are useful for conveying information or telling stories that benefit from repetition or reinforcement. These could be demos of products and tutorials as well as other educational content.

 2.) What's the different between a loop and a repeat?

A loop in a video and a repeat sound similar but are two different concepts within the field of video marketing. A loop video is a video clip that plays continuously in an infinite loop without interruption. When the clip reaches its conclusion, it instantly restarts from the beginning making a looping playback.

The term "repeat" usually refers to the feature that allows users replay videos from the beginning after it has reached the conclusion. The viewer may have to press the screen to start the replay. There could be a quick pause or gap between video replays.

3) Can looping videos increases the number of views?

The looping of a video could increase the number of views on popular social media sites like Instagram and TikTok. Videos that loop can capture the attention of viewers and encourage them to keep watching the same video over and over again, and encourage algorithms to display the video to others.

Putting it all together

Video loops can create captivating visually-rich moments. They're a great method to keep your viewers hooked, and potentially boost your content's visibility, viewings, and overall involvement.

Remember that looping videos don't assure success on social media. Instead, prioritize creating relevant videos that are a hit with your audience first -it's the most sure way to reach their hearts (and their screens).