We’ve all been there.
Scrolling through your phone, one thumb swiping away, and—bam!—a video grabs your attention, filling your screen perfectly.
No turning the phone sideways, no awkward ugly black bars.
That’s the magic of vertical videos.
With more than 80% of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s no surprise that vertical videos are dominating the scene.
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts have made this format the star of modern marketing.
But here’s the kicker: vertical videos aren’t just trendy—they’re strategic.
If you’re a marketer or business looking to maximize reach, engagement, and conversions, be it through your social media content or explainer videos in general, understanding the power of vertical videos is non-negotiable. Let’s dive in!
Image Credits: Ghost Retail (Source)
So what is a vertical video, you ask? It’s pretty straightforward– it refers to their orientation.
Vertical videos are videos designed to be taller than they are wide, typically with an aspect ratio of 9:16.
A size comparison of the 9:16 aspect ratio against other commonly used aspect ratios for social media video content (Source)
They’re optimized for mobile viewing, matching the natural way we hold our phones.
Think of Instagram Stories, Snapchat, or TikTok videos. All these formats rely on vertical videos to deliver content seamlessly, without requiring viewers to rotate their screens.
You probably have noticed by now that almost everyone uses their phones upright. Studies show that 94% of smartphone users prefer holding their phones vertically.
And among the younger crowd, 70% of Millennials would rather not flip their phones when watching horizontal videos on their phones.
You would imagine that it’s not such a big deal for people to turn their phones sideways to watch the video, and then back to vertical again to resume scrolling.
But in reality, this annoys consumers enough that they’d rather skip the video entirely than do this.
So by adapting to this natural behavior, vertical videos make it easier for viewers to consume content—and easier content means better engagement, and that means better reach with your target audience.
So– yes, it really matters!
Image Credits: Fuel Your Digital (Source)
When comparing vertical and horizontal videos, it’s not really about which is better. It’s all about which works best for your goals and platforms.
Let’s break it down:
|
Feature
|
Vertical Video
|
Horizontal Video
|
|
Aspect Ratio
|
9:16 |
16:9 |
|
Best For
|
Traditional platforms like YouTube, TV, and cinema |
|
|
Engagement
|
Higher on mobile due to full-screen viewing |
Higher on platforms with widescreen formats |
|
Ease of Viewing
|
Requires no screen rotation; fits how phones are held |
Requires phone rotation for full-screen mobile viewing |
|
Visual Impact
|
Focuses on vertical storytelling; great for close-ups |
Ideal for wide landscapes, group shots, or cinematic feel |
|
When to Use?
|
If your audience is mobile-first and active on social media platforms like TikTok or Instagram, vertical videos are a no-brainer. |
If you’re creating long-form content for YouTube, presentations, or TV commercials, horizontal is your go-to. |
Image Credits: Motion Cabin (Source)
At this point, vertical videos aren’t just a passing trend. They’re a game-changer for modern marketers and businesses that heavily rely on video marketing. Here’s why:
Let’s face it. Nobody likes rotating their phone. Vertical videos naturally fill the screen, creating a more immersive experience. When viewers don’t have to adjust their screen or grip, they’re more likely to watch your video from start to finish.
Vertical videos consistently outperform horizontal ones on mobile platforms. They receive 90% higher completion rates compared to horizontal videos on phone-centric social media platforms like Snapchat, for example. Use vertical formats for short, attention-grabbing content like ads or reels. Keep it visually dynamic to hold viewers’ attention.
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Stories all favor vertical videos. Even platforms like LinkedIn are jumping on the trend with vertical-friendly content. If your target audience spends hours scrolling on these platforms, vertical videos are your direct ticket to their screens.
A vertical video takes up 100% of the screen, while horizontal videos often leave distracting black bars with the video taking up very little space, even full-screened– and is generally annoying. A phone screen is already a small enough display, and you lose more than half of it to black empty space when playing a horizontal video on a vertical screen. Filling that screen completely, on the other hand, makes your content pop and leaves a lasting impression.
Vertical videos are versatile. You can use the same clip across multiple platforms without much editing needed. Create once, publish everywhere—it’s efficient and cost-effective. Learn more about content repurposing here.
The vertical frame naturally draws attention to specific details. Whether it’s a person, product, or text overlay, vertical videos make your message crystal clear.
Short, snappy vertical videos align with today’s fast-paced content consumption habits. They’re perfect for delivering concise messages in just a few seconds.
So we’ve covered the theory, let’s dive into the practical. How do leading brands and influencers alike actually use vertical video?
While it’s most popular on mobile platforms and social media sites that prioritize the mobile experience first over the desktop (or stick to mobile exclusively).
Vertical videos aren’t restricted only to the almighty phone but are found almost everywhere else too.
Let’s examine seven good examples of this kind of video and see why they work so well.
Everyone’s talking about AI this and that, but nobody can really explain how it works.
That’s where IBM turned to simple but dynamic text animation to break it all down in just 30 seconds, in a bite-sized little video that’s perfect for a social media video!
A great product video goes beyond just explaining it well. It teases the viewer’s imagination with a clear idea of how much better and easier their lives could be with that product, creating that “must have” sense of need.
This is one of them. This brief vertical video makes it clear they understand the world the target audience lives in every day, their pain points and worries; and presents a brilliant solution to make things much better.
The animation, too, is suitably brilliant, striking the right balance everywhere. It’s colorful and attention-grabbing but not over-the-top or unprofessional; it’s visually lively, but not so busy that it gets confusing or distracting.
Being a vertical video, it’s at home in a typical social media feed on a typical phone and functions perfectly as a mobile ad.
Here’s a great infographic animated video for Slack. We love it because it’s so effective at what it needs to do: introduce Slack and what it’s for, explain its features, show how it works— and do it all in under a minute.
The animation is deceptively simple looking. But it’s a perfect blend of information, screenshots, and visuals that captivate.
And by using only text and no voiceover, this video brilliantly works exactly as well even if the viewer happens to have their phone muted while watching– which is a pretty common situation.
By being less intrusive and shouty, it invites you to watch it on your terms, rather than screaming at you for attention.
Mailchimp is the go-to platform for any marketer worth their salt, and it’s easy to see why.
But the marketing world is one that is rapidly and constantly evolving, and it can be hard to keep up. So Mailchimp uses animated explainer videos to keep their users sharp and always on the cutting edge with constant updates and vital knowledge.
If consumers spend as much, if not more, time on their phones than on desktops, that’s where marketers need to be, too.
So it makes sense that Mailchimp uses vertical videos for mobile platforms and social media content to stay current with the trends and disseminate updates, like with this one.
It’s a fantastic snappy little vertical video that packs a lot in just under a minute, perfect for social media and YouTube shorts.
The best ads are the ones that don’t feel like ads at all. For example, this video for Medtronic, which starts out strong, hitting you right away with a fun and interesting fact.
This piece of trivia leads smoothly into a brief explanation of how genetics work.
And that’s it! No hard sell, no pushy sales pitch. It’s interesting, welcoming, and teases your curiosity.
But it also highlights Medtronic’s expertise and knowledge, and their passion for what they do. And that builds confidence in the brand as a true leader in their industry.
And to wrap it up, here’s a simple, unobtrusive but still effective ad for FedEx, quickly explaining how they’ve pledged to reduce their carbon emissions.
The infographic-style vertical video highlights how their customers are also playing a part and can check the emissions of their own individual shipments, making it personal and encouraging more mindfulness of the small role we all play!
Usually, you have to select the aspect ratio of your videos to be 9:16 (or 1080 x 1920 if you’re working with pixels) when creating them in your video editing or animation software. While there are several online tools available to do the same, they have very limited functionality. So your best bet is to do it when you're in the production phase of your vertical videos.
Vertical videos are among the best performing video formats out there. To put numbers in perspective, 90% of vertical videos have higher watch completion rates than horizontal videos. As per numbers from Embryo, vertical videos got a 14% higher click-through rate than horizontal videos when used on Instagram Stories. Several more statistics show the efficacy of vertical videos on social media for ad recall and brand awareness.
With the widespread adoption of vertical videos, be it in the form of YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, it can be said confidently that vertical videos aren’t going anywhere in 2025 and beyond. In fact, with the rise of AI and AI-video generator tools, creating vertical videos (essentially short-form videos) has become easier and this trend is already seeing an upward trajectory as we speak.
Vertical videos aren’t just a trend—they’re absolutely here to stay.
With mobile-first platforms dominating the digital space, adapting your video marketing strategy to include vertical formats is essential.
They’re engaging, mobile-friendly, and perfectly aligned with modern content consumption habits.
Whether you’re crafting snappy ads, YouTube shorts, Instagram Reels, or TikTok tutorials, vertical videos help you meet your audience where they are—on their phones.
So, why wait? Start incorporating vertical videos into your marketing campaigns and watch your engagement soar.
Need help creating attention-grabbing vertical videos? Let us bring your vision to life with expert video production tailored to your brand!