Does looping video boost views on TikTok and Instagram?

Most people can't get on -- or off of TikTok in general- without heading down a rabbit hole of endless entertainment. Looping videos, AKA short video clips with autoplay make it all too simple to view over and over again.

This is great news for those looking to boost engagement. However, knowing when to post video loops on TikTok or Instagram can be a challenge. How can you tell what content is suitable for a video loop? What about the effect it has on the number of views and the level of engagement?

In this article

1.    What is a looping video?
2.    Can looping videos boost views?
3.    Three reasons to think about looping your videos
4.    Commonly asked questions regarding looping videos
5.    The whole thing

What is a looping video?

A looping video can be described as a video that plays itself continuously. It can be as short as an gif with a humorous message or as a step-by-step tutorial for preparing a recipe. Videos autoplay and play for a long time, until the user is able to interact with the new video (or is on an infinity loop).

Videos can be looped that repeat completely or in a smaller amount, based on the requirements of your platform and your content goals. You can, for instance, choose to only loop the most relevant part of the video or to loop the video in order to increase your reach.

Do loops in a video boost views?

Short-form video usually feature more watch times than longer clips. Looping videos plays into the desire to have shorter videos through the automatic repetition of the exact same video over and over.

When the video loops, it is considered a different view. The views will continue to multiply and boost your overall views count. If a video plays three times by one user, it counts as three views.

Derick Rhodes, VP of Marketing & Industry Relations at , explains that in the eyes of the TikTok algorithm viewing count is higher than any other metric in determining what gets shown.

"Looping videos may be something that's not really happening However "completing this loop" is also the the number one gauge of how successful on TikTok in the moment -over comments or views that have traditionally been the focus."   Derick Rhodes, of Industry and Influencer Relations

3 reasons to think about looping your videos

Loops have the potential to enhance the amount of video views. But it should not be the sole reason that drives you to use loops in your videos.

Capture the user's attention

The average person watches an average of 17 hours of online video each week. It may seem like a lotof time, but most users simply scroll through an endless sea of videos without really engaging. TikTok and similar social media sites like Instagram move fast. You need to grab a user's attention instantly, or else you risk losing their attention to the endless scroll.

Looped videos have continuous motion that may catch an user's eye as they scroll through their feed, which makes videos stand out normal videos and static pictures.

Videos that loop can also spark users' curiosity. In the event that a video loops, viewers may be intrigued to revisit it to determine if they missed something or understand the meaning better.

A lot of social media platforms such as TikTok as well as Instagram have an autoplay feature which allows videos to play while users browse through their feeds. Looped videos take advantage of this feature because they instantly restart and play again, boosting the chance of being noticed by a person.

Tell a story

The ability to loop a video will help you tell a story in a short and captivating method. By repeating a key sequence or event, it could enhance the story and increase the impact for viewers.

If you're posting humorous content video looping can improve the comedic timing by repeating a funny motion or gesture, which makes the video more entertaining for the viewers.

Looping also works well to create music-related content such as looping dancing routines, music covers or lip-syncing music. Because 93% of TikTokers use the platform with sound on and 88 percent say sound is "essential" to the platform, looping sounds also help in grabbing people's attention and encouraging viewers to return before moving further.

Tutorials also work well for loop formats. If the viewer fails to complete the very first stage, they are able to keep rewatching the looped video to see the full version.

Be sure to adhere to the platform-specific requirements for content

If you want to share videos that are smaller than the play time limit for a particular social media site, you may loop it to fill up the duration and exposure of your video. As an example, Instagram has a maximum video length of 15 seconds on Stories and 60 seconds for the feed. If your video is only 7 seconds long then you can loop it two times to meet the 15-second limit for Stories. Story.

"A majority 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 evolving is imperative for content creators to think about creating specific content for every platform first."

The author adds that creating native to platforms content is a great approach to boost the engagement. "Calm The meditation app, does a nice job of this, creating these Instagram-native loops for viewers to take a few moments and breathe, rather than trying to adapt a more conventional ad that is based on a timer to run with the same app."

Frequently asked questions about looping videos

 1.) What exactly are advantages from looping videos?

Looping videos on social media can provide many benefits for advertisers for example:

• longer viewing time. Looping videos can draw viewers to view the video for longer as they play automatically without requiring viewers to play the video. The result is higher view counts and watch times which sends good signals to algorithmic systems that there's higher interest in the content.
• Save your time. Looping videos are generally shorter. This makes it easier for users to match social media limitations regarding file size and length.
• Stronger message delivery. Looping videos can be helpful in conveying information or stories that profit from repetition or reinforcement. This could include product demos, tutorials, or other educational content.

 2.) What's the distinction between an elongated loop and a repeated?

A loop in a video and a repetition sound alike, but they are two different concepts within the field of video marketing. A loop video is a clip of video that continues to play for an indefinite time without interruption. As the loop comes to an conclusion, it instantly restarts at the beginning, creating a continuous playback loop.

The term "repeat" typically refers to the feature that allows users replay videos starting from the beginning when it has reached the conclusion. The viewer may have to press an onscreen button in order to trigger the replay. There may be a short delay or interruption between replays.

3) Can looping videos increases the number of views?

A video looped in loops can increase the number of views on popular social media sites like Instagram as well as TikTok. Looping videos can grab the viewer's attention and encourage viewers to view the video multiple times which encourages algorithms to show videos to users.

Putting it all together

Video loops can create captivating visually-rich moments. They're a great way to keep your audience interested, and could increase your content's visibility, viewings, and overall involvement.

Remember that looping videos doesn't ensure success on social networks. Instead, prioritize creating relevant videos that are a hit with your target audience first- that's the surefire way to their hearts (and their screens).