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Thanks to the rise of vertical video on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, we don’t need to tilt our phones as much as we used to. While there may still be creatives who resist this trend and stick to horizontal video, going vertical is key to reaching a broader audience in 2025.
There are some differences between horizontal and vertical video that you need to be aware of, but don’t worry—if you want to learn how to make a vertical video effectively, this guide will help you. We’ll cover:
- Creating vertical video content
- Moving from horizontal to vertical video
- How brands use vertical video
- Vertical video formats
- Vertical video templates
1. Vertical video content
The vertical video trend first began with the popularity of the “Stories” vertical format introduced by Snapchat. Instagram soon followed with its Stories feature, and then Reels. Millions of accounts use Instagram Stories and Reels every day, and businesses have made the most of them to promote themselves through the algorithm.
Other video platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, also support vertical video content. And then, of course, there’s TikTok. The Chinese app continues to take the world by storm, dominating the attention of people all over the globe.
Vertical video has been the go-to trend for years now. And it seems like it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It just makes sense, taking into account the way we know most users hold their smartphones.
2. Horizontal to vertical video
Holding a phone vertically allows a user to interact with one hand while still using the keyboard and being able to see part of the screen. Most people prefer to interact with webpages and message threads this way, scrolling through and seeing what they’ve read previously toward the top of the screen. However, while this has been the case since the beginning of the smartphone revolution, video took its time adapting to the vertical format.
Why is that, you may wonder? Well, the moving image has mostly existed in a horizontal format since its birth, and creating for vertical screens requires a considerable rethink of the production process.
It’s a huge adjustment to consider producing for a medium that will suddenly show more at the top and bottom of the screen than it will of the background and sides. It requires a different sensibility when planning your shots, and the effects trickle down into the graphic design department, wondering where to overlay logos and titles, as well as affecting the scalability of the final product.
While anyone who’s tried to create Instagram Stories with a group knows it can be challenging to get more than one person into a vertical shot at one time, this limitation represents a strength. Humans are vertical by nature in that we’re obviously taller than we are short. Filming yourself will reveal that we can fill up a vertical canvas quite comfortably, making vertical videos with people as their subjects—like TikTok videos—feel surprisingly intimate.
Long a staple horizontal format, vlogging is now turning vertical, as a new generation sees the low-fi settings of Instagram and TikTok as a viable alternative to the often over-produced world of YouTube. However, even YouTube has understood the needs of the audience and fulfilled them with the introduction of Shorts. Now, the focus is on the subject and what they want you to see, with less attention on what’s going on in the background.
Being able to fill up a person’s screen the way they naturally hold it means there’s less chance of them switching into “video-watching mode,” as most would when they tilt their screens. The vertical video experience feels at once more immersive and less invasive.
3. How brands use vertical video
The revolution of the TikTok app popularized vertical video to the point that both individual and corporate content creators have switched to vertical format. In 2025, every brand with a strong presence on social media uses vertical video in a variety of ways, which we’ll describe below.
Instagram Stories and Reels
If you use Instagram, you probably have noticed that when watching the Stories of the accounts that you follow, every two to three Stories, an ad will show up. This means a corporate account has reached you through the algorithm. For companies and brands on Instagram, it’s a fantastic way to engage with potential clients who could be interested in their products or services.
The same is true when you’re scrolling through your Feed. Every few posts are followed by paid sponsored ads (often in the form of Reels) that may interest you according to your behavior online. For example, here’s a paid ad by digital artist Anna Markowitz promoting her profile and products. These posts are marked as Sponsored.
It seems that Instagram is committed to making Reels its primary type of content. It recently updated the main grid layout so that posts are no longer square but vertical rectangles. On top of that, the first thing you see when you visit a user’s profile is not the main grid but their posted Reels.
With that in mind, every successful brand has mastered the Reels vertical video strategy. The short duration makes it more likely for users to engage and watch the entire clip. This challenges brands to be creative and find ways to quickly earn the audience’s time and attention.
Let’s dive deeper into how brands use Reels and Stories to engage with existing and potential clients:
Podcast clips
Podcast or vodcast clips often aim to work as cliffhangers for the users to stay interested and engage with the brand. Spotify often posts clips of featured podcasts on its Instagram accounts.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing consists of brands collaborating with industry experts or influencers who advise potential customers on how or why to use the brand’s products.
Ads with strong storytelling
Unlike the ads we usually see on TV, Reels ads are often more subtle. Brands can use many techniques to grab attention through their ads, like vibrant animations or out-of-the-box vertical videos starring celebrities.
Stories and Highlights
Beyond the paid sponsored ads that sneak into your Stories-watching routine, brands also invest in their Stories vertical video strategy so that users engage when visiting the brand’s profile. There’s a whole world of storytelling behind well-structured Instagram Stories, and even more when it’s part of a series and integrated into Stories Highlights.
When the story isn’t a reel, it often includes a link that users can click to increase engagement beyond just watching the clip. Dior’s Instagram story features a vertical video showcasing how its new sneakers are made, with a link to check them out.
TikTok
In a similar fashion to Instagram, brands use TikTok to create vertical videos that promote their products or explain more about their history and identity. For instance, podcast clips are also a common type of marketing content on TikTok.
Just like on Meta’s app, brands on TikTok can pay for sponsored ads that appear on people’s ‘For You’ page, rather than relying on the algorithm to be found by potential clients.
Let’s see how brands are using TikTok as part of their vertical video strategy:
Promotional videos
Promotional videos on TikTok often look like ads. Just like on Instagram, the ads employ strong storytelling—actually, brands commonly use the same promotional videos on all their social media profiles. Of course, not all users have an account on every social media platform, so it’s a good idea for brands to post these vertical videos on every platform. For example, Squarespace posted its Barry Keoghan Instagram ad series on TikTok too.
Trend-oriented influencer marketing
TikTok has the upper hand when it comes to setting trends. After all, the Chinese app is the reason vertical video became the leading player in most video marketing strategies.
This is why so many brands jump into TikTok trends with the aim of reaching users who could be interested in their products. Here’s Sony embracing influencer marketing, with TikTok influencer Kianna Naomi promoting a Sony camera with a “day in the life” trend video.
Q&A
TikTok allows creators to reply to users’ comments with a direct video response. Not only does this reinforce engagement, but it also encourages brands to answer frequently asked questions. It’s a helpful way for existing and potential clients to clarify their doubts without having to search for solutions in the comments.
YouTube Shorts
YouTube is still the home of long-form, horizontal video. However, in an attempt to diversify its content and keep up with users’ wants and needs, the platform incorporated Shorts as another type of supported content. Of course, YouTube Shorts serve a different purpose than traditional longer videos.
Let’s explore how brands and creators have adopted the YouTube vertical video strategy:
Quick tutorials
Some brands choose Shorts over long-form horizontal videos to share quick tutorials on things that users may want to learn how to do in a minute.
This YouTube vertical video approach is a clever way to earn the trust and approval of users who don’t have the time or patience to watch a longer video. Adobe Creative Cloud uses YouTube vertical video Shorts for quick and straightforward tutorials.
Sneak peeks
Shorts are also great for grabbing the attention of those who are just passing by. It’s like delivering a pitch: you have a few seconds to convince the user to try your full-length content. When done right, it’s a relatively simple and effective video marketing strategy. Envato often uses YouTube vertical video Shorts as an intro to drive users to a full-length video or article.
Other social media platforms
In a truly unexpected move, LinkedIn has also jumped into the vertical video trend and incorporated a vertical video section on its mobile app. Although some users were initially doubtful about how appropriate it was for the nature of this social network, it’s been a popular move. Videos on LinkedIn are pretty business-oriented, and the vertical video format works fine for that.
More than a way to promote products, a vertical video on LinkedIn is a good opportunity for brands and professionals to talk more about their company: the corporate culture, their values, and the goals they have achieved.
Like any siblings, Instagram and Facebook borrow things from each other. In this case, brands and creators can choose to publish both Reels and Stories on Facebook.
While vertical video isn’t its main feature, Facebook remains the biggest social network on Earth, so it’s not a bad idea for brands to post their ads and promotional videos there.
Check out some cool, modern templates that will make your vertical video production a breeze.
X
These days, it seems like X is into everything. From AI to Communities and Jobs, the list of features on this app is getting longer and longer. Vertical video is no exception, with the recent integration of a dedicated video tab.
Here, users can watch clips in the same way they do on TikTok and Instagram Reels. It also includes many horizontal videos, however, since the adoption of vertical videos on X is not as widespread as in other apps.
4. Vertical video formats
The most successful vertical format to date is either relatively long or quite short. TikToks and Stories are generally short videos that can be stitched together into more extended playlists.
But then we have live streams, which begin and end arbitrarily. You don’t know what the person’s going to do or say, and you can interact with them live, asking them questions or sending reactions. Some creators have even used the live stream feature to hold masterclasses lasting an hour or more.
Content formats in the middle of these extremes are yet to find their footing in the vertical format. What’s been proven true is that content creators and brands are diversifying between long and short formats, using what suits their needs best. Sticking to either a short or long vertical format is still an option, but many are open to experimenting with whatever gets a positive public response. Brands like Adobe Creative Cloud embrace both long and short vertical format videos.
5. Vertical video templates
Vertical video is the current reigning approach in video marketing, and it looks like it will stay on the throne for a while. Since it’s been one of the brightest spots of social media advertising over the last few years, creators have seen more resources pop up to support vertical content creation. In fact, vertical video templates have become one of the fastest-growing categories on Envato.
Here’s a small selection of them, along with a quick look at what they offer video and social media professionals looking to create vertical video with ease.
Vertical video on Envato
Instagram Stories by Afterdarkness75
Instagram Stories
This template pack by Afterdarkness75 is incredibly versatile, featuring templates for corporate brands, glitchy ones for fitness or sports brands, templates for music festivals, and fashion templates for clothing or makeup brands. No matter what your business is, you’ll find something purpose-built to fit your next Instagram story in this pack.
Instagram Stories by nexus-digital-market
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories by nexus-digital-market offers Stories templates that focus significantly on bold, eye-catching images. It fits a wide variety of promotional and content-sharing needs. And each design feels modern and bold.
Instagram Stories Pack by YETYYY
Instagram Stories Pack
Instagram Stories Pack by YETYYY looks punchy and clean. With a focus on clarity, its modern designs, colors, and layouts get to the point of your content or promos quickly with seriously impressive designs. It’s a very effective Stories set.
Social Media Video Graphics Pack by ouss
Social Media Video Graphic Pack
Looking to add captions that fit all vertical video dimensions? The versatile Social Media Video Graphics Pack by FluxVFX-templates will cover everything you need. You’ll find a suitable template if you’re looking for eye-catching animated captions or functional subtitles.
Optik | Instagram Stories by therealist_network
Instagram Stories
From one of the most prolific creators on our marketplace comes Optik | Instagram Stories by therealist_network. It’s starkly modern, in the best of ways, using color sparingly alongside clean fonts and layouts that bring your images and content to the forefront in really creative ways. It’s a fantastic choice for creating Stories that look modern and professional.
Horizontal to Vertical Video
Horizontal to Vertical Video
Wondering how to make a horizontal video vertical creatively? Check out this vibrant bundle with templates allowing you to use your horizontal videos in vertical formats. The standard vertical video dimensions will no longer be a problem for your horizontal clips!
Vertical video tools
While the Instagram Stories templates we’ve mentioned so far are all designed to be edited in Adobe After Effects, there are other vertical video editor options. Placeit by Envato includes a powerful Instagram Stories maker that allows you to upload your content, style it, download it, and share it, all within your web browser.
How will you use vertical video for your brand?
Thanks to the popularity of Instagram Stories and Reels, TikTok, and the other platforms adopting vertical video, we can be sure that this video marketing strategy is here to stay. While vertical video may never replace the horizontal format for long-form content, it’s undoubtedly a sign that the video marketing stack is more diverse now than ever.
If you haven’t already, experiment with vertical video across these different platforms to see which one is right for your audience. Choose your favorite vertical video editor, and with the templates we’ve included, you’ll be on your way to creating vertical videos without breaking your budget or breaking a sweat! Learn more by reading up on the biggest video marketing trends of 2025 or how we got 1.5 million YouTube subscribers.
