While long-form content remains a powerful way for brands to showcase true expertise, demonstrate the value they offer and build trust with consumers, getting audiences to engage with it in real time can be challenging. With social media feeds dominated by short-form video formats that promote rapid scrolling behaviors, brands must find innovative ways to capture attention as quick content consumption habits limit users’ embrace of deeper storytelling.
Fortunately, the right strategies can help brands spark social media users’ curiosity, guide them toward more comprehensive pieces of thought leadership and strengthen audience connections along the way. Here, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council share smart ways to leverage social media to boost engagement with a brand’s long-form content.
1. Repurpose Longer Content Into Micro Insights
Repurpose longer content into micro insights designed for short attention spans. Turn a 10-minute video or blog into 30-second clips or quote visuals, each linking back to the full piece. We’ve found that leading with one strong idea from the content sparks curiosity and drives audiences to engage deeper with the long-form version. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
2. Transform Long Content Into ‘Story Arcs’
Purpose-driven brands can leverage social media by transforming long-form thought leadership into engaging “story arcs.” These concise, human-centered posts spark curiosity and invite deeper engagement. By meeting people where they scroll with meaning and momentum, brands can transform quick impressions into lasting advocacy. – Anne St. Peter, Global Prairie
3. Leverage Expert Voices
Encouraging expert contributions and curated lists remains an innovative approach. Create a format that allows experts within your target client groups to share their insights with their peers. This serves as a modern digital version of an expert panel. These experts are likely to engage with the post and share it with their networks. Combine that with visual infographics for extra virality. – Merag Shahzad, Reppocrates
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4. Publish LinkedIn Newsletters
LinkedIn newsletters are an innovative way to reach audiences with longer-form, original thought leadership. They keep users on the platform and are excellent alternatives to linking away to Web-hosted articles. If a key executive or professional has a large following on LinkedIn and engages actively on the platform, it can be a great way to drive engagement. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative
5. Break Big Ideas Into Short Clips
Break long content into short, story-style clips or posts that highlight one key idea at a time. Use polls, comments or questions to spark discussion, then link to the full article or video for those who want details. Post consistently and time it around trending topics to boost reach and real engagement. – Meeky Hwang, Ndevr, Inc
6. Release Timestamped Chapters
Run timestamped chapter premieres on social media: Schedule five short posts that unlock in sequence over 15 minutes, each with a hook, a visible timecode and a tap sending viewers straight to that chapter in the long piece. Pin the context in the comments, invite replies for next chapter hints, send subscribers the full outline after the drop and use UTM links to measure chapter-level impact and conversions. – Vaibhav Kakkar, Digital Web Solutions
7. Build Searchable Micro Clips
Turn long-form content into a searchable story. Build SXO (search experience optimization)-ready micro clips and posts that link back to your thought leadership. Each short post acts as a search signal across platforms and AI search. This turns social into a discoverability engine, making your blog or video what people and machines find when they ask the next question. – Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications
8. Create A Short Series
Turn long-form content into a living conversation. Break it into short, emotionally resonant clips or quotes and release them as a timed series that teases insights, not links. Each post should feel self-contained yet connected, building anticipation and depth. This approach transforms social media into a gateway for deeper storytelling. – Sarah Procopio, Thrive Marketing Science
9. Align Content With A Live Event
A brand can leverage social media by sponsoring a major live event—such as a sports or racing moment—and producing longer-form content in advance that’s designed for real-time engagement during the event. By aligning the content with the excitement and timing of the live experience, brands can capture audience attention in the moment while driving deeper storytelling and brand connection. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne Advertising
10. Craft Short-Form Teasers
Some brands are using short-form teasers that lead into long-form storytelling by turning a key quote, insight or stat from a video into a quick post that links to the full piece or even a series. Almost like a movie trailer, it works because it meets audiences where their attention starts, then guides them deeper. It’s micro-to-macro storytelling that feels native and natural, not forced. – Goran Paun, ArtVersion
11. Partner With Micro-Influencers
Engage with micro-influencers in your niche to discuss your latest video or lead magnet. With the TikTok marketplace hosting thousands of influencers, you can quickly find talent whose audience you could benefit from. The user-generated content can also be reposted across your socials, making your content more credible now, too. – Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR
12. Make Ads Using Clips And Excerpts
Repurpose clips or excerpts via social media ads that lead back to the longer-form content. Utilize AI to add voiceover and/or a talking head to a blog post snippet or custom animation to ramp up a video introduction. – Bernard May, National Positions
13. Create A ‘Content Trail’
Create a social media “content trail” where each short post, reel or poll reveals a piece of a larger insight from the long-form content. As followers engage, they’re led to the full article or video to “complete the story.” This approach turns discovery into a journey, driving curiosity, engagement and deeper content consumption. – Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team
14. Promote Long Content With Executive LinkedIn Posts
Turn executive LinkedIn posts into paid thought-leader ads, promoting long-form content through a trusted individual voice. This one-to-one delivery feels personal, not promotional, as it surfaces blogs, videos or points of view directly into decision-makers’ feeds with the credibility of subject matter experts and targeting precision. – Amy Packard Berry, Sparkpr
15. Share Narrative-Driven, Value-First Snippets
Brands can leverage social media as a platform to share narrative-driven clips or highlights of longer content and connect with users through real-time conversations. Creating interactive moments encourages curiosity and trust. Engaging the audience with value-first snippets makes them more likely to want to read the entire article or full video and build a deeper, more authentic connection with the brand. – Gabriel Shaoolian, Digital Silk