What types of short-form videos should a founder make?
The formats that work best for founders are opinion takes, quick explainers, customer stories, myth-busters, answers to real buyer questions and behind-the-scenes clips. Rotate four or five so your feed teaches, persuades and builds trust, instead of repeating one format until people tune out.
The formats that consistently work for founders are opinion takes, quick explainers, customer stories, myth-busters, straight answers to buyer questions and behind-the-scenes clips. You don’t need all of them. Pick four or five and rotate, so your feed teaches, persuades and builds trust instead of repeating one format until people tune out.
Seven formats that suit founders
| Format | What it is | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The opinion take | A clear stance on something in your industry | Shows judgment; invites comments and shares |
| The 60-second explainer | One concept, explained simply | People save and share useful explanations |
| The customer story | A real client’s problem and result | Proof, ideally in the client’s own words |
| The myth-buster | “Everyone says X. Here’s why that’s wrong.” | Tension in the first line holds attention |
| The question answer | A real prospect question, answered on camera | Matches what buyers actually search for |
| Behind the scenes | How you work, decide or build | Makes the company feel human |
| The mistake breakdown | A costly mistake and how to avoid it | Loss grips people more than gain |
What the data says about formats
Explainers and stories are popular for a reason. In Wyzowl’s 2026 survey, the most common types of video businesses made were social media videos (69%), explainer videos (68%) and testimonial videos (57%). On the viewer side, 63% of people said they would most like to learn about a product or service by watching a short video.
On Instagram, Adam Mosseri has said the most important prediction the platform makes for reels is how likely you are to reshare one. That favors formats people want to send to a colleague: the useful explainer, the sharp opinion and the mistake breakdown.
How to rotate them
A simple weekly mix for a founder posting three videos a week:
- One teaching video: an explainer, a mistake breakdown or a question answer.
- One opinion video: an opinion take or a myth-buster.
- One trust video: a customer story or behind the scenes.
That rhythm keeps the feed varied while every video still has a job. Turning one format into a recurring segment, like “Myth of the Week,” makes it easier still: see how to turn founder expertise into a video series.
Formats to be careful with
- Pure trend content. Fine now and then, but it rarely shows your expertise. More in whether founders should use trending sounds and memes.
- Product announcements. Sometimes necessary, but they rarely travel beyond your existing followers.
- Long monologues with no structure. They need a hook and a point like everything else. Start with how to write a hook.
Testing formats without burning out
Knowing the formats is the easy part. Testing them week after week and noticing which ones bring in the right viewers is where most founders drop off. The DIY approach: pick three formats, film four of each in one session, post them over a month and compare saves, shares and DMs.
Dopameme runs this kind of testing for founders from a research library of close to a hundred documented formats, each tried on live accounts first, so the founder records and the team picks, scripts and edits the format. Either way, let the numbers choose your formats, not habit.
Bottom line
Founders do best with a small rotation: opinion takes, explainers, customer stories, myth-busters, question answers and behind-the-scenes clips. Mix teaching, opinion and trust videos each week, favour formats people want to share, and test a few side by side before settling on the ones that bring in the right viewers.
Sources: Wyzowl: Video Marketing Statistics 2026; Instagram: Instagram Ranking Explained.
Credits & sources
Figures in this article come from the sources above and are quoted as published. Anything labelled as an example is illustrative, not a benchmark.
Written by
Talha co-founded Dopameme and runs its short-form research: a few hundred video teardowns and close to a hundred documented formats, each tested on live accounts before a client sees it.
Published by Dopameme. Read how we choose questions and use sources in our editorial policy.
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Related questions
How do founders turn their expertise into a video series people come back for?
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