Storytelling with Strategy: Why Every Business Should Be Thinking Vertically

Vertical video isn't a social media trend anymore. It's a change in consumer behaviour.

Not so long ago, filming vertically was considered a mistake. Landscape video was the accepted standard and anyone holding their phone upright was usually told to rotate it before pressing record. Today, however, that advice feels increasingly outdated.

The way people consume content has changed dramatically over the past decade, and the platforms we use every day have evolved alongside those habits. Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts and LinkedIn all prioritise vertical, full-screen video because that's how people naturally hold and interact with their mobile devices. Rather than asking users to adapt to technology, technology has adapted to the user.

For businesses investing in video marketing, this represents far more than a change in aspect ratio. It reflects a fundamental shift in how audiences discover, consume and engage with content. Understanding that shift is becoming just as important as understanding your target audience.

Your Audience Doesn't Think In Aspect Ratios

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding vertical video is that it's simply a different shape. In reality, it's an entirely different viewing experience.

When someone visits your website, they're often prepared to spend time exploring your products or services. On social media, however, your audience is making split-second decisions whilst scrolling through an endless stream of competing content. The challenge isn't simply producing an attractive video; it's creating something that earns attention quickly enough to interrupt that behaviour.

This is why vertical video has become so effective. By filling the entire screen, it removes distractions and creates a more immersive viewing experience. More importantly, it aligns with the way people already consume content. Your audience isn't thinking about whether a video is portrait or landscape. They're simply engaging with content that feels natural to watch.

As video marketers, our role isn't to force audiences to change their habits. It's to understand those habits and create content that works with them.

Strategy Should Always Come Before Format

One of the questions we're asked most frequently is whether every business should now be producing vertical video.

The answer is no.

The better question is: where will your audience watch it?

A recruitment video embedded on your website has very different objectives from a LinkedIn Reel introducing your business to potential clients. Likewise, a detailed case study serves a different purpose to a short promotional video designed to stop someone scrolling through their social feed.

This is why strategy should always come before production.

The format should support the objective, not dictate it.

When businesses begin with a clear understanding of who they're trying to reach, what they want that audience to do and where they're most likely to encounter the content, choosing between vertical and horizontal becomes a strategic decision rather than a creative preference.

The Most Effective Businesses Don't Choose One Or The Other

There is a misconception that the rise of vertical video somehow signals the end of traditional filmmaking. In reality, the opposite is true.

Landscape video remains the ideal format for website homepage films, documentaries, training videos, conference presentations and many forms of long-form content. Vertical video simply serves a different purpose within the customer journey.

A short vertical video may introduce someone to your brand for the first time, while a longer landscape film helps them understand your business in greater depth. Used together, they create a far more effective marketing strategy than either format could achieve independently.

Increasingly, businesses are recognising the value of planning for both from the outset. A single filming day can generate a cinematic brand film alongside multiple vertical videos optimised for LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube Shorts. This not only creates consistency across every platform but also maximises the return on the investment made in professional video production.

Storytelling With Strategy

At RD Music & Media, we don't see vertical video as a trend to be followed or another social media feature to keep up with. we see it as part of a much broader change in the way people discover businesses, consume information and build trust.

The format itself isn't what makes a video successful.

What matters is understanding the audience, selecting the right platform and telling a story that feels authentic, engaging and purposeful, regardless of whether it's viewed vertically or horizontally.

Technology will continue to evolve and the platforms we use today will undoubtedly change again in the future. Human behaviour, however, changes far more slowly. People still want stories that grab their attention, hold their interest, make them feel something and inform them what to do next.

The businesses that succeed won't be the ones chasing every new trend. They'll be the ones creating content that meets their audience where they already are.

That's why, at RD Music & Media, every project begins with strategy before the camera is ever switched on.

© 2026 Rory Davidson, RD Music & Media. All rights reserved.