Content formats
Reaction video: definition and examples
What is Reaction video?
A reaction video is a format in which a creator films their live response to another piece of media, such as a music video, trailer, or viral clip, so viewers can watch both the original content and the creator's commentary at the same time. The format depends on the authenticity of the creator's emotional response to hold the audience's attention.
When you'd use it
- 1When a brand launches a campaign or creative and wants to capture audience responses.
- 2When a creator's live commentary on a product reveal adds credibility that scripted content cannot.
- 3When a product reveal or trailer needs a companion clip that shows real people responding to it.
- 4When the goal is to show a range of viewer perspectives on a product in a single piece of content.
Example
A film critic on TikTok built a series reacting to movie trailers where she spent the first ten seconds predicting the plot from the thumbnail alone before playing the trailer. Each video in the series averaged 90% of the trailer's length in watch time, compared to her baseline of 55%, because the prediction gave viewers a reason to watch until the end.
Use cases
- 1Recording a creator's unscripted response to a new product reveal side by side with the reveal footage.
- 2Capturing a team's reaction to a milestone or launch moment for a behind-the-scenes clip.
- 3Editing together multiple short reactions from different people to show breadth of response.
FAQ
What is the difference between a reaction video and a stitch?
A stitch is a platform-native feature on TikTok that lets you clip up to five seconds of another creator's video and prepend your own footage. A reaction video is a broader format that can be made with any editing tool and can show the original content for longer, often in a split-screen layout alongside the creator's response.
Make on-brand short-form video from the footage you already have.