The Science of Attention: Creating Short-Form Videos People Won't Skip

In this episode of the Social Media Marketing Podcast, host Michael Stelzner welcomes Hilary Billings, a content strategist and science of attention expert, to explore the psychological foundations behind creating short-form videos that capture and retain attention. Billings shares her journey from psychology graduate to digital content creator, highlighting how her team's initial struggles with Facebook Watch and TikTok led them to analyze thousands of viral videos and uncover consistent behavioral patterns rooted in human psychology. She introduces a seven-step science framework, emphasizing connection, authenticity, and emotion as the core drivers of engagement. The authenticity formula—values multiplied by voice—helps creators align their content with their true selves and values, fostering deeper audience trust and sustainability. Billings stresses that emotional resonance, processed 80,000 times faster than logic, is essential for virality, and that content should prioritize storytelling and emotional impact over overt promotion. She concludes with a free AI-powered tool, Rank My Real, to help creators optimize their videos using the science of attention framework. The episode underscores that in an era of shrinking attention spans and algorithmic volatility, mastering human behavior is the ultimate competitive advantage. Marketers and creators must focus on authenticity, emotional storytelling, and adaptability—not just platform trends. Billings’ insights reveal that long-term success comes not from chasing virality, but from building genuine connection through consistent values and voice. The episode ends with a strong call to action: leverage the science of attention to create content that resonates, converts, and sustains over time.