Unless you’ve been living under a (very large) rock or have sworn off social media, chances are you’ve seen one of the latest crazes on Facebook: short videos of easy-to-follow recipes.

These videos everywhere and easy to spot; they all have a birds’ eye view camera angle, clear lighting and composition, and nothing more than hands and utensils in the frame with the food. The recipes range from hot wings to spring rolls and everything in between (including Red Velvet Churros !). This trend has swept Facebook users off their feet as the videos get millions of views and likes as well as comments and shares in the thousands.

But, what exactly is the recipe for the perfect food video? It’s quite simple. Taking a look at the most trendsetting accounts on Facebook such as Tasty, Tastemade, and Tip Hero, these food videos prey upon our expectations of social media and our desire for easily digested content.
With hours of research under my belt (read: I just watch these videos all the time), I’ve concluded why the food videos on Facebook are so popular:
They’re concise: Firstly, the videos are very succinct. They’re short and sweet as they cover an entire recipe in under a minute (and many around the 30-second mark). Because they’re short and the content is so delicious, it’s not considered spam when the videos are shared with your friends.
They’re eye-catching: In that same vein, these videos offer just a taste (pardon the pun). They’re eye-catching because they’re fast and played in a breath-taking speed. Because the food is being cooked at an unimaginable rate, we stop and watch. Where else have you seen steak cooked in just 3 seconds? Unlike those of many recipe brands, these videos don’t miraculously pull a fully-cooked chicken out of the oven – they show it actually cooking in time-lapse with spellbinding detail.
They’re ordinary:
These viral videos also don’t use anything too fancy for the dishes. Because of the camera angle and shooting style, a hot plate is typically used. While it’s not found in everyone’s home, it’s certainly not glamorous. Additionally, there’s a lack of celebrity, especially by social media standards. Even when Wolfgang Puck was featured on a Tasty video making a delicious yet relatively modest-looking Chicken Pot Pie, they didn’t show anything more than his arms and hands during the recipe – just like every other video. In fact, if it was watched without sound, as I did the first time, you wouldn’t immediately know that he was the one doing the cooking. The result is you, the viewer, believing you can also create this yummy-looking dish.
They’re versatile: A feature that is quite new to our social media world is the flexibility of sound. I, and most of the people I know, watch these videos with the sound off. Because Facebook, and now Instagram, has an auto-play option, the videos play immediately when it pops onto the screen both in the browser and the mobile version. This means we can get our fix of rapidly cooked and tasty food in a public environment (read: at work) without fumbling with earbuds or adjusting the volume.

They have live testimonies: The content for these Facebook pages doesn’t just stop after the video has ended. With millions of viewers, the comments section is riddled with tips on how to add some extra flair with different ingredients and how realistic and easy the recipe actually was. But, the most common comments come from those who believe that the food isn’t perfect: it either doesn’t follow tradition exactly or uses a lesser known, and perhaps less favourable, method of cooking. But, no matter what the comment, there are comments. Paired with the number of views, the sheer number of comments hits the Facebook algorithm in all the right places and pushes the video to even more viewers.
There are graphics in place of people: Despite being professionally filmed; these food videos certainly aren’t made for Hollywood. All of the successful videos feature music in place of someone speaking. In fact, no one has become well-known for these videos; all of the chefs are anonymous and are seemingly everyday people like the rest of us. The most successful videos have mastered the art of blending pristine graphics with the images in the video, contouring words and animations around the food to make them look like they’re intermingling. It’s mesmerising.
They’re relevant: Of course, the best time to watch a Tasty video is right before you’re about to eat. They will undoubtedly make you hungry and the ingredients list is always the top comment if you’re up for a trip to the shop. But, these popular accounts release their videos according to holidays, major events, political news, sporting events, and anything else you can think of in order to attract more viewers and it certainly works.

So, what does this mean for you? If you’re simply a viewer, sit tight as there are plenty more videos to come as the possibilities are endless.
But, for brands, they could be something big. Although you may not have the same size audience as Tasty or Tastemade or Tip Hero, or even have anything to do with food, you can make similar videos with the features listed above. The quick content gives in to instant gratification, an informal medium where your viewers can learn more about your brand, and a sure-fire way to get on the radar of people previously unreachable.