Facebook’s algorithm changes at the platform’s whim depending on what it wants to accomplish. The latest change flies in the face of deeply held ideas of what works online. Common knowledge is attention spans are short, which means content should be as well. Facebook aims to upend that.

The latest update to is News Feed algorithm is encouraging long-form content.

"If you watch most or all of a video, that tells us that you found the video to be compelling — and we know that completing a longer video is a bigger commitment than completing a shorter one. As we continue to understand how our community consumes video, we’ve realized that we should therefore weight percent completion more heavily the longer a video is, to avoid penalizing longer videos.” —Facebook product manager Abhishek Bapna

The change isn’t expected to be drastic. Long videos with a high completion viewed will see a “slight increase” in distribution, while shorter videos may see a “slight dip.”

The primary reason Facebook’s doing this is because of its plans to rollout mid-roll ad units (ads that run in the middle of video content that’s at least 90 seconds long). This update encourages publishers and content creators to create longer content that Facebook can monetize.

Now, the natural question is what this mean for brands.

The Implications are Indirect

Facebook can change the algorithm, but users will ultimately determine how successful long-form content on Facebook is. Facebook and the Internet as a whole have trained users to demand short, digestible content. Facebook’s challenge now is to convince users that long-form content is worth their time and attention, which is why Facebook is partnering with studios to create premium-level content worthy of that commitment.

Given this need to shift user behavior, the opportunities for brands to create long-form content they weren’t already planning to create is marginal. Longer content often means a greater investment, and until attitudes and behaviors change, that investment might not be worth it, unless it’s needed to communicate the message. If long-form is needed to tell the story, do it. If not, reconsider. Facebook’s proven that rules can change. This current test in long-form could be reversed with a focus on short just as a brand starts to shift gears.

In a nutshell, Facebook’s update means “it depends” for marketers, so what’s a marketer to do?

Tell the story you need to tell in the time you need to tell it in the most engaging way possible.

Sometimes a brand needs to tell a longer story. The good news is there’s now less risk in doing so. In fact, Facebook would welcome the long-form message, but at the end of the day, all Facebook cares about is engagement. It wants content that keeps user attention. Facebook won’t care about length of content if people are interested.

Let the story’s purpose and the audience drive the content. Be aware of the algorithm but not driven by it.