Vertical video
Vertical video is video shot or formatted in a portrait (9:16) aspect ratio that fills a phone screen. For podcasts it is the dominant format for clips on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
For example, a video podcast filmed in widescreen is reframed to 9:16 for a clip, zooming in on the speaker and adding captions so it reads cleanly in a mobile feed.
Why it matters: your buyers scroll on their phones, and vertical video takes up far more screen than a landscape clip, which is why a vertical-first repurposing approach consistently earns more reach for the same recording.
Vertical video is worth producing when the platform demands it (Reels, Shorts, TikTok) and the framing keeps the speaker's face large and legible on a phone.
- Cropping a wide two-shot to vertical and losing both faces and all context.
- Assuming vertical automatically wins on LinkedIn, where square and landscape still perform well.
- Burning effort on vertical for an audience that lives in the feed, not in short-form.
What is vertical video?
Vertical video is video shot or formatted in a portrait (9:16) aspect ratio that fills a phone screen. For podcasts it is the dominant format for clips on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
Do I need to film my podcast vertically?
No. Most B2B shows film in landscape for the main episode and reframe clips to vertical in editing. Filming with a bit of headroom and space around speakers makes that reframe cleaner.
Where does vertical video perform best?
LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts all prioritise vertical. For B2B, LinkedIn is usually the highest-intent destination.