Why Slide Decks Are Still Relevant in the Age of TikTok and Short-Form Content

If you’re chronically online, you’ve probably heard of doom scrolling. Most of us have been there: mindlessly consuming content on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. What seems harmless (and in good fun) is actually the number one contributing factor to our shrinking attention spans. Recent studies show the average attention span has dropped to just 8 seconds. That’s less than the time it takes to read this sentence.

While that may not mean much for some, business professionals now have just 8 seconds to grab consumers' attention. That’s 8 seconds to effectively nail a hook, deliver a pitch, or get the audience thinking. This goes for ads, emails, blogs, and presentations. More specifically, in a world where content is consumed in bite-sized chunks, traditional presentations no longer cut it.

The attention span crisis

Short-form video content has rewired how we process information. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have trained audiences to expect instant value, or they’ll scroll right past. As it relates to presentations, people simply no longer have the patience for what was once coined as “death by PowerPoint.” 

Traditional presentation formats that rely on lengthy bullet points, dense data slides, and long-winded explanations are being left behind. When competing with attention spans, presenters must now prioritize rapid engagement, visual storytelling, and concise messaging.

The key to overcoming the attention span crisis in our highly-digital environment is to keep your audience engaged throughout the most important parts of your presentation. 

Design your presentations for impact

The key to better engagement is to design for impact. Your slides need to work like headlines—short, powerful, and visually compelling. The value needs to be blatantly obvious to your audience at the jump, otherwise you’ll lose them. 

One key takeaway per slide

Focus is your friend. Cramming multiple ideas onto one slide overwhelms viewers and dilutes your message. Instead, design each slide around a single core idea. This approach not only keeps your audience focused but also improves recall.

Imagine two slides: one packed with three paragraphs of text, and another with one bold statement and a relevant image. Which are you more likely to remember? Always choose clarity over clutter.

Use engaging design with imagery and video

Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. By incorporating strong imagery or short video clips, you can tell a story more efficiently and emotionally than words alone. Visuals help convey tone, set context, and guide your audience’s interpretation.

Choose high-quality images that align with your message and brand. Beautiful.ai’s free image library makes it easy to find something that complements your story without leaving the presentation. For videos, short clips or animations that reinforce your key message can add dynamic energy to your slides.

Bring slides to life with animation

Subtle animation can be a powerful way to guide attention and emphasize critical points. Motion helps pace your delivery, ensuring viewers follow your narrative instead of racing ahead.

However, the key is restraint. Avoid spinning text, bouncing images, or flashing transitions. Subtle animations can be used to reveal one idea at a time, keeping your audience with you every step of the way.

Follow the 10/20/30 rule

Tech legend Guy Kawasaki popularized the 10/20/30 rule for presentations which is no more than 10 slides, no longer than 20 minutes, and no font smaller than 30 points. This formula is a good baseline to keep in mind when you’re building out your next presentation. 

Here’s why it works:

• 10 slides keep your content focused and digestible.
• 20 minutes respects modern attention spans.
• 30-point font forces you to simplify your message.

This rule encourages discipline in both design and delivery, helping ensure that every element of your presentation serves a clear purpose. You’ll naturally avoid dense slides and streamline your narrative, a win for both you and your audience.

Creating impactful, engaging presentations in Beautiful.ai

Presenting in a fast-paced environment means designing for immediate impact with clear visuals and intentional pacing. Beautiful.ai has design guardrails in place to help maintain clean and professional presentation slides that get your message across, faster. Smart Slides handle the most tedious parts of the presentation design process like aligning text boxes and resizing images, so all you need to do is add your content. When you remove the technical elements of design, you’re free to focus on the more impactful parts that matter most like visuals and animations.