Let’s be honest for a second.

How many times have you told yourself, “Just 5 minutes of TikTok before bed,” only to snap out of it three hours later, realizing the sun is coming up and you look like a raccoon with those dark circles?

You are not alone. And more importantly, the tech giants noticed.

That is exactly why YouTube—the ancestor of long-form content—suddenly gave birth to YouTube Shorts. It’s why Facebook and Instagram, once sacred places for perfectly curated photos, are now flooded with Reels. Even Amazon is trying to show you short videos.

Why the sudden “coincidence” (or let’s call it what it is: copying)? Because the world has changed. Attention spans are shrinking, and the dopamine hit of a 15-second video is the new gold standard.

But if you think simply filming a vertical video and hitting “upload” is enough to go viral, you are missing the most critical piece of the puzzle.

The Eyes Watch, but the Ears Decide

There is a strange paradox in the world of short-form content: We call it “watching” video, but the factor that actually stops the scroll is often audio.

Think about it. Have you ever watched a funny Reel on mute? It’s awkward. It’s flat. It feels like watching a comedian tell jokes through a soundproof glass wall.

The algorithms on TikTok, Shorts, and Reels are heavily biased toward Audio.

  • A trending sound is a discoverability hack.

  • A perfectly timed “Vine boom” or “record scratch” is the punchline.

  • Background ambience sets the mood instantly.

Sound is the retention hack. Your video quality might be 4K, but if the audio is boring or silent, people swipe away. Conversely, you can film with a potato, but if the audio is engaging, people will watch until the end.

The Creator’s Headache: “Where do I get the sounds?”

Here is where the amateurs get separated from the pros. Most people just recycle the same 5 songs available in the app’s library. It’s safe, but it’s repetitive.

Smart creators know they need “seasoning”—specific sound effects (SFX) like transitions, memes, or ambient noises to make the edit feel snappy and professional.

But let’s face it: Finding good SFX is a nightmare. You spend hours Googling, dodging sketchy websites with too many pop-up ads, or scrubbing through 10-minute videos just to find one distinct “ding” sound. It kills your creative flow.

I used to hate this part of the process. I got so tired of hunting for clean, high-quality sounds every time I edited a video that I decided to stop searching and start curating.

I built a personal library of the most useful, viral-ready sound effects so I wouldn’t have to waste time looking for them ever again. If you are tired of the “search struggle” and just want a folder of sounds that actually work for Shorts and Reels, (you can check out the resource I use right here).

It’s categorized and ready to go—consider it a shortcut to keeping your audience’s attention.

The Bottom Line

The war between TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook isn’t ending anytime soon. But the winners won’t just be the ones with the best cameras; they will be the ones who understand that silence is not golden—it’s an engagement killer.

Make some noise.