1…2…3…4…5.
The average smartphone viewing session lasts more than 40 minutes (Brandwatch).
Five seconds. That’s how long you have to grab your viewers attention with your video.
We live in a world that is incredibly over-saturated with digital video content. Everybody from eCommerce brands to your friends grandmother are sharing online videos on a daily basis. With so much video going around, how are you supposed to stand out?
Below I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 things you should do to drive engagement in your digital videos and increase watch time:
1. Capture your viewer in the first 5 seconds.
You may have heard this one before, but that’s because it is incredibly important, and when done right can lead to a successful video.
When you are editing your video, don’t try to create a catchy intro right away. Start by editing your story as it would flow naturally and once you’ve completed the narrative, go back in your timeline, and find the most outrageous, insane or otherwise raunchy part of the video and copy that to the very beginning. By doing this, you’re setting the viewer up to desire more of that thrill. This “teaser” intro should not exceed 20 seconds and should be cut down as tightly as possible to ensure a captivating opening to your video.
2. Make sure something happens every 3-5 seconds
Okay so you’ve captured the viewer for the first 20 seconds…now what? You can’t simply provide boring dialogue from here on or else your viewer will quickly click away to another brands related video.
Video content is a visual and auditory medium that can be dressed up to engage and bring excitement to the audience. With that being said, use anything and everything you can to help complement your story being told. This can be anything from sound fx to stock music, flashy transitions, visual fx, color correction and so much more. Get creative here and have fun with it!
3. Thumbnail
At this point you’ve created a super tightly edited video that hooks the viewer and keeps them excited throughout. But how did the viewer get to your video in the first place?
As mentioned before, the internet is incredibly over-saturated with video content, and standing out can be difficult. While it is hard to shine through the competition, a good thumbnail will do wonders for you.
So what makes a good thumbnail? That depends on a whole laundry list of things from your intended audience to your branding and of course, what the video is about. You could be making a video about watching paint dry, an arguably boring piece of content. But how you spin and position the thumbnail will effect how many clicks you ultimately get. So how do you pull this off?
Remember when you were looking for the most engaging part of your video to place in the very beginning as your intro? Think back to that sequence and figure out why you chose the clip that you did. What about that part made it engaging or appealing? In fact, that part of creating the video is very similar to answering the question of what to put in your thumbnail. It has to be witty, it has to be visually motivated and it has to jump off the screen.
4. Title
So now you have a great thumbnail, but that’s only half of your ability to advertise. Next, is your title.
A good title is clever, in that it makes the viewer eager or interested by the subject matter. This can be something ironic, an opposition from the norm or something crazy (like bungee jumping from a helicopter with Will Smith). Will Smith (in this example from YouTuber, Yes Theory) is great click bait , especially in the YouTube community, because of his relevancy as a YouTube vlogger. Do your research and find what is culturally relevant in regards to your video. Title’s are meant to spark curiosity and excitement as to what the viewer can expect. Pair that with a solid thumbnail and you will achieve the result you’re looking for.
5. Give your viewer a reason to comment
Okay! So now you have your engaging video that has an appealing title and thumbnail and retains the viewer. Sounds like you’ve got everything good to go, right? Unfortunately, no.
Like I’ve said time and time before, the internet is very over-saturated with video. Unless you already have a large following, nobody is watching your videos without great engagement numbers. Why is this though?
Simple answer, algorithms. These are the bread and butter as to whose videos go viral and whose videos collect dust. While each social media platform has their own algorithms, they all relatively work the same way. In order to get the algorithm working on your side, you not only need to have a lot of views, likes and outstanding watch time, but you need higher levels of engagement. Specifically, you need comments and shares. People can comment for a number of reasons, but to ensure that more people are commenting, you and your video need to encourage this kind of engagement. Whatever your subject matter is, encourage your audience to comment by raising a topic. Ask a question about your viewer that will make them feel a part of your brand and community and encourage them to engage with other fans. No matter the comment, as long as others are commenting and sharing ideas in the comments, your video has a great shot at landing on more peoples screens, and hopefully, going viral.
A good video will always naturally be shared. But if you follow these tips above, your video content will have a much better chance at achieving the numbers and ideally conversions that your brand needs to grow and remain relevant in this crazy world of infinite video content.
Check out some examples of engaging video content
Written by Aaron Shafer
Aaron is a digital media professional and founder of the video marketing agency, FIN Creative. He specializes in video strategy, production and editing for brands and eCommerce businesses. Aaron has helped countless YouTube channels and brands grow through the conception and execution of effective social media videos. Learn more about FIN Creative.