5 things that get people to start watching your video and finish watching it
There are plenty of videos available, and it is not possible to watch all of them. How can you make sure your target audience chooses your video online and watches all of it? At least five things play into these decisions.
Sharing.
Who is sharing, how and where, are some of the first things that catch our eye. Personal accounts are more interesting than business accounts. What have they written as a caption when sharing and
how much are they putting themselves out there in the shared content?
What is this about? Have I already seen someone else share this, but did not watch it then, I have to watch this now since others have shown such interest. (Repetition.) Is the person sharing content familiar and have they shared videos before? In case the video is part of a series and they have produced videos regularly it increases the relevance and I will want to check at least some of the content and what it is about.
Thumbnail, a preview snapshot of your video
Is it interesting, does it look good and
has it been chosen specifically for sharing or has the platform you are hosting the video on selected it randomly?
Is it a native video that can be viewed in the feed or directly on the platform I am using? Or will I be redirected somewhere else if I click on it? Hopefully not.
The first seconds 0-5
What impression does the video give?
Does it look unique and interesting?
OK – I will watch a little more! (If the video has subtitles, as I could be on a bus or trying to get my baby to sleep and can’t switch on the sound.)
The first 10-15 seconds
What problem is this video about or what problem does it solve? The worse the problem is, the better the story. Is the problem relevant to others in some way?
Have the people who made the video and ordered it understood what is at the core of the problem and presented it in an interesting way,
or have they just scratched the surface, approached the topic from the wrong angle or in a wrong way? If they have managed to present the core problem in an interesting way, alright – I will commit to watching some more and allow my full attention to be captured by the story until the end of the video.
Is there new content provided until the end?
Or has the significant content been presented by the halfway point?
Does the story continue with a style that reveals new things, hooks and value until the very end?
Wow, let’s watch all of it then, but I can’t wait for this great video to end so I can share it with everyone!