It’s a nightmare scenario. You’ve spent months planning and shooting your video, it’s gone online and yet the views are not increasing. People are finding your videos and starting to watch but then... they get bored and click away to something more interesting like researching the history of rivets.
The harsh reality is that some sites, like Youtube, won’t register a view below 30 seconds of watching. Holding someone’s attention for half a minute is a challenge these days but here are five tips to help you avoid boring and skippable content.
KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET - It takes less effort to scratch the back of your neck than it does to click a mouse, tap a screen and skip even the most carefully crafted video. Viewers are looking for any excuse to skip and do something else as every second of time is a battle for their attention. Keeping your video short means asking for less commitment from the audience, they are more likely to stay to the end if they can see it will be over soon. Also the less time you have to use the more you will cut the fat and keep only the meat of interesting content ensuring that interest does not dip halfway through.
KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET - It takes less effort to scratch the back of your neck than it does to click a mouse, tap a screen and skip even the most carefully crafted video. Viewers are looking for any excuse to skip and do something else as every second of time is a battle for their attention. Keeping your video short means asking for less commitment from the audience, they are more likely to stay to the end if they can see it will be over soon. Also the less time you have to use the more you will cut the fat and keep only the meat of interesting content ensuring that interest does not dip halfway through.
A SERIES - How can you keep it short when you have a lot to say? Divide and conquer! Split your content into separate videos and find a narrative thread that leads your audience from one video to the next. A thread might be as simple as going from the start to the end of a process, splitting a list into separate videos or something more inventive like, “six people tell me I’m wrong.” Use an inventive tease at the end of each video to draw viewers into the next, “in the second video we’ll complete the tax return, plus I’ll tell you what happened to me in Amsterdam.”
A SERIES - How can you keep it short when you have a lot to say? Divide and conquer! Split your content into separate videos and find a narrative thread that leads your audience from one video to the next. A thread might be as simple as going from the start to the end of a process, splitting a list into separate videos or something more inventive like, “six people tell me I’m wrong.” Use an inventive tease at the end of each video to draw viewers into the next, “in the second video we’ll complete the tax return, plus I’ll tell you what happened to me in Amsterdam.”
PROVIDE A STRUCTURE - The problem is you want to make a video teaching people how to peel onions, but most people already know how so why would they watch? The answer, structure it as “five ways to peel an onion.” This might seem a very stereotypical approach these days but it works. Through this simple structure your audience is intrigued, “are there really five ways to peel an onion?” They are more likely to keep watching, “well the first two were rubbish but I’m halfway through now.” What’s more the title is more sharable, “have you seen five ways to peel an onion, the last one requires a shovel!”
PROVIDE A STRUCTURE - The problem is you want to make a video teaching people how to peel onions, but most people already know how so why would they watch? The answer, structure it as “five ways to peel an onion.” This might seem a very stereotypical approach these days but it works. Through this simple structure your audience is intrigued, “are there really five ways to peel an onion?” They are more likely to keep watching, “well the first two were rubbish but I’m halfway through now.” What’s more the title is more sharable, “have you seen five ways to peel an onion, the last one requires a shovel!”
RELAX AND GO OUTSIDE - Think of a terrible corporate video you’ve seen. Chances are it featured someone in a suit sitting in their office pretending not to be reading from a script. The lighting was bad, the sound was echoey and you only watched it because you were contractually obliged. You might think it takes money and equipment to avoid those kinds of dull videos but it really doesn’t. All you have to do is relax and go outside. The great outdoors instantly solves both your lighting and echo problems , as long as you can find somewhere suitably quiet. Then you need to relax, throw away that stilted script, get two people on screen together and have them talking about the subject instead. Use editing to take the best bits and leave the rest. For no extra money you have a far more engaging video.
RELAX AND GO OUTSIDE - Think of a terrible corporate video you’ve seen. Chances are it featured someone in a suit sitting in their office pretending not to be reading from a script. The lighting was bad, the sound was echoey and you only watched it because you were contractually obliged. You might think it takes money and equipment to avoid those kinds of dull videos but it really doesn’t. All you have to do is relax and go outside. The great outdoors instantly solves both your lighting and echo problems , as long as you can find somewhere suitably quiet. Then you need to relax, throw away that stilted script, get two people on screen together and have them talking about the subject instead. Use editing to take the best bits and leave the rest. For no extra money you have a far more engaging video.
STAND OUT - When planning a video it’s important to have a clear purpose and think about whether your video will stand out in a crowded marketplace. You can do this by looking at what your competitors are doing with video and consider what you could do differently. For instance, are your competitors using video to show off their resources and expertise? Then why not focus instead on customer testimonials to prove you get great results. If competitors are creating informative, yet dry, videos then you could use humour to build the character of your brand, and the friendly nature of your staff. With a clear purpose and style decided at the outset the finished video is more likely to attract and hold attention.
STAND OUT - When planning a video it’s important to have a clear purpose and think about whether your video will stand out in a crowded marketplace. You can do this by looking at what your competitors are doing with video and consider what you could do differently. For instance, are your competitors using video to show off their resources and expertise? Then why not focus instead on customer testimonials to prove you get great results. If competitors are creating informative, yet dry, videos then you could use humour to build the character of your brand, and the friendly nature of your staff. With a clear purpose and style decided at the outset the finished video is more likely to attract and hold attention.
At Crispy Dog Productions we have over fifteen years of experience providing video content for all sizes of organisations. Our approach is to be highly creative, tell your story effectively and produce videos that people actually want to watch. We’re offering a Free Video Strategy Consultation , please sign up below
