How many of you know that the average attention span of a human is around 8 seconds? Yes, 8 measly seconds. That means, as video producers, we have a very narrow window in which to capture the viewer before they move on to the next cat video or Tik-Tok craze. Creating a memorable video, though, is a perfect way to connect with your audience.

Here are some tips on how to make those crucial first moments of your video count…

ACT FAST!

You want to create a video that interesting and will hold the attention of the viewer and in return drive engagement. To achieve this the intro should entice the audience to stay around for more, so the hook needs to feature in the first segment and try to focus on emotions as early as possible.

CATCHY TITLE

Some people are drawn to catchy titles, and others may take more time. A good idea is to do some research into keywords for your subject matter as this will help you in Google search optimization. Always try to be as descriptive as possible in title creation. Vague titles will not do much for the discovery of your content. People like to know what they will be watching in advance of the click to play.

THUMBNAIL GRAPHICS

Another way to draw in viewers is to have a dynamic thumbnail image that is bold, creative and brand consistent. This will not only build a trust in your video content but it will make your videos highly visible in a saturated online environment. These thumbnail images should be HD and include high quality graphics as sub-standard images will have an adverse effect on the first impression of your video.

IMAGE AND AUDIO QUALITY

Make sure that the audio and video content of your video is of the highest quality. Viewers will be immediately turned off by a poor quality video. It’s all about first impressions, and we want the viewer to stick around for longer than the first five seconds.

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

Viewers are more concerned with what you can do for them over listening to you tell them how great you are. A successful shareable video will make them tell other people about you. So bear this in mind when you are building your library of videos. Stay on point and be specific about your product and/or service. You can always include more information on your landing page that provides the viewer with more details.

8 SECOND RULE

Timing is essential in video production and every second matters. The editor needs to time things perfectly so the first 8 seconds contains enough content to capture the interest of the viewer. The most important items to consider are the branding, the hook and value messaging. Hopefully you have enough to retain the attention of the viewer and keep them around a bit longer to continue watching your video.

BE REPETITIVE

Most of us are forgetful and usually lose an everyday item during a regular week or forget one piece of information. So with this in mind, video marketers need to repeat information several times through the course of a video such as repeating brand/product names or a call to action. This needs to be conveyed in a natural way. Repetition is a good strategy, particularly if you are establishing a new business or service.

REUSE AND RECYCLE

Every piece of content in your video is important and you don’t want your audience to miss anything. So, if you have an extensive library of video and b-roll footage see if you can recycle and repackage the video content to tell the same story. This will freshen up the visuals while reinforcing the message.

TAKEAWAY TIME

In this world we live in, the one of short attention spans and saturated video content, it is important to hold the attention of your audience by making sure every aspect of your video content is relatable and engaging. This is not an impossible task and it is often a wise decision to enlist in the services of a professional video production company to help you achieve these goals. 

For further information on how we can help you with your video marketing, contact Andy Holt on 780-907-1445 for a no obligation consultation via Zoom, Skype or a socially distanced in-person meeting.