Have you ever experienced this? You make an elaborate video that puts your product or service in the spotlight. But it just doesn’t work . People drop out or don’t even start watching your video…
We notice it too. With the rise of social media, people have a shorter attention span than ever before. Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to increase your audience’s attention. With a good attention span, you’ll hit the mark with your video marketing.
Curious about how you too can create videos that will keep your customers glued to the TV screen? Then definitely read on.
How to Get People to Pay Attention to Your Videos
Capturing and maintaining your audience’s attention is crucial to any successful form of storytelling .
Videos are a very powerful form of online marketing, which we also use . But it can be quite a challenge, because attracting and maintaining attention has become more difficult than before.
There is just so much competition on the internet. And I don’t just mean direct competition, but indirect competition as well. Why would someone watch your video instead of a funny video on Facebook or TikTok? If you don’t have a good answer to that, your customers won’t find a reason either. So always start with a clear goal and a useful topic that can mean something to both you and your audience.
But let’s assume you’ve already made a good start on your topic
That’s great, but with all the competition, it’s more important than ever to make sure your video stands out and keeps your viewers engaged.
That’s why I’ll first give you some tips to make your videos more attractive . But the structure also has to be right, so if you read on you’ll see how you can create even more captivating videos with a good story structure .
Illustration by Susanne Lamb, via GIPHY
6 tips to attract and keep attention
Create a visual eye-catcher: Before your video is even viewed, you need to get people to press the play button. You have 2 tools for this: a strong title and an attractive video thumbnail . This is where the thumbnail is often where things go wrong. You don’t have to pull a funny face like YouTubers do, but showing the face of your speaker is a good idea. People like that. I would also make sure to have a colorful thumbnail and a title in large letters that clearly communicates the topic of your video.
Start the video strong : The first few seconds of your video are crucial to grabbing the attention of your viewers. Make sure you start with an interesting point or a compelling image right away, so that your audience wants to continue watching. You should also make sure that you put the most important information early on. It is reasonable to assume that not everyone will watch your video to the end, so it is in your best interest to give them as much of what you wanted to communicate as possible.
Keep it short : Attention spans are shorter than ever, so it’s important to keep your video short and sweet. For an ad, aim for a video under two minutes for optimal attention span. Do you have more to say?
Then I would consider breaking the topic down into parts.
You can then use multiple short videos.
Be visually appealing too : Use high-quality visuals and engaging graphics to keep your viewers engaged. People are more likely to watch a video that is visually interesting and easy to follow. You can increase the followability of your video not only with a clear story, but also with supporting text. “What is this about?” is a question your viewers should NEVER ask.
End with a call to action : End your video with a clear call to action , such as asking viewers to subscribe to your channel or visit your website. This will help keep them engaged and interested in your brand in the long run.
Tell a story throughout your video : People are naturally drawn to stories, so try to incorporate a story into your video. This helps to keep viewers engaged and interested in your message. A combination of information and humor also works well to better convey your message. In addition, a classic story structure also makes for a better video structure. This is especially important if your video has to be a bit longer.
And that story?
With a good story structure you improve the tension arc of your viewers
I still want to talk about that story structure. As a storyteller, you often feel thisGet Highly Trusted And Quality Databases From Our End, Through Which You Can Get Targeted Audience Easily. Finally, as always we just want to make sure that your business continues to grow error-free shop on top of somewhere in the database. Further, our database is updated weekly. We collected our databases from list websites with high-resolution database or volume. intuitively, but most stories are told in a three-act structure: the setup, confrontation/development and denouement. That is not the only formula that works, but it is a classic method that makes your story, and therefore also your video marketing, more compelling. So it pays to think about whether your subject can also be converted to such a system. Often you offer a solution to a problem or challenge with your service or product. Something like that is actually ideal for a narrative structure.
But you have many more . I find the five-part Pyramid of Freytag an interesting formula. Gustav Freytag was a German writer who thought about the tension curves of his audience. The structure he developed with this also works well in marketing videos. I will demonstrate it with an example: a marketing video for the Apple AirTag.
Introduction:
Classically, this is where the story’s setting, characters, and background information are captured.
You introduce yourself and/or your company and explain what you are going to talk about in this video. Although Tim Cook and Apple don’t have to do much for that. How much explanation you give will of course depend on your fame.
Engage your viewer by mentioning a problem that many people have to deal with. In this example, it is losing their keys or wallet. “Does he often have to deal with this too?”
Introduce the Apple AirTag as a solution to that problem. Summarize what the AirTag does and how it works. You can certainly emphasize the most important features of the Airtag (long battery life, easy to install, e.g. smartphone connectivity).
Rising action:
This is where the main conflict or problem of the story is introduced and the tension is built.
Briefly provide examples of problems you encounter in everyday life (lost keys, stolen handbag or backpack).
Climax:
This is the turning point of the story, where the conflict or problem reaches its peak and the outcome is uncertain.
Introduce a disaster scenario. It’s morning and you can’t find your car keys. You have the most important meeting in the morning. And with an alternative means of transportation you will never get there on time. No one can help you… or can they?
Falling action:
This is where the resolution of the story begins. The tension begins to dissipate when the conflict or problem is resolved.
Demonstrate the AirTag in action. We use the “Find My” app to find the lost car keys. We found the solution!
Emphasize the convenience and peace of mind the AirTag can provide.
Conclusion:
Here the story reaches its final resolution and all loose ends are tied up.
Summarize the benefits of the AirTag.
Address any concerns or objections. “Isn’t this just email material another thing to keep track of?”
End with a strong statement or image that leaves a lasting impression. For example, a happy customer holding their keys or bag.
Provide a call to action such as “order now and never lose your keys again!”.
You see: you don’t have to write literature to use a literary structure. Whether you’re making a marketing video about your company, or using another form of storytelling, the basic principles remain valid.
One last tip: make sure your videos have a life of their own!
Everyone wants their videos to go viral, but there is no magic solution for that. But with such a good tension arc, you have already created a more engaging video that will america email increase your chances. That is a good start, but can it be even better?
If you followed our tips you will also have created a strong title and an interesting thumbnail. This will also make your video more interesting to share.
Illustration by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, via GIPHY
A final important ingredient is that you make sharing easy . You can place your videos directly on social media, but you can also increase the chance of sharing on your own website. If you regularly place videos on your site, it is interesting to provide clear share buttons and use an extra call-to-action in text form. Don’t have that yet? Then we can of course help you as storytellers and website builders .
