That’s a lot of pressure – not only do you need to get viewers to watch your videos, but you should also attract the kind of viewers who will keep watching after they’re done with your channel.
Start With Awesome Intro
The first step is to captivate your audience. Grab their attention in no time – that’s what Google itself preaches. The first 15 seconds are your salvation to make it happen.
Google’s YouTube Playbook for Brands and Agencies offers this advice:
Make the first frame compelling – visually, with personality or with messages.
Speak directly to the viewer, not the entire audience.
Ask a question or do something to pique their curiosity.
Preview what to expect in a short clip.
Break Video into Chapters
Think about how to split your videos into segments. Each chapter should have a compelling intro moment followed by an intriguing narrative. Outlines can be helpful in this process.
In this example, The Ecom King published a Shopify dropshipping course video that runs for 5.5 hours. Chapter titles are essential so viewers can pick up where they left off or view the sections that interest them most.
Include Pattern Interrupt
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Whether your viewers stay or leave in droves boils down to one thing – engagement. Breaking patterns makes this more likely.
When similar images and narratives are repeated, people get bored and the bounce rate increases. But pattern breaks can draw viewers’ attention for the long game.
HuffPost contributor Helen Roe explains, “A pattern disruption is a technique to change a specific thought, behavior, or situation. Behavioral psychology and neurolinguistic programming use this technique to disrupt and change thought patterns and behaviors.”
Do keyword Research
You can’t escape the value of keywords just because it’s a video. When developing content ideas, make sure you do basic keyword research specific to YouTube, the second largest search engine in the world.
Go to a tool like Keyword Tool (change the default option to YouTube search) and type in a topic related to your niche to understand search interest (i.e. keyword volume).
Tell Stories
Storytelling works for viewers who want to be entertained and those who want to learn. Explore how to convey your story in a unique and interesting way that your viewers will appreciate (i.e., keep watching).
Popular YouTuber Nas Daily both educates and entertains in almost every video he posts, like this one for green tourism:
