You don’t have long to give someone a reason to keep watching. Whether your video is 30 seconds or five minutes, those opening moments matter.
I learned that lesson long before I started producing videos for businesses and organizations. In college, my broadcast professor taught us that a news director might only watch the first few seconds of a demo reel before deciding whether to keep watching. Make an impression quickly or risk losing the opportunity.
The same principle applies to video production today. You don’t need to follow an arbitrary six-second rule, but you do need to give your audience a reason to stick around.
Find the Hook in Your Story
So how do you capture someone’s attention early? Look for the strongest way into your story. It might be a compelling interview soundbite, an interesting visual, natural sound, or a moment that immediately makes the audience curious about what happens next.
Every video doesn’t need a dramatic opening. Whatever story you’re telling, think about what makes it interesting. What’s unusual, unexpected, emotional, or especially relevant to your audience? Find that element and consider whether it can help draw viewers into the story.
What’s the most unusual, spectacular, or interesting part of your story? Use that and build from there. Leave your audience curious and wanting more. In the world of news, we call it a “tease.”
An Example From Our Work
Here is an example of a brand video we did with a company called Pacific Bag. As the name suggests, they make bags. They even admit it can be difficult to make the topic of bags interesting, and they had a little fun with that in our interviews. So, that’s what I used to make an impression.
Every good story needs a way in. Find the moment that gives your audience a reason to care, use it to capture their attention early, and then make sure the rest of the story rewards them for sticking around.
Need help finding the right way into your story? Contact us to talk about your next video project.
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