It’s easy enough to press record, create a video, post it, and then have someone watch it for a few seconds, but how do you spark a viewer’s interest, so they want to keep watching? A person will decide in a matter of seconds if they will stay tuned or scroll past your video. So to keep their attention and get your message across, your videos have to be impactful!
When creating a video, think about why someone would continue watching your video until the end. In the first 15 seconds of your video, you should let your audience know what they’ll gain from watching it through.
Your Viewers Come First
To create impactful videos, you need to be purposeful and determine the reason for bringing your idea to life. What is the story or message you want to share? Once you’re clear on this, consider the needs and wants of your audience. Is there something you can include that will have them relate to you or your brand?
A major priority should be to serve your audience in the best way possible for them, by producing a video that they’ll connect with and be able to digest. For example, if you’re creating an educational video, would your audience best grasp the information if it were presented with a person speaking to the camera? Or would your concept be best articulated through b-roll video footage and text on screen? When creating an impactful video, the style of video is just as important as the story or information you share.
What do you want your audience to feel when they watch your video? Keep this question in mind throughout pre-production, production, and post-production. Remember, when creating an impactful video, it should be as long as it needs to be, but as short as possible. Meaning, it’s better to have a video that leaves someone wanting more than to leave them bored and skipping through or clicking away altogether.
Have A Plan
Planning before pressing record is critical when creating impactful videos. That does mean spending more time upfront, but it is well worth it because being prepared, and figuring out exactly what your message is intended to say will help you throughout the entire filming and editing process, so they move smoothly. Planning also allows everyone involved to be on the same page.
Once you have an idea of the story or message you’d like to share and you’ve determined how your audience will best receive it, consider how you’re going to bring it to life. Writing a script or creating a shot list will definitely help you figure out all of the scenes in your video. It will also make it easier to tweak things as needed to keep the video engaging.
What locations do you have access to that will work well for your story? Will you be renting a studio space, or filming at your client’s office or in your own home? Every location involved will play a role in the look and feel of the final product, and this is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
What types of shots will best emphasize the feel of your video? Impactful videos have emotions heavily attached to them. They go hand and hand. Without creating some sort of emotional connection with your audience, your video won’t be memorable. If you have an action scene, faster-paced, handheld camera movements will most likely be the most engaging. In contrast, slow-moving, smooth camera movements are often associated with dramatic or inspiring scenes.
While polishing the script, choosing the right shots, sourcing people, etc., are all vital to an impactful video, editing can make or break your project. How will you edit your video to strengthen your story? Will the color grading support the feeling in your script? What type of sound effects will you incorporate? Adding sound effects when your video calls for it — like the sound of waves crashing as a shot of waves is shown, or traffic sounds when a busy street appears — will significantly enhance your viewers’ experience. And what about music? Choosing the right track will help people connect more with the feeling you’re trying to create in your video. Factors such as adding creative transitions, b-roll, text on screen, and visual effects also contribute to a more impactful and memorable video.
It’s Gotta Be Relevant!
Relevancy matters. Your video must be relevant. Who are you trying to target with your videos, and why would they want to watch? How do they relate to your content? Consider the language you use in your video and the way you present information. Your target audience must be able to follow along and understand the content in your video, so that they remain interested, and gain the most value from it.
Knowing the culture of the platform that you plan to share your video on will help you keep it relevant. Deciding the length of the video, at what point the scenes change, and the overall structure matters. On Instagram, or TikTok, shorter videos tend to perform well, and YouTube tends to favor longer videos. That being said, even the longer videos on YouTube need to be structured for maximum engagement. There’s a general guide in video editing that says if it doesn’t add to the story, remove it. This is crucial to the success of a video. The second someone loses interest, they are very likely to click away or form a negative opinion. While creating the script or editing your video, think about if what you’re including is necessary, and if it is, consider if you can say it more concisely.
Keeping your audience in mind, and creating content that’s interesting the entire way through is not easy. Still, with some careful planning, creative storytelling, and objective thinking, you will have all of the key components to creating impactful videos!
Want to see more from Alli Saunders? Look for new tutorials to come on the Storyblocks blog or follow Alli and Will on YouTube and Instagram.
