How can you design social media videos that capture attention?

Hook them grab their attention BUT add value. The only way to grab attention is to add value to the viewer. If you can’t convey to them instantly that you will adding something to their lives you will lose the plot. The viewer wants to be: - Educated or - Entertained In my start up we rely on educational content to gain customers and tractions. Whenever we make the tactical mistake of not adding value we see a massive drop in the view time and engagement rate. Great creatives have the ability to peak curiosity, provide value and leave the people with more than what they originally had - whether it is knowledge or laughter

In the past year, we've seen a shift towards authenticity and storytelling. Brands are moving away from polished, ad-like videos and towards content that feels more real, more raw, and more relatable. To make social media videos that really stand out, I encourage my team to think like storytellers and scientists at the same time. When we brainstorm video concepts, it's not just about what looks cool; it's about what will resonate with our viewers. Does it make them laugh, think, or want to share it with friends? We keep asking these questions. Looking to the future, potential here is enormous. Not only will we be able to engage with our audience more effectively but will be able to understand their their preferences and behaviors.

Create attention-grabbing social media videos by starting with a captivating hook, maintaining high visual and sound quality, and ensuring mobile optimization. Keep videos short, emotionally engaging, and consistent with brand identity. Encourage interaction with CTAs, participate in trends, and analyze audience insights. Respond to comments, cross-promote, and continuously refine your video content using feedback to maximize engagement.

To make social media videos that grab attention, remember it's like throwing a party for your audience. Know what they like using social media analytics. Start videos with an exciting part, keep them short, and make them emotionally engaging. Educational or entertaining, your videos should add value to viewers. It's like giving them something special at the party.

To craft attention-grabbing social media videos, start with a hook in the first few seconds to captivate viewers. Keep them short, around 60-90 seconds, to maintain interest. Use engaging visuals, animations, and compelling storytelling to convey your message. Incorporate text overlays for silent viewing, ensuring accessibility to all users. Optimize for mobile viewing, as most users access social media from their phones. Finally, end with a strong call-to-action to prompt further engagement. Regularly analyze performance to refine your video creation strategy for maximum impact.

Statistically, you have: - 1.5 seconds to grab attention - 5 seconds to HOLD attention - 7 seconds to convert That means: - Make sure the 1.5 first seconds of your video is super engaging; bring colours, animations, text to highlight what it is about - Make sure you follow that up by something engaging that is relevant to your audience - Make sure to include a CTA (whatever that is, for your ad) within the first 7 seconds.

The main way to achieve this is to use a bold statement as your opener: write copy readers can't ignore. Use social media trends. Use hooks like “Do you want to know the secret to ___?” or “Tiktok Made Me Buy It” for example, which are engaging trends you can use at your advantage. You can also try a combo - one of the latest I've seen is: 1️⃣ Green screen filter + 2️⃣ Feature a Before/After + 3️⃣ Exaggerate the issue in a visual. By combining these elements, you can hook your audience's attention and more effectively highlight the benefits of your product. I typically aim for a thumbstop ratio of 35% or higher when creating such hooks.

I have seen impacts on videos where the first few seconds have the same element that is related to your business and customer experience. Real/Current situation - What is the problem your customer is currently having? and this is the reason you are targeting those customers. How you are solving this - This will be the triggering element that you can insert in your video to make your customers happy with your product. Before/After experience make a video complete with a right hook. Highlight the best-performing USP of your business in the right manner without stretching the video length.

Social videos need to use front-loaded storytelling. The most important message needs to come instantly. Think of it like reverse crime novel: you get to know know who did it straight away, now the fun part becomes understanding what crime was committed.

Few additional tips Utilize captivating visuals in the opening moments to instantly grab the viewer's attention. Provide immediate value via a quick tip, problem-solving solution, or thought-provoking insight within the first few seconds, to make a lasting impression on your audience. Explain the numerous benefits of watching video firsthand like what they will learn. In just a few seconds, give them a sneak peek of what lies ahead right from the start. Starting with compelling statistics adds spark & curiosity to drive their desire to delve deeper into the topic. To connect, show a relatable scenario that resonates with your target audience's experiences. Captivate your viewers with transitions, visual effects/ sound design.

With the prevalence of silent video viewing, optimizing content for this audience is key. Incorporating features like subtitles, captions, and text overlays can make a significant difference. Visual cues like expressions, gestures, and even color schemes can add depth to the viewer's experience. However, it's important to strike a balance. While visuals are vital, high-quality audio and music play an equally significant role in setting the tone and enhancing emotional engagement. Ensuring harmony between audio and visuals is the sweet spot for creating impactful videos.

Subtitles are a must. They help improve the experience for people who are hard of hearing and are a necessity to keep your content accessible.

Many users browse their feeds in places where audio is inconvenient or intrusive. Therefore, it's important to ensure that your content is just as compelling without sound. This is typically achieved through the use of captions for any spoken content, allowing viewers to follow along without turning the sound on. Additionally, visual storytelling becomes paramount; your imagery, text overlays, and animations must be strong enough to convey your message silently. Graphics and on-screen text can highlight key points, and visual cues can direct attention or indicate emotion.

Often it is actually harder to create a powerful short video than a long one. The great part of social media is that if you're heartbroken to lose 30 seconds of a video you loved, you can just turn that into another post!

TikTok prioritises longer videos (+60 seconds) now, and Instagram has recently added watch time to their reporting metrics. Everybody wants to be YouTube. My hunch is that those who cut their teeth on short-form content will have to get better at creating longer videos. Retention editing and 🔥 storytelling will be instrumental to standing out in the doom scroll soon.

You can also create a part 2 or 3 to your videos. If you are explaining a complicated topic, split it into multiple videos. This means people are more likely to watch the whole video and click on multiple videos. Overall increasing engagement.

few additional points Maintain a clear & concise message in each video By focusing on a single key message per video or call-to-action. Although creativity is undeniably crucial, it's essential to prioritize clarity when crafting your message. To instantly captivate your audience, place the most crucial information elements at the beginning of your video. Minimize the use of on-screen text or captions. Instead, opt for visually engaging content or spoken words. Simplify your design by avoiding use of animations/ graphics/transitions that could potentially confuse your viewers. Test your videos on mobile devices because mostly social media users access content via smartphones seamless transitions between scenes are imp.

"Keep it short and simple" is a mantra for social media content that reflects the rapid pace of digital consumption. Attention spans are brief online, and users often scroll quickly through feeds. Succinct, clear, and direct content is more likely to be consumed and remembered. This approach involves distilling your message to its essence and presenting it in an easily digestible format. For video, this means short clips that get straight to the point. For text posts, it's about being concise and avoiding jargon or complex language. The goal is to convey your message with minimal investment of time and effort from your audience, making it more likely for them to engage with and react to your content before they scroll away.

In organic channels CTAs are overrated. Unless you are on a brand new platform like Threads or Bluesky, people know how to subscribe, like, or follow, and have known how to do so for years. My client grew presense on TikTok from 0 to 500k with no CTAs in organic. Best way to engage users is provide them with valuable content. In paid CTA is more crucial, and should be adjusted according to stages of awarness.

CTA is a vital component of social media content that prompts your audience to take a specific step, furthering their engagement with your brand. A well-crafted CTA converts passive scrollers into active participants, guiding them towards a desired action, whether it's to like, comment, share, subscribe, or visit a website. It acts as a signpost at the end of your content that should be clear, compelling, and relevant to the content they've just consumed. By telling viewers exactly what you want them to do next — with directives like 'Sign up now,' 'Learn more,' or 'Join the conversation' — you increase the chances of turning your audience's interest into tangible outcomes that benefit your brand.

It's important sometimes to not have an outright call to action. It can be pure Branding content or the CTA can be implied but not outrightly said. Example: A fintech startup telling people about ways to save taxes should not have a CTA of "Invest with us". It is implied.

When it comes to a call-to-action (CTA), brevity is key. Use a sense of urgency or scarcity in your CTA. Phrases like "limited time offer" or "only a few left". Experiment with various CTAs to check the ones that truly connect with your audience & drive desired actions. Repeat the CTA in both the video's comments & caption. Incorporate attention-grabbing graphics/vibrant colors/eye-catching animations in your video to create CTA. Make it clear what users will get when they follow your CTA like "Get 10% off. By encouraging users to share your video with their network, you may expand the reach of CTA. Experiment with color variation in your CTA & check which color gives the best result.

Start with macro-level experimentation prior to engaging in more nuanced micro-level testing. Effective macro-level tests may include the exploration of diverse content types, such as educational versus entertainment-focused materials, as well as the juxtaposition of visual identities and various formats. Micro-level testing dives into the weeds, concentrating on the modification of individual elements one at a time, such as the hook, call-to-action (CTA), and link placement.

Check demographics of your video audience like age, gender, location, interests & create targeted video content that resonates with your viewers. Track frequency at which your audience shares your content with their networks. The more, the better. Check the performance of your videos across various s.media platforms. What works on one platform, doesn't mean same will work on other. Discover which time & day works better for you to post your videos. Analyze click-through rate (CTR) of links, including CTAs in your video content. If CTR is high, you are working well. Enhance your video marketing strategy by incorporating A/B testing. Check the % of viewers who watch your videos in its entirety. If % is higher, you are doing good.

The algorithm is constantly changing. In the past it was about hashtags and viral audios, etc. Now there is no telling what will go viral or not. Post, post, post. Watch your metrics and analytics. See what performa better than others. Analyze why one video does better than another. Once you do have a piece of content in a certain style that pops off, especially if it’s unique or at the very start of a trend…CAPITALIZE!

Make sure your content is within the 'safe zones' of every format and platform you use. It's crucial to ensure that subtitles, captions and any graphic elements within those videos aren't obscured by logos and UI elements coming from the app they're on. Make sure that your production, creative AND client servicing teams abide by those safe zones and your content will have a better chance of retaining your audience.

One thing I found helpful is the shorter and simpler the better in your ideas, length, production and execution. Keep an eye on the latest trending videos on tiktok & I can assure you that you will be hooked scrolling for hours.

Pay attention to audio quality. Poor audio quality can break a good video, and have a significant impact on average view length. If the sound is too quiet or clipping, viewers might get easuly frustrated and leave your video.

In the world of social media video content, the secret to success lies in meticulous research. It's about understanding your niche, knowing what works, and crafting content that captivates without excess. Market Insight: Before diving in, delve deep into your niche. Study what's trending, what sparks discussions, and what's already been done. Your content should feel fresh, innovative, and uniquely yours. Efficiency in Editing: Leave the fluff on the editing floor. Trim your content to deliver value quickly. Every second should count. Don't Imitate, Innovate: While research is crucial, never copy. Use it as a springboard to create something even better. Put your unique spin on it, infusing it with your personality and style.

Video content holds tremendous influence. In this visually-driven realm, the ability to intrigue and inform through video is a skill that can set you apart. It's not just about producing content; it's about delivering value that captures the hearts and minds of your audience. So, keep your audience at the forefront, embrace creativity, and be prepared to adapt in this ever-evolving digital ecosystem.