To help you create video content that truly engages and resonates, we’ve gathered insights from twelve industry professionals, including Founders, CEOs, and Marketing Managers. From the importance of emphasizing screen presence to ensuring your video works even without sound, these experts share their top tips on the most crucial elements of engaging video content. Here are 12 tips for creating engaging video content.
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- Emphasize Screen Presence
- Create Relatable and Exciting Content
- Utilize the Power of Storytelling
- Keep Videos Short and Focused
- Make the First Three Seconds Count
- Understand and Cater to Your Audience
- Use a Hook to Grab Attention
- Establish an Emotional Connection
- Prioritize Authenticity in Content
- Stay On-Trend for Broader Appeal
- Enhance Engagement With Personalization
- Ensure Video Works Without Sound
Emphasize Screen Presence
No one likes a boring presentation. Whether it’s a teacher who couldn’t care less or a lackluster training video, we’ve all been subjected to boring lectures. The same applies to being on video. That’s why screen presence is one of the most important factors in making a good video.
Engaging screen presence comes from three places: your confidence, your training, and your passion. Confidence comes from knowing your subject material inside and out. If you’ve been around your topic long enough, like solving complex business issues as a consultant, you’ll have lots of knowledge.
But knowledge alone doesn’t mean you’ll be great on video. So, putting in your reps is key as well. There’s no magical formula here; you just need to put yourself out there a few times. Add passion about your topic to the mix, and even boring subjects can become interesting (think back to your best teacher in high school). A strong screen presence will help you create engaging videos that stick with your audience.
Justin Vajko, Founder and CEO, Dialog
Create Relatable and Exciting Content
It’s important to draw the viewer in immediately at the beginning of the video. I always put my most engaging piece of video first or include a hook by using text that will draw people in. I create video content that is relatable and will make viewers more likely to share with others.
You may think you worked hard on a piece of content and think it’ll go viral, but if it’s not relatable or exciting, it will flop. You also want to keep your viewers engaged throughout the entire video, so they reach the end of the video instead of scrolling away.
You can do this by withholding important content or information until the end of the video. Last, it’s important to find a niche audience that will relate to your content.
It’s easier to appeal to a niche than to appeal to a broad group of people unless you’re like some content creators who just have amazing personalities that draw a wide variety of people in (but this is rare).
Lawson Martin, Marketing Manager, The Warren Center
Utilize the Power of Storytelling
A well-crafted story can evoke emotions, which is a powerful way to connect with your audience. When people feel emotionally engaged, they are more likely to remember and share your content.
It’s not just a five-minute book review, but we also build a strong narrative structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end. This helps to keep viewers interested in what happens next.
Stories provide a context for the message you want to convey. Instead of a straightforward presentation, you can subtly weave your message into the story, making it more palatable for the audience.
Good storytelling can be entertaining. If your video content is enjoyable to watch, people are more likely to watch it through to the end and share it with others.
Marissa Sabrina, Creative Director, LeadLearnLeap
Keep Videos Short and Focused
One of the critical elements to which you should pay attention is its length. At my business, we offer short-form video editing services because we know they’re incredibly effective. People nowadays have limited attention spans, and they’re more likely to engage with videos that get to the point quickly.
Short videos are easier to understand, and they keep viewers interested, preventing them from clicking away. With a video of 60 seconds, you can encourage viewers to watch until the end, increasing the chances of delivering your message effectively. So, remember to keep your videos concise and focused to ensure they capture and keep your audience’s attention.
Daniel Willmott, Founder, Shortformvideo.co
Make the First Three Seconds Count
The first three seconds of your video content are the most crucial to audience engagement. “Research shows it takes only three seconds for your viewers to decide if they’ll continue to watch or scroll past your video in their social channel’s feed” (marketingessentialslab.com).
Ultimately, the content or production values of your production won’t matter if a user scrolls past your opening visuals.
The best way of “thumb-stopping” is through the use of a strong or unusual visual that creates intrigue, a fast-paced, eye-catching edit, or it might be through titles that plainly seek to connect with the audience experience and even better if they promise to solve a user problem. The onward journey for the audience then needs to meet expectations or be delivered in a style that resonates with that demographic.
Ryan Stone, Founder and Creative Director, Lambda Films
Understand and Cater to Your Audience
Engaging video content is born from dedicating time and resources to truly understand your audience’s desires. What captures their attention and keeps it? This consideration is the only way to gain invaluable insights into their preferences, pain points, and interests.
Now, you can tailor your content to meet their specific needs, ensuring your video content consistently resonates with them and piques their interest. Whether it’s through customer feedback surveys, social listening, or analytics, invest in data-driven research to uncover what truly matters to your audience.
This investment will empower you to craft content that captures their attention and forges a lasting connection.
Marc Bjerring, Co-Founder, Spivo
Use a Hook to Grab Attention
One of the most important elements of creating video content is using a hook at the start of the video to grab the attention of your target audience. A hook can be anything—an insight, a fact, etc.—but it should help you grab attention. If you can grab attention, then you can tell the story and try to keep it interesting so that the user won’t lose interest.
Mohammad Arman, Local Marketer, Mohammad Arman
Establish Emotional Connection with Audience
It all depends on the type of video and the task it has to perform. In different niches, the audience can be radically different, and in order to engage them, different approaches must be used.
We try to shoot educational videos in which the primary task is to show that everyone can practice yoga. Wherever you are, all you need is a yoga mat and a wish.
In our case, the most important thing is the emotional connection with our audience. At the level of emotions, we first show that everyone can do it, and at the end of the video, we call for action.
Iana Varshavska, Digital Marketer and Yoga Therapist, Yanva
Prioritize Authenticity in Content
Make authenticity the key. Video content strategy is emerging like never before, and there’s a secret I’ve picked up from my tenure at a B2B SaaS company: it’s only sometimes the high-budget, glossy videos that make the most significant impact.
More often than not, it’s the authentic, genuine ones that truly resonate. Audiences today are incredibly discerning. They can spot a scripted moment a mile away. And while there’s a place for polished content, there’s something undeniably powerful about authenticity.
When crafting video content, let the genuine moments shine. It could be an unscripted testimonial from a satisfied customer or a behind-the-scenes glimpse of your team tackling challenges.
Madhurima Halder, Content Manager, Recruit CRM
Stay On-Trend for Broader Appeal
Staying relevant by remaining on-trend is one of the most critical aspects of creating engaging video content. Trends come and go in the blink of an eye, so being adaptable enough to keep up with current events, trending topics, and trending content types will allow you to resonate with a broader audience.
If your content is trendy, beautifully crafted, and entertaining, your audience will be more likely to share it, expanding your reach. Not only will your content receive more engagement, but you’ll also be further establishing yourself as a leader in your industry.
You will stand out if you know what is trending and can manipulate that to fit your niche for your audience to digest.
Most importantly, your brand will be at the forefront of people’s minds for the quick, fun, and up-to-date content it’s creating. You want to leave people saying, “I can totally relate to that!” or “I love their version of that trend!”
Chelsea Evans-Flower, Owner, Scott Social
Enhance Engagement With Personalization
Personalization stands out as a vital aspect in crafting engaging video content. Text-to-video platforms using AI avatars offer an effective means for companies to produce personalized video messages at scale, integrating seamlessly with marketing campaigns.
This personalized approach enhances audience engagement by tailoring the content to individual preferences and ensures a more interesting and relatable viewing experience.
Daria Globchak, Account Manager, Elai.io
Ensure Video Works Without Sound
Ask yourself one question: “Does it work without sound?” It sounds simple, but all the best pieces of video content do to some extent.
I’m not saying that you have to go all art-house and do everything with symbolism, but odds are that if your video does not work without sound, it likely will not be that engaging or resonate that strongly with your audience.
Onno Halsema, CEO, Contentoo
