7 Ways to Increase Video Engagement

Newsflash: your video is not the only video your audience will watch. A shocking 82 percent of web traffic will be video in 2021… so it is crucial that you have a video that stands out and that people actually want to watch.

Whether you're looking to increase brand awareness, or drive more traffic to your website, consider these helpful tips to increase engagement when making your next video.

1. It’s Okay to Cry

Tapping into emotions is everything

So how do you come up with content that will be impactful and engaging? Ask yourself what you want your audience to get out of watching your video. Do you want them to laugh? Cry? Be outraged? Regardless of the tone you set, if the audience is emotionally engaged with your story, they're much more likely to remember it. Emotional content triggers two post-viewing actions: buying and sharing. If you want people to organically engage with and share your video, you need to make content that’s worth sharing. Creating genuine content will significantly increase your chances of people sharing it with others, increasing both your exposure and reach.

“Emotional content triggers two post-viewing actions: buying and sharing.”

2. Make it Snappy

Deliver your message quickly and concisely

Hey you! Yes You! If you really want your video to succeed, you need to capture your audience’s attention within the first 5-10 seconds. There is a reason Instagram stories are only 15 seconds and Instagram posts are capped at one minute. With so much content to scroll through, people are seeking content that stands out… so hook them in with a video they can’t stop watching. If you don’t focus on pulling them in right at the beginning, you risk getting swiped into the social media abyss and being forgotten about. So remember: make the video authentic, emotional, and captivating!

3. Optimize for Mobile

Chances are your video is being watched on a phone

Most people are watching videos on their mobile devices, so there are a few important things to keep in mind. First, know what kinds of videos to post on what platform. If your video is made for Instagram, edit your video with that in mind. Since 98 percent of people use Instagram on their phone, you should make it square because it will take up more space on their screens, and will perform better overall than a wider 16:9 video. Conversely, if it’s for IGTV, it will need to be edited as 9:16 vertical video. Knowing the platform beforehand will make your overall process more efficient by capturing the right footage, therefore, making the editing easier in post-production.

“98% of people use Instagram on their phone.”

4. Audio Awareness

Your video’s audio can make or break you… so be prepared for all scenarios

If you choose to include background music, make sure that it matches the tone of the video and also the overall tone of your brand. Music that doesn’t fit with the video will confuse your audience and take away from the overall message you’re trying to convey. But music isn’t everything in videos.... A whopping 85 percent of video is watched with the sound off. So if you want to increase the average view time of your videos (especially on Facebook), you will want to include subtitles.

“85% of videos are watched with the sound off.”

5. Captions are King

Your video should speak for itself, but captions can help take it to the next level

Once you’ve got your video made, you’re going to need a strong caption to go with it. This is one of the first things people will see, especially if they are watching the video without sound, so make it count! Captions should be fun, simple, and a balance between promotional and inspiring. There are several things you will need to consider: who is your audience? What distribution channels are you using? What’s the voice and of your brand? Hopefully you have done your research and have a decent ideas of what your audience is looking for. Play around with different ways to get people involved: ask people what they think, test their knowledge, ask them to tag others, hold contests, get creative. Which leads me to my next point.

6. Tag, Tag, Tag

This step is very important to maximize reach and exposure

The more people that get involved, the more your content will show up on other people's feeds, and thus getting more exposure! Tagging others, Geotagging, and hashtagging will also help get your video more exposure, so don’t forget to cover all of your bases and tag away!

“Captions should be a balance between promotional and inspiring.”

7. CTA

These small but necessary buttons are how you convert your audience into actual customers

Last but certainly not least, you should include a call to action! Depending on what platform your video is published on, you can utilize different features including subscribe buttons on YouTube, “Learn more” or “Visit our website” on Facebook, and “Swipe up” on Instagram and Snapchat. Using CTAs in your caption or at the end of your video is what’s going to drive people to your website, get people signed up for your newsletter, etcetera, so don’t forget to include these helpful buttons!

So the next time you’re making a video, keep these 7 helpful tips in mind and you’ll surely increase your overall video engagement!