So a few weeks back we went through one basic video metric – the play rate – and explained what to do in times of viewer scarcity. The truth is, this metric just hits the tip of the video-analytics iceberg, and there are plenty of additional ways to measure the success of your video. This week, we’d like to bring in the Average View Duration metric, which helps to understand one concept that is crucial: how far your audience has engaged with your video.
Simply put, the Average View Duration indicates the percentage of a video that a viewer watched. Considering 100% as the whole lifetime if your video, the view duration indicates at what percentage your viewers begin to zone out and switch away. Ultimately, this is also valuable in telling you the quality of your video and how much of your audience’s attention you managed to grab. If your percentage is low, perhaps you didn’t start out with a bang? If you lost viewers towards the end, maybe your wrap-up is too long? In order to analyze what works and what doesn’t, we’ll split up a video into three main sections, much like an article does: introduction, body, and conclusion.
The Introduction
If your Duration Rate only covers the first bit of your video, (meaning you have a low percentage), this implies that your audience quickly lost interest in your content. To make sure you hook them from the start and tempt them into more video-viewing, here are some things you can try.
- Rush a bit! Make your intro as short as possible and skip those extensive introduction sequences built in with logos and graphics.
- Give your viewers a good reason to watch: tell them you have something they’ll want to listen up to.
- The power of summary is vital. Don’t over-explain yourself. If you need to add any extra important information, place it under as additional text or in your video description.
- Make sure your audio is up to par – loud and clear.
The Body
The main body represents the bulk of your video. In most cases, this can make or break your audience engagement. If your viewers decide to leave during the body part, it may imply that you did manage to catch their attention in the beginning, but were then subsequently bored. Looking on the bright side, it may just be the case that your viewers found the information that were looking for and were satisfied. If you feel that your video is dragging on and you have a few too many viewers clicking away, here are some thing you can try.
- Split up your body into several videos. Shorter, snappier videos will give you better engagement success.
- If applicable, apply storytelling to your topic. What tone does it have? A humorous, or humanist tone?
- Avoid using title sections – they just make your video longer and feel “heavier”, leading to monotony.
- Create dialogue in your video: think about having two voices that alternate between lines, or use rhetoric in your language to appeal to your viewers. It will help to add smoothness to your video.
- Mix it up: show an array of backgrounds, slide transitions, or effects so that your audience is not only interested in what you have to say, but how you’re actually explaining it. A smart, unexpected way of presenting information is a great way to capture an audience.
- Think about a soundtrack the gives the video some rhythm: there’s nothing like creating a dynamic with a catchy beat!
The Conclusion
If you notice that your viewers quit before your video ends completely, it may be indicative that your wrap-up needs a little tweaking.
- Don’t anticipate the end: avoid using words such as “to sum it up”, or “in conclusion”. Give your viewers a better reason to watch till the video is over.
- Present a call-to-action instead. Your logo, a website, or your social media pages can all be included. Make these swift and appealing.
- No need to re-cap – everyone can just go back to the start with their cursor.
Our featured metric is helpful data to see how your video is waging in a demanding viewer-world. Here’s a top-tip: most videos 1-2 minutes long fare better and win the best audience retention. With a few changes, you may guide your video to become a more successful and engaging piece. Consider combining tweaks on all three constituents of your video to create an even more significant change. Whatever way you’d like to track your video with metrics, you’ll now have pointers to lead you in the right direction for your next video.
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