This week’s YouTube Q&A video is a little different because the question comes directly from YouTube, themselves, about how to hook your audiences early in the very beginning of your videos.

1. Tease the Content

I’ve seen a lot of different successful ways for this to happen on YouTube. But I think you can boil them down into three main categories. And the first one is tease what’s coming up in your video. For example, let me show you what Naltz does in one of his videos where you actually shows a clip from later in the video. He starts off with that clip and then he builds up to it.

But what if you don’t have a big climax like Naltz does to show the very beginning well? You could do something similar to what I did in the video. And that is within the first 15 seconds, I told you guys what we’re going to talk about this video and kind of tease the value proposition of this video for you in the very beginning.

Or another way to tease what’s coming up in your video is to ask a question from the very beginning. An intriguing question that helps people say, I don’t know the answer to that but I think the answer’s coming up in this video, and I’m going to stick around to see what it is.

2. Quickly Establish Human Connection with the Viewer

A second main category that I’ve seen be very successful here on YouTube in hooking your audience, is to quickly establish a human connection with your viewers. There’s a number of different ways you can do that. For example, you could start off by either telling or showing something that’s deeply personal to you. Like, “hey guys my dad just passed away this past week”. Or maybe you can trigger something in the viewer that’s deeply personal to them. For example, “hey, any of you guys who have ever been bullied, man, I have something I want to share with you”.

Or, of course, on the non-depressing side of things you say, “hey guys, I had my first kiss”. Or maybe you had a personal victory over something that your viewer struggles with. Like for example, “hey guys, I have struggled with math my entire life. But today, I got an A”.

3. Use Your Titles and Thumbnails to Tease an Enticing Story

And then the third category of ways that I’ve seen work really well here on YouTube for hooking your viewer from the very beginning is use titles and thumbnails together in a way that teases the story in a very enticing way. I see many creators giving a title and a thumbnail telling exactly what the content the video is without really building to much of a climax or a story.

You do need to keep search in mind as you’re writing a metadata. But also keep in mind that you do need to actually entice people to click through on your content, as well. Because your title and your thumbnail is the first impression anyone has about your content. And really does a lot to set up your video for success, or for failure. Here’s an example I think it really works well here. If this video had any other title other than the one it has, there no way that this video have almost four million views.

The title could have been something like, “Cat Knocks Pills Off My Dresser”. And that wouldn’t have performed nearly as well.

What tips and ideas do you guys have that really help your viewers engage with your videos from the very beginning that really hooks them? The rest of you guys, make sure you go read the comment that other people are leaving down there, because as I always say, there are a lot of smart people in this video creators community. And learn from you guys all the time.

So thank you for sharing and if this is your first time here, I’d love to have you subscribe. Every week we just do some YouTube Q&A with you guys, just like this. On Tuesdays we take a look at online video news and talk about the implications it has for us as creators here in this space. On Wednesdays I give you guys some YouTube tips, ideas, suggestions, advice just to help you guys out because I really believe that a lot of you guys have messages that can change people’s lives, and make this world a better place. If the people who need to hear what you have to say could actually find and be enticed to watch what you have to say.

So thank you for letting me be a part of that with you guys.

OUTLINE OF POINTS:

1) Tease the content and value proposition of your video.
2) Quickly establish a human connection with the viewer.
3) Use your titles and thumbnails to tease an enticing story.

  • What other ways have you seen be successful on YouTube for hooking your viewer and keeping them engaged throughout the entire video?
  • YouTube is asking you the same question
  • Nalts’ video example
  • Teddy The Asshole Cat

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