In today’s digital world, a well-crafted video can be the key to standing out. Did you know that viewers retain 95% of a video’s message compared to just 10% when reading text? With millions of videos competing for attention, creating standout content isn’t just a “nice-to-have” — it’s essential. Engaging videos can drive brand awareness, foster customer loyalty, and inspire action. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making videos that resonate and convert.
1. Strategise: Start with a Solid Plan
Behind every successful video is a strong strategy. Planning ensures that each piece you create is tailored to your goals and audience.
- Know your audience: Understanding what motivates your audience is key. Dive deep into their interests, pain points, and viewing habits through surveys, analytics, and audience personae. By shaping your content around their needs, your videos will become more relevant and shareable among your target audience.
- Set clear objectives: Define your purpose — is it brand awareness, follower growth, product promotion, or engagement? When you determine your overall goals, you can craft videos that individually contribute to those goals.
- Competitor analysis: Look at competitors’ content to identify gaps and areas of opportunity. Tools like BuzzSumo or Hootsuite can provide insights into trending topics and what’s resonating with audiences.
- Content scheduling and task delegation: A content calendar can help keep your video strategy on track. Assign specific tasks (scriptwriting, filming, editing) to ensure accountability and a seamless, timely execution.
- Budget allocation: Determine your budget based on production quality, equipment, software, and potential advertising costs. This is a necessary step as it allows you to plan for high-quality content without overspending.
2. Keep it Short and Sweet
With the average attention span for watching videos shrinking to around eight seconds, shorter videos tend to perform better. Start strong to capture attention immediately.
- Engage immediately: Use a powerful hook, like a question, striking visual, or provocative statement, to grab attention. Within the first three seconds, viewers determine whether they’ll finish watching a video on social media or continue scrolling past the post.
- Include brand elements early: If your video content is for a brand, incorporate the logo, tagline, or product in the first few seconds to build brand recognition right off the bat. This way, even if viewers don’t finish watching the video, the brand will still have been presented to the viewer.
3. Master the Art of Storytelling
Storytelling evokes emotion and keeps viewers engaged. With an organised narrative arc — a clear beginning, middle, and end — videos become more captivating and memorable.
- Evoke emotion: Studies show that viewers remember emotional content better. Aim for humour, inspiration, or relatability to keep your audience watching and sharing.
- Use visuals for impact: Videos with vibrant colours, action shots, or eye-catching text overlays are more likely to be shared, expanding your reach organically.
4. Optimise for Sound-Off Viewing
Most users watch social media videos without sound, so catering to this preference can increase accessibility and boost engagement.
- Use text overlays and captions: Consider adding subtitles (the script in text) or closed captioning (the script and sounds in text) to make your video accessible. Make sure your script and any additional on-screen text are concise to highlight key points and make your content memorable.
- Descriptive visuals: Use images and graphics that convey your message independently of audio to make your video understandable even when it’s on mute.
5. Invest in High-Quality Sound for Sound-On Viewing
When viewers do turn on the sound, high audio quality can significantly enhance their experience. Poor audio can be distracting and unprofessional.
- Clear, crisp audio: Clean audio establishes a sense of professionalism. Check out our list of essential video production equipment for avoiding background noise and ensuring clarity.
- Use licensed music: Using unlicensed music can lead to account suspensions, fines, or even legal action from copyright holders. Opt for royalty-free music from sites like Epidemic Sound, Artlist, or Free Music Archive, which offer quality tracks under Creative Commons licences or affordable subscription models.
6. Thumbnails: First Impressions Matter
Thumbnails can make or break a video’s performance. Data shows that 90% of the best-performing videos use custom thumbnails.
- Bold, legible text and high-quality images: Make your thumbnail eye-catching with bold text and sharp visuals. This first impression can boost clicks significantly.
- Accurate representation: Ensure the thumbnail reflects the video’s content. Misleading thumbnails, while tempting, lead to lower audience retention and erode trust.
7. Leverage Natural Lighting
Lighting dramatically affects your video’s appearance and tone.
- Golden hour: This period just before sunset offers a flattering, warm, and soft glow ideal for outdoor filming.
- Blue hour: Just after sunset, this time provides cool tones perfect for tranquil outdoor shots.
- Cloudy days: Don’t shy away from cloudy weather — it can diffuse the light, creating even lighting which reduces harsh shadows.
8. Collaborate with Influencers
Influencers can help amplify your video content by introducing your brand to their engaged audience. Choose influencers wisely; by collaborating with influencers whose audiences overlap with your target demographic, you gain exposure to viewers who are possibly already interested in your niche. Also, be sure to look for influencers who embody your brand’s values. Tools like Aspire and Upfluence help identify suitable influencers.
9. Experiment with Different Video Formats
Different social media platforms support various formats, each with unique advantages.
- Live streams: For building immediacy and fostering real-time interaction. It’s great for FAQ sessions or streaming live company and industry events.
- Stories: Ideal for bite-sized, ephemeral content that feels personal and immediate. These can be a fantastic choice for temporary company shifts — such as announcing a seasonal line or a product launch. If you want content to be slightly more permanent, short long-form videos may be a better choice.
- Short-form videos (Reels, TikToks): Best for highly engaging and easily shareable content. If the goal is for the content to go viral, this is the best option. Platforms like TikTok and posting choices like reels on Instagram are examples of short-form.
- Long-form videos: Great for in-depth content like tutorials, behind-the-scenes footage, or product demos. Story-telling is incredibly important here as you’ll need to keep the audience engaged for longer.
10. Use a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)
Every video should guide viewers toward a clear next step. Whether it’s visiting your website, subscribing, or making a purchase, your CTA should align with the video’s message. Try including it in the middle or at the end of your video or incorporating it multiple times to get the message across. Also, make sure it’s easy for viewers to engage with content — for instance, if your CTA is “Reach out today”, embed a link to your contact page.
11. Tailor Content to Specific Platforms
Each platform has unique aspect ratios and user preferences, so adapt your content accordingly.
- Aspect ratios: Vertical (9:16) works best for Instagram Stories and Reels. This can provide viewers who are browsing content by phone with a more immersive experience. Square (1:1) on the other hand is ideal for Instagram feeds or rather, if videos are posted as regular posts. Landscape (16:9) suits YouTube’s widescreen, so save this ratio for content that will likely be viewed on tablets, computer or TV screens, or mobile phones in landscape orientation.
- Staying current with trends: Regularly check trending topics on each social media platform to ensure the content you’re posting is current for that platform. You can follow industry blogs like Social Media Examiner or Hootsuite’s blog to stay updated on each platform’s trends.
12. Analyse and Optimise
Metrics matter. Period. Regular analysis helps you understand what works and what doesn’t. Platforms like YouTube Analytics and Instagram Insights can give you valuable feedback, allowing you to track views, engagement rates, watch time, and audience retention to refine your approach.
Regularly review your video’s performance and those of other videos you’ve posted to guide your future content strategies.
The Pitch Advantage
Creating impactful videos that elevate your brand can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Let our Pitch handle the video details, so you can focus on building your business. Reach out today, and let’s craft a video strategy that drives results.
