I'm the worst for making YouTube videos too long. I'm not at all selective when it comes to the content, I want every single bit in the final video. What I'm criticised on consistently when I upload a video is the length and the amount of needlessly added content. So sue me, though it might be due to my stubborn and conceited nature, I suffer from severe reluctance when it comes to cutting down my content.
What I need to learn is that my content is more likely to be watched in its entirety if it's a bite-sized and palpable video. I was looking at some statistics, the average attention span in 2012 was just 8 seconds. So in order for a video to gain views, it must be regularly punctuated with something that will grab the viewers attention and regain their interest. Just to point out that the average attention span of a goldfish is apparently 9 seconds, so next time someone tells you that you have the attention span of a goldfish, the correct answer is "thank you". One I can certainly believe is the statistic that office workers on average check their email 30 times an hour. But here's the important one if you're a regular uploader, the average length watched of an internet view was just 2.7 minutes. So if you're producing 30 minute long programmes, the chances are no-one is watching the whole this. Unless it's incredibly gripping, and even then - 30 minutes? Snore! I could be doing more productive things with my time, like checking my emails.
So the basic message is to keep your content short, interesting and relevant. If you find you need to digress or include supplementary material then it might be worth considering multiple videos instead of a longer run time - it means your content will be more finely targeted, more relevant to the viewer watching and therefore longer engagement.
The general idea of the video is to simply respect the time of your audience, it also gives some nifty ideas in keeping your audience interested. Firstly you need to reel them in with a snappy intro. If you're going to begin your video with an opener that's as miserable as Monday morning, then that's what we'll expect from the rest of the video. The rest of the video might be fantastic, but if the opening is awful then you might immediately turn away some important followers.
The video also reiterates that irrelevant material needs to be cut, and be brutal. Think more about what's interesting to the masses rather than your individual perspective. It might be your baby, but the harsh fact is that not everyone is as interested as you are. Unless you make it that way, and the duration is a huge part of that. I'll let you know if these tips help my own video promotion. If you apply these techniques to your own videos, let me know how you get on in the comments below!
What I need to learn is that my content is more likely to be watched in its entirety if it's a bite-sized and palpable video. I was looking at some statistics, the average attention span in 2012 was just 8 seconds. So in order for a video to gain views, it must be regularly punctuated with something that will grab the viewers attention and regain their interest. Just to point out that the average attention span of a goldfish is apparently 9 seconds, so next time someone tells you that you have the attention span of a goldfish, the correct answer is "thank you". One I can certainly believe is the statistic that office workers on average check their email 30 times an hour. But here's the important one if you're a regular uploader, the average length watched of an internet view was just 2.7 minutes. So if you're producing 30 minute long programmes, the chances are no-one is watching the whole this. Unless it's incredibly gripping, and even then - 30 minutes? Snore! I could be doing more productive things with my time, like checking my emails.
So the basic message is to keep your content short, interesting and relevant. If you find you need to digress or include supplementary material then it might be worth considering multiple videos instead of a longer run time - it means your content will be more finely targeted, more relevant to the viewer watching and therefore longer engagement.
The general idea of the video is to simply respect the time of your audience, it also gives some nifty ideas in keeping your audience interested. Firstly you need to reel them in with a snappy intro. If you're going to begin your video with an opener that's as miserable as Monday morning, then that's what we'll expect from the rest of the video. The rest of the video might be fantastic, but if the opening is awful then you might immediately turn away some important followers.
The video also reiterates that irrelevant material needs to be cut, and be brutal. Think more about what's interesting to the masses rather than your individual perspective. It might be your baby, but the harsh fact is that not everyone is as interested as you are. Unless you make it that way, and the duration is a huge part of that. I'll let you know if these tips help my own video promotion. If you apply these techniques to your own videos, let me know how you get on in the comments below!
About the Author:
Watch our corporate videos that effectively demonstrate online video durations,Masters in Politics, and Masters in International Relations.
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