The unwritten rules of engaging video

Creating a video is not the only goal. Getting people to watch it is one thing, getting them to share it is something else. In the same way that the videos my children watch make them feel as though they are part of a community, so should any video you create.

Before you start putting your video together you need to think and analyse who your audience is and what kinds of video that audience likes. What kind of content are you looking to include, what does your audience engage most with? Just because you think it’s a good idea, it doesn’t mean that they do.

It’s not about putting your finger to the wind. Don’t guess, use data. If you’ve done video before, what worked well and most importantly what didn’t? If you haven’t done any before examine what areas of content have been successful and also have a look online and see how other people have fared.

“[People] don’t want TV on the web. They want something they feel a connection to.”

Give people what they are looking for and they will engage with it and if you make people feel as though they are part of a community – they will come back time and again and share it with their friends, to include them too. However, this only works as long as you produce regular and engaging video content.

According to a comScore survey, users don’t want the TV style of video show, they want interactive content that means that they engage with it.

“[People] don’t want TV on the web. They want something they feel a connection to, therefore, what they will share with their networks,” said Inga Thordar, Executive Editor of CNN Digital Worldwide.

This is a belief we share at That Media Thing and we have the skills and experience to help you create videos that will engage your audience so that they share your content with their peers and become your advocates. Email [email protected] to find out more.