How To Get Your Audience to Watch Your Video
I’m about to share my DEEPEST. DARKEST. SECRET.
Dun dun dun….
Okay, actually I’m not- It’s a bit of a tease, but I did that to make a point and to share an example of the storytelling tip we’re exploring today.
What I just did there was start this post with a HOOK. (Whether it was a great one or not is up for debate.)
NARRATIVE HOOK:
A literary technique in the opening of a story that "hooks" the reader's attention so that he or she will keep on reading.
This technique is not just used in literature, but also in movies, short films, news articles, blog posts, instagram posts, etc.
If you start paying attention, you can see this being used EVERYWHERE to capture people’s attention. And hey- it’s because it works!
START YOUR STORY WITH A COMPELLING HOOK
So let’s look at this tried and true technique in the context of story-driven short films that you and I would create.
WHAT IS A COMPELLING HOOK?
There are MILLIONS of ways you could create a captivating hook to start your narrative video, but I want to share an example of a terrible hook that I’ve come across a lot - if you can even call it a “hook” at all.
Example of what NOT to do:
FADE IN FROM BLACK
Shot of a person being interviewed.
“Hi, my name is SOANDSO, and I’m a TITLE and this is my story…”
I’ve seen this a lot. HECK, I’ve even done it myself a time or two (before I knew better.)
If you think about it, doesn’t it make you feel like I’ve you’ve been invited to their AA meeting?
“Hi, my name is SOANDSO, and I’m a lover of Jesus…”
“Hi, SOANDSO…”
It’s just not captivating at all. Watching someone say their name, their title and maybe a summary of what they’re about to share is frankly very boring, and I don’t feel the need to watch the rest.
A hook has to be intriguing, unique.. it should cause the audience to be curious and want to watch more.
3 WAYS TO HOOK YOUR AUDIENCE
As I said, there are millions of different ways you can create a compelling hook. It’s where you can apply an unlimited amount of creativity.
But I’ll share 3 quick ways you can create a compelling hook:
START WITH A JARRING SOUND BITE
Start off with a quote (sound bite) from an interview that is gripping or different. The audience doesn’t even need it to be explained, it just needs to cause them to think “Wait, what? I want to know more..”
A jarring sound bite could be something like this one, from the film I did for my brother’s wedding:
“Daniel is the best Christian I know. Definitely the best Christian in this room…” (Watch here)
That quote makes you think “What? How can you say someone is the best Christian??” And then you keep watching to find out more. ;)
START WITH AN EMOTIONAL CLIP
Is there an emotional part of your interview that you can start with? Emotion doesn’t have to be just sad or crying either. It could be passion or joy… a clip where you can feel their emotion because it’s so strong.
Again, it doesn’t have to completely have context. Its purpose is to draw people in to want to watch the story.
START WITH AN ATTRACTIVE VISUAL OR SOUND
You don’t always have to start with a voiceover or sound bites! You can start with an incredibly stunning visual or sound effect, too.
Maybe you have a beautiful shot of a landscape at sunset, or maybe you start with the sound of a police car siren.
You can also use sound effects without any visual on screen at first, as it can enhance the mystery and create curiosity in your audience.
This example starts with the sound of a soccer ball being kicked and dribbled: Watch here.
There you go! There are a lot of other ways to create hooks too. If you need some alternatives, just start watching other videos and films- there are all kinds of creative hooks you can use.
Hope that’s helpful to you all. Would love to hear some of your creative hooks! Comment below!