When making a social media video, you need to start with a good hook to keep viewers watching. As we talked about in last week's blog, it's one of the necessary components of a successful video post. Be sure to keep in mind that it's best to switch up your hook style to stay fresh and on-trend. Keep reading for our tips on the best social media video hooks.
1) The Question Hook
What keeps you watching a video, and what prompts you to keep scrolling? Starting off your social media video with a question can be a powerful way to generate engagement with viewers, keeping them watching by prompting their brains to form a response. A question teases the topic without revealing exactly where the video is heading. Meanwhile, declarative statements are much more passive, making it easier for potential viewers to disengage and get back to scrolling. Your hook question needs to be simple, relevant, and intriguing. Convoluted, off-brand, and dull questions can actually be disengaging, as they're less likely to prompt a quick response that gets viewers invested in the topic.
2) The Start in the Middle Hook
Sometimes, the best place to start is not the beginning. While backstory is important, you often need to hook your audience before they're ready to commit to the lead-up. This is a common technique used in movies and TV shows--the story starts smack-dab in the height of the action and cuts away just before the do-or-die moment. Now invested in the meat of the story, viewers are brought back to the beginning of the plot to catch up chronologically. For brand videos, this can mean getting to the bottom line of your pitch before even introducing the company. "We sell houses within 30 days!" is a much more compelling hook than "Hi, I'm Jane. I'm a Philadelphia realtor, and I'm an expert in selling houses. In fact, we sell houses in 30 days!" By putting the exciting tagline or details first, you grab the audience's attention before they can scroll away.
3) The End to Start Loop
This hook is a little more complicated, and it only works for short form videos on looping platforms like Instagram. You'll need to utilize a bit of editing skills here (don't worry, they're very basic!). You just need to make sure that the last sentence in your script is also the first sentence in your video. This capitalizes on the effect that platforms like Instagram use where they automatically loop a video you're watching. When done right, the end-to-start loop tricks viewers into watching the video more than one full time. Because it starts and ends the same, viewers are more likely to keep watching before scrolling on to the next post. This signals to the algorithm that people watch your posts all the way through, pushing your content to more users. When editing your end-to-start loop, you'll split the same clip to use as the first and last shots in your video. For example, if making a recipe video, you'd want to end the video with a shot of the finished product, saying something along the lines of, "This is why this is the easiest recipe for date night.” Then in your video editor, cut the shot right after “this is why.” Rearrange “This is the easiest recipe for date night” to the beginning of your video. This is a perfect hook because it tells you exactly what the video is about and has that preview of the final dish. Continue the video with the recipe, ending with the clip “This is why.” The beauty is that Instagram will automatically loop the video, so it should seamlessly look like you are saying the full phrase, pulling in that next view.
Angela Wolf Video offers corporate video production services near Philadelphia, PA. Do you have a specific video question? Schedule a free video analysis call at bit.ly/callawv