Watch Time SECRETS Big YouTubers Don't Tell You!

Summary

This video script reveals top YouTube creators' secrets to increasing watch time and going viral. It emphasizes the importance of crafting compelling titles and thumbnails to set viewer expectations and matching these with engaging intros. The script also covers using end rewards to keep viewers hooked, being relatable in educational content, employing pattern interrupts like B-rolls and text overlays to maintain interest, and the power of connecting points in storytelling for seamless transitions and enhanced retention. The ultimate goal is to captivate the audience from start to finish, ensuring they're unaware when the video ends.

Takeaways

• 🔑 The title and thumbnail are crucial for setting viewer expectations and should be decided upon before creating the video content.
• 🎣 Crafting an intro hook is essential to retain viewers, as many leave within the first 30 seconds if expectations are not met.
• 🏆 Top creators like MrBeast ensure that the video's intro delivers on the promises made by the title and thumbnail to hook viewers immediately.
• 🎁 Utilizing an 'end reward' can keep viewers engaged throughout the video, even during less interesting parts, by promising something significant at the end.
• 🤗 Being relatable in the video's intro can build trust with viewers, especially in educational content, by acknowledging their current situation or problem.
• 📹 Adding B-rolls, different camera angles, and slow zoom effects are editing techniques that can enhance viewer engagement and retention.
• 📈 Including text in videos compels viewers to read and thus keeps their attention on the content, improving watch time.
• 🔗 Connecting points in a video smoothly, like telling a story, helps maintain viewer interest and makes the transition between topics seem natural.
• 🌟 Top YouTubers often use storytelling in their videos to make complex topics more engaging and easier to follow.
• 📈 Audience retention graphs can provide insights into viewer behavior, showing when they are most likely to leave the video.
• 🎞️ Pattern interrupts, such as adding B-rolls or changing camera angles, can disrupt viewer thought patterns and recapture their attention if the video becomes boring.

Q & A

Why do top YouTube creators prioritize the title and thumbnail before making the video?

Top creators prioritize the title and thumbnail because they act as the packaging of the video product. They set viewer expectations, which helps in crafting better intros that meet those expectations and potentially increase audience retention.

What is the significance of the intro hook in retaining viewers?

The intro hook is significant because it is the first impression that can either engage or lose viewers. A strong intro hook can prevent the initial drop in audience retention, ensuring more viewers stay to watch the entire video.

How does MrBeast's video strategy align with viewer expectations?

MrBeast's strategy involves delivering on the promise made in the title and thumbnail within the first few seconds of the video, ensuring that viewer expectations are met right from the start.

What is an 'end reward' in video content, and how does it benefit viewer retention?

An 'end reward' is a promise of something important or interesting happening later in the video or at the end. It encourages viewers to continue watching even if they find parts of the video boring, as they don't want to miss out on the promised reward.

Why is relatability important in educational content or tutorials?

Relatability is important because it instantly builds trust with the viewer. When creators describe the viewer's current situation accurately, it signals that they understand the viewer's problem and likely have a solution, which hooks the viewer into the video.

What is a 'pattern interrupt' and how can it enhance viewer engagement?

A 'pattern interrupt' is a video editing technique that grabs the viewer's attention by disrupting their usual thought patterns. It can make a video more engaging by preventing boredom, especially in the context of short attention spans and the rise of short-form content.

How can adding B-rolls improve audience retention?

Adding B-rolls can improve retention by providing visual variety and preventing boredom. It also enhances visual storytelling by allowing the creator to convey messages through different types of footage.

What role do different camera angles play in making a video visually interesting?

Different camera angles can make a video visually interesting by providing diverse perspectives and dynamic visuals. This technique can help maintain viewer interest and prevent the monotony of a single camera angle.

How can a simple zoom effect make a video clip more engaging?

A simple zoom effect can add movement to a video clip, making it more engaging by drawing the viewer's eye to the changes in the visual field. This can transform a static clip into a more dynamic and attention-grabbing segment.

Why is adding text to a video an effective way to maintain viewer attention?

Adding text to a video is effective because it forces the viewer to read and engage with the content. It can be used for word-by-word captions or to highlight important points, ensuring that the viewer's attention is consistently directed towards the video.

What is the purpose of 'connecting points' in video storytelling, and how does it improve retention?

The purpose of 'connecting points' is to create a smooth transition between different topics or sections of the video, making it feel like a cohesive story. This technique improves retention by making viewers feel like they are missing out if they stop watching, as each point is connected and builds on the previous one.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Secrets to Boosting Watch Time on YouTube

This paragraph reveals the essential strategies employed by top YouTube creators to captivate viewers and increase watch time, which is crucial for video virality. The speaker shares insights gathered after studying successful channels, including techniques for hooking viewers from the start, building suspense, effective storytelling, and a favorite tip for maximizing viewer engagement. The importance of the video's title and thumbnail as the 'packaging' that sets viewer expectations is highlighted, along with the significance of crafting an intro that meets these expectations to prevent the initial audience dip. Examples from MrBeast's channel illustrate the effectiveness of these strategies.

05:39

🔄 Enhancing Viewer Retention with Pattern Interrupts

The second paragraph delves into the concept of 'pattern interrupts,' which are editing techniques designed to seize and maintain viewer attention in an era of shrinking attention spans. The speaker outlines several methods to implement pattern interrupts, such as incorporating B-rolls for visual storytelling, utilizing various camera angles to add visual interest, employing slow zoom effects to create movement, and overlaying text to ensure viewer engagement. The paragraph also emphasizes the power of connecting points within a video to create a seamless narrative flow, which can make viewers lose track of time. The effectiveness of this technique is demonstrated through viewer comments and the speaker's own experience, as well as through an example from Dhruv Rathee's video content.

Keywords

💡Watch Time

Watch time refers to the total amount of time viewers spend watching a video. It is a critical metric for YouTube creators as it directly influences the video's visibility and monetization potential. In the video's context, increasing watch time is the main theme, with strategies provided to hook viewers from the beginning to the end of the video, ensuring higher engagement and viewer retention.

💡Viral Video

A viral video is one that spreads rapidly across the internet, attracting a massive number of views in a short period. The script discusses the importance of watch time for making a video go viral, as it indicates the video's popularity and audience interest, which are key to virality.

💡Title and Thumbnail

The title and thumbnail are the first elements that potential viewers see and are crucial for attracting viewers to click on the video. The script emphasizes that top creators decide on these elements before making the video to ensure they meet viewers' expectations and hook them from the start.

💡Intro Hook

An intro hook is a technique used at the beginning of a video to immediately capture the viewer's attention. The script mentions that a significant audience retention dip occurs within the first 30 seconds, indicating the importance of a compelling intro to retain viewers and increase watch time.

💡End Reward

An end reward is a promise of something significant or interesting happening towards the end of the video, which encourages viewers to watch the entire video. The script uses MrBeast's video as an example, where the main event is shown briefly at the start but happens at the end, keeping viewers engaged throughout.

💡Relatability

Relatability is the ability of a video to connect with viewers by addressing their situations or problems in a way that feels personal. The script suggests that educational content creators can use relatability in their intros to build trust and hook viewers, who feel understood and more likely to continue watching.

💡Pattern Interrupts

Pattern interrupts are video editing techniques designed to grab a viewer's attention and break their usual thought patterns. The script discusses several pattern interrupts, such as adding B-rolls, changing camera angles, and using slow zoom effects, to make videos more engaging and improve viewer retention.

💡B-roll

B-roll refers to supplementary footage that is edited into a video alongside the main footage (A-roll) to enhance the visual storytelling. The script explains that adding B-rolls can improve viewer retention by preventing boredom and enriching the narrative of the video.

💡Slow Zoom

A slow zoom is a video editing effect that gradually zooms in on a subject, adding visual interest and movement to a scene. The script uses the slow zoom as an example of a simple pattern interrupt that can transform a static clip into a more captivating part of the video.

💡Connecting Points

Connecting points is a storytelling technique where information in a video transitions smoothly from one point to another, creating a cohesive narrative. The script illustrates this with the example of Dhruv Rathee's video, where different topics are linked together, making the video feel like a story and keeping viewers engaged until the end.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of conveying events or information in a way that resembles a story, making it more engaging and memorable for the audience. The script highlights the importance of storytelling in improving viewer retention by making the video feel like a continuous narrative that viewers want to follow to the end.

Highlights

Top YouTube creators use specific strategies to increase watch time and make videos viral.

Creators should decide on the video's title and thumbnail before making the video to align with viewer expectations.

The title and thumbnail act as the packaging for the video product, influencing viewer retention.

Crafting an intro that matches viewer expectations can significantly reduce the initial audience retention dip.

MrBeast's videos exemplify delivering on the promise made by the title and thumbnail within the first few seconds.

Setting up an end reward in videos encourages viewers to stay until the end, even if parts are boring.

Relatability in the intro can build trust with viewers and hook them into the video, especially for educational content.

Pattern interrupts, such as B-rolls, different camera angles, and slow zooms, can make videos more engaging and improve retention.

Adding text overlays can capture viewer attention and enhance the storytelling aspect of videos.

Connecting points in a video creates a narrative flow that keeps viewers engaged until the end.

Viewer comments indicate that connecting points makes them lose track of time while watching the video.

The presenter has applied these watch time secrets in their own videos with visible results.

The importance of understanding viewer expectations from the video's packaging is emphasized for creating better intros.

The presenter's channel showcases examples of how to apply these secrets to increase watch time.

The video provides a detailed explanation of how to create an intro hook that retains viewers.

The video discusses the impact of end rewards on viewer retention and provides an example from MrBeast's channel.

The video demonstrates various pattern interrupts and their application in video editing to capture viewer attention.

The video concludes with a Q&A and a recommendation to watch another video on storytelling in gaming YouTube videos.

Transcripts

All top YouTube creators know some important secrets about keeping you hooked from the

start to the end of their videos, and in return, they get that precious watch time needed to

make a video go viral.

After studying these top creators for months, I've collected these watch time secrets that

you can now apply to your future videos to increase your watch time.

I'll tell you how to hook your viewers, how to build suspense in your videos, how to do

storytelling, and basically everything that can make your viewers watch your videos for

longer!

And yes, the last tip is my favorite, so don't miss it.

I've applied these tips in my own videos, and the results are clearly visible.

Starting with the first secret, which is about the title and thumbnail...

Now, you might be confused because watch time and audience retention depend on the video,

right?

So, where do the title and thumbnail come in?

Let me tell you the secret: most top creators decide on a video's title and thumbnail before

even making the video, and you should do the same!

Here's why:

Your video is the product, while the title and thumbnail are the packaging.

It's the first thing viewers notice, and that's why when we decide on the title and thumbnail

before recording, scripting, or any other work, we know what viewers expect from the

video.

By looking at the packaging from the viewers' perspective, we can understand their expectations,

which helps us create better intros.

This brings me to the next secret: crafting the intro hook.

Look at the audience retention graph.

Can you see that significant dip in the beginning?

It shows that 50% of the audience has left the video in the first 30 seconds.

In fact, most YouTube videos have a similar retention graph with a massive dip in the

intro.

Obviously, the smaller this dip, the better because that means more people are staying

in the video, leading to more watch time.

If so many people are leaving in the intro, there can be only one reason, and that is

the viewers' expectations based on the title and thumbnail were not met by the video's

intro.

So, they were disappointed, bored, and they quit the video.

SO WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

Well, it's pretty simple.

Create an intro that matches viewers' expectations.

A great example is MrBeast.

Take any video from his channel, and you'll see that whatever was promised in the title

and thumbnail is delivered in the first 5 seconds of the video.

That's why I said, decide on the title and thumbnail in advance, so you know what viewers

will expect.

Another example is this video you're watching right now.

Look at the title and thumbnail.

By looking at them, you expect that I will talk about improving watch time and provide

examples of big YouTubers, especially MrBeast.

Based on all this information, I spent hours designing the intro to meet viewers' expectations.

But, if you want to truly hook your viewers, matching their expectations is not enough.

To maintain good audience retention, you need to use the next secret.

To understand what it is, let's take MrBeast's video, "Lamborghini VS World's Largest Shredder."

Let me play the video.

(Plays Video) Wait!

Did you notice?

The Lamborghini vs. Shredder experiment, which is the center of attention in the video, is

shown in just 4 seconds at the very beginning.

BUT if you watch the entire video, you'll see that this experiment is shown at the 14th

minute of the video, meaning right at the end...

This is an example of setting up an end reward in the video.

It means promising viewers that something very important or interesting is going to

happen in the later half or at the end of the video.

The benefit of this is that even if viewers get bored during a part of the video, they

won't quit because they know the end reward is yet to come, giving them a reason to keep

watching.

It may sound simple, but it's really powerful.

Like MrBeast, almost every one of his videos has a strong end reward...

You might have also seen this example on my channel or Algrow's channel when I say, "I'll

share the 5th tip to increase views, which is the most important one, or my favorite."

Of course, because the 5th tip is at the end of the video, it also acts as an end reward.

So if viewers get bored or don't find the information helpful, they think, "I'll watch

until the last tip."

And that keeps them watching!

Now, let's say it's not possible or it's difficult to create an end reward in your video.

There's another secret to hooking your viewers, and that is by being relatable.

Especially if you create educational content or tutorials, this will be really helpful.

For example, in these three videos:

So, as you may have noticed, the common factor in all three videos is that in their intros,

the creators tried to describe the viewer's current situation in a relatable way.

This relatability factor instantly builds trust with the creator because the viewer

thinks the creator understands their problem so well that they probably have a solution.

This is what hooks them into the video.

Now, let's talk about a secret that is easy to apply no matter what your video's content

is.

With this secret, you can make your

video 10 times more engaging and get more watch time.

I'm talking about pattern interrupts.

In simple terms, pattern interrupt is a video editing technique that grabs a viewer's attention

and disrupts their usual thought patterns.

In 2023, we all know that viewers' attention spans have become shorter, especially with

the rise of short-form content.

If a part of your video seems a bit boring, they might quit.

In such cases, you can't expect to gain views with a simple facecam video without any pattern

interrupt.

So, let's quickly learn about some pattern interrupts and tips you can easily use in

your videos.

No. 1 and the easiest: Adding B-rolls.

Suppose you're creating a facecam video, and the main clip is your A-roll.

If you add other footage during editing, that becomes the B-roll.

Adding B-rolls not only improves retention because viewers don't get bored, but it also

enhances visual storytelling.

You can choose the right B-roll based on the message you want to convey to your viewers.

No. 2: Different camera angles.

Shooting a video with a single camera angle can make it quite boring.

That's why some YouTubers use multiple camera angles.

A great example is Tech Burner.

If you watch his videos, you'll see that he frequently changes camera angles to make the

video visually interesting.

You can do the same.

If you don't have two devices for recording, you can divide your video into 4-5 parts and

record them at different locations.

No. 3: Slow zoom.

Whether you're making facecam videos or screen-based videos, adding a simple zoom effect to the

video can make it more interesting.

Look at the two videos on the screen; they both have the same clips, but the right one

will hold more attention simply because it includes movement.

Adding this slow zoom effect to your video is easy.

Just start at the beginning of a video clip, add a keyframe, go to the end, add another

keyframe,

and zoom in the video... and there you go!

We've instantly made a boring clip interesting by adding some movement.

No. 4: Add text, and lots of text.

When a word or sentence appears on the screen, you have no option but to read it.

Hence, it's much easier to keep the viewer's attention on the video.

You can add word-by-word captions for what you're saying in the video or simply add text

for important words, like this...

Before I share my last favorite secret, I want to show you these comments.

They all say the same thing: they didn't realize when the video ended.

And I always get such comments...

Why?

Because of this last secret.

If you use this secret in your videos, your viewers won't even notice when the video ends.

The secret is connecting points.

When you watch your favorite creators, you may have noticed that the information in their

videos doesn't abruptly transition from one point to another... it's more like a story!

The first point doesn't suddenly jump to the second point... there is always a connection

between the points.

That's why it feels like you're listening to a story.

Almost all popular creators use this technique, but let me take the example of Dhruv Rathee.

You can watch any of his videos, for example, "Time Traveler from Year 2256!"

In this video, Dhruv covers many topics, like types of time travel, time dilation, black

holes, cryosleep, time travel in the past, wormholes, and paradoxes...

Even though these are different topics, if you watch the video, you won't realize when

he switches from one topic to another because they are all linked, making it feel like a

story.

In fact, if you've paid attention, I've used this secret in this video too.

For example, look at the timestamps on the screen, and you'll get an idea of how I connect

the points.

The formula for connecting points is like this: you're talking about one point... now,

don't jump suddenly to the next point.

Instead, introduce a question or problem related to the previous point, and then it should

feel like the answer or solution to that question or problem is in the next point.

The benefit of this is that if a viewer has seen one point and is satisfied with it, when

you connect the next point to the current point, they'll feel like they're missing out

if they don't watch your next point.

Connecting points in your video is a crucial part of storytelling, and it will help improve

retention.

Since we're talking about storytelling, I remembered that I made a video explaining

how top gaming YouTubers use storytelling in their videos...

even if you don't have a gaming channel, you can watch that video; it's very entertaining!

And if you want to know more about me, I've also made a Q&A video, so you can watch that

too!

So yeah, I'll see you there.

Bye!!!"