A hook is what draws people in to watch your videos. It quite literally hooks them, and makes them want to stay to watch the rest of your content. A really good hook will even convince your viewers to invest in your company long term.
A hook is something that grabs the attention of your audience and ideally gets them to continue watching and possibly even move on to other videos. It should set the tone of the video straight away. Possibly even allowing your audience to understand what your company have to offer.
Your hook could be based upon clickbait, however be wary with this because if you don’t deliver what you’ve promised, you probably won’t keep your viewers. You could provide a promise, a question or something visual that captures attention immediately. It’s important to think of yourself as a viewer before you create any content.
Before starting the process, think about what would capture your attention. Would you be interested in your hook? Think, how could you encourage people to watch you? If you’re going to advertise a product or service, why do they need to check out yours over your competition? How can you capture them in the first few seconds?
1. Begin with a fact
If you have any strong statistics or interesting facts that relate to your brand or business – start with them. People (as much as they say they don’t) love facts and figures. The numbers don’t lie. So, if you can tell them exactly what percentage of people would recommend your company or services, you might be able to hook them.
Likewise, if you can spin off a fact that will impress, you might have their attention. From there, you can go on to discuss the topic of your video. Once you have people watching, you can share what you came to share. An interesting fact could be far stronger than any clickbait you could offer. People trust facts.
2. Ask a question
“Do you want to know how to get the best out of your branding?” “Are you looking to grow your socials?” Try and begin with a question that you then go on to answer. Again, don’t promise something you can’t deliver, but, if you’re able to hook people with a great question they simply need to know the answer to – go for it!
People will often continue to watch just to find out the answer. Even if it doesn’t directly help them. People are nosey and like to be in the know, so, if you can offer a question at the start of your video you might just pull people in. You might be answering a question they didn’t know they had.
3. Provide a visual
Give them something they can’t turn away from. If you offer a physical product, pull them in with it. Your products are your selling point, you should believe in them. After all, if you don’t then why are you selling them? Show potential consumers what they can get through your brand. How does it work? Why do they need it?
Even if you don’t offer physical products, you could add a green screen and share your website, or something related to your business. This is a powerful method at drawing people in because their eyes become fixed on what you’re showing them, so they stay around to watch. Many viewers watch with the sound off, so showing them something means they’re still engaging.
These are just a few methods we’d suggest when it comes to creating any video content. The idea of course is to get people behind your products, brand or services. So, consider this at all times. Plan videos ahead. Some videos that are recorded on a whim perform brilliantly. However, it’s unlikely they’ll be successful without a great hook. So, whether you’re writing a script or just improvising – consider your hook!
