YouTube

You might know that users on YouTube watch billion hours of visual content every day. But the reality is that they watch just 50% to 60% of the total length of a video. That’s because the majority of the users tend to lose interest after watching the introduction of the video.

So, this brings us to the point that the intro of your YouTube video is very important. It is the opening sequence of your YouTube content that lasts approximately 5 to 10 seconds.

You need to make it highly attractive and effective if you want to introduce your brand like never before and even anticipate your content. It will also help you build brand recognition. All this and more within the 10 seconds mark.

So, how do you go about making the most engaging YouTube intro? Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Plan the Intro

You must decide on the type of intro you are looking to make. Now this will completely depend on the theme of your video and the product or service you are looking to promote. The brand image also plays an important role in helping decide on the type of intro.

Ideally, there are three parts of an intro. The first part is where a business addresses a challenge or issue faced by the consumer; the second part is where there is the solution offered, and the third part consists of the CTA guiding viewers into watching the video.

Your video’s opening can be something wise coming from a well-known personality or a quote from some celebrity. But make sure the subject of your video is serious in that case. Also, ensure the celebrity is an individual resonating with the target audience. This will motivate the viewers to stick to the video.

On the other hand, a YouTube intro can even have relevant analogies, metaphors, memes, and anecdotes, or different other content forms. Simply spend some time getting an idea of the target audience and change your introduction around that.

2. Make It Short

At this stage, you can use an intro maker tool for creating short introductions. Less is always more when working on an intro video. Keep this in mind. An intro of 30 seconds might not work.

That’s because people these days do not have much time to spare in watching YouTube videos. They want to get to the main matter quickly, and if your 30-second intro does not have anything informative to deliver, your video may lose viewers.

A good rule of thumb here is keeping an intro around the 5 to 10 seconds mark, as has already been said. And also, do not try to go overboard with animations and graphics, as this might make the intro appear too cluttered.

3. Ask an Important Question in the Intro

Intros with open-ended questions get the viewers into thinking about the whole content. So, it works to have a well-framed question in the intro that tickles the people’s cravings and gets them into figuring out what is being asked. Since the viewers are busy answering the question, they stick to the video.

Your viewers will stay tuned if you deliver valuable content in your YouTube intro. Of course, it is good to add a question as it decreases the rate of drop-offs, but at the same time, you must also pay attention to the question you have chosen.

For instance, asking an obvious question will be an insult to the intelligence of the audience, and they might not receive your intro well. In the same way, over-complicated questions or the questions framed inappropriately can leave the audience disinterested and confused.

4. Keep the Intro Consistent

Yet another important point you must keep in mind when creating a video intro is consistency. Of course, intros are one of the best ways of getting your creative juices flowing, but at the same time, you must refrain from going overboard.

It means you cannot detour from the message you are looking to convey in the intro. In other words, your introduction should perfectly fit the theme and the message of your brand. Many businesses try creating separate videos and then merge them with their brand videos.

This method is not favourable as it causes inconsistencies while making it very difficult for the viewers to understand the relation between the intro and the remaining part of the content.

5. Use the Right Tool

Just having an imaginative picture of the type of video intro you are looking to create will not be sufficient. It is necessary for you to use the right intro-making tool to make catchy intros. Here again, you must be very careful in choosing the intro-making tool.

Go for a tool that allows you to include the tagline, color, and logo of your brand in the intros you make. Also, make sure to create the same intros for different videos in the brand channel and playlist.

6. Animate the Logo of Your Brand

One of the most efficient and popular ways of creating YouTube video introductions is simply by animating your brand’s logo. Since the brand logo is the most iconic and exclusive part of the company, using it right at the beginning of the YouTube video will help in creating a good impression.

It increases brand recall value and ensures that people connect with your company, products, and services with the image they come across. Animating your brand’s logo gives you the scope of creating visual interest and hooking the viewers to watch the content further.

Conclusion

Remember, your intro is your chance of growing followers and audiences on YouTube. So make it as unique as possible. And yes, do not forget to incorporate the unique selling proposition of your brand in the intro. This will further get you grabbing the attention of the viewers. Your video intro has the power of hooking the audience to your entire video. So, try leveraging this power to its fullest.