3 proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos in 2024

If you’re a digital marketer, you know that one of the most effective ways to sell a product or service is by showing and not just telling.

Potential customers don’t always want to read about how amazing your product is; sometimes, they need to see some product visuals before they are convinced.  

According to Wyzowl, 82% of people were compelled to purchase a product or service simply by watching a video. See? The numbers speak for themselves.

Are you thinking of how to make your product videos engaging enough? This guide will teach you 3 proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos and ways to leverage them to drive sales conversions. 

Start with a compelling hook

The first on our list of proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos is to start with a compelling hook.

The most crucial part of any video is the first five to fifteen seconds because it determines if the viewer will stop to watch or just scroll past. So, how do you ensure your viewers make it through that 15-second mark? 

The key is to grab their attention the instant they open your video. You can do this by using a visually alluring thumbnail, asking an intriguing question, or starting with value propositions that convert.

Let’s discuss these briefly.

Use visually alluring thumbnails

Video thumbnails play a huge role in determining whether your target audience will open your video. Use a visually striking thumbnail that adequately reflects your video's content.

This strategy is particularly useful when your video is to be used for social media marketing. A scroll-stopping thumbnail is the best way to make your video stand out from the vast sea of content online. 

Do you need more tips on how to optimize your videos for social media? For instance, to make your product video stand out, you can use a close-up shot of your product as the thumbnail. Ensure it's a high-resolution image that uses text animations, or bold colors to make it come to life.

Check out Welpix’s YouTube page, for instance. It uses close-up shots of products as thumbnails for product videos.

Ask a question

Often, the best way to get your viewers' attention is by asking a relevant question that piques their interest enough to make them explore.

An excellent way to implement this is by asking a question that addresses your target audience’s pain points. This instantly creates a connection with them and ropes them in to find out if you have a solution for them.

Start with a value proposition

Sometimes, it’s best to go for the jugular and start your video by straight-up offering a value proposition. If you’re advertising a product or service, create a value proposition or offer they can’t resist and then ask them to watch the video to find out how to get it. 

This could be anything from competitive pricing to game-changing technology or compelling data. Think of what sets your product apart from the competition and use it to reel the viewers in.

For explainer videos and product demos, you can start with the value proposition, and then show what your product can do. After that, follow up by showing how to get the said product and drive more sales.

For example, this product demo video from Infinity starts by offering a value proposition to boost your team’s productivity. Take a look.

Leverage the power of storytelling

The next point on our list of proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos is to leverage the power of storytelling.

Remember that you’re selling to humans, and one of the easiest ways to connect with them is by telling a story. Let’s look at ways you can tell a story with your videos. 

Advertise benefits, not features

A good way to tell a story about your product is by focusing on its benefits, not features. If you go on and on about the features of your product, it can quickly start to sound like a boring user manual.

To avoid this, tell a story by using your target audience’s pain points as the conflict and providing the benefits of your product as the resolution. 

Use testimonials

Using customer testimonials in videos is a great way to weave storytelling into your videos and use it to sell your brand. 

A customer’s testimonial is a story of how your product or service has benefitted them. Showing testimonials from your past customers helps build brand trust, establish a connection with your target audience, and improve retention.

Use pattern interrupts

One of the things your product videos need is the use of pattern interrupts to avoid sounding monotonous.

Using pattern interrupts like b-rolls and camera angle changes can keep your viewers engaged even if you don’t use verbal cues. A well-crafted B-roll is an excellent way to use visual cues to build a narrative around your product while hiding any cuts and edits. 

Optimize your videos for conversion

The last point on our proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos is to optimize your videos for conversion. 

There are many video editing software for beginners that can help you edit videos and ensure your B-rolls follow a streamlined structure that blends in with the rest of your video.

If you’ve successfully grabbed your viewers’ attention, you must capitalize on it quickly before you lose it. Here are some easy ways to optimize your videos for conversion. 

Keep it as short as possible

In a digital age where attention spans are fleeting, the shorter your videos are, the better. From the previously cited Wyzowl research, 39% of marketers state that 30 to 60-second videos are the most effective in marketing their products.

Make it easier for your viewers to engage with your videos by keeping them as short as possible. This strategy works especially if you want to create TikTok videos and Instagram Reels. Short videos also allow you to embed Instagram reels on a website as they are easier to watch on a website. 

However, this doesn’t mean all your videos must be short. You can create longer videos as long as they remain contextual. Remember that if you cut out important parts, your video loses its value.

So, keep your video only as long as it needs to be and ensure you’re providing value at every point. If there’s just too much complex information to fit into one video, you can always break it into shorter videos to make it more engaging.

Make your video interactive

One of the best ways to turn your viewers into customers is by making them interact with your videos. Ask them to engage with your video by liking, sharing, or commenting. 

If you’re using platforms like YouTube, you can also insert quizzes, polls, or clickable annotations to improve video engagement. They'll likely stick around to the end if they’re busy interacting with your video.

Use a clear and relevant CTA

Your CTA should not only tell your viewers what you want them to do but must also be relevant to the content of the video.

For instance, it would make sense for a sales enablement video to have a CTA that links to a document or software you want your sales team to try.

So, a CTA like “download to boost your sales efforts” works because it is relevant and specific and offers a clear value proposition, making it more effective. 

Wrapping Up

Use our list of proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos to boost engagement on your videos. Starting with a compelling hook and ending with a relevant CTA and the two most important strategies.

Creating an engaging product marketing video also requires a strategic blend of storytelling sequences, interactive elements, and a clear CTA.

Whether you’re creating an explainer video, a tutorial, or a product demo, your video must offer a clear value proposition, or your viewers may not find it worth watching. 

In this guide, we’ve explained proven strategies to keep viewers hooked on videos and lead to conversion. Apply them to your product marketing strategies to see how your videos could be more effective! Good luck!