Anatomy of successful video content for TikToks, YouTube, and websites
Everyone wants to create successful viral videos or high-performing video campaigns. These infographics provide visual tips on what to include and how to edit, based on our top three most-requested video formats.
How to edit engaging videos for TikTok
When editing TikTok videos, it’s important to remember that the general attention span on the platform is notoriously short, and, speaking from personal experience, the longer I’ve been scrolling, the shorter my interest window is.
The hook of the video is the ‘why’. You literally have three seconds to capture my attention. Multitasking is a popular way to make the starts of videos more captivating — doing a Get Ready With Me (GRWM) while talking about something unrelated, for example.
Negative hooks work too. ‘De-influencing’ is a common trend: starting a video with “why I regret buying ABC” or “I accidentally bought XYZ” will make people stick around to find out which products they should avoid.
Clickbaity hooks also work, especially if you’re prepared to deal with a busy comments section. “I impulsively bought this,” for example, or “You won’t believe what I just heard.”
An infographic depicting the timeline of a TikTok video, starting with a three-second ‘hook’, followed by the main part of the video — the ‘meat’ — and then a second conclusive ‘hook’ at the end. Labels along the timeline say: “Get Ready With Me while I do XYZ (text and audio),” “‘human’ moment — drop something, or sip drink,” “refer to playlist or older video,” “let me know in the comments,” and “go to part two” or “check back for XYZ.”
Now for the ‘meat’ — the body of your video. Your subject matter will vary wildly from account to account, but some things stay the same.
TikTok is all about being human and real, so if you’re featuring humans (or animals), don’t be afraid to show a mistake or a funny moment, be it getting a bit of your makeup wrong, your colleague messing up a dance move, or even someone pausing to check a phone or take a drink.
Refer to other relevant videos you have (make sure they’re easily findable on your page), and if your video is part of a series, make sure you have which part it is on-screen in text.
The end hook can be varied. If the video is not part of a series, you want people to engage with the comment section. If it is, refer them to the next part, or tell them to come back for the next instalment.
How to edit videos for YouTube
An infographic depicting the timeline of a YouTube video, starting with a five- to ten-second ‘hook’, followed by the main part of the video — the ‘meat’ — and then a conclusive CTA (call to action) at the end. Labels along the timeline say: “why they want/need to watch,” “refer to other videos by you,” “casual reference to your authority,” “humour moment,” “emoji to suggest liking and subscribing,” and, for the call to action at the end, “drop a comment,” “next video,” or “you can see more here.”
With YouTube videos, you have a little more time to establish the hook, as, chances are, the viewer will have clicked on your video for a reason. But there’s still no time for dilly-dallying.
If your videos are informational and/or longer-format, time-stamping your chapters will be useful for people trying to navigate to what they want.
What makes a YouTube video successful is its consistency with what the channel puts out. If your channel is known for reviewing local hospitality venues, putting out a video that doesn’t do that may not go down so well. Unless, of course, your audience have been asking for that specific content.
Informality varies from channel to channel but, regardless of your brand or channel tone of voice, you should make references to your other videos, mention why you have the expertise to be talking about your subject, and encourage viewers to like and subscribe (but in a friendly, undemanding way).
Your video end is more CTA led, so upload your entire series at once, ideally as a playlist, and make sure they’re all interlinked for ease of navigation.
How to edit videos for your website
Many brands embed their YouTube videos on their websites, but if you don’t have a channel and want to upload directly, this is the editing format to follow.
Err on the side of caution with your hook. If your visitor is on your website for the first time, you want to get them invested, and quickly. If they’ve been to your site before, chances are, they’ll have an idea of what they’re looking for and will click away quickly if the video doesn’t serve their immediate needs.
With the ‘meat’ of the video, you can lean a little heavier on your credentials. If you have higher-profile clients and you’re allowed to mention them, do it, and remember to mention any other relevant pages regarding them on your website.
With your ending, push hard for the viewer to visit another page. Longer internal journeys on your website push up the dwell time, which, put in simplistic terms, pleases Google and, over time, improves your ranking.
An infographic depicting the timeline of an on-site video, starting with a five-second hook, followed by the main part of the video — the ‘meat’ — and then a conclusive link at the end. Labels along the timeline say: “why they want to watch,” “your brand authority,” “low-key flex, e.g. ‘for XYZ years’, ‘trusted by XYZ companies’, ‘also, name-dropping’,” “mention other webpages to visit,” and “link to another video or page on your site.”
General editing tips for engaging online videos
Don’t start with “hi guys” or other such greetings — go straight into it. Assume they know you.
Keep your edits clean and tight, especially for TikTok.
Don’t start from static. Start your edit with the movement already happening.
Always, ALWAYS use subtitles.
Don’t miss-sell with your hook.
If in doubt: edit it out.
