From Instagram reels to YouTube pre-rolls, there are tons of video ads, but not all of them capture our focus. How many video ads do you remember? Did it hold your attention right from the beginning? Did you want to watch further? That’s the impact of a nicely formatted video ad.
As a filmmaker, marketer, or even a business owner seeking to capture your audience’s attention with video commercials, you have arrived at the perfect site. Let’s discuss how to create video advertisements that do not only attract attention but retain it until the last frame.
The 5-Second Rule: Hook Them Instantly
The first five seconds of your advertisement can make or break your ad completely. With content readily available to viewers, they make a split-second decision on whether to continue watching or skip ahead.
What Makes a Great Hook?
Bold Visuals: Think about using something eye-catching as the very first frame—like a slow-motion coffee pour or an endorsement of your product in motion.
- Ever thought why your skincare isn’t yielding desired effects? Posing a question activates a person’s need for answers, making it more appealing for the audience to consume more content.
- Use scenarios that your audience might empathize with—not getting a grasp on a chaotic schedule, a dreamy travel shot, or a classic oops moment.
With the crafted hook, viewers should be made to stop and reflect, “Hold on, what is this regarding?”
Build Suspense: Tease the Payoff
After capturing their interest, the next obstacle is to keep them engaged. How? By creating a promise where the payoff centers around a captured curiosity.
Pro Tip: Create Micro-Mysteries
Ensure that you don’t spoil the fun and intrigue by revealing everything at once. If your ad is promoting a gadget, make a notion to hint about its coolest feature without fully disclosing it. For example:
- Show someone struggling with a common problem (e.g., tangled headphones.)
- Show a glimpse of a smooth, tangle-free device or any other sleek device. After you reveal this, make sure to add, “Stay tuned to see how this changes everything.”
This technique will ensure that the audience remains focused and will desperately need to look forward to seeing the resolution; thus, it guarantees intrigue.
Tell a Story, Even in 30 Seconds
People are attracted to stories. Narratives can add value to your message even in the shortest advertisements.
The Classic Ad Story Arc
- Setup: State the issue and provide background. A family struggling with dinner plans, for example.
- Conflict: Bring forward the tension. Dinner is a complete disaster and everyone is starving.
- Resolution: Tell us how your product or service fixes everything. Your meal delivery service saves the day.
Why Stories Work
Stories create emotions and a sense of bond. They make the advertisement more than just an ad—they make it personal.
Keep It Snackable
Most video ads are watched on mobile devices which means attention spans have shrunk. Longer explanations won’t work, so focus on objectives like:
- Brevity: Keep your sentences short and to the point.
- Instant Gratification: Use dynamic shots with smooth transitions and quick cuts.
- Captions: Make the video able to be followed along without sound. People tend to watch videos on mute.
Use Emotion Strategically
Ads become unforgettable when paired with some form of emotion; it’s what makes them striking. Combining inspiration, nostalgia, or humor on its own isn’t enough; make it more captivating by appealing to viewers’ feelings.
How to Trigger Emotions
- Make them laugh. Engaging funny advertising is often shared by readers, thereby increasing audience reach.
- Bring back memories with retro themes, tunes, or references.
- Show transformations, victories, or real life stories.
Test, Tweak, and Optimize
While perfect ads might not exist, their design requires almost every business to go through numerous trials before finding one that fits. The company has to analyze what works and what does not.
- Do viewers remain engaged throughout the video’s entire duration?
- How many viewers take action after seeing the CTA?
- Analyze response to different hooks, storylines, CTAs, and CTIs to identify what these audiences find most appealing.
Conclusion
Organizing a video ad for the highest retention is quite simple. If you have a captivating hook, an interesting story, an emotional appeal, and a concrete call to action, your ad will stand out and be remembered.
Looking for tips to create video ads that both convert and capture attention? With us at Reset Media, you can find what you seek. Check out our filmmaking equipment and tips to further enhance your skills.
Let’s bring your ideas to life at Reset Media today. Together, we will turn your vision into a brilliant video.